Founding Dean John Keshishoglou with present dean Diane Gayeski
A hub for innovation and global connections

Named in honor of the founding dean of Ithaca College's School of Communications, Dr. John Keshishoglou (Dr. Kesh), the purpose of the Center is to nurture and critically examine new media innovation.

Building on our long and distinguished reputation in communications education, the Center offers powerful, immersive learning opportunities for our own students and alumni, and for communications students, scholars, and professionals worldwide.

The key programmatic elements of the Kesh Center are:

  • funding for international research, internships, and creative media development by Park School faculty, staff, and students,
  • our annual event, Park Tank, where students can pitch innovative media projects or businesses to win cash prizes and gain mentorship
  • hosting international scholars and professionals-in-residence,
  • offering our signature mini-courses on Media for Social Responsibility.

The Kesh Center and its programming enhance our current undergraduate offerings and reputation, and serve as a platform where scholars and professionals can convene to explore communication from a critical perspective and to advance their educational credentials.

Travel Grants

The Center provides one-time grants to students and faculty to travel outside the US for short study or production-related projects. 

Eligibility: Open to all undergraduate majors in the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College who are not on a medical leave of absence. These grants are not open to students studying with another institution of higher education via a study-abroad program. Students may apply for grants up to $1,000 once per academic year. 

Travel is approved at this time, but due to COVID and travel restrictions please check in before making any approved travel plans.  International Travel must be approved by Risk Management please refer to their web site https://www.ithaca.edu/office-risk-management-insurance/travel.  Please refer to Ithaca College Travel Policy before planning any travel. All travel must adhere to the current Ithaca College Travel Policy as stated on the IC Travel web site. All international travel must be registered here: https://www.ithaca.edu/academics/international-programs/faculty-and-staff-abroad/international-travel-guidance-registry . Specific questions concerning what can or cannot be funded should be addressed to Staci Hall, shall@ithaca.edu. 

In order to be considered for support, students must submit the following with a signed application:

•A double-spaced typed narrative description of the internship/research/project, including the location, dates abroad, relevance of the project to the student’s chosen course of study or intended career (not to exceed one page), and documentation about the arrangements you have made;
•A typed detailed budget of costs to be incurred (not to exceed one page).

To download the grant applications, click on one of the links below (one is for faculty and one is for students)

UN Climate Change conference picture
Travel Grant to attend UN Climate Summit

"Sustainability has always been a priority for me, and attending the UNFCCC in Madrid was an incredible opportunity to engage in conversations regarding the future of our world, while exploring my future as a justice oriented media maker. An important takeaway from COP25 was considering indigenous knowledge in climate solutions; indigenous people account for less than 5% of the world's population, but support 80% of the world's biodiversity. I learned about this opportunity through a professor in the Politics Department, while pursuing my International Politics minor."

Abigail Haley, Documentary Studies and Production '20

file-outline Student Application for Kesh travel grant - Kesh Student Application Form.pdf (186.76 KB)
file-outline Faculty Application for Kesh travel grant - Kesh Faculty Application Form.pdf (266.87 KB)