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 So’ware (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 e
ect 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. some have been more like fireside branding research or an epidemiologist classes or o ering career advice. Meet the newest members and Full House. Recently, he worked on Stephanie Worrell, instructor of chats, such as a conversation between on health communications. “We have long had a burning desire of the faculty the Netflix series Team Kaylie and the advertising and public relations. The leading entertainment execs Bonnie “We’d love for these to become not to help connect alums to students; not Disney show Bunk’d. founder of Red Sky Strategic Commu- Hammer (CGS’69, COM’71, Whee- only a resource for students, faculty, just LinkedIn connections, but actual Sheila Sitomer, professor of the nications and a veteran PR, advertis- lock’75, Hon.’17) of NBCUniversal and sta , parents and alumni, but also a mentoring connections,” says DiChris- practice, film and television. Sitomer ing, marketing and executive coaching Jay Roewe (’79) of HBO. Others have thought leadership piece in the indus- tina, who’s enjoyed seeing audience Yi Grace Ji, assistant professor of spent two decades at ABC where she consultant, Worrell has more than 25 followed a TED Talks approach, with try,” says Kirsten Durocher (CGS’03, members propose collaborative mass communication, advertising and worked as an executive editor and years of industry experience. Most an expert—like Mitchell Zucko , the COM’05), assistant dean for develop- projects in comments and questions. public relations. Ji studies strategic executive producer for ABC News and recently, she served as senior vice Sumner M. Redstone Professor in Nar- ment and alumni relations. “This series “These virtual events have people communications and has twice been served as executive producer for the president in the global health sector rative Studies—tackling one topic. The is not just keeping us on the map, but meeting each other.” named a Page Legacy Scholar by the award-winning daily programs Inside for WE Communications. series streams live three Wednesdays growing our profile.” Durocher hopes the series becomes Arthur W. Page Center for Integ- Edition and Extra. Marni Zelnick, assistant professor each month, typically at 3 pm Eastern, Even when the world fully opens a point of pride for alums—something rity in Public Communication. She Rosalynn Vasquez, assistant pro- of film and television. An experienced and is archived at bu.edu/com. again—when people cram back into for them to share with colleagues. coauthored the 2020 book Strategic fessor of public relations. In more than writer, director and producer, Zelnick “We started it as a means for us all lecture halls and onto international “I want them to feel excited about Communication for Startups and Entre- 15 years of industry experience, work- teaches screenwriting. She wrote and to keep engaged during the pandemic, flights—Durocher expects the virtual what BU’s doing and to raise their hand, preneurs in China. ing for both corporate and nonprofit directed the 2014 film Druid Peak and but that’s not enough—we had a series will remain a prominent and too,” she says. “I want people to be loud Adam Lapidus, assistant professor, organizations, Vasquez developed an was a producer of the 2015 film The

vision behind it,” says Dean Mariette regular fixture. “I do see them also and proud about being COM.” / Images page: Getty Facing film and television. Lapidus, a screen- interest in corporate social advocacy, Adderall Diaries. —Marc Chalufour

4 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 5 COM THIS YEAR

had reporters stationed at both Hillary COM FELLOWS FUND ALL OUT ON Clinton’s and Donald Trump’s national WITH HONORS headquarters. In contrast, the farthest INTRODUCED ELECTION NIGHT students traveled on Election Day 2020 Advertising students and BUTV10 collect more awards Program supports student intern- Despite pandemic, students was to polling places in Brookline and ships and forges relationships carried out ambitious coverage Copley Square. Advertising students had 10 projects honored by The Noah Cavicchi (’21) received first prize in the Arthur W. with premier media companies At BUTV10, students produced three One Club at its annual Young Ones Student Awards. Page Society’s and Institute for Public Relations’ annual Stu- There was nothing normal about the nights of election reporting. The sta- COM collected one of the award show’s signature gold dent Case Study Competition, for his project “Major League 2020 election. The COVID-19 pan- tion’s coverage included appearances pencils—Yue (Yvonne) Wang (’21) and Ruijie (Mia) Lin Soccer: Social Consciousness or Social Contentiousness.” demic resulted in strict attendance from BUTV10 alums now working at (’21) for “Open to Share,” a campaign for Lay’s potato The New England Society of Professional Journalists limits at campaign events and states CBS, CNN and NBC, as well as notable chips—as well as one silver pencil, two bronze pencils and awarded Andres Picon (’20) with its first-place scholarship. across the country tallied record guests like Boston Mayor Marty Walsh six merit awards. Collectively, COM placed fourth overall The award recognized his accomplishments as a former edi- early voting. But one thing didn’t and attorney Alan Dershowitz. “Their in the international competition. Alex Chapman (’20) and tor at the Daily Free Press and his role as a research assistant change: COM students continued to achievement rate at securing these folks Henry Kruell (’19) received a gold cube in The Young Ones for the Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigative team. cover contests around the country. during a pandemic was impressive,” ADC competition for their “The Beauty In Between” poster Director Derin Kiyak (’17,’20) and producer Songxin In fact, their 2020 reporting was Cavalieri says. campaign for Amtrak; the Art Directors Club (ADC) awards Xie (’20) received first prize for best film at COM’s 40th their most ambitious to date, says For many students, election week were celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2020. Redstone Film Festival for Oš Beat. As an intern with the GBH News BUTV10 adviser Chris Cavalieri (’81), coverage was the culmination of BUTV10 received four New England Emmy awards and Jiaxi Wu (’22) received a $100,000, two-year research Center for Investigative Reporting, an assistant professor of television. months of reporting. Students enrolled one Telly Award. Their awards included first-place Col- fellowship from the American Heart Association’s Tobacco Isabel Contreras (pictured above) It included three days of coverage, in the Statehouse Program, which lege/University Emmies for Newscast (Primary Focus 2020, Center for Regulatory Sciences to study how social media is was treated more like a sta
er than involving approximately 100 students funnels their reporting on Beacon Hill produced by Naba Khan (’20), Sydney Hager (’20), Riley used to promote flavored cigars. a student. She collected and analyzed to local news Villiers (’21); directed by Guy Jackson (’20)) and Sports— As part of a fellowship from Columbia University, Se Jin data for stories, and even cowrote an outlets, were Live Event (Boston University Basketball, directed by Anna Paik (’23) will study journalism ethics in the algorithm age. article with Jenifer B. McKim, a senior on the politics Gregoire (’20); associate producers Nicholas McCool PRLab was a finalist for Best Student Campaign for their investigative reporter at GBH, Bos- beat all semes- (CAS’20, COM’20), Jacob Lintner (CAS’21, COM’21), PRoBono 2019 project, at PRWeek’s 2020 Purpose Awards. ton’s local NPR station, and a clinical ter. Their cov- Allie Rock (’21)); and honorable mentions for College/Uni- His Last Game, a short film written by Debbie Danielpour, instructor of investigative journalism erage included versity Long Form—Non-fiction (On That Point, produced an assistant professor of film, won the Jury Top Prize for at COM, about prisoners being ruled stories on by McCool, Armand Manoukian (CAS’21, COM’21); Ancestral Drama at the Online New England Film Festival. eligible to claim stimulus money. The sta¡ng of directed by Villiers) and Magazine Program (Amber, pro- Michelle Johnson, associate professor of the practice, internship became possible when Con- polling places, duced by Jinghan Zhang (’19) and Sylvia Yang (’19)). journalism, received an alumni award from Columbia Jour- treras (CAS’21, COM’21) was chosen to the mechanics The Primary Focus team also received a bronze Telly in the nalism School. Johnson, a former editor at the Boston Globe, be in the first cohort of students spon- of early voting Television General–Student category. helped that paper launch boston.com in the 1990s. At BU, sored by the new COM Fellows Fund. and social Johnson oversees the BU News Service. Fellowships, available to COM media’s role Patrice Oppliger, assistant professor of juniors and seniors, provide students BUTV10 produced three nights of election coverage in 2020. in polarizing communication, was elected president of the with $10,000 each to pursue positions the election. International Society of Humor Studies, which is that oen pay little to nothing. The reporting on the lead-up to the election Their work appeared in local newspa- dedicated to the advancement of humor research college is also developing partnerships and Election Day itself across multiple pers throughout the state, then on the and publishes Humor: International Journal of with leading media and communica- platforms, including WTBU, COM’s BUNS website. Humor Research. tion organizations, which will reserve Statehouse Program, Boston University WTBU also produced months of Lei Guo, assistant professor of emerging media internships for fellows. News Service (BUNS) and BUTV10. coverage, with journalists working studies, and Chris Wells, associate professor of The funding, Contreras says, o ered “Despite the pandemic, students remotely from all over the country. emerging media studies, were named founding “a layer of security in incredibly uncer- are going all out to provide the kind of WTBU news director Gri¡n Buch members of BU’s Faculty of Computing and Data tain times.” Besides Contreras, the thorough journalistic coverage that is (’21) says there were clear advantages Sciences. The new multidisciplinary unit will other inaugural fellows were Chloe Liu critical to a functioning society,” says to working with a spread-out group. eventually be housed in BU’s Center for Com- (’23), a multimedia journalism intern Dean Mariette DiChristina (’86). “We “I had two team members in Miami puting and Data Sciences, scheduled to open in at Gray Television, and Jennifer Cuciti need that reliable reporting more than providing great swing-state coverage 2022. (’21), a television and podcast intern at ever—and they are delivering.” from the ground there and sending it PRWeek honored COM with a second-place America’s Test Kitchen. That’s not to say the pandemic back to Boston.” Lauryn Allen photographed Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) award in the Outstanding Education Program cat- greeting supporters during her presidential campaign. Patrick Nelson, director of COM didn’t present significant di¡culties “The students are undaunted, egory at its annual awards ceremony, the college’s Career Services, says that the COM in coordinating the coverage. Besides resourceful and creative beyond COM photojournalists received six student awards given highest place ever in the competition. Fellows Fund, which was established the fact that some student reporters anything I could have imagined,” says out in the Boston Press Photographers College Contest, Two COM publications received CASE (Council for by an anonymous alum, will sponsor 10 weren’t physically in Boston for the Anne Donohue (’89), an associate pro- including first place in the News category for Lauryn Allen Advancement and Support of Education) District I awards. fellowships in summer 2021. semester, lockdown measures curbed fessor of journalism and WTBU faculty (’22) and first place in the Portrait category for Paola Pov- COMtalk received gold for best web-based magazine while

—Mara Sassoon access to sources. In 2016, BUTV10 adviser. —Alene Bouranova (Warren) This page: Lauryn Allen (BUTV10); Cydney Scott (Contreras), Arteaga page: Isabella Facing entud Escoriaza (’21). COM/365 received gold in the annual report category. —M.C.

