College of Charleston and The Graduate School of the College of Charleston

NEWS RELEASE

 

 

 

For Immediate Release

October 4, 2007

 

                           Contact: Stanfield Gray

Director of Media Relations & Event Marketing

                                                            Ph (843) 953-5496, Fax: (843) 953-5663

                                                            E-mail: grayjs@cofc.edu                                   

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON LAUNCHES BULLY PULPIT SERIES

 

Charleston, S.C. (Oct. 5, 2007) – College of Charleston Department of Communication launched a new series that will focus on presidential communication. The first guest to appear in this series was Senator John McCain (R-AZ.) McCain spoke to about 500 College of Charleston students and faculty on various topics ranging from the influence of bloggers to engaging young voters in the political discourse.

 

McCain said that if elected he would hold weekly press conferences and would also provide weekly briefings with the American people on the progress of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan because he believes they are entitled to know what is going on. He said he would broadcast these briefings unfiltered on C-Span.

 

McCain, the first presidential candidate to speak in this series, also cited two presidents—John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan—as effective communicators during the hour-long event. He noted that Kennedy held weekly press conferences, and he used humor effectively in connecting with the American people. McCain said that every student of communication should be required to watch Reagan’s ‘Shining City on the Hill’ speech that he gave after the Challenger disaster. He observed that Reagan had a great sense of the moment in speeches like that one and another he gave at the D-Day memorial in Normandy.

 

“I was proud of our students,” said Brian McGee, chairman of the Department of Communication at the College of Charleston, who moderated the event. “In their questions to the senator, they demonstrated insight, maturity and familiarity with the issues of the day, including those issues vital to effective presidential communication. I think our students represented the College of Charleston in an exemplary way.”

 

The Bully Pulpit series was created by the Department of Communication and its 24- member Advisory Council. The council includes several members who served in White House positions for Presidents Carter, Clinton and George W. Bush, as well as a former network news reporter, John Palmer, who covered Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton.  Through the series individual presidential candidates are invited to speak with students and Charleston community members on such topics as the frequency of press conferences, the candidate’s relationship with journalists, and the power of the president to persuade.  Allstate Insurance Co. is the title sponsor for the Bully Pulpit series.

 

The Bully Pulpit Series at the College of Charleston is a joint effort of the College’s Department of Communication and the Department of Communication Advisory Council. Each event in the series offers students and faculty the opportunity to analyze the ideas of each candidate about effective presidential communication.

 

The College of Charleston will offer the opportunity to subscribe to podcasts, permitting listeners to download the relevant audio from each candidate’s appearance to their computer or MP3 player. Video portions of the appearance also will be streamed following the event.

 

To provide further opportunities for analysis of the candidate's appearance, the College of Charleston has invited Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., to collaborate in discussions of the candidates' responses.  Sen. McCain’s first question at the event was submitted by an Augustana student. The College of Charleston will provide a complete video recording of this event to the Department of Speech Communication at Augustana College.  Augustana student and faculty feedback will be reported as part of the follow-up to Sen. McCain's appearance.

                                               

Visit www.cofc.edu/bullypulpit for further information and updates on the presidential candidates participating in The Bully Pulpit Series. 

 

With the largest undergraduate major at the College of Charleston, the Department of Communication enrolls more than 800 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs.  Students in the department study such topics as political communication, interpersonal communication, journalism, and public relations.  The department is housed in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

 

The Department of Communication Advisory Council promotes the recognition and progress of communication instruction at the College of Charleston. The Advisory Council is made up of an outstanding and nationally prominent group of communication professionals who aid the Department of Communication in developing curricula, creating and improving departmental programs, and calling attention to the many accomplishments of the department's students and faculty.

 

The College of Charleston is a nationally preeminent, public liberal arts and sciences university located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina. With a student population of approximately 9800 undergraduates and 1400 graduate students, the college is known for its small-college feel blended with the advantages and diversity of an urban, mid-sized university.  Founded in 1770, the College of Charleston is among the nation’s top universities for quality education, student life and affordability.

 

Additional Contacts:

 

Brian McGee

Department of Communication

(843) 475-5129

 

Ashley Cross

Allstate Media Relations

(847) 402-5600

 

Marya Pongrace

Peppercom

(212) 931-6142

 

 

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Appendix

Membership List

Department of Communication Advisory Council

College of Charleston