Newswise — Led by Roy H. Park School of Communications dean Diane Gayeski and Ithaca College alum Andy Orgel ’74, the CEO of One Degree Media and Entertainment Company and a co-founder of the A&E and MTV networks, the program is in keeping with the college’s sustainability endeavors as well as efforts to develop an integrative curriculum.
On Thursday, April 22 — the 40th anniversary of Earth Day — “Soul of Money” author Lynne Twist will give a free public presentation on “Media for Social Change” at 7 p.m. in Park Hall Auditorium. The program is intended to serve as a wake-up call about the urgency of the current global situation relating to environmental sustainability and social responsibility and the role of the media to communicate key messages and opportunities to global citizens.
Twist has spent more than three decades tackling such issues as world hunger; protecting rainforests; empowering indigenous peoples; improving health, economic, and political conditions for women and children; advancing the scientific understanding of human consciousness; and creating a sustainable future. She founded the Soul of Money Institute to express her commitment to supporting and empowering people in finding peace and sufficiency in their relationship with money and the money culture.
Participating via a taped message will be Van Jones, a globally recognized, award-winning pioneer in human rights and the clean-energy economy and author of “The Green-Collar Economy.” Named by “Time” magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, Jones served in 2009 as the green jobs advisor for the Obama White House. He is currently a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a senior policy advisor at Green for All and a distinguished visiting fellow at Princeton University.
Following the presentations, students enrolled in a special mini-course will spend the next two days working in teams, as if they were actual employees of media companies, to develop ideas on how to address the global sustainability issues presented by the speakers. They will be challenged to present a business case for how to use the media platform they represent — such as cable, satellite, broadcast, broadband, mobile, print or film — to deliver content that can bring about real social change.
Mentoring the students and judging the final presentations will be Ithaca alumni working in the industry. In addition to Orgel, they include Steve Rathe ’71, founder of Murray Street Productions, the producers of the “Jazz at Lincoln Center” radio series; Steve Schwartz ’68, producer of programs for the Learning Channel and the Discovery Channel; Larry Mollin ’68, a Hollywood producer/writer for such shows as “The Practice,” “CHiPS” and “Beverly Hills, 90210”; and Walter Leiding ’76, director of digital technology for CBS News.
“Through this immersive learning experience, the students will gain a greater knowledge of companies in the media, communications and entertainment industries; how content can communicate social responsibility; and how to use the power of media for positive personal and global transformation,” said Gayeski.
Though based in the Park School, the mini-course is open to all Ithaca College students and is anticipated to especially interest those studying in such areas as environmental science, psychology, business, health promotion, sociology, ethics and history.
Gayeski hopes that the initiative can continue in future years, with the long-term goal of drawing participation from students of other colleges and universities throughout the world as well as the actual media companies represented by the mock employee teams.
“The initiative is meant to be a creative learning experience for students, but it is also a serious message and challenge to the media and entertainment industry. The Park School is assuming a leadership position on the critical nature of the sustainability issue and is showcasing the media’s responsibility within that issue.”
For more information, visit http://www.ithaca.edu/rhp/community/socialchange/.
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