Announcing Annenberg’s Strategic Vision: Connected Futures
The strategic framework consists of four pillars expanding on the School’s scholarship, infrastructure, education, and engagement.
The Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania has launched "Connected Futures," its first-ever strategic vision, charting a bold course for research, education, and public engagement over the next five years.
Rooted in the founding mission of Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg — that every human advancement can be understood through communication, and that education must be in service to all people — the framework reaffirms the School's commitment to scholarship that shapes society. Guided by core values of intellectual rigor, curiosity, social responsibility, academic freedom, and belonging, the plan translates the mission into four actionable pillars.
Dean Sarah Banet-Weiser has spent the past two years developing the vision collaboratively with faculty, staff, students, and community members.
"It was essential that our vision reflected our most important priorities," she said, "which meant taking the time to develop it collaboratively and incorporate ideas from everyone."
The result is a framework designed not just to sustain Annenberg's prominence in the field but to expand its impact for a new era.
A Vibrant Intellectual Ecosystem
At the center of the vision is the conviction that communication shapes how we live — informing health, guiding decisions, and influencing the structures of society. To advance that understanding, the School has established four Research Networks: Health Communication; Politics, Policy, and Institutions; Cultural Inquiry; and Computational Social Science.
These networks are designed to do more than organize research priorities. Vice Dean Emily Falk, who led the creation of the four School-wide research networks, shared that the networks provide “structure, community, and support for our intellectual ecosystem.”
“These networks encourage scholars to surface shared questions and complementary approaches, serving as connective tissue across disciplines and methods,” she added.
Human-Centered Infrastructure
Bold ideas need strong foundations. The School's second pillar recognizes that its spaces and resources are not merely functional — they actively shape culture, well-being, and collaboration.
“Our approach to building out our infrastructure integrates human, technical, and physical resources with the experiences, needs, and talents of our community,” said Katie Rawson, Director of Library Services and Operations and Co-Director of Media and Information Technology.
This includes reimagining the Annenberg Building by turning the library into a “collaboratory,” redesigning classrooms to support evolving pedagogies, and creating convening spaces that foster creativity, connection, and community.
Transformative and Foundational Education
The students who move through these programs are central to Annenberg's mission, and the third pillar ensures the School is preparing them to lead. The curriculum spans all levels — undergraduate, master's, doctoral, and postdoctoral — each with a distinct purpose, from developing foundational critical skills to producing field-defining original research.
“We are offering a future-facing curriculum that combines intellectual rigor with real-world relevance, fostering deep inquiry, interdisciplinary thinking, and ethical engagement,” said Banet-Weiser.
A flagship example of this pillar in action is the new Master of Communication and Media Industries (MCMI), welcoming its inaugural class this fall. The program bridges academic research and industry practice, training the next generation of leaders to navigate and transform the media ecosystem.
As the media landscape continues to evolve, so does the commitment to preparing students to lead with insight, creativity, and purpose.
Collaboration and Connection for the Public Good
The fourth pillar makes explicit what runs through all the others: Annenberg's work must connect meaningfully to the world beyond its walls. The School's research that spans health, misinformation, media-making, and democracy is pursued not in isolation but in trustworthy collaboration with communities, practitioners, lawmakers, and global partners who share the work widely and collaborate deeply to foster mutual understanding and create lasting, positive change.
"By working alongside practitioners, from medical professionals and journalists to teachers and lawmakers, our incredible students, staff, and scholars do their best, most meaningful, and impactful research," said Kelly Fernández, Chief of Staff and Senior Director of Faculty Affairs. “And we want to continue to support them in their collaborative endeavors.”
A Connected Future
Together, the four pillars form a coherent vision: a School that fosters rigorous scholarship, builds infrastructure worthy of its mission, educates students with purpose, and engages the world with integrity. As Banet-Weiser put it, Annenberg is poised to carry its founding mission forward, into a more informed, just, and connected future.
