A donation from longtime Chicago journalist Joe Cappo and his wife Mary Anne will fund the first endowed scholarship for DePaul University’s College of Communication.

Beginning this fall, the Joe and Mary Anne Cappo Endowed Scholarship will be awarded to a College of Communication junior or senior who is the first in his or her family to attend college, reinforcing DePaul’s commitment to first-generation college students. The Cappos have donated $50,000 toward the first endowed scholarship for DePaul’s newest college.

“It’s an exciting time for the future of communication, as new technologies push the envelope into unchartered territory,” Cappo said. “We hope our scholarship will help new generations of students be part of and help shape this future.” He was a first-generation college student and received a scholarship to help complete his studies at DePaul.

A 1957 DePaul alumnus, Joe Cappo is an adjunct faculty member in the college and a member of the college’s Dean’s Advisory Council. The Wilmette resident is a former longtime editor, writer, columnist and publisher for Crain’s Chicago Business, Chicago Daily News and Advertising Age. Last year, Cappo received a lifetime achievement award from the Chicago Headline Club, the local affiliate of the Society of Professional Journalists. A former longtime Evanston resident, he also is a member of the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame.

The scholarship will be awarded annually to a student who exemplifies the mission and values of DePaul University and the College of Communication. Eligible applicants must be enrolled in the college in good academic standing and exhibit financial need.

“Joe and Mary Anne Cappo are terrific champions of the College of Communication. They have shown characteristic leadership in stepping forward with this generous gift,” said Jacqueline Taylor, dean of the college. “This scholarship will advance the dreams and opportunities for generations of students pursuing education in communication fields.”

The Cappos have long been active supporters of DePaul. They established an endowed scholarship in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2006, and Joe Cappo received a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1975.

Established in spring 2007, the College of Communication is DePaul’s ninth college, serving 965 undergraduate students and 131 graduate students in fall 2007. It originated in 1978 as a major area of study in the Department of English and later became a department of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

In its first year, the college has added two new graduate programs and developed five distinct undergraduate majors. DePaul is now the second-largest provider of bachelor’s degrees in communication in Illinois and the fourth-largest provider of master’s degrees in communication in the state.

The college prepares students to craft and deliver messages across a variety of platforms, including face-to-face, print, audio, video, Web and the rapidly evolving world of social media. It integrates mass communication and communication studies, enabling practitioners to draw on the history and ongoing evolution of communication.

It offers graduate programs in journalism; media, culture and society; organizational and multicultural communication; and public relations and advertising. Undergraduate programs include communication studies; journalism; media and cinema studies; PR/advertising; and communication and media.

Located in the third-largest media market in the United States, the college provides its students with nearly 900 internship opportunities at network, radio and television outlets; public relations and advertising agencies; retail giants and nonprofits; independent film companies; local and national political offices, entertainment venues; and sports franchises.

For more information about the College of Communication, call 773/325-7174 or visit http://communication.depaul.edu/index.asp.