Information For:
George Gerbner
George Gerbner was Professor and Dean of The Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania from 1964 through 1989. As Dean, Gerbner spearheaded efforts to make the Annenberg School a national leader in communication research by developing the school's Ph.D. and undergraduate degree programs, and by building a world-class research and teaching faculty.
Dr. Gerbner also made significant and lasting contributions to the development of the Communication field. During the 1970s, Gerbner implemented the Cultural Indicators Project, an ongoing study designed to examine television content and its effect on Americans. He served as Editor and Executive Editor of the Journal of Communication, working to establish it as an internationally renowned publication.
In the years after retiring as Dean, he was an independent researcher and teacher, with appointments as Visiting Lecturer, University of Athens, Greece; Distinguished Visiting Professor, American University, Washington, D.C.; Visiting Professor, University of Budapest, Hungary; Visiting Professor, Salesian University, Rome, Italy; Distinguished Visiting Professor, American University, Cairo, Egypt; Bell Atlantic Professor of Telecommunications, Temple University, Philadelphia; and Visiting Professor, Villanova University, Pennsylvania.
Before joining the University of Pennsylvania, he taught at the Institute of Communications Research, University of Illinois; the University of Southern California; El Camino College, Torrance, Cal.; and John Muir College, Pasadena, Cal. His U.S. and international research projects have been supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Administration on Aging, the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), the President's Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence, the Surgeon General's Scientific Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behavior, the Screen Actors Guild, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other organizations.
He was chair of the editorial board of the International Encyclopedia of Communication. He has also served on the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle and other newspapers. During World War II, he served in the 541st Parachute Infantry (101st Airborne) and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). He received a field commission and the Bronze Star for service behind enemy lines.
Born in Hungary, Dr. Gerbner came to the United States in 1939, received his B.A. from the University of California and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. Married in 1946 to Ilona K. Gerbner, they have two sons and five grandchildren.
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