A “Lifetime” Special Project for Students and a Professor
by Professor Gemma Puglisi
As a university professor for over 20 years, my motto is to always look at ways to motivate students as well as challenge them. Sometimes the projects you pick not only motivate your students but you as well. I would like to share a project that truly impacted so many of my students and yes, me…and continues to do so.
The James Foley Death
In 2012, American journalist and videographer, James Foley was kidnapped by the terrorist group ISIS. For two years he went missing, until 2014, when an infamous video showed Foley beheaded by the terrorists. He was the first “American citizen since the Syrian conflict broke out in March 2011” to be killed. Foley had worked as a freelancer for GlobalPost, in addition with the Agence France-Presse.
Foley’s horrible execution alerted the world of the dangers of ISIS, and that no one was safe. Foley was an American journalist, other foreign journalists were also held by the terrorist group, and though others were released, Foley was not. His execution sparked outrage, and questions were raised about how this could happen.
I was, of course, aware of the news, and it wasn’t until my dear late friend, Marcy Palus, shared the connection with me. I wanted to meet with Marcy for lunch one day, and she told me she was devastated and could not meet. The young journalist she told me, James (Jim) Foley, was her first cousin and she was preparing to go to his memorial in New Hampshire. After the memorial, when I was able to meet with Marcy, I asked if it would be possible for me to connect with Jim’s mother, Diane Foley, to see if my PR Portfolio/Campaigns class could help in any way. This course is one where we primarily work with nonprofits both locally and globally. And I will add that projects such as these—high profile cases—are nothing new to this class.
(In 2011, my graduate students in a PR Writing class, helped the case of former Georgia death row inmate, Troy Anthony Davis, a young Black man, found guilty of killing a white police officer in Savannah, Georgia in 1989. Students in the class wrote op-eds and letters of support to help Davis. Despite his claims of innocence, a case that was crumbling for over ten years, Davis was executed in 2011.)
(Original copy of the Washington Post op-ed, written by Professor Gemma Puglisi, September 28, 2008. The photo in the center is a copy of a letter written by Troy Davis to the students thanking them for their help. Martina Correira, the late sister of Davis, surprised the students on their last day of class, to thank them for their support.)
I was so grateful that Marcy made the introduction to Diane Foley. It turned out that Foley was just starting a nonprofit to honor her son’s memory, the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation. As Diane stated, the world knew that a young journalist was killed by ISIS, but no one knew his name. She wanted to make sure the world remembered her son, his extraordinary work covering international conflicts, and the impact of his work. Thus, the Foley project began in 2015 with my PR Portfolio/Campaigns class. Act 1.
That year, the class worked on various projects including conducting research on the hostages from other countries who were released as well as surveying more than fifteen colleges/universities with journalism programs asking students what they knew about freelance journalism and its risks. 267 participants completed the survey and overall 70 percent responded that they found news involving foreign correspondents to be extremely or particularly important and 69 percent thought that violence against journalists in conflict zones had increased in the past two years. I’m proud to add that this survey was published in the college edition of USA Today that year.
But perhaps the biggest surprise and moment for me as a professor came when a student raised her hand one day in class and stated that she and her classmates wanted to use social media and “tweet” at the White House asking them to change the hostage policy. Students had an “online day of action” on April 8, 2015, targeting the Obama administration in advance of a U.S. Hostage Policy Review he had ordered. Students tweeted and used various hashtags such as #ProtestUSHostages; #RememberingJimDC; as well as stating “I want to know my government will protect me in a crisis abroad. #ProtestUSHostages @BarackObama @White House.
That was so significant because up to this point, our country’s hostage policy was that no one could negotiate with terrorists. On June 24, 2015, Obama and families of those with hostages met at the White House. The families, with the extraordinary work of Diane Foley, made significant progress with hostages. Obama made it known that although “our country’s formal policy remains that same that we do not negotiate with terrorists—families may now take steps without fear of being prosecuted by their government.”
I still believe that the students in this class, in some small way, helped to influence this milestone.
Overall, the students’ work garnered a combined total of nearly 800,000 impressions, helping to bring to light the risks that journalists take.
At the end of the semester and class, Diane Foley was invited to see the final presentation where the students shared their work. It was so powerful and special. She was so grateful to the students. Before the seniors graduated, Diane sent me a package which included cards for all of the class thanking them. The card featured a photo taken by Jim Foley during his time covering the Syrian conflict.
(Photo taken by James Foley in June of 2012, Ruins near Aleppo, Syria.)
(Included in the card/note from Diane Foley to the students and Professor.)
Pictures of Diane Foley at the final PR Portfolio Presentation at American University. April 2015. (Taken by Professor Gemma Puglisi.)
That was 2015. Fast forward to almost ten years later, and I see Diane Foley again. Sadly, this time it was at my dear friend’s funeral, Marcy Palus, Jim’s first cousin, and who introduced me to the Foley family.
After the service, Diane and I spent some time chatting and she mentioned she was working on a book that was coming out soon about her experience and her continued mission helping hostages and their families, as well as continuing Jim’s legacy. The book called, “American Mother,” co-authored by Diane and award-winning Dublin-born author, Colum McCann, would be published in March of 2024 and Diane was grateful to hear that I wanted to dedicate a class to help her and her team promote the work.
