Boston University College of Communication

Boston University College of Communication (COM) is the communication school of Boston University (BU), a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1947, it was the first university in the United States to offer a degree in public relations (PR), and the program sets the standard for PR paths across the country.^[1] It houses the University's undergraduate and graduate programs in advertising, film and television, journalism, media science, and public relations.

Boston University
College of Communication (COM)

The College of Communication
Type	Private communication college
Established	1947
Parent institution	Boston University
Dean	Mariette DiChristina
Students	2635
Undergraduates	2105
Postgraduates	520
Doctoral students	10
Location	Boston , Massachusetts , United States
Campus	Urban
Website	www.bu.edu/com

All of the college's programs are highly ranked nationally, averaging in the top ten in the United States. USA Today ranked BU fourth in the top ten journalism schools in the United States.^[2] For film, it was ranked 11th among the Top 25 film programs in the country by The Hollywood Reporter.^[3] In public relations, it frequently ranks in the top ten.^[4][5][6] In the U.S. News and Niche rankings, it is the highest ranked U.S. university with a dedicated advertising major.^[7]

It is home to many of BU's most popular student-run organizations, including The Daily Free Press, BUTV10, and WTBU Radio, the first studio to fire alum Howard Stern. AdLab is the largest student-run advertising agency in the United States. Founded in 1978, PRLab is the nation's oldest student-run public relations agency.^[8]

In 1980, Roland Hallé and Peter W. Ladue became the first Student Academy Award winners to garner an Oscar nomination and win for their documentary "Karl Hess: Toward Liberty". at the 53rd Academy Awards.

Sumner Redstone's foundation has supported the annual Redstone Film Festival for over thirty years. Past winners include the Safdie brothers, Nora Grossman, Richard Gladstein, Scott Rosenberg, Jennifer Getzinger, Henry Hughes, and Gary Fleder.^[9]

Each summer, the school hosts several programs, including the in-person and online Summer Journalism Academy^[10] for high-school students, formerly sponsored by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting.^[11]

Boston University also offers COM-specific study abroad/internship programs in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., London, Sydney, and Dublin.^[12] The College of Communication building is near Kenmore Square and Fenway Park.

Notable alumni

See also: List of Boston University people

• Chet Simmons (COM '52) – first ESPN president, ABC Sports executive, NBC Sports president, USFLcommissioner, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2010, helped build ABC Sports into a leader in sports programming, developed Wide World of Sports

• Jean Firstenberg (COM '58) – President and CEO of the American Film Institute (1980–2007), only woman to serve
• Donald Lambro (COM '62) – chief political correspondent of The Washington Times
• Nina Totenberg (COM 65*) – correspondent for National Public Radio, one of NPR's "Founding Mothers"
• David Doubilet (COM '70) – National Geographic photographer
• Joe Roth (COM '71) – Chairman, Walt Disney Studios (1994–2000); Chairman, 20th Century Fox (1989–1993), Caravan Pictures (1993–1994), and founder of major American film studio, Morgan Creek Entertainment
• Bonnie Hammer (COM '71, SED '75), Chairman, NBCUniversal
• Lauren Shuler Donner (COM '71) – X-Men film series franchise producer, films have grossed around $5.5 billion
• Joseph Nocera (COM '74) Pulitzer Prize for Commentary finalist, columnist, New York Times
• Joan Vennochi (COM '75) – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at The Boston Globe, 1980 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting
• Mark Thompson (COM '75) – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
• Howard Stern (COM '76) – host of The Howard Stern Show
• Ted Harbert (COM '77), Chairman, NBC Broadcasting, President and CEO of the Comcast Entertainment Group, and Chairman of ABC Entertainment
• Bonnie Arnold (COM '78) – Academy Award-nominated producer, prominent figure in initial wave of computer-animation, producer of Toy Story, Tarzan, and How to Train Your Dragon
• Jim Donovan (COM '78), news anchor, play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports' NFL coverage (1987–1997), radio voice of the Cleveland Browns Radio Network since 1999
• Michael Williams (COM '79) – Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning producer, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Queer Eye
• Brian Bedol (COM '80) – creator of ESPN Classic, founder and CEO, CBS Sports Network
• Deborah Liebling (COM '81) – Emmy Award-nominated producer, President of Production at Universal Pictures, responsible for South Park
• Kevin Burns (COM ’81) – Emmy Award-winning producer of A&E's Biography series, also Ancient Aliens, America's Book of Secrets
• Anthony Radziwill (COM '82) Emmy Award-winning NBC anchor and reporter, Peabody Award for an investigation on the resurgence of Nazism in the United States, son of Caroline Lee Bouvier Canfield, nephew of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, spouse of Carole Radziwiłł
• Richard Gladstein (COM '83) – Academy Award-nominated producer, Pulp Fiction, She's All That, The Bourne Identity
• Scott Rosenberg (COM '85) – writer, producer, Con Air, Gone in 60 Seconds, Beautiful Girls, High Fidelity
• Joseph Hallinan (COM '84) – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at The Indianapolis Star, 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting
• Don Van Natta Jr. (COM '86) – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at The New York Times and The Miami Herald, 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, 1999 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting and 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting
• Andy Cohen (COM '90) – Primetime Emmy Award and Peabody Award-winning host, executive producer of the Real Housewives franchise
• Nancy Dubuc (COM '91), CEO, Vice Media, CEO and President, A+E Networks
• Tyler Hicks (COM '93) – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The New York Times, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography, Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting
• Bill Simmons (COM '93) – ESPN columnist, CEO of the sports and pop culture website The Ringer, The Bill Simmons Podcast
• Hong Chau (COM '01) – Academy Award-nominated actress, Best Supporting Actress for The Whale, starred in Netflix's The Menu, Wes Anderson's Asteroid City, A24's Showing Up, Ngoc Lan Tran in Downsizing, Netflix's The Night Agent
• Nora Grossman (COM '05) – Academy Award-nominated producer, Best Picture for The Imitation Game
• Josh Safdie (COM '07) – co-director of A24's Uncut Gems, Palme d'Or-nominee Good Time, Heaven Knows What
• Benjamin Safdie (COM '08) – co-director of A24's Uncut Gems, Palme d'Or-nominee Good Time, Heaven Knows What, starred in Licorice Pizza, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., actor in Oppenheimer

*no degree

References

1. "Best Colleges for Public Relations". TKG. 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
2. Clauss, Kyle Scott (2015-09-29). "Emerson, BU Ranked Among Best Journalism Schools in America". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
3. Appelo, Tim (2013-07-31). "The Top 25 Film Schools in the United States 2013". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
4. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/public-relations-major-0909
5. Robinson, Lewis (2022-03-24). "The top 10 universities with public relations degrees". Agility PR Solutions. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
6. Stein, Shira (2016-07-28). "CM's 10 Best Schools for Public Relations". College Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
7. "2024 Best Colleges with Advertising Degrees". Niche. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
8. "COM's PRLab Celebrates 35th Anniversary | BU Today". Boston University. 2013-05-02. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
9. "The Redstone Film Festival". www.bu.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
10. "Summer Journalism Academy - for high school students". COM Beyond. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
11. "Investigative Journalism Summer Workshop at BU". NECIR Student Programs. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
12. . bu.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-12-22.

External links

 

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