NSC Alumni Honored at Hall of Fame Reception

If you’ve wandered down the halls of the Nicholson School of Communication lately, you may have noticed a wall of plaques depicting some familiar faces. Those faces belong to the NSC Alumni Hall of Fame members, who recently returned to their alma mater to view the plaques made in their honor.

On Sept. 26, NSC and the Alumni Association hosted the Alumni Hall of Fame Reception at the Nicholson School of Communication. Many notable alumni were in attendance including Chris Gent, the vice president of corporate communication for the Kissimmee Utility Authority; Peter Cranis, an NSC adjunct professor and the vice president of marketing and communication for Visit Orlando; and Marla Weech, an anchor for News 13.

Past Hall of Fame inductees admire the display at the unveiling event.

The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the wall display in the Nicholson School of Communication recognizing all of the NSC Hall of Fame honorees. The display includes plaques for each inductee, with a photo and quote, offering words of encouragement to current students and showcasing their alumni pride. Guests walked down the hall admiring the display and then went on to tour the NSC studio. Students from UCF’s Knightly News guided guests through the NSC’s state of the art facility, showing them where they learn hands on. At the end of the evening, COS Dean Michael Johnson introduced NSC Director Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D., who congratulated the alumni and spoke about the future of the Nicholson School.

Before the unveiling of the Hall of Fame display, Tom Alexander, Chair of the UCF NSC Alumni Chapter, announced the 31st Hall of Fame honoree. The 2014 honoree is Donna Mirus Bates, ’93, NSC alumna, Board of Visitors member and Senior Vice President of Marketing Communications & Content Development at Universal Orlando Resort. On Nov. 6, Donna will share an inside perspective working on the expansion of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter during a lunch break at the Citrus Club in downtown Orlando. To register for the event, visit ucfknightsnetwork.com/nschof14.

Photos by Mark McCain & Emilee Jackson
Story by Marisa Ramiccio, UCF Nicholson School of Communication and Julia Anderson, UCF College of Sciences