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Written by Don Laur Thursday, 17 January 2008 14:36

News - Commencement

Southern Illinois University Carbondale will grant an honorary Fine Arts degree to film pioneer Walter Murch at the May 2008 commencement exercises. Murch, 64, is an internationally-renowned film editor and sound designer and the author of the definitive film editing textbook In the Blink of an Eye, used by thousands of students each year.

Murch, 64, is the only person ever to have received an Oscar for both editing and sound design in the same year - a feat he accomplished in 1997 for "The English Patient." In a 35 year career that produced 56 films, Murch as worked with the biggest names in American cinema, such as Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather Pts. II & III; The Conversation; Apocalypse Now; and Youth Without Youth) and George Lucas (THX 1138 and American Graffiti). He is widely understood as having revolutionized both film editing and sound design through both technical and aesthetic innovations.

In proposing Murch for an honorary degree, Cinema and Photography professors Lilly Boruszkowski, Cade Bursell, and Bill Rowley wrote, "The diversity and range of his filmmaking practice, from editing to sound design to directing, sets him apart in the professional world of filmmaking where craft boundaries tend to be strictly adhered to, and where the approach tends to be traditional and hierarchical." Mass Communication and Media Arts Interim Dean Gary Kolb notes that Murch has touched millions of lives with his work. In his nomination letter, Kolb wrote, "Arguably, over the past 100 years, no other medium has had the impact on popular culture that film has wrought...At its best, film raises our consciousness of our own humanity, our relationships to others, and our place in the world around us. Film teaches us about history, challenges our conceptions about our contemporary world, and postulates potential futures."

The Southern Illinois University Carbondale Board of Trustees approved the nomination at its January 17th meeting in Edwardsville. The College of Mass Communication and Media Arts will hold spring commencement exercises on May 10, 2008.