6 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 7 Mi, sunt es dolupta- ti blam venest ant COM THIS YEAR landuntur? Quiduci dernatem adit venti consequ iatur? Solor Association’s 2019 College Newspaper show—with contestants designing alignisi num quis of the Year. wardrobes from thri store finds— reptatia. The paper’s real legacy, though, is called Thri’ Oš. Then, with locations the many journalism careers it has scouted and contestants cast, COVID- launched, with alums going on to jobs 19 shut down filming and le the class at the New York Times, Washington Post, without a project. NBC News and many other outlets. Waller, an assistant professor, has Hannah Schweitzer (right) Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Don taught the class, which is called Hot- and Hailey McKee (left) led the Van Natta (’86) of ESPN remembers house Productions and puts students student-run public health Mi, sunt es dolupta- his four years at the FreeP fondly. “A in charge of their own production campaign F*ck It Won’t Cut It. ti blam venest ant big appeal of Boston University was company, for 20 years. Past clients landuntur? the opportunity to work on a daily have included Boston Children’s student newspaper,” he says. “It was an Hospital, the Geena Davis Institute intensive and very public way to learn on Gender in the Media and a range on the job, getting the reps you need of nonprofits and schools. But with to become a professional reporter and her final team of students scattered editor. Our mistakes—and we made to their respective homes, Waller and plenty—were on display every day for her class had to come up with a new lives. But as the pandemic worsened, posts and the entire campus community. And so project from scratch: so they turned the production team faced another infographics, we learned the hard way the importance their cameras around to document di¡cult question: With all of the F*ck It Won’t of rigorous reporting, clear writing and their own predicament. su ering going on in the world, was Cut It com- FREEP TURNS 50 meticulous fact-checking.” —M.C. “It was kind of a wild ride,” says their film too focused on their own municated an BU’s newspaper celebrates a half Casey Spillane (’21), who had been privileged positions? urgent reality: century of student journalism the executive producer on Thri’ Oš “It was about ‘we don’t get to have that if the QUIET ON SET before switching gears to produce Still a senior year’ and ‘we don’t get to entire student On May 6, 1970—two days a¨er Student-run production company Students: A Semester in Quarantine, a see our friends,’ while the death toll body didn’t student protesters were shot by the adjusts amid COVID-19 15-minute documentary. was rising every day,” Spillane says. take COVID- Ohio National Guard at Kent State To spark some creativity, Spillane Some in the class wanted to add more 19 preventive University—Charles Radin (’71) pub- Garland Waller began 2020 with and director Hailey Hart-Thomp- context to the film, others felt they measures lished the first edition of the Daily a fun idea for the final section of son (CAS’21, COM’21) encouraged couldn’t please everyone with the fin- seriously, Free Press. That inaugural single-page her television production class— each member of the class to focus on ished product. In the end, they wove campus life would cease to exist. It focus groups with campus student issue reported on Boston University’s the last she’d teach before retiring. a di erent topic, like how they felt news footage and audio throughout, also aimed to dispel misconceptions, leaders, asking for their feedback, decision to close dorms and cancel Her students would produce a pilot about being in quarantine or how they providing a backdrop for their own and answer questions, about responsi- then pitched di erent iterations of both final exams and Commencement for a reality fashion competition coped with the major shi in their story of a semester interrupted. ble partying and dating that students their work to the o¡ces of the dean of in the face of campus protests across Waller was impressed with how her might not have felt comfortable talking students, the president and the pro- the country. class responded to their situation. about with their parents or professors. vost. “We know it’s a bold approach, In May 2020, BU’s independent “They captured the sadness and the The project was a first-ever joint we know it’s di erent, but they are student newspaper celebrated its 50th determination to keep going,” she e ort between students in AdLab showing they value student voices and birthday amid another historic campus says. “They made something happen.” and PRLab, and yes, the campaign creativity,” McKee says. closure, this one due to the COVID-19 —Rusty Gorelick title was meant to shock people, says Public health and PR experts have pandemic. Hannah Schweitzer (’21), president of taken notice. In December the group In both cases, the student report- AdLab. “If you bring home groceries, spoke at a Centers for Disease Control ers and editors tackled challenging GOING VIRAL you might say, ‘F*ck it’ to wiping them and Prevention webinar for univer- stories that had broad social impacts Student-led campaign designed down, but. . . these small lapses could sity administrators and health sta . extending well beyond Comm Ave (to to shock—and inform—about have dire e ects.” And they’re a finalist, alongside four see some of the paper’s 2020 coverage COVID-19 Hailey McKee (’21), PRLab account professional campaigns, for Best in of Black Lives Matter protests, turn to director, says the campaign came at Community Relations at the annual page 12). In the 50 intervening years, BU students who returned to cam- a crucial time. “Nationally, there is PRWeek Awards in March. the FreeP, as it’s a ectionately known, pus in the fall were reminded in a a space for young people to flip the Although the campaign took a has covered countless triumphs and not-very-subtle way about just what narrative and show that they are smart lighthearted approach, McKee wants tragedies, navigated repeated finan- was expected of them when it came and taking coronavirus precautions to reassure everyone that the students cial hardships and sparred with BU’s to masks, social distancing, testing seriously,” she says. recognized that this is a serious issue. administration, establishing itself and other precautions. “F*ck It,” a The team of eight students began “We do not take this issue lightly, as one of the top college papers student-led public health campaign working on the project in June, when even if you see a fun graphic or funny around—most recently winning the warned them, “Won’t Cut It.” University administrators asked them tweet,” she says. “It’s a dialogue we

New England Newspaper & Press (lower right); This page: Cydney Scott Students of Still (upper left); Photo Courtesy page: BU Facing Through TikTok videos, Instagram to create a viral campaign. They held need to have.” —Amy Laskowski

8 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 9 COM THIS YEAR Create a VIBRANT ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE by updating instruction and embracing innovation We will: Update our curricula to embrace diverse perspectives as well as leading-edge media technol- ogies • Enhance our writing programs, a cornerstone for communicators everywhere • Work with BU partners to o‡er new online and residential master’s programs and certificate programs • Work with THE BU’s innovation hubs to provide new research opportunities FUTURE Enhance creation of RESEARCH THAT MATTERS by focusing on communication areas that will help society engage with OF COM challenges We will: Address mediated societal challenges and enhance public engagement by identifying and explaining communication problems in research • Conduct collaborative research—within COM, between COM and College unveils a new strategic other BU faculties, and between COM and outside scholars—to advance sound communication practices plan to position itself as a leader across communication fields

s the editor in chief at Scientific American and an executive of its publisher, Springer Nature, Mariette A DiChristina led the development of several strategic Engage communities globally by developing COM THOUGHT plans. Her goal each time: listen, learn and emerge with a list LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES and new learning opportunities of actionable items. “It’s the community that you serve that knows the answers, and the best leaders give that community To help change the world for good, we will: Explore the possibility of developing a Center for Impact a way to shape their ideas and move forward productively,” Communication • Develop purpose-driven initiatives that include advancing urban sustainability, elevat- she says. ing the voices of underrepresented groups in media and fostering media literacy • Develop platforms for When she began her new job as dean of COM in August thought leadership, including virtual and live events, innovative polling and new kinds of publications • 2019, DiChristina (’86) wanted to apply the same approach Look for opportunities to grow COM’s global presence, including study abroad programs, relationships to developing a strategic plan for the college. One year later, with other colleges and international research initiatives COM had an approved plan in place, with five strategic themes closely aligned with Boston University’s broader strategic plan, and a reimagined mission statement:

We build understanding through communication education, practice and discovery. We prepare students to adapt to change and share their voices Cultivate a COM culture that EMBRACES AND BENEFITS FROM in a transformational media world. DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION We generate knowledge through research and theory building. We will: Support challenged students—international and domestic—with coaching and mentoring • We integrate professional and academic experiences across Improve our recruitment of a diverse faculty and sta‡ and provide them with new kinds of training communication disciplines. as needed • Ensure equity in our operational practices We nurture a culture rich in diversity, critical thinking and creative expression. We champion communication grounded in authenticity, ešectiveness and purpose.

“The key to a better future is great communication,” Develop COM communities for faculty, staŒ, students and DiChristina says. “And COM is uniquely and ideally alumni that PROVIDE BIG OPPORTUNITIES yet also feel positioned to help with that.”—M.C. approachable and small We will: Develop programs to engage alumni networks for prospective students, current students

Erik Jacobs and alumni • Enhance sta‡ e“ciency and retention by developing training, retreats and a culture of continuous improvement • Explore ways to enhance our internal communications and collaborations through an intranet or similar platform 10 bu.edu/com TWO STORIES DOMINATED SPRING 2020. In March, the coronavirus pandemic shut businesses and schools around the world—BU among them—leaving city streets empty as people isolated in their homes. Then, in the wake of a series of new police killings of Black Americans, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, massive international protests COVID-19 EMPTIED BOSTON’S demanding racial justice broke out. COM photographers documented it all. Edward Boches (’76), professor of the practice, advertising, began taking STREETS. PROTESTS FOR black-and-white pictures of Boston’s empty streets in mid-March, gradu- RACIAL JUSTICE FILLED THEM. ally compiling them in a project he calls “Somewhere Along the Curve.” (The SEE HOW COM PHOTOGRAPHERS entire project can be viewed at bochesphotography.com.) “It almost looks fake, it looks like a movie set,” Boches says. “When we see DOCUMENTED A TURBULENT YEAR. these places with no people in them, we see them very, very diŠ erently. The photos work that way for me—I see the city that I live in, that I love and hang out in, in a very diŠ erent way.” When Black Lives Matter protests were planned for Boston in early June, Angela Yang (’23) faced her fi rst big decision as editor-in-chief of the Daily Free Press. The student-run paper historically hasn’t been published during the summer. “This summer, we published almost every day,” she says. Yang, along with other students from the paper and the BU News Service, a multimedia stu- dent journalism site, spent days documenting the protests. “Photojournalists have a really important job, just being there to observe,” Yang says. “You get to Photography by see history unfold in front of you.” LAURYN ALLEN, EDWARD BOCHES, CAITLIN FAULDS and ANGELA YANG The work of Boches, Yang, Lauryn Allen (’21) of the Daily Free Press and Caitlin Faulds (’21) of BU News Service tells a dramatic story of Boston in 2020.—Marc Chalufour and Joel Brown

