Izzy Award

The Roy H. Park School of Communications, internationally recognized as a leading undergraduate communications school, is one of five schools at Ithaca College, in Ithaca, New York. The school is named after legendary media executive Roy H. Park, who lived in Ithaca and who served on the Board of Trustees at Ithaca College for many years.

Graduates have gone on to positions at major media outlets such as Disney, ESPN, CNN, NBC News, CBS, ABC, The New York Times, NPR as well as to careers in advertising, photography, new media, corporate training, and consulting. It is known for its blend of theory and practice, with immediate hands-on access to production equipment and instruction, contemporary courses in media analysis, economics, and management, and liberal arts education drawn from more than 50 majors across the College. As one of the first schools of communications in the US, it runs the first and longest-running student-operated TV cable channel (ICTV) and offers students access to studios and more than three million dollars of portable and lab equipment. It has been named a top film school and a top journalism school by publications such as the Hollywood Reporter and Newspro.

In addition to its extensive campus facilities in Ithaca, it runs the Pendleton Center in Los Angeles where students can study and engage in internships for a semester. Students also may study away at the College's center in London and through a newly established New York City program.

Diane Gayeski, an alumna of the school and a faculty member since 1979, currently serves as its Dean.

Ithaca College first began offering courses in radio in the 1930s and a degree program in 1947. With the advent of mass media, the focus began shifting to television and film. The Bachelor of Science in Cinema Studies and Photography was established in the late 1960s. In 1969, the communications programs were formally organized into a division within the college before becoming the present-day School of Communications in the 1973-74 academic year. It was renamed after Roy H. Park in 1989. Timeline