ST. BONAVENTURE — The Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication will now be known as the Jandoli School of Communication. The name change has been endorsed by the communication school's faculty and was officially approved by the university's Faculty Senate. The Alumni Advisory Council declared its support for the change at its April meeting.

"The delivery of great journalism has changed dramatically since Dr. Jandoli founded the school decades ago, but the fundamentals of a St. Bonaventure education have not," said Michael Hill, '96, president and CEO of Youth For Understanding USA and a member of the school's Alumni Advisory Council. "Great storytelling illuminates the major issues of our day, and this name change simply reflects the increased vehicles today's practitioners have at their fingertips to transmit poignant messages that can change the world."

Dr. Pauline Hoffmann, dean of the Jandoli School of Communication, emphasized that producing top-notch journalists will still be an essential focus of the school's curriculum.

"We have no intention of eliminating journalism as a major, or de-emphasizing the need for good writing in all of our disciplines," Hoffmann said. "But journalism is no longer the sole focus of what we offer to our students, and the term mass communication is simply too narrow to account for all the communication platforms that exist in the world we now live."

In the last decade, the Jandoli School has added graduate programs in integrated marketing communications and strategic leadership; an undergraduate program in strategic communication and digital media; and an interdisciplinary program (with English) in professional and creative writing.

Charlie Riley, '01 and '03, director of marketing and communications at Buffalo-based Lawley, is also a member of the school's Alumni Advisory Council.

"This is not a change," Riley said, "but an evolution acknowledging the various mediums now involved with teaching the art of communicating, while at the same time respecting the school's founder. More than ever, we are educating students to enter fields of journalism, advertising, marketing communications and public relations better prepared as well-rounded communicators while living Franciscan values."