DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES

SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY VOL. 1 SPRING 2011

ANNOUNCING THE MASTER’S IN COMMUNICATION PROGRAM!

The Dept. of Communication and Media Studies is pleased to announce the new Master of Arts in Communication graduate program (MACOMM) beginning Fall 2011. The 33-credit program offers three areas of concentration: Corporate Communications & Public Relations, Digital Multimedia Journalism, and Digital Multimedia Production.

MACOMM Director Jim Castonguay writes about the new program:

I’m thrilled to be directing our new Masters program, which reflects the department’s growth over the past decade. Our program is responding to the anticipated growth in the communication and media job sectors over the next ten years and is designed to help students compete for the top positions or to advance their existing outlets using a practical focus on of faculty and mentors with extensive careers and update their skill sets. hands-on learning with the latest industry experience to train and teach technologies. Internships and in our Master’s program. The MACOMM degree program will mentorships will immerse students in supply the communications, public professional settings in order to gain We are pleased that our program has relations and news industries with its advanced practical training and real generated national interest from next generation of professional world results. students across the county, and are communicators in ways that only a especially pleased that several of our media studies program with a strong, In addition to Andrew, Debbie, Sid, seniors have already enrolled in the cutting edge digital multimedia Sally, Greg, Joanne, and myself, we 5th-Year MACOMM Program. production component like ours can. have assembled an impressive team Students will create real-world Continued Page 2 productions for organizations, businesses, publications, or media Master’s in Communication MACOMM FACULTY SPOTLIGHT Program continued

We look forward to welcoming back our alumni seeking to gain new multimedia KATIE LEVINSON BURKE skills and strengthen their professional portfolios. MACOMM MENTOR, INSTRUCTOR & ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER Our program has only been as strong as its students. We owe our success to you. We are thrilled to welcome Katie Levinson We invite all of you to come to our next Burke to the MACOMM program. She is information session and find out more currently Chief of Staff for Edelman global, about this exciting new program. Our the largest independent public relations next information session will take firm in the world and Advertising Age’s PR place on Saturday, March 19th from firm of the decade. Mrs. Burke was 9:00-11:00 am, with registration and appointed to her current position after breakfast beginning at 8:30 at the Schine running Edelman’s Public Affairs Auditorium on the Fairfield campus of business and serves as one of the firm’s Sacred Heart. For more information, top media and presentation trainers. Prior please call Graduate Admissions at to joining Edelman, Mrs. Burke served as 203-365-7619. National Communications Director for Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign and If you would like more information about Communications Director for Governor the MACOMM program, please feel free Arnold Schwarzenneger’s successful re- to contact me at 203-371-7710 or email election campaign in California. Mrs. me at [email protected]. Burke served in the White House as the You can also check out the MACOMM Director of Television News during program on our website: President George W. Bush’s second term, http://www.macomm.sacredheart.edu . a position she also held at the Republican National Committee during the 2004 election cycle. She received her Master’s in Public Policy and Administration from the London School of Economics and will be joining the MACOMM program as Joining the MACOMM advisory board member, mentor & part- Faculty... time faculty member,

Paul Pabst, Executive Producer of the Andrew MacLellan, Vice President at Richard Falco is President of Vision Project, dedicated to documentary photography, & Dan Patrick Show, formerly a producer Porter Novelli, PR firm, and technology for CBS Sports, CBS News, ESPN, and communications expert, joins the investigative journalism. His photography appears in major publications, including: Sirius Satellite Radio will teach broadcast MACOMM Advisory Board, bringing a Time, Life, Newsweek, and The New York journalism and television with a focus on wealth of experience in journalism and Times. The author of two books, he teaches sports broadcasting. editing, including editor-in-chief of EBN. digital photojournalism and production. Greetings from Andrew Miller, Chair of the Department of Communication & Media Studies

Welcome to our first department newsletter!

