SCMS Welcomes Quadruple Fulbright Scholar Prof. Frank Barnas

Where Antarctica meets Bengaluru: Award-winning filmmaker brings global expertise to SCMS

We are thrilled to welcome Prof. Frank Barnas, our distinguished Fulbright Specialist from Middle Tennessee State University (Nashville, USA), to the School of Communication and Media Studies (SCMS) at St Joseph's University, Bengaluru. Thanks to  the Fulbright Commission, this precious collaboration underscores SCMS's commitment to delivering world-class media education to our much valued students. 

Prof. Barnas is no ordinary academic—he's a Quadruple Fulbright Scholar (in fact, it is his fifth Fulbright award, but he could not utilise one, making it the fourth!) whose documentaries have won over 40 international awards, from WorldFest-Houston to the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. His camera has captured stories from the frozen Antarctic seas to the ancient hills of Lithuania, making him a true global storyteller.

As author of four internationally acclaimed textbooks, including the industry-standard Broadcast News: Writing, Reporting and Producing (translated into Chinese and Macedonian), Prof. Barnas brings both academic rigor and real-world expertise to our students in Journalism & Mass Communication, Visual Media, and Filmmaking programs.

During his residency, he'll conduct specialized workshops in film and news production, enrich our curriculum with international industry standards, and deliver public lectures for media professionals across Karnataka.

This is SCMS at its finest—where global excellence meets local relevance, today's passion meets tomorrow's commitment, and fun-filled academics meet hardcore practice, preparing our students for careers that matter in an interconnected world.

A hearty welcome to you, Prof. Barnas! Bangalore traffic, varieties of food, diversity of passionate and happy students, cheerful, ever-ready, and committed faculty, and serious academics mixed with hands-on practice! Enjoy all of it. SCMS and SJU welcome you as our own!