51社区

Staying in contact is the most important way that you can support our program after graduation. If you have the ability to provide support in other ways, we are certainly grateful. Here are ways that our alumni have and continue to support our program.

• Periodic or annual contributions to the school through the 51社区 Foundation. These contributions are tax-deductible. Such donations are used to support student and faculty professional development and other activities central to our mission as a school.
• Hiring Interns. Our undergraduate students gain critical knowledge and experience through internships. We are constantly looking for productive internship experiences for our majors.
• Visiting as a guest in a class. We value opportunities to have alumni come back and talk to current students about their experiences at OU as well as current trends in their professional field.
• Collaborative Research Projects. Our faculty and students often do various types of research projects that involve meaningful partnerships with community organizations, businesses, and other entities. If you are interested in doing basic research we may be able to help!

This list is certainly not comprehensive. If you have an idea for how you can support the school, we encourage you to contact us for discussion.
If you would like to make a financial contribution to the school, the easiest way is to use the OU Foundation鈥檚 secure website. You should check the 鈥淐ollege of Communication鈥� and then indicate 鈥淪chool of Communication Studies鈥� in the Special Instruction鈥檚 box.

Named Funds

We have a number of named funds. These are important for supporting specific initiatives within the School of Communication Studies. A full list of these funds will soon be available here. Our newest fund, the David Descutner Fund, supports a scholarship in honor of former interim Executive Vice President and Provost David Descutner, who served as a faculty member at 51社区 for more than two decades.

The David Descutner Fund
for Communication Studies

A Letter from Dave Abram, Alumni Advisory Council Chairperson

Greetings from yOUr School of Communication Studies (COMS) Alumni Advisory Council! It is an honor to serve as the chair of the Council, and we have been very productive since we first convened during Communication Week in April 2018. As the inaugurally appointed team, we have focused much of our work thus far on drafting bylaws and establishing Council member criteria in an effort to assure COMS alumni, faculty, and staff that the Council will be highly successful and productive for years to come. My fellow Council members and I look forward to serving you and hearing your ideas for how we can better serve the School and its alumni.

As Council members, we have all committed to various types of philanthropic financial support of the School, a commitment that was meaningful to each individual council member. This concept is not new for volunteer organizations and is standard practice in the University community. Allow me to share with you how I have chosen to support COMS in a way that is meaningful to me.

Although I did not have Dr. David Descutner as a professor during my time at OHIO, I have closely followed the significant contributions that he has made to OHIO, especially over the last two decades. David鈥檚 love and support of OHIO and his devotion to literally thousands of students under his caring leadership, stand as a lasting legacy. Indeed, David earned the highest student-driven honor at OHIO when he was named a University Professor. I have personally marveled at his willingness to expand his service to OHIO beyond the classroom walls. David has served selflessly in varied roles from Interim President to Interim Executive Vice President and Provost as well as Dean of University College and Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education. In view of his service in these roles, I became increasingly indebted, albeit from afar, to David for all the great work he accomplished in pursuit of a cause near and dear to my heart: making OHIO better.

Seeking to honor Dr. Descutner and his devotion to OHIO, I spoke with him about establishing a scholarship in his honor. With David鈥檚 enthusiastic and generous support, we have established The David Descutner Fund for Communication Studies. This scholarship is a product of our shared experiences as students and our commitment to current COMS Bobcats. In our conversations leading up to the creation of this scholarship, David and I learned that we were both student athletes in college. We have carried this shared passion into the scholarship, which will support a COMS student athlete showing strong leadership and character both on and off the field. This endowed scholarship will forever stand in recognition of David鈥檚 devotion to the School of Communication Studies and his commitment to the broader University community, and I am honored to have played a part in its creation. If you too feel a deep gratitude to David for his service to OHIO, I would encourage you to contact Amanda DeWees, Senior Director of Development, to make a contribution to this worthy fund.

And to close, allow me to encourage you to reach out to me, any of the other Council members, or COMS faculty and staff if you feel you would like to serve as a volunteer member of the Council. We intend to expand the number of members, so if you feel you could add value to School and the Council鈥檚 mission, please contact us and we will include you in our candidate review process. Until next time . . . Go Bobcats!