12 bu.edu/com The Mass Ave Bridge, empty in the middle of rush hour early in the pandemic. PhotoCOM /by365 Edward 2021 Boches 13 A pedestrian in full PPE (personal protective equipment) on Comm Ave. Photo by Edward Boches Boston University’s West Campus and Comm Ave are abandoned the week a’er students were sent home in March. Photo by Edward Boches

Medical workers protest in front of the Massachusetts Statehouse in downtown Boston in May. Photo by Lauryn Allen A Boston police o¢cer watches protesters march down Tremont Street. Photo by Caitlin Faulds

14 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 15 A hotel worker walks toward work down an empty Boston alley. Photo by Edward Boches Caution tape keeps people away from a carousel on the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston. Photo by Edward Boches

Protesters chant “I can’t breathe” and “Who do you protect?” in front of a Boston police station in the Back Bay. Photo by Lauryn Allen Following a march in honor of George Floyd, protesters lay down in front of a Boston police station in Jamaica Plain. Photo by Angela Yang

16 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 17 BY EARLY APRIL 2020, PATRICK CHATELAIN HAD SETTLED IN AT HIS PARENTS’ HOME ON LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK, TO FINISH THE ACADEMIC YEAR BU had switched to remote learning a few weeks earlier, ONLINE. in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, but Chatelain (’22) held out hope that he’d still be able to travel to Australia for a summer internship with the Sydney Film Festival. Tallulah Bark-Huss (’21) was also at home, in Chicago, wondering about her study abroad and intern- ship program in London. Across COM, students counting on summer internships for professional experience faced the uncertainty of what the coming months held. But as COVID-19 continued to spread, one program aer another was cancelled and international travel shut down. COM sta and faculty saw a problem developing: many students needed those intern- ships to fulfill graduation requirements. “We asked ourselves: What can we do to help? What can we do to provide a remote work experience that would help students not just to survive, but to thrive?” says Dean Mari- ette DiChristina (’86). “We wanted to, whenever possible, find DEPRIVED OF ways to turn today’s challenges into learning opportunities.” INTERNSHIPS BY By mid-May, the framework of a solution was ready: COVID-19, COM STUDENTS COMLab, a student-run multimedia startup. Peer-led and peer-mentored teams imagining and producing content of BUILT THEIR OWN all forms, including advertising, public relations, film and MULTIMEDIA AGENCY journalism.

By MARC CHALUFOUR AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAD COME Illustrations by GWEN KERAVAL At the core of the COMLab concept was the idea that students wouldn’t be working for outside clients but rather with COM as their client and audience—freeing them to get creative. “The biggest challenge was convincing the

COM/365 2021 19 “COMMUNICATION MEDIA “COLLEGE STUDENTS DO AMAZING THINGS HAVE NEVER BEEN SO WHEN YOU TAKE THE CONSTRAINTS AWAY INTEGRATED. THE FROM THEM. PEOPLE WANTED TO CREATE SKILLS OF BEING ABLE THINGS THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH TO TELL GOOD STORIES THEIR MAJORS. THEY WENT SO FAR AFIELD

USING MULTIPLE OF THEIR COMFORT They also take pride in making something from nothing. Chatelain pushed aside the PLATFORMS CAN BE— ZONES, WHICH I THINK disappointment of missing out on a summer in Sydney, where he would’ve worked on AND ARE—APPLIED TO IS AWESOME.” movie scripts, and embraced the COMLab opportunity. “I’ve never been around for the launch of a new program,” he says. “How MULTIPLE CAREER DUSTIN SUPA oen can a person say, ‘I was part of a media startup’?” OPTIONS.” Bark-Huss says the experience was even better than what she missed out on in Lon- MARIETTE DICHRISTINA don because of how valuable remote work skills quickly became. “It’s such a di erent landscape now,” she says. “Now I have those skills and I translated that into cover letters and my résumé.” In September, she started a remote internship with a production com- pany based in Los Angeles. students that this was their media startup—to be what they “College students do amazing things when you take the Aer its trial run, Supa hopes that wanted it to be,” says Dustin Supa, a senior associate dean constraints away from them,” Supa says. “People wanted COMLab continues to grow and, perhaps, and associate professor of public relations, who was the to create things that had nothing to do with their majors. eventually will turn into an interdisciplinary main architect of the program. They went so far afield of their comfort zones, which I think hub for collaboration between COM’s stu- From that introductory meeting in May to a virtual is awesome.” dent media organizations, AdLab, BU News launch party on July 23, when their website, bucomlab.com, COMLab participants also met for a weekly class with Service, BUTV10, PRLab and WTBU— went live, COMLab took shape. Students split into four Supa, DiChristina and members of the COM sta , and something he has long envisioned and that divisions: enterprise communication, news and information, they were oen joined by special guest speakers, including helped spark the idea for COMLab. performance and entertainment (directed by Chatelain), Nancy Dubuc (’91), CEO of Vice; Jay Roewe (’79), a senior “We have all of these great independent and engagement and strategy (directed by Bark-Huss). They vice president at HBO; and Steve Barrett, the US editor- media organizations within COM, which are formed teams and developed project ideas. They built the in-chief of PRWeek. Bark-Huss was struck by something really good training grounds for students website and designed a logo. Among their projects were that Dubuc told the group. “She talked about how what we to learn,” says Supa. “They have their own podcasts, streaming shows, news stories and PR campaigns. were doing in the summer was turning an obstacle into an histories and they win awards—but there’s That first wave of projects was as varied as BU Thrive, a advantage. We were all in this sucky situation and we could nothing that brings them together to do it high school outreach program designed to connect BIPOC make the best out of it.” from a modern media business perspective.” (Black, Indigenous and people of color) students in the All of that was made possible with funding from the COMLab, he hopes, can fill that gap. Boston Public School system with students at BU, and an college and donors, including Nathaniel Dalton (LAW’91), a “Communication media have never been interactive online fiction game that plays out like a Choose member of the BU Board of Trustees. so integrated. The skills of being able to tell Your Own Adventure novel. COM as You Are, an enter- good stories using multiple platforms can tainment podcast, covered topics like sports in the Black LOOKING AHEAD be—and are—applied to multiple career Lives Matter era and transgender representation in media. With students now back on the BU campus, what the future options,” says DiChristina. “COMLab, as And the students behind Keep COM and Cook With Us holds for the virtual media startup remains to be seen. a student-run, startup integrated media produced a cooking show, teaching viewers how to make COMLab’s first cohort set a high bar for creativity, says operation, has given students a chance to seafood pasta and egg tofu with shrimp and noodles from Supa, and they will continue collaborating through the experiment and grow in ways that will give their own kitchens. spring semester at least. them a leg up aer graduation.” /

20 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 21 MAKING BU A ON APRIL 24, 968, A FEW WEEKS AFTER MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.’S ASSASSINATION, ANDREA L. TAYLOR BETTER AND MEMBERS OF UMOJA, BOSTON UNIVERSITY’S BLACK STUDENT UNION, OCCUPIED AN ADMINISTRATION BUILDING ON BAY STATE ROAD.

Hundreds of students joined, refusing to leave first senior diversity o¡cer. More than 50 years until their demands were met. Those demands, aer she occupied the administration build- writes Kathleen Kilgore in the book Transfor- ing as a young activist, Taylor has returned to mations: A History of Boston University, included her alma mater to lead e orts to strengthen PLACE extending the admissions deadline—which by diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives then had passed—for Black students, creating a for students, alumni, faculty and sta . “It’s center to help Black students adjust to BU, and not an easy task, and there will be some tough recruiting 100 more Black students by provid- conversations, but I’m glad we’ve started down ing full financial aid. Arland Christ-Janer, BU’s a path where there’s no going back,” she says. president at the time, agreed to honor each of “These e orts are something that all of us in those requests. the BU community need to engage in to make “It was quite an interesting time on campus,” the University a better place.” says Taylor (’68). “And in some ways, it’s not very much di erent than today, where students A BUDDING ACTIVIST also have expectations of their educational Eight of Taylor’s family members, including her institutions and are not shy about making those parents, also graduated from BU. Her parents, requests known. It’s very encouraging to see Della Brown Taylor Hardman (CFA’45) and that young people at this moment in time in our Francis Taylor, Sr. (CFA’56), had grown up in history are taking action. This is what young segregated West Virginia, where, at the time, people do. They are at the center of social people of color were barred from applying to ALUM ANDREA TAYLOR COMES FULL CIRCLE, change in their communities, and they have local graduate schools. But they learned that RETURNING TO HER ALMA MATER TO LEAD DIVERSITY, agency and are willing to take risks. They have northern graduate programs would allow them a perspective that people sometimes underesti- to apply and both wound up at BU. EQUITY AND INCLUSION EFFORTS mate and overlook.” Taylor’s uncle, Willard Brown (LAW’35,’36), But not Taylor. A civil rights veteran, former went on to become the first Black judge in West journalist and a voice for change, Taylor has Virginia and was the president of the state’s By MARA SASSOON never underestimated or overlooked students NAACP chapter from 1950 to 1966. “He was Photos by DOUG LEVY and anyone else calling for equity and social able to become a real advocate for civil rights justice. In August 2020, against a backdrop in his community. He brought legal action to of social unrest marked by protests against desegregate libraries, restaurants and other racism and police brutality against Black public accommodations,” she says. When Taylor people, she was appointed the University’s was 16, she accompanied him to the March on

