making a difference

Alumnus’ Gift to Launch Speaker Series on the First Amendment

James Hoffman, A.B. ’80, has made a $50,000 pledge that will create the James Hoffman Family Endowed Speaker Series in the School of Communication at the University of Miami. The gift will be used to fund an annual lecture on the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. “Our founders knew how tyranny operated, and this knowledge offered them the insight to craft the First Amendment to the Constitution,” said Hoffman, a businessman in the Denver area. “This led to a set of rights that became the fabric of the new [...]

Filmmaker’s Talents Shine on the Silver Screen and on the University

Through his award-winning documentaries, outreach to local non-profits, and wide-ranging teaching activities, Professor Edmund Talavera strives to make the world a better place. As chair of the Department of Cinema and Interactive Media in the School of Communication, Talavera enjoys creating promotional videos for the University of Miami, organizing alumni fundraising events, and making personal donations to the Momentum2 campaign. “Our University is doing great things,” he says. “As faculty and employees, we all need to show the world that we care about the future of UM.” Talavera’s charitable spirit [...]

2019-12-17T18:07:55-05:00October 9, 2014|Motion Pictures|

Emmy-winning Director David Nutter Supports First Feature Film Fund

Television director and producer David Nutter, who has directed hit television shows including Game of Thrones, Homeland and Entourage, has given a significant gift to support the School of Communication’s First Feature Film Fund, as part of the University of Miami’s Momentum2 campaign. The Fund enables Motion Pictures students to complete a feature-length film while they’re working at UM, a critical step toward a career in filmmaking, said Ed Talavera, chair of the Department of Cinema and Interactive Media. “It’s invaluable to our students to have a completed film,” he [...]

2019-12-17T18:07:59-05:00September 9, 2014|Motion Pictures|

Scholarship Endowment Honors Professor Stanley L. Harrison, Assists Undergraduate Writers

A $100,000 endowment, led by the Autumn Ridge Foundation with the help of School of Communication alumni, will honor a beloved public relations professor and provide lasting scholarship support to students who excel at writing. The Dr. Stanley L. Harrison Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund honors Professor Stanley “Stan” L. Harrison, who imparted his love of writing to hundreds of School of Communication students. The fund awards assistance for tuition and expenses to deserving SoC undergraduates with a proficiency for writing. It is an important contribution to Momentum2: The Breakthrough Campaign [...]

School of Communication Receives $1 Million Gift for Student Scholarships

University of Miami alumnus Robert Mann, the UM School of Communication Visiting Committee chair and a member of the University's Board of Trustees, has made a $1 million planned gift to a School of Communication scholarship fund. Mann, B.A.’70, has designated his donation to the Samuel and Grace Mann Endowed Scholarship Fund named after his parents. The fund supports scholarships for deserving undergraduate students majoring in broadcast journalism each year. This Momentum2 campaign contribution builds on his significant donations to the School over the years and to the University’s first Momentum [...]

School of Communication Announces 2013 Wine Spectator Foundation Student Scholarship Winners

A group of exceptional students from the School of Communication are the recipients of a 2013 Wine Spectator Foundation Scholarship. The Wine Spectator Foundation Scholarship is an annual scholarship that awards $50,000 a year to deserving students studying communication at the University of Miami. This year’s winners are: Aaron Agrasanchez, Motion Pictures Brittany Camper, Broadcast Journalism Daniela Ortega, Broadcast Journalism Kate Maier, Motion Pictures Scott McCartney, Media Management Morgan McKie, Motion Pictures Carlos Mella, Advertising Kelsey Quinn, Advertising Amilyn Soto, Advertising Students vying for the Wine Spectator Foundation Scholarship were [...]

University of Miami Radio Station WVUM 90.5 FM Increases Power to Reach More Listeners

Music lovers in all of Miami-Dade County can now listen to WVUM 90.5 FM, the University of Miami’s campus radio station, because of a newly installed transmitter and antenna.  The award-winning student-run radio station will reach 1.5 million more people with this upgrade. WVUM’s last transmitter upgrade was in 1998 and enabled its signal to be broadcast throughout Coral Gables and the surrounding areas. Now it can reach as far south as Florida City and as far north as Ft. Lauderdale thanks to a generous donation which is part of [...]

School of Communication Television Studios Upgraded for HD

Starting this fall, viewers throughout Coral Gables will see something very different when they tune in to the University of Miami School of Communication’s award-winning UMTV cable channel. With more than $1 million in new high-end cameras, equipment and software in its studios, the station will soon broadcast shows and newscasts in full 1080p high-definition. The picture on the screen will be better and brighter than ever, and so is the outlook for School of Communication students, who have already begun using the new tools. UMTV Station Manager and broadcast [...]