Celebrating four decades of the Redstone Film Festival Gary Sheffer lays out the PR lessons learned in 2020 COMDEAN’S REPORT 2021 /365 Faculty and students capture the year in photos GOOD TROUBLE ANDREA TAYLOR, A STUDENT ACTIVIST AT COM IN THE 1960s, IS NOW THE UNIVERSITY’S FIRST SENIOR DIVERSITY OFFICER Boston University College of Communication Boston University College of Communication College of Communication DEAN’S LETTER COM by theNUMBERS DONORS FACULTY 103 NEW HORIZONS Full-Time83 Faculty Part-Time Faculty 14Endowed Graduate Endowed24 Undergraduate Scholarships Scholarships 186 he world changed in 2020—and COM changed Companies are also being reshaped by the crises of 2020, 19Professors with it. The ultimate disrupter, the pandemic embracing mission-driven purpose and social responsibil- Total Faculty took a tremendous toll on our wellbeing, on our ity. In “Communicating in a Crisis—and A er It,” on page global economies—and on our campus experi- 26, we learn from Gary ence. It also served to propel the college forward She er, the Sandra R. AT COM, THE PANDEMIC. inT many ways. Frazier Professor of Public SERVED AS A CRUCIBLE 1,221 COVID forced BU to go remote in March. We had just a Relations, how PR needs 5Endowed Donors 15 THAT FORGED ADAPTATION Professorships Associate32 Professors Assistant Professors couple of days to outfi t all of the faculty with any needed to be “a conscience of the THROUGH INNOVATION. technology, while they revamped their courses on the fl y. company.” Then, faculty and sta worked intensely over the usually As companies wrestled quieter summer months to prepare for fall—and the return of with the impacts of the pandemic, student internships and students to campus. BU added new tech to the classrooms, study abroad experiences vanished. At COM, we wanted provided training for instructors, developed campus health to help students continue to get these important learn- 14 and safety protocols, and adopted the student-centered ing opportunities. That’s how COMLab, the college’s fi rst Master and Senior 118Lecturers and Learn from Anywhere approach for instruction. student-led multimedia agency, was born. The program $2,016,240 Lecturers Instructors Total Donations At COM, the pandemic also served as a crucible that launched in May, with more than 100 students taking part forged adaptation through innovation, as you’ll read over the summer. “Learning by Doing,” on page 18, tells their in several stories in this issue. Turn to page 12, “2020 story. To continue bringing new insights to campus during the Visions,” to see how COM photographers captured the pandemic, we also broadened the COMtalk digital magazine year in pictures—streets fi rst emptied by the pandemic into a virtual event series featuring our talented alumni; read STUDENTS and then fi lled with the Black Lives Matter protests that more about it in “Growing COM’s Profi le,” on page 4. Total Graduate Students: followed in the wake of the tragic murders of George Floyd, Even as we’re navigating rough seas, it’s important to keep Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. These injustices fur- an eye on the horizon. So, while faculty and sta juggled the Undergraduate Degrees: ther fueled our determination to expand COM’s existing challenges of 2020, we also made the time to complete a new • BS in Advertising diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) e orts. Under the strategic plan, which you can fi nd on page 10. Underpinning • BS in Film and Television leadership of Michelle Sullivan (see sidebar on page 24), our ambitions is COM’s essential mission: to build under- • BS in Journalism professor of the practice and our new associate dean of standing through communication education, practice and • BS in Media Science DEI, our DEI committee has updated its goals, welcomed discovery. Good communication is vital to the success of any • BS in Public Relations student representatives, conducted a student survey, human endeavor. Or—as I like to say—everything is better 523 renewed its focus on recruitment and more. Andrea Taylor with COM. • Emerging Media Studies: 70 (’68), BU’s fi rst senior diversity o¡ cer and a former mem- Total Undergraduate Students: (including 14 PhD students) ber of COM’s Dean’s Advisory Board, has been a steady Best, • Journalism: 72 source of counsel; you can read about her in “Making BU a Better Place,” starting on page 22. To help ensure COM • Film and Television: 79 keeps on the right path, I also have formed a new COM DEI Alumni Council. There’s so much to be done. I am MARIETTE DICHRISTINA (‘86) • Mass Communication, Advertising Erik Jacobs 1,950 and Public Relations: 302 grateful to all for their support. Dean COM/365 2021 1 Dean Mariette DiChristina (’86) Assistant Dean, Development & Alumni LEARNING BY DOING COMMUNICATING IN A CRISIS COM THIS YEAR Relations A er the pandemic In a year of uncertainty, COM Kirsten S. Durocher (CGS’03, wiped out most internship —AND AFTER IT thrived, innovating in the class- COM’05) 18 opportunities, COM