THE WATERHOUSE FAMILY INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF COMMUNICATION AND SOCIETY
The Waterhouse Family Institute serves as a catalyst for creating a more just world by facilitating an international network of collaborators dedicated to communication and social justice.
The Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society at Villanova (WFI) was founded in 2010 by the late Lawrence M. Waterhouse Jr. ’59 CLAS to emphasize the art of communication and its role as a catalyst to the creation of social change. By serving as the center of an international network of communications scholars, practitioners and activists, we provide opportunities for collaboration in the work toward a more just, inclusive and equitable social world.
WHAT WE DO
One of the ways that we enact the WFI’s mission—communication as central to the creation of positive social change—is through the annual sponsorship of symposia, Transit Talks lecture series, workshops, conferences and events. Although these events differ in specific theme, they all aim to create and strengthen a global network of Communication scholars and professionals and to generate new conversations about communication, social change and social justice.
We continue to support projects, activities and internships that encourage collaboration between students at Villanova and universities around the country and around world. From our award-winning Social Justice Documentary Program to internships at the Vatican and the United Nations, we take our responsibility and our students’ goals seriously, empowering them with cross-collaborative opportunities where they can not only shine, but also contribute to the “Greater Great.”
Since it's founding, WFI has awarded more than $750,000 in grants to scholars all over the world. One of the ways that we enact the WFI’s mission—communication as central to the creation of positive social change—is by funding research grants. These awards support the projects of Communication scholars at colleges and universities across the United States and across the world. We hope, through these grants, to help support the kinds of communication-focused research needed to engage the complexities of social change and social justice.
