For 75 years, the Jandoli School of Communication has distinguished itself as a world-class program. Alumni include instantly recognizable and highly regarded communications professionals, such as Pulitzer Prize-winner Dan Barry of the New York Times, bestselling author Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, Sports Business Journal’s Rachel Axon, ESPN’s Adrian “Woj” Wojnarowski, four-time New York Sportswriter of the Year Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post, and top corporate executives Deb Henretta, Tom Mosser, Chris LaPlaca and Carol Schumacher.
The Jandoli School is one of just 19 private university journalism and mass communication programs accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, which unanimously reaccredited the school’s undergraduate and master’s programs in May.
It is also one of five pillars in the university’s $125 million Bolder Bonaventure fundraising campaign, in which nearly $112 million had been raised as of the close of the university’s fiscal year (May 31).
The school’s home, the John J. Murphy Professional Building, will soon undergo a major expansion and renovation to create more flexible, accessible and modern spaces for classes and experiential learning.
The first phase of the overhaul includes the addition of a glass-enclosed communication center, which will feature a state-of-the-art broadcast production suite, digital newsroom of the future, and new homes for WSBU radio and the Bona Venture newspaper.
Cassidey Kavathas, who graduated with a degree in journalism in May and is this year’s honorable mention for the prestigious Mark Hellinger Award, recently spoke with Dean Aaron Chimbel about the planned renovations and the importance of supporting the school.
Cassidey Kavathas: This is a great year for the Jandoli School. When will renovations begin?
Dean Chimbel: We’ll be breaking ground for the new addition this year, which is also the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Journalism Department, now the Jandoli School of Communication. It’s pretty nice how it all ties together. We are excited to be celebrating our history as we look to the future.
Cassidey Kavathas: What are you most enthusiastic about within the plans?
Dean Chimbel: I think the crowning piece will be the communication center addition, which will allow students and faculty from across the different media entities to work together. That’s a huge piece. The other thing that’s really exciting is for our strategic communication and advertising parts of our program to actually have an agency setting. We will have our new studio for SBU-TV as well as a virtual studio with green screen capability that will give us unlimited opportunities in the future for producing video content.
Cassidey Kavathas: How will the renovated building blend with the rest of campus?
Dean Chimbel: We wanted the design to match the modern and transparent approach that is important for the Jandoli School, but also tie into the classic style and rich traditions of the St. Bonaventure campus. From the large glass windows of the communication center to the terracotta tile roof, we’ve accomplished that. But it’s going to be more than just a great-looking facility. When finished, we’ll have a facility that will serve our students and faculty well and prepare them for the communication, media and journalism field both now and into the future. It will be modern and adaptable, but also practical.
Cassidey Kavathas: Marking 75 years of the Jandoli School as you break ground for the transformation of the school’s home is a wonderful milestone. Is there a celebration planned?
Dean Chimbel: Yes, and the entire Bonaventure community is invited! We will host a daylong celebration on Oct. 19, which will include this year’s Hellinger Award presentation, on campus.
Cassidey Kavathas: What else would you like alumni to know?
Dean Chimbel: I first want to thank the many donors who’ve already come forward and contributed to this project. Your response has been amazing. Second, I want to invite the rest of the Bonaventure community to join in. There is a lot more to do and we need you. We’re excited to be starting this project, but we’re not “done” with it. We want to make sure the entire facility is the best that we can possibly provide for our students. We know there’s more work to do — and we can only do that work with the support and generosity of our alumni and donors.
Join us Oct. 19!
The Jandoli School of Communication’s 75th Anniversary and Hellinger Celebration will be held Oct. 19 on campus.
The festivities will include the 2024 Hellinger Award Ceremony honoring Rich Williams, ’24, and Cassidey Kavathas, ’24, and the Alumnus of the Year presentation to Lee Coppola, former dean of the school and a member of the Class of 1964.
The Oct. 19 events will begin with a symposium at 1 p.m. followed by a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Jandoli School’s facilities expansion and renovation, the celebration program and a reception and dinner.
Registration information is available at www.sbu.edu/communication.
Did you Know?
- The first journalism course was taught at St. Bonaventure College in 1916 as part of the English Department.
- The student newspaper appeared in 1926.
- By 1931 the college offered a journalism program. Five years later the first high school Press Day was held on campus.
- Following World War II, Russell J. Jandoli, an instructor in the English Department, proposed a separate major in journalism. He founded the Department of Journalism in 1949 and ran it for 34 years, devoting the rest of his life to training young journalists.
- The program was named for Jandoli in 1992 and elevated to school status in 1995.