Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

History of USC Annenberg Originally founded in 1971 through the support of Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg, the USC Annenberg School for Communication was reorganized in 1994 to include the School of Journalism and the Department of Communication Arts. In 2009, the USC Board of Trustees voted to officially change the school’s name to the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. As the school’s faculty, student body and research programs have expanded, Ambassador Annenberg's founding vision has continued to guide our growth and impact: Every human advancement or reversal can be understood through communication. The right to free communication carries with it the responsibility to respect the dignity of others, and this must be recognized as irreversible. Educating students to communicate this message effectively and to be of service to all people is the enduring mission of this school. Today, USC Annenberg is a global leader in education and scholarship with 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students studying communication, journalism, public diplomacy and public relations. We have a faculty of world-renowned scholars whose work has helped define their fields as well as professionals who bring powerful, real-time insights to the classroom. Our wide range of centers and programs — including the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the Norman Lear Center and the Center for Health Journalism — leverage their research and investigative insights as a catalyst for change.