Ignite talks challenge speakers with a multimedia twist. Speakers use 20 graphical slides, which automatically advance after 15 seconds – even if the speaker is not ready. That adds up to just a five-minute speech for each of the presenters. The event is free and open to the public. Participating students are eligible for special prizes, including an iPad.
The presenters’ names and topics are not revealed to the audience until the event. Organizers for this event have shared one hint – the lineup will feature a mix of students, faculty and alumni from the Harrington School. All of the talks will be filmed and later displayed on the Harrington School’s website, www.uri.edu/harrington.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the hard work we have done in building the Harrington School,” said Stephen Stifano, a communication studies faculty member who is producing the Ignite event. “We think that our guests are going to come away excited and motivated to work with us to build something special.”
The dynamic format of Ignite events exemplifies the creativity of the Harrington School, which strives to produce graduates who are effective thinkers, creators and communicators, and are well-prepared for citizenship, careers and life in a rapidly changing global economy.
“It’s a grand coming-out party for the Harrington School that expresses a sense of hope, optimism and possibility for the future,” said Renee Hobbs, professor and founding director of the Harrington School. “It shows us what’s possible when we work together.”
The Harrington School brings together programs in communication studies, film media, journalism, public relations, writing and rhetoric, and library and information studies. The school was founded thanks to a donation by Dick Harrington, a URI alumnus and former president and chief executive of Thomson Reuters, and his wife, Jean.
“Administrators, students, faculty and alumni are all working together to build the future of the school, and I am pleased to see the energy, direction and vitality of their work,” Harrington said.
Media pieces showcasing the past, present and future works of the Harrington School will also be on display at the event. Hobbs will introduce the event and the Harrington Rangers, the school’s student leadership team.
For more information about Ignite: Harrington or the Harrington School of Communication and Media, contact Cynthia Weller at 401-874-2110 or cynthiaweller@uri.edu.
This press release was written by Danielle Sanda, an intern in URI’s Department of Communications and Marketing and a public relations major.