This publication will be the irst of revised our majors, changing some many, and, we hope, a useful way for names, and creating new paths to faculty, staff, students and alumni to better relect the work that we do. The stay connected with the program, and Communication and Technology major more importantly, with each other. will be renamed D i g i t a l Communication and the Media Studies 2010‐2011 has been a tremendously major will now contain two different exciting year for the department. It’s concentrations, Journalism and Film, been a year of new additions, big Television and Media. changes, and continued excellence within the program. Coming Soon ­ As is described in depth elsewhere in New Names ­ the newsletter, we have launched our As you all should know by now, since Master’s in Communication Graduate the Fall of 2010, the department has Program (MACOMM), and we are oficially changed its name to The currently accepting applications for Department of Communication and our irst class beginning in the fall of Media Studies (CMS for short). This 2011. Jim Castonguay has change has been a long time coming, spearheaded this initiative and has and we think it better describes what been appointed the Director of CMS we have been doing all along. Graduate Programs. There has already been a great deal of interest New Additions – from prospective students, and we are Starting at the end of last year, we excited to begin what we think is a added a new Academic Department cutting‐edge, multimedia‐focused Assistant, Suzanne Golub, and we are graduate program. thrilled that she has joined CMS. She has already become an invaluable As the semester lies by, I look forward member of the department, taking on to seeing our seniors and alumni at department continues to grow. We a wide variety of tasks including our annual Alumni Reception/ would love to hear from you, and creating and editing this newsletter. Senior Night on April 13, 2011 at welcome your comments, suggestions, the Schine Auditorium. and submissions. Big Changes – Beginning in the fall of 2011, we have Stay tuned for more news as our    

FACULTY NEWS Prof. Andrew Miller recently Prof. Jim Castonguay has been elected published “The American Dream Goes to Prof. Debbie Danowski presented a Treasurer of the Society for Cinema and College: The Cinematic Student Athlete of paper titled “Why Don’t I Look Like That?: Media Studies, the foremost academic the Great Depression” in the December Diet Advertising in Women’s Magazines” at organization devoted to the study of media 2010 issue of The Journal of Popular the Northeast Popular Culture Association Culture. He also developed and launched and film. Congratulations, Jim! Conference in Boston. the new website for The Society of Cinema and Media Studies. More Faculty News Page 4 FACULTY NEWS Faculty Profile continued Joe Alicastro Prof. Sally Ross & Prof. Jim Castonguay partnered on an essay titled, “Asta the Screwball Dog: Gender, Class and Hollywood’s Canine Sidekick,” for an upcoming Rutgers University Press volume.

Prof. Sid Gottlieb completed a comprehensive annotated bibliography of Alfred Hitchcock’s works, which will be appearing at Oxford University Press Bibliographies Online. He will also be presenting a paper on “The Therapeutic Function of Music in Hitchcock’s Films” at a conference at St. John University in York, England.

Richard Falco has several Joe Alicastro is a 30‐year veteran producer After graduating with a Bachelor of upcoming photography of NBC News. He served as a Special Events Science in Broadcasting and Film from exhibits, including the Festival of Producer for the network's extensive Boston University, Joe joined NBC News in Civilization and Art of Media in political coverage, and from 2003 through 1978. As a ield producer, he produced Lodz, Poland. Rick and Joe 2007 was the lead producer for four hundreds of stories in all formats: hard Alicastro teamed up on a Vision Democratic Presidential Candidates news, feature segments, magazine pieces Project film, “Crossroads: Rural Debates, two Presidential Debates and the and documentaries. Health Care in America,” which Republican Convention at Madison Square will be screened at the Garden. A seven time Emmy nominee, Joe has been President Clinton School for honored with three News and Public Service in Little Rock, As one of the producers providing the front Documentary Emmy awards and a Arkansas on April 2nd. line defense for all breaking news on the Commendation Award from American NBC Network, Joe was involved in Women in Radio and Television. Greg Golda, who is the hundreds of Special Reports including, the University Coordinator of Columbia Shuttle Disaster, the War in Iraq, Joe is currently Senior Producer and Multimedia Productions, the Terrorist attacks in London, the Associate Director of Vision Project recently worked as Assistant to Northeast Blackout, , the (www.visionproject.org) and acted as the Head Photographer at Deaths of Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, Broadcast Producer for a Special Events Consumer Reports Magazine President Reagan, President Ford and Pope program for National Geographic Auto Division. John Paul II. Television.