22 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 23 “I’M EXCITED ABOUT THIS MOMENT FOR BU, WITH THIS Washington, where King (GRS’55, Hon.’59) delivered his EXPANDING DEI INITIATIVES AT COM famous “I Have a Dream” speech. GENUINE INTEREST AND “It was an amazing thing, to stand in solidarity with In 2017, COM formed a committee composed of faculty, INVESTMENT IN FOCUSING ON staff and students to improve its culture of equity and 250,000-plus other people from across the US who were inclusion. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) protesting in a nonviolent, peaceful manner for equity, civil DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. . . . WE Committee is a 19-member group currently led by rights and social justice,” Taylor says. “I was so inspired, Michelle Sullivan, associate dean of diversity, equity and I carried that activism to BU.” KNOW THAT THE MORE DIVERSE THE and inclusion. In the fall, it included an undergraduate The experience, she says, also inspired her career path. “In INPUTS, THE STRONGER AND MORE student representative, Nyema Wilson (’21), and a a way, it set the frame for the activities I’ve done and the work graduate student representative, Olayinka Sarayi (’21). that I’ve done professionally, which have given me the oppor- EFFECTIVE THE OUTCOMES WILL BE.” Sullivan (’95), a professor of the practice, advertising, tunity to try to a ect social change in various communities.” says the committee is focused on hosting events that —ANDREA TAYLOR cover diversity issues in the communication fi elds, inviting FINDING PHILANTHROPY more diverse speakers to COM events, recruiting more Taylor, a journalism major, had skipped a job interview with stronger and more e ective the outcomes diverse faculty and staff and revising the curriculum to incorporate more diverse and global points of view. the Boston Globe to participate in the occupation of the will be.” Lei Guo, an assistant professor of emerging media administration building her senior year. Tensions had come Taylor reports directly to President studies and a member of the committee, conducted to a head in the wake of King’s death, and Taylor, whose Robert A. Brown and is working with a quantitative study during the spring and summer of four years at BU coincided with the height of the civil rights fellow University leaders, including Crystal 2020, surveying students about COM’s DEI climate. The movement, knew it was the choice she had to make. Williams, vice president and associate committee has been using results from that study to help The Globe let her reschedule her interview, and she landed provost for community and inclusion, and shape its initiatives. For the 2020–2021 academic year, her fi rst job on the newspaper’s city desk, where she covered Ibram X. Kendi, the founding director of for instance, COM revamped the language it uses in its the desegregation of Boston’s schools. She later worked as a BU’s Center for Antiracist Research and course syllabi to be more inclusive and supportive. producer and on-air host for WGBH and then wrote for the the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Alumni are also contributing to COM’s DEI efforts. Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio. When she gave birth to her Humanities. Cleveland O’Neal (’78), the founder and CEO of the pro- fi rst child, she le the workforce to focus on her family. One of Taylor’s initial e orts as senior duction and distribution company Connection III Enter- tainment, established the Cleveland O'Neal III Scholarship While raising three children, Taylor was appointed to the diversity o¡ cer was supporting the Fund in 2015 to support Black students or underrepre- board of the Cleveland Foundation, which funds charitable establishment and sta¡ ng of a Diversity sented minority graduate students enrolled in COM’s grants to support the local community. “I got to understand a & Inclusion Committee on the Board of Media Ventures Program. great deal more about how philanthropy can really be used as Trustees. Taylor says that the aim is to When Mark Walton (’76) received a letter from the a tool for social change.” The experience paid o when, two make sure BU’s DEI e orts are “elevated college in 2018, he was struck by a quote from an African decades a er leaving the Plain Dealer, she was ready to fi nd The museum includes a multimedia exhibit featuring to great importance and visible at the governance level.” American alumna about how the college was diversify- a job. “I was divorced and my children were grown,” she says, interviews with people involved in the civil rights movement Taylor also chairs a new Antiracism Working Group (AWG), ing. Walton, president of sales and marketing for Lilly “and I was looking for opportunities quite broadly.” in Birmingham. “Even though I haven’t practiced tradi- composed of more than a dozen faculty and sta members Broadcasting’s One Caribbean Television, decided to Her work on the board led to a position with the Ford tional journalism in a while,” Taylor says, “I carry those across the University. The AWG is evaluating University establish the Jonathan Walton Memorial Graduate Student Foundation in New York City in 1988. She helped launch skills and have followed that impulse to tell stories, and to policies related to investment, procurement, hiring and Financial Aid Fund, named after his late son, who had and manage the foundation’s Media Fund, which sup- help highlight, through philanthropy and education, the communications. “It’s thinking about how we present attended BU. The fund provides an annual scholarship of $2,500 to a graduate student from an underrepresented ported projects that told the stories of people traditionally voices of ordinary people who are o en overlooked, but who ourselves and how we interact with other organizations. It’s minority group. A stipulation of the scholarship is that underrepresented in the media. One project she raised make up a signifi cant part of the change and innovation in much broader than simply hiring more diverse faculty and recipients write about their experiences and observations funds for was the award-winning Eyes on the Prize, a 14-part various communities.” attracting more students that represent diverse perspec- concerning diversity, equity and inclusion at COM and in documentary series that premiered on PBS in 1987. “It was tives,” Taylor says. She also works with the individual the communication industry in general and share those special because it told the story of the civil rights move- BACK TO BAY STATE ROAD schools and colleges on their e orts, including meeting refl ections with Sullivan. Walton hopes those observations ment from the point of view of the people on the ground at Taylor’s philanthropic work has carried over to BU. She has with COM’s own DEI Committee (see sidebar, page 24) to will facilitate change. the time, the ordinary people who organized, marched and created the Andrea L. Taylor Family Scholarship Fund, which discuss initiatives such as bringing in more diverse speakers Walton is also recruiting fellow alumni to join COM’s fought for civil rights,” she says. provides annual need-based scholarships to undergraduate and revamping the curriculum to refl ect more diverse points efforts. A small group met with Sullivan and Andrea L. Tay- In 2006, Taylor became director of citizenship and public students at COM and the College of Fine Arts. “I wanted of view. lor, the University’s senior diversity offi cer (see full story), a airs for Microso , where she helped develop an outreach to make a commitment as a real demonstration of support “BU has a large global footprint and so much potential in the fall to discuss how to better forge connections and education program that provided underserved popula- for what BU has meant to my family in terms of educational to be a leader in DEI among our peer institutions,” Taylor between alumni and students of color. That meeting led to the formation of the COM DEI Alumni Council. tions with technology skills to improve their job prospects. opportunity and access to education,” she says. says. “I feel as though I’ve gone back to the future because “I think that there’s room to grow here,” says Wal- Taylor, who was named a BU Trustee in 2009 (she relin- Taylor also considered the opportunities she and her here I am again, back on Bay State Road,” where she lived ton. “I think we can really focus our efforts on helping quished the position upon becoming senior diversity o¡ cer), family members received at BU when she accepted the role in The Towers as a freshman, and where she occupied the with faculty recruitment, connecting with students and le Microso in 2014 and the following year was tapped to of senior diversity o¡ cer. “I’m excited about this moment administration building as a senior in 1968. “It’s quite a shaping the curriculum. At the end of the day, every serve as CEO of Alabama’s Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, for BU, with this genuine interest and investment in focus- privilege to have such a long arc of history with BU, and little bit we can do makes a difference, and when it’s a museum and research center. It was one of many full-circle ing on diversity and inclusion,” she says. “Ever since our to be a part of a team here that is really leading into the coordinated, then it can actually bring about some real moments in her career—in Birmingham, she encountered founding, we have been open to students regardless of race future, in pursuit of excellence and diversity, for all mem- substantive change.” / many activists who had been featured in Eyes on the Prize. and gender. We know that the more diverse the inputs, the bers of the BU community.” /

COM/365 2021 25 PLENTY OF COMPANIES GOT THEIR MESSAGING VERY WRONG LAST YEAR:

They sent out emails that ignored the coronavirus pandemic’s realities, or tried to cash in on them. They were too slow to speak up on Black Lives Matter, or failed to back their big talk with concrete actions. Many were just the victims of bad timing that ended up looking like bad taste: beach party beer ads airing as lockdowns loomed. Gary She er, the Sandra R. Frazier Professor of Public Relations, says the foundations for many communication missteps were laid long before the crises of 2020. For the most part, he says, the companies that flubbed their lines were the ones that had largely outsourced their communications or didn’t have a strong, consistent corporate culture. They didn’t realize that factors like where their products are made and how diverse their board is say more about them than any press release. The companies that succeeded remembered one of the communication industry’s most important maxims: “You can’t go wrong with telling the truth,” says She er, formerly the chief communications o¡cer at General Electric and a trustee of the Arthur W. Page Society. “Say what you mean and prove it with action.” That worked for the pharma industry: almost universally disliked before 2020, its “shared dedication to follow the science—given public doubts COMMUNICATING about the veracity of the vaccine process—was a smart move” and boosted its favorability ratings in the Gallup Poll, a regular survey of public opinion. Likewise for Marc Benio , CEO of soware company Salesforce, who She er says gets that capitalism isn’t just about profits, but improving society, too. Early in the pandemic, for instance, Salesforce developed an employee health IN A CRISIS—AND tracking app to sell to its customers, but also shared a free COVID corporate response playbook and donated 50 million pieces of protective equipment. “In their treatment of their employees during COVID, in their realization that expectations are changing for their responsibility to society and for their willingness to speak up about it, I admire what they’ve done over the course AFTER IT of this year.” She er spoke with COM/365 about the impact of 2020 on the public rela- tions business, how companies can speak authentically on social issues, and why there’s no room for timidity when it comes to increasing industry diversity.

