Eighteen board members were in attendance to hear about the future of the School and to speak to students.
Eighteen members and guests of the School of Communications Advisory Board discussed the metrics of a successful communications school, heard the latest on the school’s facilities expansion, and spoke in 12 classes on September 19.
At a luncheon, advisory board chair and “60 Minutes” senior producer Michael Radutzky praised Elon’s faculty and students for being current and innovative in the midst of significant change in the communications environment. Four students shared their avenues of student engagement: Kate Murphy about the News21 “Guns in America” project, Brian Mezerski about the collegiate programming event in Russia, Brandon Joyner about the value of convention networking, and Marisa Moody about her class partnership with Pace Communications.
In the board’s morning session, Dean Paul Parsons shared signposts in the life of a communications school, including campus visits, student retention, internships, career services, and alumni engagement. The board also had a conversation with new faculty and staff who began at Elon this fall in areas such as communication design, corporate communications and corporate/employer relations. In the afternoon session, the board interacted with University Advancement leaders who are guiding the campaign to expand the School of Communications facilities.
Board members who participated in the fall meeting were:
Roger Bolton, president of the Arthur W. Page Society for senior public relations and corporate communications executives.
Ann Camden, senior vice president of Gibbs and Soell, a public relations agency based in New York City with offices in Raleigh.
Julie Carey, northern Virginia bureau chief for NBC News4 in Washington, D.C.
Kelly Carlton, creative director of motion design at Trailer Park, a movie trailer post-production studio in Hollywood.
Joie Chen, anchor and host of “America Tonight” on Al Jazeera America television network.
Tim Franklin, president of The Poynter Institute, a journalism education and training center in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Tom Howe, who retired this year as director and general manager of UNC-TV.
Claudia Jepsen, executive director of marketing and brand development at This Old House Ventures in New York City.
Eric Kraus, senior vice president and chief communications officer at Bacardi Ltd., with headquarters in Bermuda.
Jack MacKenzie, president of Magid Generational Strategies in Los Angeles.
Sunshine Overkamp, chairman of Overkamp Overkamp-Smith, a strategic and crisis communication consulting firm in Atlanta.
Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.
Michael Tackett, deputy political editor for The New York Times based in Washington.
Ken White, broadcast consultant and public relations strategist in Charlotte.
Brad Brinegar, chairman and CEO of McKinney advertising agency in Durham.
Evan Welsh, senior director of corporate affairs at SAP in Philadelphia.
Norby Williamson, executive vice president of programming, production and development for ESPN in Bristol, Ct.