SUNY Oswego launched its annual Media Summit in 2005, thanks to the generosity of 1977 graduate Louis A. Borrelli Jr. (left). Now the chief executive officer of international industry leader NEP Broadcasting, Borrelli saw it as a way to give back to his alma mater and help future graduates get in touch with top executives and experts in the field discussing the issues of the day.

The summits are headlined by a panel discussion featuring top names from various areas of media, but the day also offers small-group discussions where students can listen to and ask questions of visiting luminaries.

The first summit on Oct. 27, 2005, asked "Why Don't We Trust the Media? How Can the Media Recover Public Trust?" Panelists included Ben Bradlee, legendary editor of the Washington Post during Watergate; Tom Rosenstiel, director of Columbia University's Project for Excellence in Journalism; Kimberley A. Strassel, a senior editorial page writer for the Wall Street Journal; and David Folkenflik, who covers media for National Public Radio. Moderator was SUNY Oswego alumnus Ken Auletta, a media analyst and best-selling author.

The second edition of the summit, on Oct. 20, 2006, looked at "The Impact of Media on U.S. Sports: Who's Winning? Media, Teams, Athletes or Fans?" Panelists were George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks; Dr. Myles Brand, president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association; Linda Bruno, commissioner of the Atlantic 10 Conference; Bud Poliquin, sports columnist for the Syracuse Post-Standard and co-host of WHEN's sports talk radio show; and Stuart Robinson, athletic director at SUNY New Paltz. Linda Cohn, a 1981 SUNY Oswego graduate and an anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter, served as moderator.

The 2007 edition, Oct. 17 in the Sheldon Hall ballroom, included Paul Condolora (SUNY Oswego '82), senior vice president and general manager for Cartoon Network New Media; Geraldine B. Laybourne, founder, chair and CEO of Oxygen Media; Doug McMonagle, regional director for Inergize Digital Media; Shelly Palmer, managing director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC; and Russell Quy, executive producer of advanced media for TWI Interactive. SUNY Oswego alumnus Al Roker '76, weatherman and host of NBC's "Today" show, will serve as moderator. The educational and entertaining day's programming was based around the theme of "New Technologies + New Generations = The Media of the Future."

At the end of the 2007 event, the summit was renamed in memory of longtime professor Lewis B. O'Donnell in an emotional ceremony featuring O'Donnell's family, Borrelli, Roker and Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley.