The Annenberg School for Communication has received a $2.5 million donation from the Annenberg Foundation in memory of the school's former dean.
The endowment will create a post-doctoral fellowship to honor George Gerbner, who led the school for 25 years. Gerbner died at the age of 86 in December.
Born in Hungary, Gerbner was appointed Annenberg dean in 1964, after which he developed the "cultivation theory" of communication studies which links television with viewers' perception of both society and themselves.
"The George Gerbner Fellows will both honor and continue Dr. Gerbner's far-reaching influence on the Annenberg School and the field of communication studies," Annenberg Dean Michael Delli Carpini said in a statement.
-- Mara Gordon
