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MARILYN LAURIE NAMED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON DISTINGUISHED COMMUNICATOR FOR 2008

Department of Communication to Host April 17 Event at Physicians Auditorium

Marilyn Laurie, an award-winning communications executive for AT&T and now president of her own consulting firm, will receive the College of Charleston’s coveted Distinguished Communicators Award on April 17. The presentation/lecture will begin at 4 p.m. in Physicians Auditorium on campus. The event is free and open to the public.   

As former Executive Vice President, Brand Strategy and Public Relations, and a member of AT&T's 10-person Executive Committee, Laurie led AT&T's brand-building, advertising and corporate reputation activities worldwide. The first female senior vice president of AT&T, she headed its 500-person global communications organization and also served as chairman of the AT&T Foundation for a decade. Accountable for communications to the media, shareowners, employees and customers, Laurie managed AT&T's reputation through innumerable high-profile events. A co-founder of Earth Day in 1970, who handled all NYC communications, she was recruited by AT&T to create its first environmental policy. Currently, she consults on PR strategy for corporations and non-profits and lectures widely on corporate social responsibility.

Laurie is a past president of the Arthur W. Page Society and a member of its Hall of Fame. She also served as Chairman of the Public Relations Seminar. She is Vice-Chair of the board of trustees of Columbia University and a director of The New York City Ballet and New-York Presbyterian Hospital. She has also served on the Executive Committee of the New York City Partnership.

Among her honors are “New York's 75 Most Influential Women” (Crain's); Woman of Achievement (Barnard College); “Power 50” (Ad Age); “Star” (New York Women's Agenda); Matrix Award (Women in Communications); Human Relations Award (American Jewish Committee); Community Impact Award (Columbia University) and the Hamilton Medal (Institute for PR). She was twice named “PR All Star” by Inside PR magazine. She has been featured in several books and a television documentary.

“We are delighted that our students will be able to learn from Marilyn Laurie, an accomplished leader with a remarkable career of achievement,” said Brian McGee, Chair of the Department of Communication at the College of Charleston. “Ms. Laurie demonstrates through the example of her life the importance of contributing to society in a variety of ways. She has been a leader in the corporate, academic, cultural and philanthropic areas and we are eager for our students to hear her insights and perspectives on our rapidly changing world.”

The Distinguished Communicators Series debuted in 2003 with a lecture by longtime NBC White House correspondent John Palmer. Nickelodeon Chief of Staff Marva Smalls, U.S. Senator Ernest (Fritz) Hollings, Sports Illustrated senior writer Gary Smith and Washington Post Writers Group columnist Kathleen Parker were the last four recipients. The series is just one of the outreach programs sponsored by the College’s Department of Communication, which has more than 800 majors in three concentrations:  Corporate and Organizational Communication, Media Studies, and Communication Studies.

With the largest undergraduate major at the College of Charleston, the Department of Communication enrolls over 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 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.

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The Department of Communication is housed in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
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