Thus began the next great project. In the Spring of 2024, the students worked with Etruscan Press, the Publisher; co-author, Colum McCann, and the Guarisco Group who was navigating a complicated tour including book signings, overseas and nationally.
That in itself was important and an incredible experience for the students. Their work included organizing a Satellite Media Tour, a National Press Club event which featured a book signing; a webinar; podcasts & radio interviews; social media; website assistance; and reaching community calendars.
Perhaps one of the most incredible highlights is that the students were able to secure a “free” Satellite Media Tour for Diane Foley because one of the owners of the production company, was an alum of our university. These tours cost nearly $37,000 and the students were able to provide this gratis for Diane Foley. They were able to reach an audience of over 100,000 across the country.
(Students present their work to Diane Foley. Above is a clip from one of the Satellite Media Tour interviews. Photo by Professor Gemma Puglisi, April 2024.)
Students were also able to get Diane Foley at the National Press Club, since as their professor, I was a member. However, the pitch was still important, and the students secured a book signing as well as a discussion about her book. Also, in attendance at the event, was the family of Alsu Kurmasheva—a Russian American Journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America, who was detained in Russia but later released in August of 2024.
(Diane Foley at the National Press Club, March 2024. Photo by Professor Gemma Puglisi.)
Students also organized a webinar with both Foley and McCann discussing the book and its impact. Foley in the book, shares finally meeting one of her son’s killers, Alexanda Kotey, in a Virginia prison. The book is so impactful because it demonstrates Diane Foley’s courage to forgive her son’s killer and share her journey all these years.
(Graphic designed by former students, Gillian Connors, Allison Schnur, Katie Bongiovanni, and Kate Sokol.)
As mentioned earlier, the students were also able to contact over fifty podcasts and secure an interview with the #1 podcast in Australia, “No Filter.”
Social media was obviously important on all fronts with this work and the class helped promote Foley and her book on the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation platforms while creating a variety of graphics.
Another important piece for the class, was the ingenuity of several students who worked on the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so that when people clicked on “American Mother” they would see Diane Foley’s book, and not a crime novel, with the same name.
And finally, the emphasis on Community Calendars of radio stations, magazines, newspapers, and television stations, in the DC area, helped promote Diane Foley’s book signings as well as the webinar and the National Press Club event.
Once again, nearly ten years after her son’s death, another group of students at American University welcomed Diane and her team to see the final presentation and their work. The impact of this project just demonstrates that lasting relationships, important people, and issues, will be timeless. The legacy continues…just as Diane Foley had hoped.
(All photos above taken by Professor Gemma Puglisi, April 2024.)
Gemma Puglisi is currently an assistant professor at American University in the School of Communication’s Public Communication Division. She is an award-winning media strategist, producer, and public relations expert with over 25 years’ experience. Her career spans working in fields such as broadcast news (“NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw”), NBC Radio, public relations (Edelman and Powell Tate), the financial sector (The Nasdaq Stock Market), and the entertainment industry. She has had works published in the Sage Reference Series, “Gender and Women’s Leadership” Guide; the Journal of Public Relations Education (JPRE); the AEJMC Educator Journal; and opinion pieces in The Chronicle of Higher Education; the Washington Post; the Savannah Morning News and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. She also wrote for American University’s “Criminal Law Brief” on the work her class did for former death row inmate Troy Anthony Davis. She has presented at numerous conferences including the International Public Relations Research Conference; the PRSA Conference, the AEJMC, and the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement. Her book, “PR Campaigns and Portfolio Building,” published in 2013 by Pearson Education, was one of the first of its kind—to help guide students on how to build the perfect portfolio/campaign. The book was based on her classes. She is a long-time member of the PRSA and in 2017 served as Chair of the PRSA Educators Academy. She is also a member-at-large of the Commission on PR Education. Puglisi serves as the faculty adviser for American University’s PRSSA chapter –a role she has had for twenty years. Under her leadership, her students/chapter have won various awards including “Star Chapter” for ten consecutive years; National Gold Key Awards; the Betsy Plank Award; and the John Graham Award. Her students have co-hosted the PRSSA ICON twice and this fall will mark their third time. In the spring of 2025, she was named PRSSA’s National Faculty Adviser. In 2006, she was conferred the honor of the “Order of the Star” and knighted by the Republic of Italy for her contributions to education and promoting the Italian language. Puglisi is also a member of the National Press Club’s Broadcast/Podcast Team, and she has conducted interviews with Maury Povich, Connie Chung, as well as with other newsmakers who have shared their work. She is also the recipient of several awards including the National Capital Chapter/PRSA Hall of Fame Award; the PRNews Top Women in PR/Mentor; the Campus Compact Mid-Atlantic Award: the Alan G. Penczek Service-Learning Faculty Award; the 2025 American University’s Outstanding Teaching Award in a Full-Time Appointment (Term/Continuing Appointment); the “Washington PR Woman of the Year” by the Washington Women in Public Relations; a Vivian Award and a Silver Owl Award from the National Press Club, and an honorable mention for “Communicator of the Year,” from Ragan’s PR Daily Awards.