Monthly Archives: April 2010

Professor Signorielli Receives Two Distinguished Awards

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On April 8, 2010 College of Arts and Science Dean George Watson surprised Professor Nancy Signorielli in the middle of her class to announce that she has won the College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Scholarship award for 2010.

The award is one of four College of Arts and Science awards honoring remarkable faculty for outstanding contributions in the life of the University. The Excellence in Scholarship award is based on publications, professional honors, receipt of competitive grants, scholarly contributions to one’s field, and acknowledged reputation in scholarship.

Professor Signorielli is internationally known for her research on cultural indicators and media and children. She is regularly listed among the most prolific scholars in the field of Communication. In April 2009, Professor Signorielli was named a Centennial Scholar of the Eastern Communication Association (ECA) as part of the celebration of ECA’s 100th anniversary.
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A Perfect Match: UD Alum Chosen for New Role in Alumni Relations

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The University of Delaware’s Office of Alumni Relations is the primary liaison between the University and its 140,000 living alumni, providing former students with opportunities to reconnect with classmates and give back to their alma mater. Recently, a new position within the Office of Alumni Relations was created to help plan alumni events and to connect alumni with current students.  Who better suited to fill such a position than an actual alumna?

Patricia (Tricia) Fitzgerald, a 2005 graduate of UD, was the perfect candidate for the new role of Assistant Director of Reunion and Student Programs. Since obtaining the position a little over six months ago, she has made great strides strengthening relations between the University and its alumni.
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What Students Refuse to be “Left Behind”

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The Broadcast News Documentary class that created "Left Behind."

Since its construction in 1951, there has been one building in Newark, Del. that stretched deep into the city’s history and into the lives of so many people living in and around the town. Employing more than 5,000 people in its heyday, Chrysler’s Newark Plant brought boom to a sleepy town in Delaware, showed its American spirit with the construction of U.S. Army tanks during the Cold War, and most recently added growth to the nearby University. Even though economic troubles forced it to close in December 2008, the legacy of this assembly plant lives on in the stories told and the history remembered.

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Department Introduces New Center for Political Communication

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Alma mater to current Vice President of the United States Joe Biden, as well as top political strategists from both the Obama and McCain campaigns, the University of Delaware was recently named “the epicenter of politics” by Bloomberg News.

Coinciding with this noteworthy title, although in the early stages, the University’s Center for Political Communication prides itself as a successful, nonpartisan effort and collaboration of both communication and political science, during a time when politics is undergoing the greatest of transformations. The new Center for Political Communication aims to study and teach about the information technology revolution’s effect on campaigns for public office and political debate through research, speaker series, coursework and other innovative offerings.

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Student Interns on the set of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien

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Frischman, on the right, stands with fellow intern on the set of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien

If you want to establish a career in television entertainment, there couldn’t be a better way to spend your winter session than interning for NBC Universal Los Angeles on the set of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.

Andrew Frischman, a New Jersey native majoring in Mass Communication with a minor in Political Science, did just this. He aspires for a career in television production and last January, he went to work for Conan O’Brien.  

While he loves watching television shows and movies, he is passionate about creating TV content.  “Production is an incredibly collaborative process, and I’m interested in pursuing a role that facilitates that collaboration while contributing my own creativity, such as a producer or even a production manager.  Eventually, I’d love to work for something like an HBO Original Series or prime time drama,” said Frischman.

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Research and Political Communication Fall Series: Assessing Obama’s First Year

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Presidential adviser David Axelrod, right, reflects on the Obama campaign.

Joe Biden. Chris Christie. David Plouffe. These three men are political household names and are responsible for influencing the most important decisions in our country today. However, another similar characteristic binds them together:  they are all University of Delaware alumni. 

Sure enough, if these three politicians were University of Delaware students today, they would most certainly be involved in the University’s new Political Communication program. In fact, the Research and Political Communication Fall Series course, Assessing Obama’s First Year, probably would have been their top course choice during fall 2009 registration.

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