News & Events

Vanessa Bravo named assistant dean

Vanessa Bravo, a premier scholar in the fields of transnational communications and public relations, has been selected as the School of Communications assistant dean of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and assessment.

In the newly created role, the professor of strategic communications will guide the school’s DEI efforts and provide support for assessment, which is a critical area for school success and the institution’s ACEJMC re-accreditation process.

Additionally, Bravo will provide curricular support for DEI and social justice initiatives, serve as an administrative liaison for the school’s Inclusive Excellence Committee, publish an end-of-year DEI report, compile assessment data, assist with implementation of the school’s curriculum revisions, and serve as a point of contact for student-related concerns.

Since her 2011 arrival at Elon, Bravo has been a visible and active member of the university community, developing a reputation as a thoughtful educator while publishing, presenting and volunteering regularly. She has taken on several leadership roles across campus, including chairing the Department of Strategic Communications – the school’s largest academic program – since 2020. Additionally, Bravo has helped lead the Latinx/Hispanic Council and the Latinx Employee Resource Group at Elon.

School launches new minors

As part of the school’s recent curriculum revision process, faculty and school leaders examined the current communications and sport industry trends and what lies ahead. Likewise, they also considered what areas have drawn strong student interest. One result was the launch of two new interdisciplinary minors: Health Communications and Global Film & Cultures.

Why study health communications? Because the health and well-being of people and populations depend on it. Communication is critical to the success of the country’s healthcare systems, and health needs are escalating locally, nationally and globally. Bottom line, the healthcare industry has a serious need for effective communicators.

“Our overarching objective with the university’s new Health Communications minor is to prepare students to communicate health-related information in a way that inspires positive behavior change,” said Professor of Strategic Communications Julie Lellis, the minor’s program coordinator.

The Global Film & Cultures minor rose from strong student interest and investigates the cultural influence of film and media from regional and global perspectives. It focuses on three essential areas: history, industries and theory/interpretation.

“The minor is crafted to deepen the understanding of how film shapes and reflects societal narratives,” said Assistant Professor of Cinema and Television Arts Kai Swanson, one of the minor’s program coordinators. “This understanding is fundamental for students who will navigate a world where film extends beyond mere entertainment.”

News & Information Summit continues growth and impact

The third annual NC News & Information Summit drew more than 180 attendees from across the state’s news and information ecosystem – and beyond – attracting working news professionals, state officials, and representatives from national journalism support organizations and funders. The Summit, which is co-hosted by the NC Local News Workshop and the NC Open Government Coalition, both housed at Elon University’s School of Communications, highlighted pressing themes of open government, community engagement, and building trust during a major election year.

The Summit’s opening keynote, titled “Building a Fourth Branch: The Power of Information, Community and Trust in 2024,” featured Cierra Hinton of Blue Engine Collaborative and Sailor Jones of Common Cause North Carolina. The presenters drew upon their experiences as connectors and activators in news and public policy, sharing their visions for rebuilding trust across the Tar Heel state. Deborah Holt Noel of PBS NC moderated the discussion.

A range of people in the state’s news and information community, from students to veteran professionals, attended the annual gathering. Sessions included topics such as legal rights for covering the election; how public policy could fund local news; enhancing media literacy through food coverage; ensuring a diverse journalism workforce through early outreach; and best practices in building and sustaining reader engagement, among many others.

The Summit’s primary sponsor was Google News Initiative, which also hosted office hours and a session on tools to prevent misinformation.

CAPTION: With Sailor Jones (left) looking on, Cierra Hinton (center) addresses the audience during a keynote conversation as part of the NC News & Information Summit at North Carolina Central University.

Sunshine Awards

The NC Open Government Coalition recognized several Sunshine Award winners at the Summit:

  • Michael Hewlett, a reporter for the Assembly NC, won the Sunshine Award for Journalism for his investigation into the prosecution of Charles McNeair and his quest for clemency.
  • Joshua Rohrer, a veteran who is calling for more public access to police body camera footage, received the Sunshine Award for Citizen Advocacy.
  • N.C. Sen. Graig Meyer earned the Sunshine Award for Government Service for his efforts to publicize anti-transparency policies and procedures at the North Carolina legislature.

Workshop envisions statewide news hub

Shannan Bowen (center, leaning on table), executive director of the NC Local News Workshop, participates in a brainstorming activity with fellow attendees at the organization’s first working session for a future statewide news collective. The daylong event on Elon’s campus was held Sept. 14, 2023.

Communities across North Carolina feel disconnected from decisions made in Raleigh and how they impact them. This sentiment is one that surfaces frequently through the North Carolina Local News Workshop’s community listening efforts across the state. The Workshop – which supports the state’s news and information ecosystem through training, coaching and convening people to solve pressing challenges – also found that newsrooms often struggle with the operational capacity to localize statewide issues, making it difficult for communities to stay informed about state government decisions and their impact.

To fill this gap, the Workshop and Executive Director Shannan Bowen have created a strategic plan to launch NC Local, a statewide news hub, that will provide pooled resources for local news organizations across the state and catalyze community support to enable more reporting, products and events that help communities access important information. The outcomes envisioned are more impactful, localized information provided through articles and new ways of reaching communities, more perspectives from communities across the state reaching people in power in Raleigh, and greater civic engagement at the local level.

Coalition emphasizes public education

During the past year, the North Carolina Open Government Coalition focused its efforts on educating the public about major changes in public records laws and building its sustaining membership base through community outreach and social media growth.

In October 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a law exempting its members from the state’s public records laws and revoking public access to records of electoral redistricting. The move represented one of the most dramatic rollbacks in information access since the modern public records law passed the General Assembly in the 1970s. In the days and weeks following the change, dozens of media outlets and members of the public contacted the Coalition for comment and analysis. The Coalition tracked the legislative changes and communicated their impact to its core constituencies.

In March, at the 2024 NC News and Information Summit – the largest gathering in the Coalition’s history – Director Brooks Fuller participated in a panel discussion about the fallout and legal path forward from the General Assembly’s decision to exempt North Carolina legislators from the state’s public records laws.

The NC Open Government hotline responded to more than 200 unique inquires over the year and provided public comment in dozens of radio, television, print and digital news stories related to freedom of information and First Amendment rights. The Coalition also held workshops to educate the public about topics related to public records and open meetings, such as the legality of government agencies charging for public records and how to request metadata as a public record.

The Coalition continued to experience steady growth in membership and content engagement, with newsletter subscribers increasing nearly 15 percent, while dues-paying members increasing 25 percent.

During the spring semester, Fuller left the university for a position in the private sector. As a result, the Coalition began a search for its next director.

Scott McCrary ’00 (left), an Emmy and Murrow award-winning television producer,

Fall 2023 Homecoming

Outstanding Alumni Award

Scott McCrary ’00 (left), an Emmy and Murrow award-winning television producer, was recognized on Oct. 20, 2023, with the School of Communications’ Outstanding Alumnus Award. In his role as executive producer for WUSA9, TEGNA’s flagship CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C., the Elon alumnus – and 13th recipient of the alumni award – oversees the station’s daily 6 and 11 p.m. local newscasts. During his career, McCrary has collected five Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, among several other national awards. Also pictured is Communications Dean Kenn Gaither.