As the NBC Rome Bureau Chief, Joe He joined the Department of Prof. Joanne Kabak’s travelled extensively around the globe Communication & Media Studies faculty at book, co-authored with covering breaking news, including the fall SHU as an Adjunct Professor in the fall of Rosemary Williams, “The of the Berlin Wall, the breakup of the Soviet 2009 and has been teaching Broadcast and Woman's Book of Money and Union, Afghanistan, the Gulf War and the Digital Journalism . Joe will be joining the Spiritual Vision: Putting Your Liberation of Kuwait. MACOMM faculty as mentor and instructor Financial Values Into Financial of multimedia production. Practice,” has been acquired by Ves Publishing in St. Petersburg,       and is now available, for sale in Russia. News and Events KEEPING UP WITH ALUMNI

TOUCHDOWN! CMS graduate Dario Melendez, ’08, Four CMS students had the will be featured in an upcoming opportunity to attended the 2011 SHU Alumni Magazine profile. Super Bowl in Dallas to work as Melendez, who graduated with a production interns under the Bachelors degree in Media Studies recently became weekend anchor supervision of faculty member, Brian and reporter for WISN-TV, a top 40 Thorne, who is also a member of the station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. core utilities team for NFL Network. Did you know we’re on Facebook? Upcoming Events T h e s t u d e n t s , s e n i o r s , N i c o l e Our Facebook page, Sacred Heart University Communication & Media Eastman, Gina Cerniglia, and Studies, has news, events, and Vision Project’s Photography Stephanie Kanner, and junior Erin updates for alumni to keep in in a Digital World lecture Murtagh, were responsible for game touch. Friend us! preparation, setting up cameras, series presents Les Stone, Over 100 alumni have already “: A History of Crisis.” serving as liaisons to the linked in with James Castonguay on i n t e r n a t i o n a l a n d d o m e s t i c LinkedIn. Don’t miss out on this March 3, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the broadcasting clients, escorting opportunity to network with your colleagues. Join up today! Schine Auditorium. Free broadcast talent to the field, and acting as runners for the Critically acclaimed photographer international division of NFL Stone shares his powerful images of Films. They gained invaluable the lives, culture, events and people of experience observing how a Haiti that he has documented for over twenty years. professional crew captured a live broadcast, how cameras were 2nd Annual Senior Night and moved and placed for live action Alumni Reception footage, and how much goes into a broadcast production. April 13, 2011, 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Schine Auditorium. According to Kanner, “What I took away here was much more Seniors and alumni join together for a than I could have learned in any fun night of discussion, food and classroom. It was the most eye- STUDENTS NICOLE EASTMAN, mingling. Recent alumni will share opening experience I have ever GINA CERNIGLIA, STEPHANIE their experiences post-graduation; job KANNER, & ERIN MURTAGH WITH search tips, networking ideas, and job had.” experiences in the field. INSTRUCTOR, BRIAN THORNE, AT THE SUPERBOWL.

VALUABLE EXPERIENCE NEXT ISSUE CMS Students complete * Faculty News! internships as part of their course * Faculty Publications! Please send your comments, work. Recent internships include: * Alumni Spotlight! suggestions and submissions Food Network, NBC, The New York * Featured Internship! Yankees, Fox News, MTV, NBC * Movie Trivia! to Suzanne Golub, Editor at: Sports.com, DNA Public Relations, * More News about our first [email protected] Polo Ralph Lauren, National incoming graduate class! Geographic, and Fairfield We’d love to hear from you!! Magazine.