It’s all about communication at I-Comm Week
March 23, 2009COLUMBIA, SC – March 23, 2009 – Financial tumult is the story of the year—so far—and the University of South Carolina’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications is focused on how that story and others are told as part of the sixth annual I-Comm Week, March 30-April 3.
I-Comm Week is the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies’ yearly showcase spotlighting the college’s work in information and communications. The college’s journalism school and its School of Library and Information Science present a wide-ranging series of free events, most of which are open to the public.
The five days of lectures, panel discussions, alumni appearances and other events are “a good way for us to illustrate the things we do across all the disciplines that engage students, faculty, alumni and other constituents,” said Charles Bierbauer, dean of the college.
The complete schedule of I-Comm Week activities is at www.sc.edu/cmcis/news/archive/icomm09/.
Highlighted events that are open to the public and free will include the following:
■ Monday, March 30: Panel discussion on business and financial journalism. 2:30 p.m. in the Public Health Research Center auditorium (corner of Assembly and College streets). Moderated by Bierbauer, the panel will feature Bob Bouyea, publisher of the Columbia Regional Business Report; Henry Haitz, president and publisher of The State newspaper; Fred Monk, president of the SC Export Consortium; and Ben Rex, president of Cyberwoven.
■ Monday, March 30: Workshop, lecture and performance featuring Hawk Hurst. 3 p.m. workshop and 7 p.m. lecture and performance, School of Law auditorium. Hurst, a master Native-American-style storyteller, teacher and musician, will lead a storytelling workshop on positive character development and deliver the first Augusta Baker Lecture. Hurst’s evening performance also will include storytellers and alumni Amanda Brewer and Shelly Osier.
■ Tuesday, March 31: Cocky Award for the best Super Bowl commercial. 9:30 a.m. Capstone House. DDB Chicago art director and Carolina alumnus John Baker and copywriter Jeff Oswald will receive the Cocky Award for their winning Bud Light commercial starring Conan O’Brien. Excited about the opportunity to hear from the creative team, advertising students will show a parody of the commercial they created, which includes a cameo appearance by President Harris Pastides.
Other events will include the annual Taylor/Tomlin Award for outstanding investigative journalism in South Carolina, a faculty panel spotlighting the college’s role with the Arnold School of Public Health in a new graduate certificate in health communication and an authors’ panel and book signing by School of Medicine librarians who compiled a book of answers to frequently asked questions about health issues.
Marketing expert Glenn Kessler of HCD Research will give a talk on what works and what doesn’t work in political advertising.
“The bottom line is that we are doing interesting things — on business, health, literacy and more — and we need to tell people about them,” said Bierbauer. “This is one way of demonstrating to constituents in all areas on and off campus some of the things we’re involved with.”
For more information about I-Comm, contact Bonnie Drewniany at 803-777-6093 or via e-mail at [email protected].