About the Jandoli School

The Jandoli School of Communication is committed to continuing the tradition established more than 70 years ago by the late Dr. Russell J. Jandoli, who taught generations of aspiring journalists the tenets of good writing and instilled respect and admiration for the practice of journalism.

Jandoli worked as a reporter for Time magazine and served as editor of publications at the War Department in Washington, D.C. He founded the Department of Journalism at St. Bonaventure in 1949 and ran it for 34 years. The program was elevated to school status and named for its founder in 1995.

We are committed to preparing students to be extraordinary and ethical gatherers, analyzers and communicators of information in a diverse, interactive global environment.

We provide undergraduate and graduate programs where students learn to investigate and wonder in their pursuit of knowledge to find truth. We value freedom of expression and basic human understanding and humility in recognition of our personal responsibility and social impact worldwide.

Students become better global stewards through interdisciplinary learning that harnesses their creativity and wisdom, making them better communicators, no matter the medium. Through entrepreneurial classroom experiences, dynamic classes, mentorship, and professional internship opportunities, we promote integrity, accuracy, professional standards and ethical principles.

Adopted August 2014

At the Jandoli School, you will become a teller of truth. Two important words in that statement: “truth” and “tell.”

You will find within yourself the wonder of knowing, the liberation of freedom of expression, your personal and social responsibility to be faithful to the truth.

You will come to revel in your own wisdom, your own creativity, your own sense of ethics, your own ability to affect the world far beyond the campus.

This will happen:

through dynamic classes, many of which mirror the entrepreneurial communication of the real world
through close and constant mentorship from your professors
through professional internships

Through all of these, you will become a true communicator and a communicator of truth, no matter the medium you make your own.

And that’s the truth.

We offer a broad curriculum in print, broadcast media and strategic communication to about 300 undergraduate majors and about 100 graduate students. Students also study the allied fields of public relations, sports communication, advertising, photojournalism and graphics..

Emphasis is placed on becoming proficient in the cornerstone skills of research, analysis and communication. At the same time, students are immersed in the rapidly changing technological aspects of broadcast audio and video production.

Above all, our students learn to write well, the foundation on which every successful communication career is built.

Our graduate programs in Communication and Leadership are offered in an online-only format, making them perfect fits for today's busy professionals.

Program objectives for undergraduate majors in the Jandoli School of Communication are guided by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). The assessment tools used for these programs are also discussed below.

Learning Objectives

Understand and apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press in the United States as well as understand the range of systems of freedom of expression around the world, including the right to dissent, to monitor and criticize power, and to assemble and petition for redress of grievance.
Demonstrate an understanding of the history and role of professionals and institutions in shaping communications; understand concepts and apply both theories and practical experience in the use and presentation of images and information, and conduct research and evaluate information by methods appropriate to the communications professions in which they work.
Demonstrate an understanding of gender, race ethnicity, sexual orientation and other forms of diversity in domestic and global society in relation to publics/stakeholders and organizational dynamics.
Demonstrate an understanding and application of professional ethical principles in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity.
Think critically, creatively and independently; write correctly and clearly to build support and influence; critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness.
Understand and apply basic numerical and statistical concepts as well as tools and technologies appropriate for the communication professions.

Undergraduate Retention Rates

The retention rates in the table in the linked PDF file reflect first-to-second year retention at the university and, if the student remained at the institution, whether the student chose to remain in the original major in the School of Communication.

Undergraduate Graduation Rates

The percentages in the table in the linked PDF file reflect 6-year graduation rates for first-time first-year students who entered the university with a first semester major in the School of Communication. The table also indicates whether the student graduated in the same program that he or she began in.

Graduate Retention and Graduation Rates

The table in the linked PDF file details graduation and retention rates for our graduate programs in Integrated Marketing Communication and Strategic Leadership.

Innovation: The Jandoli School's digital magazine

Cover of the Fall 2020 edition of Innovation

Our digital magazine, published each semester, keeps readers informed of the latest happenings in the Jandoli School as well as the activities and accomplishments of our students, professors and alumni.

