Emerson College Today Top 10 Stories of 2016: Relive the Glory
We know you’ve read every last Emerson College Today story of 2016 from beginning to end. But there were some stories that captured your attention more than most.
Here, in reverse order, are the most-read stories of the year.
10. Off the Top of Their Heads (May 9) – Mortar board + purple glitter / witty quote = Emerson Commencement.
9. Denis Leary, Bill Burr on Comics Come Home, Giving Back, and Emerson (October 31) – Two of Emerson’s most well-known alums, talking about their charity work and working the graveyard shift at WECB.
8. ELA Launches Groundbreaking Virtual Reality Filmmaking Course (March 23) – The headline says it all. VR is the future of media and ELA is running toward it with a camera.
7. New Visitor Center to Showcase Emerson (January 26) – Emerson deserves a warm and welcoming front door, and this year the College got one. The new Visitor Center features floor-to-ceiling windows onto Boston Common, wall projections, presentation space, and some really comfy seating.
6. Emerson Post-Mortem Tries to Dissect Stunning Election Results (November 10) – The Communication Studies Department tried to make sense of an Election Night upset. More than half of American voters are still trying.
5. James Hoppe Appointed Vice President and Dean for Campus Life (January 12) – Hoppe came to Emerson in July from Macalester College in Minnesota. Dean of Campus Life is a hugely important and visible job, and Hoppe’s predecessor, Ron Ludman, was a popular presence on campus for 37 years, so it’s not surprising people were so interested in the new guy.
4. Three with Ties to Emerson Have Big Night at Golden Globes (January 11) – Everyone loves a good awards show. Pamela Abdy’s ’95 company, New Regency, put out The Revenant, which cleaned up that night. Two Emerson parents—producers of The Revenant and Inside Out—also did well.
3. Emerson Student’s Dance Video Plays to 35,000 Baseball Fans (June 2) – Not just any baseball fans: Red Sox fans. If you haven’t seen Conor Biddle’s video of Boston-area dancers doing their thing around the city, stop what you’re doing and watch it now.
2. Emerson College to Create Student Dining Center at 122-124 Boylston (March 3) – With a dramatic, open staircase, two levels of dining, outdoor café seating, and plenty of performance/gathering space, the Dining Center promises to be the heart (or at least the stomach) of Emerson’s growing campus.
1. Emerson Moves Up in U.S. News Ranking (September 14) – You were really excited about this one and with good reason. Emerson College is now #8 on the 2017 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges ranking for Regional Universities in the North, up two spots from 2016. And that’s not all: U.S. News ranked the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department 20th in the nation for speech-language pathology graduate programs, and the Hollywood Reporter ranked Emerson the tenth best film school in the country. Earlier in the year, the Journalism Department was named the top in the nation in a ranking published in USA Today by the same company that gave top marks to the College’s film, marketing, communication studies, and radio/TV/digital communication programs. It was a good year to be an Emersonian.
What got buzz on social media?
No surprise, the U.S. News ranking story got the most clicks and likes and “wows” and shares on Facebook this year. But what else got you talking? Here are the top-ranked social media posts, by engagement.
- Student move-in – When else do you get to see President Pelton unloading vans?
- The Hollywood Reporter film school ranking – Go team!
- Alumnus Miguel Cervantes to star in Hamilton on tour – Everyone was already obsessed with Hamilton; add an Emerson alum and it’s social media gold!
- New York Times Magazine profiles new Comedic Arts program – Emerson breaking new ground, the Times Magazine taking notice.
- Students travel to observe presidential campaigns – Remember when we didn’t even know who the nominees were going to be?
- Emerson makes an appearance on an episode of The Simpsons – That’s how you know you’ve arrived.
- New Dining Center – See above.
- President Pelton speaks out on undocumented students – An important and timely message
- Four a cappella groups to sing – Fans times four
- Angela Davis lectures on campus (Twitter) – The civil rights activist is a legend.
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