MarketWatch Columnist Gives Annenberg School the Big Thumbs Up

MarketWatch media columnist Jon Friedman shares a dynamic profile of USC Annenberg School dean Ernest Wilson.

In just four years, Wilson has put his distinct imprint on the 2,200 journalism student institution, adding for example an Innovator in Residence element to Annenberg’s Innovation Lab. The idea is to encourage students to work closely with Levi Strauss and other corporate sponsors. In the case of the jeans manufacturer, the school tried to help them make better use of their four million plus Facebook friends. Overall, Friedman approves:

Whether or not the Annenberg Innovation Lab becomes a breeding ground for another Silicon Valley any time soon, I noticed one bit of progress. Annenberg students sport a can-do spirit that’s sorely missing in media nowadays. I observed a distinct lack of jaded people at the first annual Annenberg Innovation Lab Conference two weeks ago on the USC campus.

USC students participated in the Lab’s Crunch Design Challenge. The winning projects — each of which was awarded $3,000 — were declared in four categories: the Future of eBooks, Transmedia Storytelling, Community Platforms, and Tools & Applications.

Tuition at USC is high, but it definitely seems as if Annenberg students are getting their parents’ money’s worth.

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