HomeNEWSCenter for Communications and Interactive Media Christened with Hearst Name

Center for Communications and Interactive Media Christened with Hearst Name

FeatureImage
Hearst name installed on the Center for Communications and Interactive Media by employees of Saxton Sign of Castleton, NY on Saturday, September 24, 2011. Photo credit: Kelly Pfeister

Trustee and longtime member of the “Saint Rose family,”  George R. Hearst III glad to see great-grandfather’s legacy kept alive at Saint Rose

By SUNSHINE OSELLA
Features Editor

The College of Saint Rose announced the naming of the Center for Communications and Interactive Media (CCIM) to the William Randolph Hearst Center for Communications and Interactive Media at a special ceremony on Monday. The ceremony was, in part, to recognize the generosity of the Hearst Foundation and to announce the new name of one of the newest hubs on campus. It is the technologically advanced home of the College’s distinguished communications and music industry programs.

President Dr. R. Mark Sullivan went to George R. Hearst III, trustee of the College of Saint Rose and great-grandson of William Randolph Hearst, and asked if he thought Hearst Foundations would be interested in supporting this initiative. Hearst said it would be a worthy discussion.

“Saint Rose is very fortunate to have Mr. Hearst’s involvement and support,” said Karin Carr, vice president for institutional advancement.  “He is an engaged trustee, and has helped the College in many ways. He’s been our liaison to the Hearst Foundations, and thanks to his interest and involvement, the Foundation continues to invest in Saint Rose.”

Carr said Hearst played a major role in developing this building. She said he challenged Saint Rose to think about communications and interactive media in a visionary way.

“To earn the attention and a grant from the Hearst Foundations speaks volumes to the quality of the appeal because we have to say no more than we can say yes,” said Hearst. At a recent meeting, the College’s board of trustees approved the new name in recognition of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation’s recent $300,000 grant to Saint Rose.

Carr said the Hearst Foundation started supporting Saint Rose in 1966. “We’ve been very fortunate to have a wonderful partnership and relationship with the Hearst Foundation. They continue to want to invest in us,” said Carr.

Hearst said that applying the Hearst name to the building can give the College a standing not only in the local market, the state, or the nation, but also in the world. “Our foundations don’t give for name recognition, but institutions realize the value of the association of a name, a family, a business, a foundation; because what it does,” said Hearst. “It brings a certain certification or legitimacy to an initiative that will inspire others to be interested in supporting it, to want to attend as a student.”

The communications program at Saint Rose is one of the fastest growing majors, currently serving about 160 undergraduate and 30 graduate students.  “It [Saint Rose] is a wonderful resource for providing work force ready talent; that sets you apart from some of the other higher education members in the community,” said Hearst.

“Given how fast communications and the music industry are changing, there will always be a need for students who can envision and create new technologies, fresh content and innovative business practices to meet the demand for new ways of delivering public  information.  The William Randolph Hearst Center for Communications and Interactive Media will prepare students to meet these challenges by developing their skills and professional competencies to excel in all areas of the communications industry. We are honored that the Hearst Foundations have chosen this facility at Saint Rose to bear the family name,” said President Dr. R. Mark Sullivan.

Hearst’s ancestors, William Randolph Hearst and his mother, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, were strong education advocates. “I take a great deal of personal satisfaction to see that the legacy intent continues. It gives me satisfaction to believe that my ancestors would approve of what I am doing today,” said Hearst.

Hearst said that graduating a student with the skills necessary to keep up with the rate of change that is taking place in the media business is important. “We are in the business of truth telling, in the pure sense of journalism,” said Hearst. “It’s the first draft on history. Because it’s story telling, it’s carried out by people and scribes. Those individuals have human frailties and we recognize we are all prone to error and if we err we find a way to improve it in the next write.”

“As William Randolph Hearst’s great-grandson, I cannot be more proud to see his name on the Center for Communications and Interactive Media.  It is highly appropriate given William Randolph Hearst’s lifelong dedication to news reporting that his legacy is kept alive in the minds of future journalists, editors and music industry leaders.  I am thrilled every year when I meet the students who are achieving their dreams through a Hearst scholarship, and now some of those same students will be walking through these doors,” said Hearst.

“George is very involved in the community and plays a major role in helping transform the capital region.  We are so fortunate that he is a member of the Saint Rose family,” said Carr.
“The William Randolph Hearst Center for Communications and Interactive Media is a testament to the Foundation’s belief in the College and an endorsement of the excellent work taking place in the Communications and Music Industry Programs at Saint Rose.”

 

Previous article
Next article
RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular

Recent Comments