By Amelia Kibbe
Editor-in-Chief
When Carol Schumacher first visited St. Bonaventure as a prospective student in the mid-1970s, she ended up right in the middle of a big snowstorm.
“That was what I was hesitant about,” said Schumacher, referring to the weather. “But the campus is beautiful, in the spring and even in the winter.”
But it wasn’t the beauty of the campus that led Schumacher, a 1978 graduate, to commit to Bonaventure.
“I knew I wanted to major in journalism,” said Schumacher, a Teaneck, New Jersey, native. “I ultimately decided Bonas had the program I wanted to do. I really liked the whole program.”
And it’s a good thing Schumacher decided on Bonaventure, because as a student she took part in the radio station, the Catholic education program, the big-brother big-sister program, intramurals and worked as a secretary in the math department, she said.
Schumacher said she also gained much writing experience from her time as a college student, as she did marketing work for the communications office, freelance work for the Olean Times Herald and served as the editor-in-chief of The Bona Venture during her senior year.
Schumacher attended Bonaventure in the era of Russell J. Jandoli, the founder of the journalism school, and she said overall, the program gave young journalists the hands-on experience and world understanding they needed.
“The program was designed to give [students] a lot of experience across a lot of boards,” she said, referring to the liberal-arts nature of the school.
Schumacher, who won the Mark A. Hellinger award (the highest award given by the journalism school) in 1978, said during her final year both her academic adviser and Jandoli encouraged her to try public relations. This led her to Rowan University in New Jersey, where she graduated with a Masters in Communications.
But when it came time to look for a job, Schumacher’s Bonaventure family stepped in to help.
“The alumni network they all talk about is true,” she said.
In fact, it was St. Bonaventure alumnus Tom Mosser who hired her as an account executive at Burson-Marsteller, a public relations and communications firm.
“He was a mentor to me, and he always gave great advice,” she said. “He told me, ‘I know how good this program is, and I know you can do the job,’” she added, referring to her Bonaventure education.
According to Schumacher, Mosser also taught her the value of teamwork, saying success is rooted in the ability to work with others.
After Burson-Marsteller and other public relations agencies, Schumacher’s career took a more corporate approach, and she worked as the vice president of public relations for The Home Depot, the senior vice president of corporate affairs for Kerr-McGee Corporation and, most recently, as the vice president of corporate affairs and investor relations for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
One month ago, she began her new post as the head of corporate affairs at Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, based in Atlanta, Georgia.
She has served as president of the university’s national alumni board and continues to be a member of the journalism’s school advisory council, she said.
And in September, she began a three-year term as a member of the university’s board of trustees. Schumacher said she belongs to two committees, academic affairs and marketing.
“[This] is a pivotal time for Bonaventure, especially the journalism department,” she said, speaking of enrollment problems. “Journalism is synonymous with Bonaventure, and I will support efforts to get enrollment back up.”
She added she hopes to make a difference in the school that has become her family.
“The friends and values you get at Bonas stay with you your whole life,” she said.
kibbeaa13@bonaventure.edu