Gary She er, the 4 room and out, planning for the 22 students spent the Director of Marketing & Sandra R. Frazier future and celebrating 50 years of Communications summer building their 26 Professor of Public independent student journalism. Burt Glass own multimedia agency. Relations, talks about corporate communication Editor Marc Chalufour lessons learned in 2020. Contributing Writers Rich Barlow Alene Bouranova (’16) Joel Brown Greg Glasgow Rusty Gorelick (’22) Amy Laskowski (’15) Doug Most Mara Sassoon Andrew Thurston Megan Woolhouse CONTENTS TERRIER HEADLINES From the Oscars to the NBA, Graphic Designer Raquel Schott politics to the pages of new COVER STORY: MAKING BU A BETTER PLACE 34 books, COM alums continue to Produced by Boston Andrea L. Taylor (’68) was a student activist during the civil rights movement. Amid tell unique stories. University Marketing & another moment of national racial reckoning, she returns as the University’s fi rst Communications senior diversity o¡ cer. Cover Photo: Doug Levy COM/365 welcomes your comments. Write to the editor at [email protected]. Send address updates to 2020 VISIONS SHOWTIME [email protected]. When COVID-19 shut down BU and the city around it, and when police killings of For four decades, the Redstone Film Festival has celebrated COM Black Americans fi lled the streets with thousands of protesters calling for racial 30 fi lmmakers and helped them launch their careers. Recyclable justice, COM photographers were there. In keeping with BU’s commitment to sustainability, THANKS TO ALL OF YOU this publication is FSC-certifi ed. Meet some of the people who contributed to COM’s success 38 last year—and see what the Stay Connected to the students are most thankful for. College of Communication Join the COM online community! Post, tag, tweet, ask questions, watch videos, network with fellow alums and reconnect with professors and classmates. bu.edu/com buconnects.com facebook.com/COMatBU instagram.com/COMatBU linkedin.com/school/COMatBU twitter.com/COMatBU youtube.com/COMatBU EQCDM 12 0221 2 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 3 COM THIS YEAR THE FACULTY BOOKSHELF New titles covering comedy studies, WWII and Christian TV exhibit COM’s range 1. T. Barton Carter et al., Mass Communication Law in a Nutshell, 8th ed. (West Academic Publishing, 2020) 2. Michael Holley, The Big Three: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and the Rebirth of the Boston Celtics (Hachette, 2020) 3. Charlotte Howell, Divine Programming: Negotiating Christianity in American Dramatic Television Production, 1996–2016 (Oxford University Press, 2020) 4. Yi Grace Ji et al., Strategic Communication for Startups and Entrepreneurs in China (Routledge, 2020) 5. Dick Lehr, Dead Reckoning: The Story of How Johnny Mitchell and His Fighter Pilots Took on Admiral Yamamoto and Avenged Pearl Harbor (HarperCollins, 2020) 6. Patrice Oppliger and Eric Shouse, eds., The Dark Side of Stand-Up Comedy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020) 7. Joyce Walsh, Graphic Design Essentials with Adobe Soware (Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2020) GROWING COM’S PROFILE COMtalks virtual speaker series takes advice, lessons and thought leadership to global audience BY ANDREW THURSTON How does HBO make binge-worthy DiChristina (’86). Although the series being live events,” she says, “but we’re programs? What can Black journal- came together quickly—launching just not going to be able to reach the num- ists do to avoid burnout? How do weeks aer the first COVID-19 lock- ber of people in person that we could you find a job in a recession? What downs—it had been in the works since with a virtual webinar.” can communicators do to eect DiChristina joined COM in 2019. “How Durocher says that expanded reach social change? are we handling the world of today and helps the college fulfill a core education Since April 2020, the COMtalks tomorrow as a communication com- mission—taking COM’s knowledge to virtual speaker series has brought munity? Every single one of the events wider audiences. Another benefit to the COM’s expertise to a global audience, addresses that challenge. What are we virtual series: more alums can become providing a forum for discussions on doing at the leading edge?” involved in the college, regardless of their communication industry challenges Most presenters in the first round location or work schedule. Some have and tips for tackling them. of sessions had a COM connection, watched a session and then volunteered While most of the events pull three but the college plans to increasingly for a future event or found another or four professionals together to share engage speakers from across BU way to share their time and expertise, writer and producer, has written epi- especially related to climate change their stories, lessons and advice, and beyond: a business professor on whether mentoring students, speaking in WELCOME TO COM sodes of The Simpsons, Who’s the Boss and issues of gender and diversity.