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On Tuesday evening, the USC community came together in Wallis Annenberg Hall to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The multimedia program included speeches from Dean Willow Bay, President Carol Folt and Wallis Annenberg as well as student testimonies as to how their pursuit of a degree has shaped their worldview.
A theme of pride and leadership was highlighted during the event. Bay emphasized the legacy that the school’s 22,000 alumni have left on the industry.
“If I could have students take one thing away from the celebration of our 50th, it would be a sense of pride in community, a sense of how fortunate we are to be standing on the shoulders of the scholars, teachers, practitioners that have come before us and thinking about how to make the most of the opportunity of standing on their shoulders and looking out to a future and designing the future for the school,” Bay said.
Wallis Annenberg, CEO of the Annenberg Foundation and namesake of the building, spoke on the history of Annenberg’s legacy.
“The truth is we needed a world class school to learn journalism long before we knew we did, and we need one now more than ever before,” Annenberg said. “That’s why, in all my decades, nothing is more important than my support, my family’s support, for the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.”
As Annenberg highlighted the school’s leadership, she gifted the three previous deans of Annenberg with $250,000. The purpose of the gift was to enhance the dean’s work so far. The money went to Bay (2017-present), former Dean Ernest J. Wilson lll (2007-2017) and former Dean Geoffrey Cowan (1996-2007).
“It’s always inspiring to see someone like [Annenberg],” Folt said. “I want you to be more inspired about what students can accomplish because mentors are great, but the truth is, your world is different than those that came before you, and you have this world in which to fight for the things that matter to you.”
As much as this event highlighted the past 50 years of Annenberg, it also looked toward the future of journalism and communication.
“I believe that this is actually the best journalism program in the United States, without question. And I think so because I would say that other programs are steeped in the history of journalism,” said Mark Greenberg, chair of the Annenberg Board of Councilors. “Here, we’re talking about the evolution of journalism. That puts the intellectual curiosity and the 360 degree thinking that gets taught in this college out into the marketplace.”
The anniversary celebration continued Wednesday on the patio of Wallis Annenberg Hall for conversation between students and faculty from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.