Commencement 2007 Remarks

Michael Renov Ph.D.,  Associate Dean, Academic Affairs

Cinematic Arts is a large and varied school with a rich tradition and a boundless future. We boast six academic divisions, all of which grant degrees ranging from the B.A. and B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fine Arts) to the aster of Fine Arts and PhD. We have seated before us this afternoon graduates in the Divisions of Film & Television Production, Interactive Media, Writing, Animation and Digital Arts, Critical Studies, and the Peter Stark Producing Program. In a few moments, these degrees in these programs will be granted.

But why six divisions in a single school? It certainly wasn’t always so.The growth of what we teach and who we are as a school has developed over a period of decades in response to and anticipation of emerging media forms and practices. We know the value of offering a specialized curriculum, in-depth knowledge of specific fields. That deep understanding readies our graduates for job opportunities and continued growth in the media industries or in academe.

But we are also committed to substantive breadth and to a core set of values that links all of our students. We want all our graduates to have hands-on experience of media production but we also want them to know something of the history and theory of the media they make. We want them to have a sense of the ethical obligations attached to these powerful tools of communication and expression. We want them all to explore their creativity and sharpen their critical skills.  We think this integration of theory and practice, creativity and critique, is what separates a USC School of Cinematic Arts degree from any other.

As a faculty, we appreciate the hard work that has brought our students to this day. We too have worked very hard to prepare our students to enter the world that lies ahead of them.

And now, to present the degrees to our first set of graduates, Professor Larry Turman, chair of the Peter Stark Producing Program.