BEING TIMID ON DIVERSITY WON’T CUT IT AND SPEAKING UP ON SOCIAL ISSUES MEANS ENGAGING WITH THEM: FORMER GE COMMUNICATIONS CHIEF GARY SHEFFER ON THE PR LESSONS FROM OUR TURBULENT TIME

By ANDREW THURSTON Photos by JANICE CHECCHIO 26 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 27 “Public relations doesn’t really cover the job these days; the Did 2020 upend any entrenched tenets of public relations? leaders, organizations are; you’ve got to find a catalyst, and The tenet that I want to bust down forever is this idea of in big companies the catalyst is oen compensation. job is, in many ways, a closed enterprise. In other words, you’re very selective to be a conscience about what you disclose to the world, that you only disclose As well as diversifying their staff, what should companies be of the company. And positive things. I believe in radical transparency. If your doing to make their communications—the images they use, the culture is strong, what are you afraid of by opening up who words they use—more diverse? to be the person that you are, what you do, why you do it and how you do it to the It’s easy to highlight the mistakes, like when clothing brings the outside world? Be unafraid of engaging with the world, meet with retailer H&M put a young Black man in a sweatshirt that world into a company critics, know all of your stakeholders, understand them, said “coolest monkey in the jungle.” I show that to my class listen to them—to discover, not to debate. and say, this is wrong and they apologized. But how does a and shows the inside If you go back 50 years, Milton Friedman made his product like that get to market and get on this company’s world, the culture, to famous remark about the business of business being busi- website? And that, to your point, is this understanding of the world.” ness; that’s also one that we need to throw out. Increas- how everything we do would a ect people of color. And sen- ingly, society is looking to business to solve big problems. sitizing the people who make those kinds of decisions to it. —Gary Sheer There’s a study just out by Weber Shandwick, a big PR I’m a 60-year-old white man; it’s awkward sometimes for firm, which says that expectations and trust in business are me to talk about these things in class. And I probably learn up during this period, because people have lost faith—my more from my students by listening to how they perceive interpretation—in other institutions to solve big problems. corporate language, how job descriptions are written, We have so many social challenges that are worsened by our whether there are people of color on a leadership team. It is inability to communicate with each other about the basic putting yourself in other people’s shoes, actually listening

COM/365: How has the PR industry been reshaped by the events of its visibility within the organization and that’s a mistake. “If your culture is strong, what are you afraid of by opening up who you are, what you do, why 2020? What kinds of agencies will emerge in the strongest position? If I were a CEO these days, I would want to have my chief you do it and how you do it to the world? Be unafraid of engaging with the world, meet with Gary She
er: The ability to turn on a dime is the lesson communications o¡cer very close to me from a risk and a critics, know all of your stakeholders, understand them, listen to them—to discover, not to of 2020. And you can only do that if you know yourself. reputation standpoint, and for this engagement with society Companies that got into trouble in 2020 were the ones that that employees and the public are demanding. debate.” —Gary Sheer didn’t know their own cultures, why they exist—what hole in When I worked at GE back in the late ’90s, employees the universe would exist if their company didn’t. Not know- never would have said to the CEO, “You better stand up ing makes it all the more di¡cult to have a conversation for this or that issue.” Now, employees are standing up and facts of these issues, whether it’s COVID, climate change to how they feel about the words and images and everything that is more human—which these issues were in 2020—and saying, “I don’t like what you’re doing here.” Public relations or economic inequities. I want to teach more about what that represents an organization and factoring that into how less financial. It’s not navel-gazing. A basic understanding doesn’t really cover the job these days; the job is, in many a business is for: if you don’t understand that and how it’s you run the place. That’s what I try to teach in my class- of yourself is really important. Companies have to have what ways, to be a conscience of the company. And to be the per- changing, you can’t be an e ective practitioner. rooms: that everything a boss does, a company does, is a one of my friends calls societal acumen, a broad view of the son that brings the outside world into a company and shows communication. It’s not just a press release. world and how it impacts their organization and how their the inside world, the culture, to the world. Public relations is The communications industry is overwhelmingly white. What organization can impact the world. You have crisis plans, a 100-and-some-year-old phrase for what we do, but it’s not should companies do to change that? Are a lot of companies scared to wade in on social issues, and but nobody had a plan for a pandemic that basically shut fully descriptive of how we operate at our highest value. It’s time to go from having a diversity o¡cer to having a on issues around racism and diversity, because of the potential society down. Being agile, being nimble, requires people diverse company. First, companies should insist that the backlash if they get it wrong? and consultants who can help you understand who you are, How do communicators help companies speak authentically on consultants they hire are diverse or can demonstrate a clear Yes, companies are timid about it because they might get what your purpose is and what value you bring to society. COVID or social issues? path to becoming more diverse. You want the best counsel it wrong. The CEO of Wells Fargo recently said the reason Because big companies want to be more agile, agencies that There’s no one in the organization who has as wide a view in the world, and the best counsel will only come from those we’re not diverse enough is there’s just not enough people— are singularly focused on a specialty—financial communi- of the enterprise and of society as the communicator does. organizations that represent the people you serve. I was just it’s a pipeline issue. He stepped in it and had to apologize. cations, employee communications—are going to go away, The job of a communicator and a PR professional is really looking at the Zeno Group [a global PR agency] and they Other CEOs see things like that and they say, “Well, the or at least 2020 accelerates the change that they’re going to about risk assessments, both from a potential damage have their diversity numbers right on the homepage. That best thing for me is to say nothing,” which is absolutely the have to make. standpoint and an opportunity standpoint. And so that’s kind of transparency is important for the profession. wrong lesson from that situation. I think you acknowledge your job in a C-suite, to say, wait a minute, let’s look at our Moreover, we have to solve for retention. At GE, I ran a it’s awkward. You acknowledge that you have to do better Will more companies bring more of their communications work values, let’s look at our mission, let’s look at everything we big team—at its peak, it was 500 people—and I didn’t have and you’re going to dedicate yourself to understanding how in-house? do, who we do business with, where we make our products, a problem recruiting diverse communicators; I had trouble you do better, that we’re on a journey. That kind of authen- The companies who largely outsourced their communication how we make them, who we support politically—to look retaining them. And it was because we didn’t make it a ticity will build trust with external stakeholders, as well as made a big mistake. Those who subsumed communications at that holistically, see the inconsistencies, and then to priority to understand that they were experiencing the com- your own people. As long as you can demonstrate you’re into a marketing organization—marketing is not communi- navigate and lead that discussion with other members of pany di erently than maybe some of the rest of us. And I on a learning path and an action path to making changes, cation, and communication is not marketing—diminished the C-suite. think companies have to base compensation on how diverse you’re going to do okay. /

28 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 29 the wringer in producing these fi lms and we want to honor that rigor.” TWENTY-FIVE The festival has helped launch the careers of directors, producers, editors, writers and even Academy Award nominees. And it was all made possible by one of the SHOWTIME YEARS AFTER most powerful fi gures in fi lm and television. A TRANSFORMATIONAL GIFT COMPLETING BU actually had at least two earlier fi lm festivals. One was named for Maya Deren, an experimental fi lmmaker HIS GRADUATE whose papers reside in BU’s Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, and another was the International Student Film Festival. They both attracted top talent— THESIS FILM, Marjorie Short (’77) won both festivals in 1977 with her fi lm Kudzu, which also received an Academy Award nomi- nation for best live action short fi lm—but it was a gi TRAIN RIDE, from entertainment magnate Sumner M. Redstone that allowed the college to create a marquee event. REL DOWDELL STILL By the time Redstone (see page 33 for more on his life and career) arrived at BU to teach entertainment law in REMEMBERS THE THRILL 1982, he had already dedicated decades to his family’s OF SCREENING IT FOR A business, National Amusements, growing a chain of drive-in movie theaters into the Viacom conglomerate PACKED AUDITORIUM AS that would eventually include CBS and Paramount Pic- tures. In 2007, Redstone (Hon.’94) addressed an audi- PART OF THE ANNUAL ence of BU alums at the Paramount studio in California, FOR FOUR DECADES, THE REDSTONE FILM FESTIVAL HAS SHOWCASED sharing with them the “singular objective” of his career. TOP STUDENT FILMS—AND LAUNCHED CAREERS REDSTONE FILM FESTIVAL. “I sought out the best stories, the best songs, the best “If you were in the festival, it gave you a certain level programs,” he said. “It is this material that reaches of cachet,” he says. “When I was one of the nomi- and a ects the hearts and minds of the people of this nees, I told the whole school.” When the festival jury world.” Sponsoring a fi lm festival was a natural fi t. awarded him the top prize, Dowdell (’96) says it gave With Redstone’s gi , festival organizers were able to him the calling card he needed to make valuable con- gradually grow the event. They hired professional pro- By MARC CHALUFOUR nections in the fi lm industry. jectionists, recruited expert judges—including represen- For the past four decades, the Redstone Film Festival tatives from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the has provided a platform for the top fi lms made by COM Boston Globe—and added cash prizes. They expanded fi lm and television students. In an evening curated by into BU’s Tsai Performance Center and rented giant spot- faculty and judged by fi lm experts, undergraduates and lights to scan the sky above Comm Ave on the night of graduates get to share their work with peers, professors the festival. They also invited BU alums in Hollywood to and friends. “It’s a celebration of that huge communal a Los Angeles screening; Redstone attended in 2006. For e ort that goes into fi lmmaking,” says Charles Mer- several years, a New York City screening was held as well. zbacher, an associate professor and director of fi lm “He’s a historical fi gure, associated with some of

Facing page: Shutterstock Facing production programs. “We really run students through the foundational beginnings of the industry,” says Paul

