Roy H. Park School of Communications

The Roy H. Park School of Communications is the communications school at Ithaca College, in Ithaca, New York. The school is named after legendary media executive Roy H. Park, who lived in Ithaca and who served on the Board of Trustees at Ithaca College for many years.

The Park School of Communications is considered one of the more prestigious communications schools in the world. Graduates have gone on to positions at ESPN, CNN, NBC News, CBS, ABC, The New York Times, NPR and more. The school offers majors in television-radio, journalism, marketing, communication management, film, photography, visual arts, cinema and photography.

The school is split into six core departments: Cinema, Photography, and Media Arts; Journalism; Strategic Communications; Television-Radio; Technical Operations; and the Communications Program in Los Angeles.

Dianne Lynch is the current dean of the Park School of Communications.

Academic Programs

The Roy H. Park School offers the following academic programs:

Undergraduate

* Cinema and Photography (B.S), with concentrations in Cinema Production, Still Photography, and Screenwriting
* Communication Management and Design (B.S.), with concentrations in Corporate Communication, Instructional Technology, and Integrated Studies
* Film, Photography, and Visual Arts (B.F.A.)
* Integrated Marketing Communications (B.S.)
* Journalism (B.A.)
* Television-Radio (B.S.), with concentrations in Video Production, Audio Production, International Communications, Scriptwriting, and Directed Studies

Graduate

* Communications (M.S.)

Park Center for Independent Media

In 2008, the Park School launched the Park Center for Independent Media, directed by Jeff Cohen, founder of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. It has been designated as a national center for the study of media outlets that create and distribute content outside traditional corporate systems and news organizations.

The center's mission is to engage media makers and students in conversation about career paths in independent media, and financially viable ways to create news and information for various kinds of geographic or issue-based communities. The center will asses the impact of independent media institutions on journalism, democracy and a participatory culture.

Rory Kennedy, award-winning documentary filmmaker, was the Center's inaugural speaker in January 2008. Kennedy is the co-founder/president of Moxie Firecracker Films, Inc. The Park Center for Independent Media also offers the Independent Media Internship Awards, which provides a $2,500 grant to each students who work as summer interns at specific independent media outlets.

Programs and Events

The Park School offers a wide range of programs and events each year, including:
* Jessica Savitch Distinguished Journalism Lecture Series, an annual series that brings in a high-profile personality in the broadcast journalism profession to honor alumna Jessica Savitch. Past speakers have included Cokie Roberts, Ann Curry, David Muir '95, Catherine Crier, and Natalie Morales.
* Park Distinguished Visitor Series. Each year Ithaca College hosts an individual representing one or more of the significant professions associated with the communications industry for a three-day residency. Leading figures in print and broadcast journalism are the primary focus. Past visitors have included Bill Moyers, Ken Burns, and Robert Fisk.
* Skip Landen Professional in Residence Program, which focuses on bringing successful alumni of our communications program to campus for a three-day residency. During this time, they visit or lecture in classes, teach master classes, provide a public lecture, and participate in various social functions involving students, faculty, and staff. Previous guests have included Bill D'Elia '69 and Judith Girard '68.
* Guest Speakers Series. Guest speakers who have visited Ithaca College recently include Susan Orlean, Dan Heffner '78, and Seymour Hersh.
* New York City Network Days. Each year, 15 students participate in this unique learning experience and meet working professionals over winter break in New York City. This is a one-credit opportunity for senior & junior Park majors to explore careers with alumni professionals. The 2008 Network Days were held at Ogilvy & Mather, Turner Broadcasting, Fox News, and Nice Shoes, a post-production video and editing outlet.
*Rod Serling Conference, a biennial event that brings together academics to discuss and analyze Serling's work and continuing influence. Serling taught creative writing at Ithaca for many years. The 2008 conference received national attention for a table reading of Serling's previously censored "Twilight Zone" script, "Noon on Doomsday." The never-before-produced work was presented with the cooperation of Ithaca College's Department of Theater Arts.
* PreVues, an annual student film and video showcase that highlights the best student work from the previous academic year. Each year the selected pieces are screened at Cinemapolis in Ithaca and are used for a compilation DVD.

Park Scholar Award

The Park Scholar Award is a prestigious four-year, full-ride scholarship to Ithaca College given each year to up to 20 students majoring in a field of study in the Roy H. Park School of Communications. The award, provided by the Park Foundation, recognizes students who excel in academics, activities, and community service, and maintain a strong interest in communications. The program, currently directed by Dr. Matthew Fee, allows each student approximately $42,000 a year in tuition, room and board, and living expenses. Additionally, they are given a one-time gift of $2,500 for a laptop purchase. The Park Scholar recipients are then expected to maintain a 3.5 GPA, participate in Park Scholar activities, be active in community service, and maintain a good judicial standing.

To celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2007, the Park Scholar program hosted a speaker series that was headlined by Bob Woodward, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter; Danny Green '85, co-creator of the The Smoking Gun website; and columnist and author Norman Solomon. Academic programming specifically designed for Park Scholars includes a first-year scholar seminar, biannual workshops, international research, monthly brown bag lunches, a faculty mentoring program, symposia and colloquia, and a New York City shadowing trip.

Currently, there are 67 active Park Scholars attending Ithaca College. The program is currently in its eleventh year.

Ithaca College Los Angeles Program

The Ithaca College Los Angeles Program, an extension of the Roy H. Park School of Communications, is an internship-based program that provides juniors and seniors with a major or minor in communications an opportunity to gain professional experience in their chosen fields while taking industry-related courses. Classes are taught by Los Angeles-based faculty and industry professionals at the James B. Pendleton Center, located minutes from Burbank and Hollywood. Internships are available in the fields of cinema, television, radio, media and communications, music, communication/management/design, advertising, public relations, and print/broadcast journalism.

Communications-based internships are also offered at Ithaca College's London and Washington, D.C. campuses.

Notable Park School alumni

*Bob Iger, President and CEO, Walt Disney Company
*Bob Kur, NBC News Television journalist
*Jessica Savitch, first female network anchor
*Robin Young, Host, National Public Radio, Here and Now
*Karl Ravech, ESPN sportscaster
*Mark Romanek, director of "One Hour Photo" and music videos
*David Boreanaz, actor, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Angel" and "Bones"
*David Guy Levy, film producer, "Lying", "August"
*Brian Herzlinger, film producer, "My Date with Drew", special correspondent on "The Tonight Show"
*Daniel Heffner, film producer, "White Fang", "Three Men and a Baby", "Saw 1-4"
*Benjamin Kasulke, cinematographer, "Brand Upon the Brain!"

Notable Park School Former and Current Faculty

*Rod Serling, creator and host of "The Twilight Zone"
*Jeff Cohen, founder of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting