Andrew Gutman
Editor in Chief
Birthdays are an important milestone. They represent maturation, growth, and an expectation of what is to come. The Communications and Sports Journalism (COSJ) major has just hit the brink of puberty, as they are in the midst of their fifteenth year.
To celebrate this birthday, COSJ has invited a couple of journalistic superstars: Rebecca Lobo and Steve Rushin.
Lobo, and Rushin, will be presenting at 2 p.m. in Fuller on Tuesday Nov. 11. Lobo was a professional basketball player for the WNBA from 1997 to 2003, before making the seamless transition to ESPN analyst: a transition few athletes can make. Rushin is a feature story writer, novelist, and the former national sportswriter of the year. He frequently writes the back-page column of Sports Illustrated; the most coveted spot in any sports magazine.
Both bring a larger than life personality to accompany their list of accolades. Besides their interest in journalism and sports, it turns out the two have something else in common: each other. The two got married in 2003, and now have four children. The arrival of this power couple is a big day for the Springfield College campus, and will give future, present, and past students great insight into a field that they love.
Started in 1999, the COSJ major has proven to be quite the addition to the group of top-notch majors at SC. Graduates of the program have gone on to do some pretty amazing things. Anna Greason ’06 has been named sports writer of the year in Vermont… not once but twice. Paul Singley ’03 has been a great force in the world of print journalism, as he works for The Waterbury Republican-American. And, recent graduates Sam Read ’13, and Kelly Foley ’12 are doing well for themselves in the world of T.V. journalism, and public relations.
All four, plus a number of other alums, will be at Springfield College from noon to 1:15 p.m. in Cheney A&B. Greason will be giving her own special talk at 11 a.m. in Fuller as well.
“It’s a great day for our major, and also for our College,” said Marty Dobrow, associate professor of Communications at Springfield College. “We wanted to celebrate in a big way. We wanted to bring in journalists who would put a powerful stamp on what we do here. This is a big score for Springfield College.”
“They really embody so much of what we want to do here with our journalism program.”
This year at Springfield has been a special one. Students have had, and will have the opportunity to listen to a plethora of great speakers like Richard Leakey, Gary Taubes… and now Lobo and Rushin. The talk promises to be a memorable experience for all who attend.