Seventy high school seniors interested in studying communications and sport management visited during Fellows Weekend held March 2-3. Following a competitive selection process, 30 students will be named 2018 Communications Fellows.
Despite a debilitating nor’easter that caused travel issues along the East Coast, the School of Communications welcomed to campus 70 candidates for its Communications Fellows program during Elon University’s Fellows Weekend March 2-3. Nearly two dozen additional candidates who were unable to attend the two-day event were interviewed via phone and Skype in the days and weeks leading up to and during the weekend.
The high school students are contending for 30 spots in the school’s Communications Fellows program, which selects applicants based on high school academic performance, involvement in communications-related activities, essays and an interview.
Communications Fellows are offered several exclusive opportunities such as enrollment in challenging Fellows courses, a chance to conduct and present undergraduate research, and close access to Q&A sessions with campus speakers. Additionally, Fellows travel to media hubs in Atlanta and Florida during their first year. Fellows also receive a $1,000 study abroad grant to use during their Elon career.
The Communications Fellows candidates kicked off the weekend with a March 2 reception in Snow Family Grand Atrium, with opportunities to visit the Jane and Brian Williams Studio, Elon News Network’s newsroom and Live Oak Communications’ office. Photos from the reception are available on the school’s Flickr page.
School of Communications faculty and staff were on hand to discuss the school’s academic programs and educational opportunities. Likewise, current Communications Fellows and members of Elon News Network and Live Oak Communications were also in attendance to answer questions and get to know future classmates.
“Everybody involved with the weekend was so impressed with the enthusiasm, experience and maturity of the candidates this year. I look forward to seeing many of them on campus in the fall,” said David Bockino, assistant professor of communications and director of the Communications Fellows program.
The reception started with remarks from Jackie Pascale ’18, a Communications Fellow and executive director of Elon News Network. Before a large audience in Turner Theatre, the journalism major highlighted benefits from her own Fellows experience, then shared three short videos touting the program’s many opportunities.
The following day, candidates attended several sessions and seminars discussing engaged learning and their respective Fellows program. Additionally, faculty and staff members conducted 20-minute interviews with each Fellows candidate as part of the selection process.
This year, the Communications Fellows program expanded to 30 students. Twenty-five students will major in the traditional communications programs such as journalism, strategic communications, cinema and television arts, communication design and media analytics. The final five Fellows candidates will be selected from students interested in sport management.