USC Annenberg will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its International Communication Studies Program (ICS) at a gala reception and dinner on campus Sept. 9.
As part of the evening’s tribute to Dr. William Robert Faith, who served as the program’s director for more than 30 years, the event marks the formal kickoff of the “Bill Faith Endowed Scholarship Fund” for ICS program students.
“Professor Faith’s impact on international education at USC is as significant as his tireless leadership of public relations studies and mentorship of students,” said USC Annenberg Dean Ernest J. Wilson III. “All of us here at USC Annenberg join in recognizing his great contributions on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the International Communication Studies program, which he championed for more than 30 years.”
The ICS program allows undergraduate and graduate students to study a range of approaches to communication media across Europe. This program is offered each summer for a five-week course divided into stays in London, Paris, Rome and Prague, with the first week spent at USC. In addition to regular class meetings, students discuss the interplay of current world issues and international media practices with communication practitioners from international news and public relations media, government institutions, private industry and global organizations. Past visits have included BBC World News Service and Al Jazeera (London), Disneyland Paris, The Vatican (Rome), and the Foreign Ministry in the Office of the President Europe (Prague).
A high point of the evening will be a tribute to Bill Faith, now an associate professor emeritus at USC Annenberg, who directed the school’s ICS program from 1976 to 2006. A new campaign to raise funds for endowed scholarships in Dr. Faith’s name will be formally announced at the event.
In addition to his long USC career teaching mass communication research and public relations, Dr. Faith oversaw the undergraduate and graduate degree and research programs in public relations. He was awarded a B.A. degree by Wesleyan University, an M.A. by Quebec’s McGill University, and a Ph.D. by USC. His doctoral studies at Columbia University were interrupted by public communication assignments for the Bell System (1953-57) and NBC-TV’s Today Show (1957-59). While with NBC, he became the media/public relations director for Bob Hope Enterprises in Los Angeles, later organizing Hope’s worldwide USO tours. In 1997 he became director of USC’s Emeriti College, a position he held for 10 years.
The Sept. 9 dinner will be held on the USC campus at Town & Gown Hall; cocktail reception at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:30. The cost of the event is $50 per person, which includes hosted bar and parking.
For further information about the event or for reservations, please call (213) 740-1744 or visit annenerberg.usc.edu/ics. Those wishing to make a gift to the Bill Faith Endowed Scholarship Fund may contact the Annenberg School Development Office at (213) 821-1660.
