Sep 25, 2024
St. Bonaventure University will celebrate the rich legacy and exciting future of the Jandoli School of Communication during the school’s 75th Anniversary and Hellinger celebration Oct. 19 on campus.
The festivities include the 2024 Hellinger Award Ceremony honoring Hellinger Award winner Rich Williams, ’24, and honorable mention Cassidey Kavathas, ’24, and the Alumnus of the Year presentation to Lee Coppola, former dean of the school and a member of the Class of 1964.
The Oct. 19 events will begin at 1 p.m. with a symposium on local news followed by a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Jandoli School’s facilities expansion and renovation, the celebration program, and a reception and dinner. Longtime New York Times reporter and columnist Dan Barry, ’80, will be the keynote speaker at the dinner.
“The legacy of Russell Jandoli and the world-class program he built showcases the best of St. Bonaventure University,” said Aaron Chimbel, dean of the Jandoli School. “He built a department that became a school named in his honor because he focused on ethical journalism and communication practices. His leadership has led to 75 years of excellence and I am excited to celebrate our rich history as we also look forward to the bright future for this school.”
A key part of that bright future includes transforming the School of Communication’s home in the 1981-era John J. Murphy Professional Building. The major expansion and renovation of the building will create more flexible, accessible and modern spaces for classes and experiential learning.
The first phase of the overhaul includes the addition of a glass-enclosed communication center, which will feature a state-of-the-art broadcast production suite, digital newsroom of the future, and new homes for WSBU radio and the Bona Venture newspaper. Gifts to A Bolder Bonaventure comprehensive campaign are the catalyst to the stunning renovations.
“The long-awaited expansion and renovation of the Murphy Building will finally provide our students with a dynamic facility designed for communication professionals,” Chimbel said. “I am enormously thankful for the generosity of our alumni and supporters who have made this moment possible. Their dedication to the Jandoli School shows the special culture of giving back that has been a hallmark of this program for decades.”
With the exception of the 75th Anniversary Dinner, all events are free. Guests are asked to register in advance for all events, however, at https://netcommunity.sbu.edu/Jandoli-75-Anniversary-Celebration. Reservations by Oct. 1 are appreciated, especially for the dinner.
Schedule for the day:
- 1 p.m.: Symposium, Dresser Auditorium, Murphy Building. The first panel, “Importance of local news for democracy,” features moderator Jeff Wilkin and panelists Dan Barry, ’80, Lisa (Robert) Lewis, ’76, and Bob McCarthy, ’76. The second panel, “Future of local news,” features moderators Rich (’75) and Anne Lee (’76) and panelists Donna (Rucci) Collins, ’79, Troy Smith, ’06, and Charlie Specht, ’10.
- 2:30 p.m.: Ceremonial groundbreaking for Murphy Building addition, in front of the Murphy Building.
- 3 p.m.: Jandoli 75th Anniversary Reception, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts Atrium.
- 4 p.m.: Jandoli 75th Anniversary Celebration Program and 2024 Hellinger Award and Alumnus of the Year presentations, Quick Center’s Rigas Family Theater.
- 5:30 p.m.: Jandoli 75th Anniversary Dinner and Happy Hour, Doyle Hall. The cost is $75 (with a discount for alumni in the classes of 2015-2024).
In addition, there will be a special work-in-progress screening of “Brown and White: The Heart of Bona’s Basketball” documentary at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, in Dresser Auditorium. The screening is open to the public and no reservations are required.
Hellinger/Alumnus of the Year awards
This year’s Hellinger honorees are May 2024 graduates Rich Williams and Cassidey Kavathas.
Williams, a native of Randolph, New Jersey, built a remarkable career foundation in media and communications during his time at St. Bonaventure. His accomplishments span several areas, showcasing his versatility and dedication to advertising and journalism.
At the Jandoli School of Communication, Williams excelled in media planning and strategy, contributing significantly to the success of SBU’s student advertising agency. His team’s district wins in the National Student Advertising Competition for campaigns with Indeed and Tide underscore his proficiency in crafting compelling strategies and executions while pitching them effectively.
The Broadcast Journalism major served as a multimedia journalist and executive producer during his three years with SBU-TV and interned at WKBW Channel 7-Buffalo. This practical experience was complemented by his studies in Global Business, Communications and Tourism at Sant'Anna Institute in Sorrento, Italy, where he gained valuable international business insights.
He has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Buffalo Broadcasters Association’s Tim Russert Media Career Scholarship and SBU’s Ideal Bonaventure Student Honorable Mention.
In September, Williams joined Fingerpaint Group as an associate media planner where he assists in developing and implementing effective media plans.
Kavathas, a Buffalo native, earned a degree in Journalism from Bona’s and is a politics and courts reporter with The Holland Sentinel in Michigan.
At St. Bonaventure, Kavathas focused on reporting and served in editor roles with The Bona Venture and directed the news department of WSBU 88.3 The Buzz for all four years.
Her work with TAPinto Greater Olean and PolitiFact New York further inspired her to enter a career in local politics reporting post-graduation. She also worked closely with the Advancement division during her time at St. Bonaventure and developed an appreciation for nonprofit institutions and donor relations.
Kavathas completed the Carnegie-Knight News21 Investigative Journalism fellowship program, headquartered in Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2023. Her project, America After Roe, received the Grand Prize in the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights journalism awards. Her writing with Jenna Ebbers from News21 was picked up by The Associated Press and republished in ABC News and The Washington Post among other outlets.
During the summer of 2022, Kavathas interned with The Chautauquan Daily at Chautauqua Institution, where she covered advancement, institution administration, the board of trustees, the housing association and dance. She contributed to reporting on the attack of novelist Salman Rushdie.
In addition to receiving an honorable mention for the Mark Hellinger Award, Kavathas received the Jandoli Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Journalism Curriculum.
The 2024 Alumnus of the Year Lee Coppola is a veteran newspaperman, television investigative reporter and federal prosecutor.
He retired in August 2011 after serving for 15 years as the first dean of the Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication, now the Jandoli School of Communication.
As a professional journalist, he won more than 30 local, state and national awards, including the George Polk Award, the National Press Club Award and the Investigative Reporters and Editors Award. He specialized in covering the Mafia during his years as a journalist and wrote a series of articles about the Witness Security Program that was the basis for a book and movie.
During summers and immediately following his graduation from St. Bonaventure, Coppola worked for the Associated Press in Buffalo, followed by a two-year hitch in the U.S. Army as editor of the post newspaper at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. He retired from the U.S. Army Reserves as a captain.
He served 16 years as an investigative reporter at The Buffalo News, followed by 10 years as a television investigative reporter, moving from WKBW-TV Channel 7, Buffalo’s ABC affiliate, to WIVB-TV Channel 4, the local CBS affiliate.
In 1983, he received his juris doctorate from the University at Buffalo Law School. Prior to assuming the deanship at St. Bonaventure, he prosecuted drug dealers as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western New York District from 1992-1996.
He is a member of the Bishop Fallon High School Hall of Fame and Buffalo Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame, and he was named a distinguished graduate of St. Bonaventure's journalism program in 2015.
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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).