NBC Nightly News Anchor Brian Williams, whose son Douglas is 2013 graduate of Elon University, Elon, N.C., is assisting the school in its $15 million drive to expand its School of Communications.

Brian Williams
Brian Williams

Williams emceed a banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria Oct. 16 attended by more than 1,000. He is national chair of the school's advisory board.

Douglas works for the YES network covering Major League Baseball. Williams and his wife Jane have made a gift to name one of the school's broadcast studios.

The portion of the PR industry that accesses this website can read about Elon student Heather Harder, president of the 11,000-member PR Student Society of America, accepting orders of the PR Society not to provide any interview or comments to O'Dwyer. The parent PR Society has ordered her not to respond to questions from the O'Dwyer Co.

Elon's 6,483 student body includes 5,782 undergrads and 701 graduate students. Tuition is $31,247 and room/board, $10,667. Williams gave the commencement address in 2013.

Half of $15 Million Goal Reached

Leo Lambert, University president, said the campaign has raised more than half of its $15M goal. Plan is to expand the School of Communications from 40,000 sq. ft. to 100,000 in order to "provide one of the nation's finest programs with one of the nation's finest facilities."

Williams, according to an Elon press release, "illustrated the quality of Elon's communications program" by describing the work of two alumni who work for NBC Nightly News, Katie O'Brien, '12, and Julie Morse '13. "They're superb. They are emblematic of Elon kids. There's no entitlement. They're hustlers—they go after it," said Williams.

Williams, said the release, "detailed a long list of distinctions and recognitions for the School of Communications. There is a reason that when Elon was last up for reaccreditation the report said that the school's growth in quantity and quality was nothing short of spectacular."

Douglas Williams
Douglas Williams

The banquet honored Brian and Jane Williams, Garrett and Parker Turner, and David and Lynette Snow, parents of current Elon student Lauren Snow, '16.

Williams, according to Wikipedia, was born in Elmira, N.Y., son of Dorothy May and Gordon Lewis Williams. His father was executive VP, National Retail Merchants Assn. He graduated from Mater Dei High School in Middletown and then attended Brookdale Community College, Catholic University of America and George Washington University, completing 18 college credits. He then interned with the administration of President Jimmy Carter. He now says leaving college was one of his "great regrets."

Williams hosted "Rock Center," a weekly program aimed at providing in-depth, serious coverage of news events, from Oct. 31, 2011 to June 21, 2013. It was cancelled because of low ratings.

The new communications building will be connected to the McEwen Building by the Snow Family Grand Atrium.

Williams Moderates Panel

Williams moderated a panel at the banquet "about the impact and quality of Elon's School of Communications program." CBS "60 Minutes" producer Michael Radutzky, chair of the Elon advisory board and father of an Elon grauate and current student, said Elon has a long history of placing successful interns at the top-rated news program.

Said Radutzky: "No one at 60 Minutes asks where our interns go to college because they all go to Elon. They have those skill sets and they come ready to play…it's called engaged learning—what they learn in the classroom is further developed on the Elon campus and in the wider community."

Douglas Williams said Elon's "outstanding communications facilities" gave him a "head start on his career and the program made him more versatile."

Said Douglas: "It does such a good job of helping you become a well-rounded student and that's all you can ask for as a college student."

Elon communications major Jasmine Turner called Elon "the land of opportunity…with professors and students who push me to be the best I can be." Senior Ryan Greene said that on her first visit to campus she "immediately noticed the passion that everyone at Elon has…everybody loves what they're doing."

The gala was sponsored by Elon trustee Ed Doherty and his wife Joan. Their daughter, Kerry Doherty Gatlin, '07, spoke at the end of the evening in behalf of her family, urging alumni to continue to be partners with the school. "Continue to show everyone else how amazing Elon University is," she said.