OUR LATEST EDITION of Innovation, published in December 2020, updates our alumni and supporters on how the school is thriving despite COVID-19 and celebrates many achievements.

Also in this edition:

We're launching a new MA program
Alumni win major awards
Remembering Jack Garner

Jandoli School awards and special events

Each year, the Jandoli School bestows prestigious awards on achieving students in its graduating class.

They include the Mark Hellinger Award, which is presented to the top students — a winner and runner-up — in the school's graduating class. The Hellinger Award ceremony often includes presentation of the Janoli School Alumnus of the Year award.

The school also hosts a number of events that bring some of the nation's top communicators to campus for discussions and presentations.

In the photo: 2020 Mark Hellinger Award winner Cameron Hurst, honorable mention Layne Dowdall and Alumnus of the Year Charlie Specht.

The Mark Hellinger Award, named for the late journalist, Broadway columnist and film producer, is presented annually to the top students in St. Bonaventure University's Jandoli School.

The Hellinger ceremony is also an occasion to recognize distinguished graduates with the school's Alumnus(a) of the Year Award, and to bestow other honors.

Hellinger Awards

The Dr. Mary A. Hamilton Woman of Promise Award, presented yearly, recognizes a female student who has excelled in and out of the classroom, set an example for peers, and demonstrates great promise for future success.

The award is named in honor of Dr. Mary Hamilton, ’59, retired associate professor and professor emerita with the Jandoli School of Communication.

Institute probes the intersection of media & democracy

The Jandoli Institute was created in 2019 to explore today’s media landscape through research studies, op-ed articles, social media, speaking engagements, commentary, analysis and other platforms.

“A healthy democracy requires a healthy media, so it is important to identify and explore ways to ensure that the media continues to play a constructive role in our nation’s democracy," said Dr. Richard Lee, associate professor of communication and the institute’s executive director.

The institute is named for the late Dr. Russell J. Jandoli (pictured), who founded the Department of Journalism at St. Bonaventure in 1949.

The Jandoli Institute

Aaron Chimbel, Dean

Room 202
Murphy Professional Building
(716) 375-2040
Send an email

Dean Chimbel is a former journalism professor and TV news reporter. He was one of the first reporters in any U.S. market to produce original, web-only video content, and he has published two books on video and digital journalism.

Prior to his arrival at St. Bonaventure in August of 2018, Chimbel taught journalism at Texas Christian University, his alma mater, for 9 years. He has taught a wide variety of journalism classes and focuses on the industry shift to digital delivery of news, as well as broadcast journalism.

His academic writing has been featured in the Online Journalism Review, Newspaper Research Journal, Convergence Newsletter, MediaShift, Journal of Social Media in Society, Electronic News, Journal of Media Education and College Media Review. He is also the author of “Introduction to Journalism,” a textbook that corresponds with the TCU course of the same name he created, and the editor of "Why I'm a Journalist: Personal Stories from Those Who Cover the News."

Before joining the TCU faculty full time, Chimbel worked at WFAA-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth. He was hired as likely the first person at any television station to produce original video content for the Web as the “MoJo” or mobile journalist for wfaa.com.

While at WFAA, his work was recognized by a variety of major organizations including the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Radio-TV News Directors Association, the National Press Photographers Association and the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters. He won five Advanced Media Emmy Awards and was part of the WFAA team that was awarded a prestigious national Edward R. Murrow Award.

Chimbel was also a reporter for KWTX-TV (Waco-Temple-Killeen, Texas) and a producer at Texas Cable News. He has also produced two documentaries: “Soldier of God” chronicled the religious anti-war movement leading up to the 2003 war in Iraq and “Learning the Language” was an innovative web-based project examining Dallas’ largest ESL-only program.

Chimbel graduated from TCU in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. He also earned a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and taught part-time at TCU and Central Texas College in Killeen.

St. Bonaventure University