FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  contact:    Geoffrey Baum

                                                                                                            213-821-1491

 

USC ANNENBERG LAUNCHES NEW RESEARCH CENTER

 

Policy expert Jeffrey Cole to serve as director of the

USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future

 

New Internet Report, "10 Years, 10 Trends"

to be released September 13, 2004

 

LOS ANGELES, August 12, 2004 -- The USC Annenberg School for Communication today announced that Jeffrey Cole and his staff at the Center for Communication Policy, formerly based at UCLA, will form the leadership of the newly established 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 globe.

 

The USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future will continue the same cutting-edge research projects undertaken at UCLA, including the next phase of the Internet Project, Surveying the Digital Future, the most comprehensive longitudinal study of the impact of the Internet on America. The Center will release the newest report, “10 Years, 10 Trends” on September 13, 2004.

 

In addition to the Internet Project, Dr. Cole created and organizes the World Internet Project, which has been tracking the use of the Internet around the globe 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," said Cole. "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, Dr. 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.

 

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USC ANNENBERG LAUNCHES CENTER FOR THE DIGITAL FUTURE

CONTACT:  Geoffrey Baum, 213-821-1491

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Dr. 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. He taught at UCLA for more than 25 years and received the University's Distinguished Teaching Award in 1987.

 

Joining Dr. Cole at the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future are key colleagues from UCLA who will continue and expand the research projects of the Center. Phoebe Schramm is associate director and Michael Suman is research director. A veteran public relations and non-profit management professional, Ms. Schramm will supervise all administrative functions. Dr. Suman served as project coordinator for the Television Monitoring Project and will supervise research projects.

 

The Center will be based at USC Annenberg’s new downtown Los Angeles research and professional education center. Below is new contact information for Dr. Cole and the staff:

 

Center for the Digital Future

USC Annenberg School for Communication

300 S. Grand Avenue, Suite 3950

Los Angeles, CA  90071

Telephone: 213-437-4433

Web: http://digitalcenter.org

 

Located in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, the USC Annenberg School for Communication (http://annenberg.usc.edu) is among the nation's leading institutions devoted to the study of journalism and communication, and their impact on politics, culture and society. With an enrollment of more than 1,700 graduate and undergraduate students, USC Annenberg offers B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in journalism, communication, and public relations.

 

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