School of Communications

A good reporter knows that myopia too often breeds stale reporting. If you have too singular a focus because of your tight-fitting blinders, you might miss that kernel of information that could lead to a more fascinating story.

Elon University will launch its fifth graduate program beginning in summer 2009, offering a master of arts degree in interactive media through the School of Communications. The program will be the first of its kind in North Carolina, preparing students to become leading professionals in the rapidly evolving communications industry.

The Pendulum will be releasing its first-ever summer edition June 25.

Elon students Katelyn Fischetti and Lars Bredahl, two of the initial 20 students in the Elon in Los Angeles program, appeared on the July 31 broadcast of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and participated in a game that won everyone in the audience a free hot dog.

Associate professor Anthony Hatcher had a column denouncing the state of North Carolina’s plan to close Dorothea Dix Hospital, which has treated mentally ill patients for more than 100 years, published in the Raleigh News & Observer Aug. 2.

Junior broadcast major Randy Gyllenhaal was awarded the Ken Kashiwahara national scholarship from the Radio and Television News Directors Association.

A couple of cities across the nation more readily align themselves with the motion picture industry. Of course, there’s Los Angeles and New York, the bastions of the film business. To a lesser extent, tropical locations such as Honolulu and Miami are no strangers to movie crews.

Lee Bush, assistant professor of communications, wrote an article on conversational marketing for the online publications of the Public Relations Society of America. The article, titled "Conversational marketing - engaging the networked community in a dialogue with your brand," argues that old models of communications are still pervasive.

Many students keep little more than a photo album to share their stories from overseas college trips. Elon junior Ashley Dischinger, however, will soon have much more to show for her recent Winter Term program in South Africa – a chapter in a forthcoming guidebook on study abroad destinations.