The conceptualization of the Mars Hill College (MHC) communication major is a type of the refocused, liberal arts-based programs appearing at many colleges and universities around the country--Mars Hill is an undergraduate college of 1100 students. The final product (the liberal-arts based, interdisciplinary MHC communication major) is the result of 3 critical factors: (1) a year and a half of informal, first-hand interviews of university educators who are changing their programs, those who head respected programs, and leading practitioners in communication-related industries; (2) a full year of studying Mars Hill College to get a sense of its character, its mission, its faculty, and its students; (3) the shared vision and enthusiasm of the division head, the dean of faculty and the vice president of academic affairs. The critical quality of "Communication as a Liberal Art" is its function as a context for 21st-century living. The study of communication should help students define and refine daily living and the understanding of it, making possible educated, meaningful information exchange in business, media consumption, message interpretation, leisure, and interpersonal communication. If communication as a meta-perspective is the "new liberal art," it follows that it must be positioned in the academy to be relevant across the academic spectrum. In the last two years, the program at Mars Hall College has incorporated courses from six other departmental disciplines and used a number of faculty from other departments. It also shares computer labs and other resources with other departments. (A list of interdisciplinary programs is attached.) (TB)