American Academy of Arts and Sciences inducts Dean Wilson into its 232nd class of members

Dean Ernest J. Wilson III was among 185 influential artists, scientists, scholars, authors and institutional leaders who were inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences at a ceremony in Cambridge, Mass. on Oct. 6, 2012. Read More »

Diversity and cultural competence: Mission critical elements for U.S. foreign policy

Dean Ernest J. Wilson III’s keynote speech at the Conference on Diversity, Inclusion and U.S. Foreign Policy. Read More »

Ernest J. Wilson III in Foreign Affairs article: “Silicon Valley Needs a Foreign Policy”

Dean Ernest J. Wilson III wrote a June 20 Foreign Affairs article stating that high-tech American companies need to develop their own foreign policy.

“Looking forward, the tech industry needs to come together and be more vocal, and the federal government, rather than waiting for tech-savvy Generation-Y staffers to rise to positions of authority, must now align the strengths of the nation’s economy with the nation’s foreign policy,” Dean Wilson wrote. “Otherwise, the very tools that the country has created and nurtured will wind up being deployed by other rising emerging powers. By the same token, the long-term benefits of a serious and sustained Silicon Valley foreign policy will be greater international competitiveness, a higher standard of living at home, and a United States able to inspire and lead in the information age.” Read More »

Ernest J. Wilson presents to Department of State on Diversity and Cultural Competence

Dean Ernest J. Wilson III delivered a keynote address to the U.S. Department of State on June 7 titled Diversity and Cultural Competence. He outlined several “next steps,” including making diversity a strategic priority as well as an HR priority, and hiring and empowering change agents. Read More »

Ernest J. Wilson III Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

USC faculty members Midori and Ernest J. Wilson III have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies.

Dean Wilson and Distinguished Professor Midori continue to advance their respective fields with innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to ways of communicating – through new mediums of technology and through the beauty of a musical composition,” said USC provost and senior vice president for academic affairs Elizabeth Garrett. “Their work and dedication reflect the values of our academic community, and their election into this venerated academy celebrates great scholarship of consequence.” Read More »

The More Things Change, The More They Change (VIDEO)

As dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California, Dr. Ernest J. Wilson III is on the front line of changes wrought by the digital revolution. That’s why The Communications Network tapped his expertise three years ago for its report: “Come On In. The Water’s Fine. An Exploration of Web 2.0 Technology and Its Emerging Impact on Foundation Communications.”

Then, as now, Wilson believes the key to effectively navigating these changes is what he calls the capacity for “sustained innovation.” For foundation communication departments — forced daily to grapple with ever-shifting modes of communication — this capacity isn’t just nice to have. It’s imperative. “In such an environment,” Wilson writes in the Spring 2012 issue of strategy+business magazine, “creativity needn’t wait for the unpredictable ‘aha’ moment. It is continually nurtured.” Read More »

Annenberg Innovation Lab 2012 Innovation Summit Multi-sector Panel Discussion

This panel, moderated by Innovation Lab Director Jon Taplin, joined leaders from non-profits, corporations and academia to discuss innovation trends in urban spaces and participatory cultures. About the panelists: Paul Bricault – Co-founder/Managing Director of startup accelerator, Amplify.LA; Steven L. Canepa, General Manager Global Media and Entertainment, IBM; Amy Heibel – Associate VP of Technology and Digital Media at LACMA; James Ingraham – Vice President Strategic Research, EPB; Ernest J. Wilson III – Dean, USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism

 

Wilson on Castells

USC Professor Manuel Castells Honored With Prestigious Holberg International Memorial Prize

“Manuel Castells is the preeminent example of a scholar who is a committed teacher, devoted mentor, faculty leader and researcher who provides a deep and comprehensive understanding of how new communication breakthroughs impact our increasingly networked society,” said USC Annenberg Dean Ernest J. Wilson III. “We are honored to have Professor Castells as a colleague, and celebrate with him the recognition he so greatly deserves as the world’s leading communication scholar.”

The Holberg Prize was established by the Norwegian parliament in 2003. It, along with the Nils Klim Prize, is awarded annually by the Board of the Ludvig Holberg Memorial Fund. The main purpose of the prizes is to raise the status of the arts and humanities, social sciences, law and theology. The 2012 Holberg Prize will be awarded in Bergen, Norway, on June 6, 2012. More information is available here: www.holbergprisen.no Read More »

Wilson outlines what Innovation Clusters must do to foster economic growth

Dean Ernest J. Wilson III wrote an article for the Spring 2012 issue of strategy+business magazine about innovation clusters needing to draw on the power of an interrelated “quad” of sectors — public, private, civil and academic — to foster economic growth.

Dean Wilson referenced Washington Post columnist Vivek Wadhwa, who cited a study showing that most of the more than 1,600 Norwegian companies clustered in the five largest cities have failed.

“For the last 15 years, I have studied innovation clusters in more than a dozen countries,” Dean Wilson wrote. “My own research findings echo Wadhwa’s conclusion. Clusters can be vitally important to a country’s innovation and prosperity, but when they are misunderstood, they do not realize their potential. Most efforts to create clusters focus on one or two elements: the heroic innovators who champion their creation, the co-location of companies that lets engineers switch jobs by crossing the street, the business school spawning grounds with professors sympathetic to their students’ entrepreneurial ambitions, the startups with foosball tables in the conference rooms, or the provision of cash from an earnest government funder seeking to bypass bureaucratic roadblocks.” Read More »

Wilson Among Leaders, Experts to Discuss Los Angeles’ Potential as Next Global Business Hub

“Going Global: Boosting the Economic Future of Greater Los Angeles”

A domestic forum presented by the Global Cities Initiative at the Inaugural Brookings, JPMorgan Chase Forum at the University of Southern California on March 21, 2012.

Los Angeles metropolitan leaders will join national and international government, business, civic, and philanthropic experts to strategize ways to strengthen the city’s position as a hub for international business.

The L.A. Forum is the inaugural event of the five-year Global Cities Initiative (GCI), a project aimed at helping U.S. city and metropolitan leaders become more globally fluent, learn new strategies for expanding their global economic reach and connect with like-minded leaders from across the U.S. and throughout the world.

Response Panel – Realizing Greater Los Angeles’ Potential as a Global City
Moderator: Dr. Ernest Wilson III
Dean, USC Annenberg School of Journalism

For full agenda, click here: http://bit.ly/wYJA4s Read More »