30 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 31 The festival audience audience, but glad he got to share it at all given the responded to Dowdell’s story of circumstances. The jury selected his story of a pizza three college seniors who get in delivery man drawn into the world of competitive trouble on the eve of graduation ballroom dancing as the winner. “The reason we and the Boston jury awarded him make films is to share them with an audience, so top prize. When Train Ride was more than winning the festival, the best part was shown again at the Los Angeles getting positive feedback,” Kiyak says. screening, George Lilly (CGS’54, Since winning, he has continued showing the film COM’56) was among the alums at other festivals, picking up awards for editing, best and dignitaries in the audience. student film and best student director. “Momen- The movie made such an impres- tum can be a critical factor in a festival committee’s sion on the founder of SJL Broadcasting, which admission decision,” Kiyak says. “Previous screen- owns television and radio stations in the US and ings and awards can legitimize your film and make Caribbean, that he reached out to the young film- the di erence between getting into really prestigious SUMNER REDSTONE (1923–2020) Derin Kiyak (‘17,’20) on the set of his film O Beat, which won the maker with an o er to support his next project. festivals and barely getting le out.” o the world at large, Sumner Redstone 2020 Redstone Film Festival. “I was impressed with the quality of Rel’s film, Kiyak is early in a process followed by four (Hon.’94) was a self-made, Type A corporate particularly in light of the small budget he had to decades of his Redstone Film Festival predecessors, titan. He was chairman emeritus of both CBS Schneider, chair of the department of film and work with,” Lilly says. “This is not the only time establishing himself step by step in a challeng- T and of Viacom, the global mass media company television. “His support was transformational for I’ve reached out to young people just getting ing industry. A quarter century aer his own win, whose networks include MTV, BET, Nickelodeon, the department. It put us on the map. It gave a started in the film, music or broadcast world, but Dowdell still credits his festival experience at COM Comedy Central and Paramount Pictures. Redstone forum to all of the work done by the students and Rel was the first.” With Lilly’s help, Dowdell was with launching his career. “Hollywood is such a was once referred to by CNBC as “the boss of every- it also really upped the game of the students.” able to launch his next project—a feature-length guarded industry that it’s hard to get past the gate- one’s boss.” version of Train Ride that was released in 2000. keepers,” he says. That victory, and the subsequent But to Boston University, the Boston native, who died LAUNCHING PAD Dowdell also wrote and directed the 2012 feature screening in Los Angeles, gave Dowdell the boost August 11, 2020, at 97, was first and foremost the living Festivals have long played a valuable curatorial “[Redstone’s] Changing the Game and the 2017 documentary he needed to turn Train Ride into a feature. “It’s a legend who endowed the annual Redstone Film Festival role for the film industry. Whether highlighting Where’s Daddy?, which Lilly helped produce. beginning step in your journey—you have to really support was trans- and whose $18 million gi in 2012 for the School of Law’s student productions or elevating independent Other alums of the Redstone Film Festival have maximize it.” / renovation and expansion resulted in the christening of features, festivals put films in front of discern- formational for the gone on to make Hollywood blockbusters. Past the new law school addition with his name. ing—and sometimes decision-making—audi- department. It put winners include Nora Grossman (’05), producer of Redstone is credited with coining the phrase “Content ences. In that way, the Redstone Film Festival The Imitation Game; Richard Gladstein (CGS’81, An audience watches the 2018 Redstone Film Festival. Due to us on the map. It is king,” a philosophy that “infuses two of COM’s signa- is not just a forum for students to show their COM’83), producer of The Bourne Chen (Redstone) Julie Pline (audience); This page: Lexi (poster); of Derin Kiyak courtesy (Kiyak); Varkados page: John Facing the coronavirus, the 2020 festival moved online. ture programs,” says Thomas E. Fiedler (’71), dean emeri- college films, but also a springboard for what will gave a forum to all Identity, The Hateful Eight and tus—the Redstone Film Festival and the endowed Sumner follow. of the work done by Cider House Rules; Scott Rosen- M. Redstone Professor in Narrative Studies. In 1995, Dowdell had high hopes for Train Ride. berg (’85), screenwriter of Con the students and The inaugural Redstone Professor is best-selling He’d sought out Emmy-winning actress Esther Air and High Fidelity; Jennifer author Mitchell Zucko , a former Boston Globe reporter Rolle, known for the 1970s sitcoms Maude and it also really upped Getzinger (’90), a director for the and finalist for a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. Good Times, aer a performance at the Hunting- the game of the television show Mad Men; and “Sumner M. Redstone was a titan who wisely recognized ton Theatre in Boston and convinced her to make Josh Safdie (’07), who along with students.” that storytelling was at the heart of his business empire,” a cameo appearance. He’d also cast a young BU his brother Benny (’08) directed Zucko says. “By endowing the professorial chair I’m student named Russell Hornsby (CFA’96)—most —Paul Schneider and wrote the critically acclaimed proud to occupy at BU, he ensured that his legacy would recently acclaimed for his work in The Hate U Uncut Gems. include nourishing and enriching generations of storytell- Give—in a lead role. “As a filmmaker, you can take ers yet to come.” the audience on your own journey as an artist, PUSHED TO THE WEB “I feel a very close relationship with Boston Univer- with the peaks and the valleys of your narrative,” A packed theater wasn’t an option sity,” Redstone told BU Today in a 2012 interview. He Dowdell says. “When you make the film, there are for the 2020 festival. BU switched recalled with fondness his three years on the BU LAW certain points where you hope it works right— to remote learning in March and faculty, beginning in 1982. He taught the school’s first you’re looking for a laugh or a scare or a jump. To the movie industry all but ground course in entertainment law. see those cues pay o is a rush.” to a halt as theaters shut their Asked by CNBC in the 2012 interview what personal “Even a fabulously successful filmmaker only doors. But the festival carried on weaknesses he could not forgive in people, Redstone spends a tiny bit of his or her life seeing their in virtual form, streaming the films responded: patience. “If you’re patient, you’ll never go work up there on a screen with an audience,” and award presentations online. anywhere,” he said. “It takes impatience to drive you to Merzbacher says. “It really drives home that film Derin Kiyak (’17,’20) was succeed.” In the same interview, he was asked, “What is is a performing art in the same way that ballet or disappointed not to be able to your dream?” the theater is.” screen his film, Oš Beat, for a live “Keep living forever,” said Redstone. “Keep working forever.” —BU Today staš 32 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 33 Alumni awards, books and TERRIER HEADLINES the passing of a BU legend

wenty-five years a¨er his life was tragically altered 11 Travis Roy Foundation alongside my friends and family has seconds into his first shi¨ for the Boston University helped me create a life that is very rich, very much worth Thockey team, Travis Roy (’00, Hon.’16), who was le¨ living. I feel so loved.” paralyzed from the neck down in that game, died on As donations to the foundation arrived from around the October 29, 2020. He was 45. country, Roy would oen tell stories of those who gave, from Roy’s life aer the game on October 20, 1995, was less the boy who sent him $7.23 aer busting open his piggy about being defined by a single moment and more about his bank to the couple who forfeited a honeymoon to send him strong desire to lead a fulfilling and meaningful life by helping $5,000 instead. others who su ered similar injuries. His Travis Roy Founda- “We’ve lost someone who was so special to so many tion, established in 1996, has helped more than 2,100 quad- people, whether you knew him for decades or just met him riplegics and paraplegics, and awarded nearly $5 million in recently,” says Jack Parker (Questrom’68, Hon.’97), who grants toward spinal cord research, according to its website. coached BU men’s hockey for 40 seasons. “The relationship In 2015, Roy was celebrated in a gala at Agganis Arena my family and I had with Travis was unbelievably close. He by BU and the city of Boston, which declared October 20 looked up to me and I looked up to him.” “Travis Roy Day.” For that 20th anniversary, Roy appeared Parker says that aer his injury, Roy missed hockey badly Bonnie Arnold (’78), producer of the How to Train Your on ESPN, and the Boston Bruins signed him to a one-day and did not think he would ever have anything to get that Dragon film series, received an Academy Award nomination contract. Roy received an honorary Doctor of Humane Let- passionate about again. “But sure enough, he started his for animated feature film for the latest installment, How to ters at BU’s 2016 Commencement. foundation and had a much bigger impact than he would Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. She had previously “Twenty years ago tonight, I lived out my dream of play- have if he was a 20-year NHLer,” Parker says. “You’d be been nominated for How to Train Your Dragon 2, in 2015. ing Division I hockey,” Roy said at the Agganis gala. “The 11 hard-pressed to find anyone who could give so much while “The ultimate thing is to win an Oscar, but it’s a pretty seconds at Walter Brown Arena playing for Boston Uni- dealing with an unbelievable handicap. Courage, class, high honor in my business to be nominated,” she said. “I’m versity were the best 11 seconds of my life. My work on the patience and grace. He was a gem.” —Doug Most completely thrilled.”

As a culture and basketball writer, “I felt like the New York Times’ Sopan Deb (’10) I was has interviewed Donald Trump, Ste- phen Curry and the cast of Arrested finally at Development. But for his first book, a point Deb looked inward. Missed Transla- tions: Meeting the Immigrant Parents in my life Who Raised Me (Dey Street Books, where I 2020) takes a deep dive into his fraught relationship with his parents, had space who had a miserable arranged mar- Steve Kornacki (’01) had a busy presidential election week. in my riage and divorced when Deb was in The political reporter commanded MSNBC’s “big board” high school. “I felt like I was finally for days, zooming in and out of battleground states, calcu- heart to at a point in my life where I had lating di erent scenarios and reeling o the latest electoral make room space in my heart to make room for returns. Kornacki went on air at 6 am on Election Day and my parents,” Deb says. “So I decided didn’t take a break until noon the next day. He was a main- for my to reach back out to them, and I stay on the network for the remainder of the week as results parents.” thought of documenting it in a book, continued to filter in. Social media took notice, with both because I really wanted to capture

) Translations ( Missed Ljoenes Richard (Deb); Lombard Amy of NBC (Kornacki); Courtesy (Arnold); Animation of DreamWorks courtesy illustration Pecci, by Mike page: Photo Facing Ricciardi; This page: Jackie #TrackingKornacki and #ChartThrob going viral on Twitter. everything as I was experiencing it.”

34 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 35 TERRIER HEADLINES

When the NBA took its final 2020 regular season and Joe Solmonese (’87) served as the CEO of an unusual Dem- playo games to “the bubble” in Orlando, Fla.—isolating ocratic National Convention. Originally scheduled to be held 22 teams to keep them safe during the COVID-19 pan- in Milwaukee, Wisc., and to host thousands of people, the demic—one of the challenges was making the games, played convention moved almost entirely online because of the coro- in an empty arena, sound as real as possible. Enter Carlton navirus. Ceremonial acts, like the gaveling in and out of the Myers (’94), vice president of live production and enter- convention, took place in Milwaukee as planned, but speak- tainment at NBA Entertainment, who led the production ers were spread around the country—including presidential team in charge of simulated crowd sounds in the arena. nominee Joe Biden, who delivered his acceptance speech from “A lot of players draw energy from the crowd and from the Wilmington, Del. “There are everyday Americans and elected environment,” Myers says. “Imagine you hit a big shot and o¡cials and all sorts of people with important stories to tell. nothing happens. It might not feel the same. We wanted to And they will tell them from where they live,” Solmonese said try to re-create that energy for them.” days before the virtual event began. “A lot of players draw energy from the crowd

and from the environ- According to rankings compiled by The One Show, ment. Imagine you hit a prestigious international creative award program, Vanessa de Beaumont (’17) is among the top copy- a big shot and nothing writers in the world. De Beaumont ranked #12 on The One Show’s 2020 list, based on her contributions to happens. It might not 14 award-winning entries produced while at Mul- feel the same. We wanted lenLowe U.S. and DAVID Miami, where she is now a senior copywriter. Those projects, five of which won to try to re-create that iconic Gold Pencil awards, represented a range of Solmonese (left) interviewed Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers work for Burger King. (center) and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes (right) in energy for them.” January 2020.

