USC Annenberg Launches New Center
The USC Annenberg School for Communication has announced the formation of the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future, a policy and research center devoted to the study of new communication technology and its impact on individuals, communities and societies around the world.
Jeffrey Cole and his staff at the Center for Communication Policy, formerly based at UCLA, are leaders of the newly established USC center, which will continue the same cutting-edge research projects undertaken in Westwood, including the next phase of the Internet Project, “Surveying the Digital Future,” a comprehensive study of the impact of the Internet on America.
On Sept. 13, the center will release the report “10 Years, 10 Trends.”
In addition to the Internet Project, Cole created the World Internet Project, which has been tracking the use of the Internet around the world since 1999.
“Dr. Cole is a visionary scholar whose work has informed policy makers worldwide about the power of media and the ways in which the Internet is transforming society,” said Geoffrey Cowan, dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication.
“The USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future will continue to produce groundbreaking research that will explore the social, political and economic impact of the Internet and other media.”
“The USC Annenberg School is at the forefront of research and education in communication technology and entertainment,” Cole said. “There are countless issues that we will begin exploring with our new Annenberg colleagues, and I am delighted to join this community of scholars led by Dean Cowan.”
Before coming to USC, Cole served on the faculty of the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management, where he directed the track on Entertainment, Media and Communication. From 1995 to 1997, he served as principal investigator of the Network Television Violence Monitoring Project.
Cole has worked with both the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations on media and telecommunications issues. He has testified before Congress and has been a keynote speaker or panel member at more than 200 conferences on communications issues.
He was a member of the executive committee of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) from 1997 to 2001 and was the founding governor of the ATAS Interactive Media Peer Group. He earned his Ph.D. in mass communication from UCLA, where he taught for more than 25 years and received the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 1987.
Joining Cole at the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future are key colleagues from UCLA who will expand the research projects of the center. Phoebe Schramm and Michael Suman will be the associate director and research director, respectively. A veteran public relations and nonprofit management professional, Schramm will supervise all administrative functions. Suman, who served as project coordinator for the Television Monitoring Project, will supervise research projects.
The center will be based at USC Annenberg’s new downtown Los Angeles research and professional education center at One California Plaza.
Go to: http://digitalcenter.org.