Relying on a number of revealing sources, Casey Sherman One of the ad industry’s most (’93) and coauthor Dave Wedge published Hunting Whitey: successful directors, Bruce Van The Inside Story of the Capture & Killing of America’s Most Dusen (’76), looks back at his Wanted Crime Boss (William Morrow, 2020). “We had exclu- 45-year career in a new mem- sive access to 70 letters that Whitey wrote in his own hand, oir: 60 Stories About 30 Seconds: including his own description of his capture,” says Sherman, How I Got Away With Becoming who has previously written books about Tom Brady and a Pretty Big Commercial Direc- the Boston Marathon bombing. “We also received unprec- tor Without Losing My Soul (Or edented access to the FBI’s investigation [and] we are the Maybe Just Part of It) (Post Hill only journalists to have successfully corresponded with the Press, 2020). Van Dusen esti- suspected killer of Whitey Bulger.” mates he directed more than 1,000 commercials, including spots for clients ranging from Ford to Minute Rice.

Michael Grecco (’81) has photographed Steven Spielberg (Hon.’09) for the cover of Time and Will Smith for Sports Illustrated. His latest book draws on much earlier work: photographs of the punk rock scene, which Grecco began documenting while attending BU. Punk, Post Punk, New Wave: Onstage, Backstage, In Your Face, 1978–1991 (Abrams Books, 2020) features Grecco’s images of performers including

Talking Heads, Elvis Costello and Joan Jett. ) Wave New Punk, Post ( Punk, of Abrams Courtesy (Grecco); Grecco of Michael ); Courtesy Whitey ( Hunting of HarperCollins (Sherman); Courtesy Cydney Scott (Myers); of the NBA Courtesy ) 30 Seconds About ( 60 Stories Press Hill of Post Dusen); Courtesy (Van Dylan Kushel Bauer (Solmonese); AP Photo/Scott de Beaumont; of Vanessa Courtesy Reporting by Rich Barlow, Joel Brown, Marc Chalufour, Greg Glasgow, Amy Laskowski (’15), Megan Woolhouse

36 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 37 THANKS TO ALL OF YOU ANNA PHAM (’21)

Joseph B. Castronovo (Questrom’78) and $5,000–$9,999 Margaret A. Sullivan (COM’77) Elizabeth D. Castronovo (COM’81, CGS’79) ■ ■ ■ Anonymous ■ ■ ■ and Joseph Alvarado ■ ■ ■ Combined Jewish Philanthropies Arlington Community Foundation Andrea L. Taylor (COM’68) ■ ■ Heather A. Elder (COM’91) David A. Allen John K. Twyman, Jr. (Questrom’82) and John K. Elder ■ ■ ■ and Elizabeth M. Allen ■ ■ ■ and Marion Twyman Dwight R. Hilson (COM’81) Bonnie R. Arnold (COM’78) ■ ■ (COM’82) ■ ■ ■ and Mindy B. Hilson (Sargent’77,’82) ■ ■ Bonnie Arnold 1997 Trust Alessandro F. Uzielli (CGS’87, Paul H. Imbesi (COM’05) ■ ■ The Brenda Trust COM’89) ■ ■ Donald M. Kaplan (MED’73) Harold N. Chefitz (COM’55, CGS’53) Karen A. Yuska (COM’88, MET’03) and Edna E. Kaplan (COM’88) ■ ■ and Charlotte M. Chefitz ■ ■ and Philip Yuska ■ ■ Linda S. Kay (CGS’81, COM’83) Michael S. Cohen (MED’89, CAS’89) Benjamin M. Zises (SHA’08, CGS’05) and Jonathan B. Kay ■ ■ and Ilona Cohen ■ ■ ■ and Ashley B. Grossman (CGS’08, George D. Lilly (COM’56, CGS’54) Sidney J. Feltenstein Jr. (COM’62) COM’10) ■ ■ ■ and Denise L. Lilly ■ ■ and Lisa Feltenstein ■ ■ Nancy Livingston (COM’69) Sabrina Horn (COM’85) ■ ■ $2,500–$4,999 and Fred M. Levin ■ ■ Kimberley J. Kaplan-Gross (COM’89) Sara G. Bailey (Wheelock’69, DGE’65) Colleen W. McCreary (COM’95) and Michael Gross ■ ■ and Douglas G. Bailey ■ ■ ■ and Andrew McCreary ■ ■ Lillian S. Keefe (Questrom’89) The Bookbuilders of Boston E. F. Inc. Patriarch Family Foundation and Edward J. Keefe ■ ■ Corinne N. Brinkerhoff (COM’04) ■ ■ Jaime B. Schwartzberg (COM’96) Margaret R. Kelliher ■ ■ ■ Gail J. Cohen (COM’78) ■ ■ and Andrew Schwartzberg ■ ■ Paul E. Kidwell (Sargent’78, Sylvia M. Delafield (COM’84) ■ ■ Marcy Syms (COM’75) ■ ■ COM’80) ■ ■ William H. Downey (COM’66) Sy Syms Foundation Kurt and Tamra Mobley Trust and Elizabeth S. Downey Tamra J. Mobley (COM’81) (COM’66) ■ $10,000–$24,999 and Kurt C. Mobley ■ ■ Bill M. Fine (COM’77) and Anonymous ■ ■ Cleveland O’Neal III (COM’78) Gail H. Fine ■ ■ Carol Ann Bischoff (COM’82) and Maisha Pajardo-O’Neal ■ ■ Benjamin R. Flaim (CAS’00) and Robert M. Regan, Jr. ■ ■ ■ Aaron I. Rasmussen (COM’06, and Katherine K. Flaim (COM’01) ■ ■ Claudia T. Brod (CGS’96, COM’98) CAS’06) ■ ■ Gary R. Fleder (COM’85) ■ and Steven Brod ■ ■ Gregory G. Spiegel (CGS’94, The Fund for Investigative Journalism Bianca A. Carter (COM’73) COM’95) ■ ■ Amitava Guharoy and Philip W. Carter ■ ■ and Srimanti Guharoy ■ ■ ■ REMY FROHMAN (’21) John Cunningham and Daphne Cunningham ■ ■ ■ $1,000,000+ The Daphne Hoch Cunningham 2012 Charitable WHY I GIVE Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Lead Trust Hugo Shong (COM’87, GRS’92) Susie M. Davis (COM’88) he past year brought tragedy, ■ ■ and Luo Yan (CFA’90) ■ ■ and Kevin R. Davis For Jane Carpenter (’97), what drew her to COM as a grad student Ttrauma and unexpected chal- National Philanthropic Trust Mariette DiChristina-Gerosa (COM’86) continues to inspire her connection to the college more than twenty ■ ■ ■ lenges. It also brought triumphs and Carl J. Gerosa III years later. Neil Ellman and Evan Ellman ■ ■ ■ $500,000–$999,999 “COM is so rooted in the real world and oers the ability to gain of spirit and creativity. Stories AMG Charitable Gift Foundation Ellman Family Foundation about the latter—students and Arnold Garfinkel and Ella Garfinkel ■ ■ ■ James F. Eppolito hands-on experience,” says Carpenter. She recalls studying with Bank of America, N.A. and Cynthia L. Eppolito ■ ■ ■ professors who also had jobs in the industry and who brought those faculty adapting and overcoming Essex County Community Foundation The Estate of Harold Burson ■ ■ experiences into the classroom. And she’s watched COM develop since in the face of those challenges— Schwab Charitable Fund Bonnie S. Hammer (CGS’69, COM’71, Wheelock’75, Hon.’17) and Dale Heussner ■ ■ then, evolving with the PR industry. fill this magazine. So many of $100,000–$499,999 Judith S. Hurwitz (CAS’73, COM’75) Carpenter, now the head of global communications for online furniture Boston Foundation and Warren J. Hurwitz (MET’78) ■ ■ and home goods retailer Wayfair, donates to COM because she consid- those e orts relied on you, the William A. Kamer (LAW’78) Goldman Sachs ers the college’s work to be vital. “Communication has never been more greater COM community, for your Jordan Zimmerman and Rebecca L. Crigler (COM’77) ■ ■ invaluable donations of time, and Terry Zimmerman ■ ■ ■ Larry M. Karp (Questrom’87) and important than it is right now,” she says. “We’re in uncharted territory as The Jordan Zimmerman Family Elizabeth Susman Karp (COM’89) ■ ■ a society, trying to reestablish where people get factual information.” expertise and funds. Foundation, Inc. Gary A. Kraut (CGS’64, COM’66) In spring 2020, Carpenter also gave her time to one of COM’s new- Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust, Inc. and Bettie M. Kraut ■ ■ We are thankful for all that you . Maria Lemieux est projects, participating in a virtual discussion about communication do for COM. $50,000–$99,999 and Philippe E. Lemieux ■ ■ ■ leadership challenges in the coronavirus era. “Being part of the conver- The Benevity Community Impact Fund James M. McKeone sation is super beneficial for me to understand the themes people are ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Jacqueline Entenmann (COM’91) and Catherine M. McKeone talking about and how dierent professionals are addressing them.” Sandra A. Frazier (COM’01) ■ ■ Kevin E. Merida (COM’79) Jewish Communal Fund and Donna Britt ■ ■ (Read more about the virtual COMtalks series on page 4.) Nancy J. Katz (COM’83, CGS’81) Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners “COM does a great job of staying on the forefront. It’s a living labo- ■ 1839 Society Member and Daniel S. Katz ■ ■ ■ Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund ratory for what’s happening in the broader world,” Carpenter says. “I ■ Young Alumni Giving Society Member The San Francisco Foundation Charles P. Toppino ■ Faculty/Staff Member and Kathleen P. Toppino ■ ■ ■ support COM because they’re empowering the next generation with ■ Parent $25,000–$49,999 Toppino Family Charitable Trust the skills and the ability to deal with the ever-changing world that we’re ■ Loyalty Society Member Abraham Kaplan Charitable Foundation Lee J. Yaffa (COM’69) living in.” —Marc Chalufour ■ First-time Donor American Endowment Foundation and Catherine M. Yaffa ■ Janice Checchio Janice (bottom) Ricciardi Jackie (top); Checchio Janice

38 bu.edu/com COM/365 2021 39 EVAN BROWN (’23)

J. R. Hipple (COM’88) Jeanne M. Broyhill (COM’73, CGS’71) and Candy Hipple ■ ■ and Joe M. Ventrone ■ ■ Raymond Lowell Kotcher (COM’83) Elizabeth M. Butson (COM’60) ■ and Betsy K. Kotcher ■ ■ Jane Carpenter (COM’97) ■ Kevin T. Lilly (Questrom’90,’97, COM’97) and Ya-Wei Chang (COM’96) ■ Laura Lilly ■ ■ ■ Charities Aid Foundation Of America Dominick F. Miniaci (COM’69) Crescendo Interactive, Inc. and Meike Miniaci ■ Barbara D. Critchlow (COM’80) R & L Donner Trust and Jonathan F. Critchlow ■ ■ DEAN’S ADVISORY BOARD Scott Rosenberg (COM’85) ■ Robert Dallis (Wheelock’90,’02, CAS’86) and George M. Savage (ENG’81) and Bonnie E. Barber (COM’86) ■ ■ Nancy Krakora Savage (COM’80) ■ ■ Christopher B. Daly ■ ■ Bonnie Arnold (’78) Alan F. Strong (COM’58, DGE’55) Melissa A. Deaner (SHA’04, COM’04) ■ ■ Film Producer and Prudence F. Strong ■ ■ Cynthia J. Demopoulos (COM’85) ■ ■ Carlos Bardasano David S. Torres (CGS’11, CAS’13, Marquetta E. Drakes (COM’93) ■ ■ COM’13) ■ ■ ■ Kirsten S. Durocher (COM’05, (Questrom’94, COM’97) Ann R. Trieger (COM’03) CGS’03) ■ ■ ■ President, W Studios at Televisa and Ted Kurland ■ T. A. Fassburg (COM’69) ■ ■ Mark G. Vitek (Wheelock’94,’02) Maya Ezratti (’98) Meghan Fay (CGS’97, COM’99) ■ ■ ■ Chief Dating Ocer, Rewarding and Julie A. Vitek (COM’91) ■ ■ Robert A. Fishman (COM’69) Relationships, LLC Mark D. Walton (COM’76) and Margaret Fishman ■ ■ HANNAH SCHWEITZER (’21) and Christine H. Roth ■ ■ Joseph S. Formica (COM’60) Director of Community Aairs, Sharon M. Wheeler (COM’90) ■ ■ ■ ■ and Helen J. Formica ■ ■ GL Homes of Florida Donald K. Wright ■ ■ ■ Ellen Grogan (COM’87) ■ Alana Feld Hackel (’02) William D. Hall (COM’59, CGS’57) Executive Vice President, Feld $1,000–$2,499 and Phyllis D. Hall ■ ■ Anonymous ■ ■ Anthony A. Harrison (COM’81) Entertainment Julie K. Johnson George J. Roewe III (COM’79) Dawn S. Adelson (COM’92) ■ ■ and George Harrison ■ ■ Bill Fine (’77) and Nicholas P. Mencinger ■ ■ ■ and Elizabeth H. Roewe ■ ■ ■ Robert H. Apter (COM’68) Ellen N. Hoffman (COM’74) Retired President and General Yale D. Johnson (CGS’08, COM’10) and Veronica Romenesa Foundation and Penny Apter ■ ■ ■ ■ and Kenneth Loveday Manager, WCVB TV-Channel 5 Ocasio Johnson (CGS’08, Questrom’10) ■ ■ ■ Daniel E. Ronan (COM’99, LAW’05) Paul A. Bankson (COM’57) ■ ■ Osborn Howes (COM’52) James E. Katz and Kapka Katz ■ ■ ■ and Christina Ronan (LAW’05) ■ ■ and Roberta C. Bankson ■ ■ Kathleen E. Imbesi (COM’96) Sandra Frazier (’01) Kathleen M. Kearns (COM’87) Linda F. Roth (COM’88) ■ ■ Tamarah L. Belczyk (COM’02, and Anthony M. Imbesi ■ ■ Founding and Managing Mem- and Richard Kearns ■ ■ Junko Saeki (COM’71) ■ LAW’02) ■ ■ Valerie F. Jacob (CGS’73, COM’75) ber, Tandem Public Relations Catherine Koppel (Pardee’96, COM’96) and Michele M. Schiele (COM’89) Brett T. Brinker (COM’91) and Charles R. Jacob III ■ ■ Scott A. Balling ■ ■ and Christopher J. Iannuccilli ■ ■ and Heather A. Slay ■ ■ ■ ■ Bonnie Hammer (CGS’69, David C. Jacobson (CGS’89, COM’91) Paul A. La Camera (COM’66, MET’74) and Thomas R. Schoenenberger (COM’72) COM’71, Wheelock’75, Hon.’17) Mimi La Camera (Wheelock’68) ■ ■ ■ and Helen Blake ■ ■ Chairman, NBCUniversal Marcia N. Lachman Rachel M. Schurz (COM’00) Content Studios and Carl W. Lachman ■ ■ ■ and John D. Schurz ■ ■ Joyce B. Lavoie and Regis L. Lavoie ■ ■ ■ Anthony D. Scudellari (COM’82) Ray Kotcher (’83) WHY I GIVE Daniel R. Lombard (COM’03, CAS’03) and and Doug Dawson ■ ■ Former CEO and Chairman, Jordana E. Lombard (COM’03) ■ ■ Paul M. Serafini (CGS’87, COM’89) Ketchum Patrick M. Londino (COM’94) ■ ■ ■ and Teri J. Serafini ■ ■ ■ As a teen, Adam Abrahams (’03) expected to spend his career sifting Professor of the Practice, K. Roberton MacColl (COM’67) David J. Shepard (COM’06) ■ ■ through dirt, but today he works at one of the top tech companies in Public Relations, COM, Boston and Marsha D. MacColl ■ ■ Siri C. Steinle McNulty (SDM’91,’93) the world. The aspiring archaeologist began his university studies at the University Rangil K. Mada (Questrom’91) and James McNulty ■ ■ and Shannon M. Mada ■ ■ Benjamin M. Sturner (COM’99) College of Arts & Sciences before leaving antiquities behind to study ad- Andrew Lack (CFA’68) Jill M. Malko (COM’85) ■ ■ ■ and Kimberly Kasarda ■ ■ vertising at COM. He eventually left advertising as well, but that education Former Chairman, NBC News Graciela C. Meltzer (COM’90) David A. Sweetser has served him well in the tech world, where he’s a technical program and MSNBC and Neal D. Meltzer ■ and Marianne T. Sweetser ■ ■ ■ Suzanne Merriman (COM’69, Wheelock’69) and Ken Sweezey (COM’67,’69) manager at Google. Kevin Lilly (Questrom’90,’97, Paul A. Merriman ■ and Joyce Sweezey ■ ■ Abrahams works on speech recognition software that converts spoken COM’97) Walter T. Middlebrook, Jr. (COM’76) ■ ■ Gary O. Todd (COM’88, CGS’86) and words to text. When a program like Google Assistant transcribes your audi- President, Lilly Broadcasting, Mid-Shore Community Foundation Christine Todd (Questrom’94) ■ ■ ble command, his team is behind that technology. It’s a critical component LLC Lisa A. Miller (LAW’82) ■ ■ ■ Laura A. Ushijima (COM’07, CAS’07) Diogo C. Moreira-Rato (Questrom’82) and and Dean Ushijima ■ ■ in many 21st-century communication tools—and Abrahams wants to make Cleveland O’Neal III (’78) Maria Alexandra V. Moreira-Rato ■ ■ ■ Ruth A. Vitale (COM’75) ■ CEO, Moviefone sure COM students are prepared to enter similar tech fields. Stuart Newman (COM’74) Beijia Wang (COM’13) ■ ■ “I really loved my experience,” Abrahams says of his time at COM. Core CEO, Connection III and Katherine Newman ■ ■ John A. Werkmeister (COM’60) ■ skills, in particular networking and public speaking, have continued to Entertainment Corp. John W. Nurkin William O. Wheatley (COM’70) ■ ■ ■ Jay Roewe (’79) and Suzanne S. Nurkin and Carolyn C. Wheatley ■ ■ serve him well, while the interactive design courses he took have helped Jason D. Oxman (LAW’96, COM’96) SVP, Production, HBO Thomas M. Wieand (CAS’97, GRS’97) and him communicate with the programmers on his team. “Even though I and Annemarie Oxman ■ Amy Markov-Wieand (COM’97) ■ ■ don’t have a computer science background, my engineers trust me be- Hugo Shong (’87) Stephen H. Padre (COM’95) ■ ■ MaryJane Wilkinson (COM’75) ■ ■ cause I’ve taken the time to understand their space,” he says. Cochairman, IDG Capital Mark S. Pazniokas (COM’79) Woo-Hyun Won (GRS’77, COM’71) and Laura A. Post ■ ■ and Bang S. Lee ■ ■ For anyone entering the job market today, technical expertise is more Mark Walton (’76) Nicole T. Putzel (CGS’91, COM’93) Richard A. Yoken (Questrom’72) and important than ever, he says. Analytics, coding and data science can play President, Sales & Marketing, and Steve Putzel ■ ■ Deborah Kanengiser-Yoken (COM’72,’74) ■ ■ a role in just about any communication field and Abrahams wants to help One Caribbean Television Stewart B. Randall (COM’80) ■ ■ Timothy L. Reason (COM’92, CAS’92) COM stay at the cutting edge. “Technology costs money,” he says. “Hope- Erica (Hill) Yount (’98) and Susan H. Reason (Pardee’92) ■ ■ For a complete list of COM donors, fully, I can give back and COM will be able to grow in those areas that Anchor and National Geoffrey Rhizor (Questrom’07) ■ ■ visit bu.edu/com/donors. have become much more of a necessity today.” —M.C. (bottom) Abrahams of Adam Courtesy (top); Checchio Janice Checchio Janice Correspondent, CNN and Lauren B. Rhizor (COM’08)

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WE BUILD UNDERSTANDING THROUGH COMMUNICATION EDUCATION, PRACTICE AND DISCOVERY.

WE PREPARE STUDENTS TO ADAPT TO CHANGE AND SHARE THEIR VOICES IN A TRANSFORMATIONAL MEDIA WORLD. WE GENERATE KNOWLEDGE THROUGH RESEARCH AND THEORY BUILDING. WE INTEGRATE PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES ACROSS COMMUNICATION DISCIPLINES. WE NURTURE A CULTURE RICH IN DIVERSITY, CRITICAL THINKING AND CREATIVE EXPRESSION. WE CHAMPION COMMUNICATION GROUNDED IN AUTHENTICITY, EFFECTIVENESS AND PURPOSE.

To learn more about COM’s new mission and strategic plan, turn to page 10.

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