UNC’s annual University Day, this year held on October 11, carried special importance for the Department of Communication.
Along with the inauguration of UNC’s thirteenth Chancellor, Lee Roberts, UNC welcomed back four alumni to be honored as the 2024 Distinguished Alumnus and Alumna Award recipients. Among the four was Emmy nominated SAG Award winning actress Sharon Lawrence, UNC Class of 1983, and Department of Communication graduate. Best known for her performance as Silvia Costas in “NYPD Blue,” Lawrence has performed on Broadway in the revival of “Cabaret,” “Zorba,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” and “Chicago” as the leading role of Velma Kelly, and has appeared in countless films and television series over the course of her career, including roles in “One Tree Hill,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Shameless,” “How to Get Away With Murder,” and “Criminal Minds.”
An advocate for public education, Lawrence is a passionate member of the Carolina community and a founding member of the student-alumni group Order of the Bell Tower. She is now a collaborator on the COMM Department’s long running Hollywood Internship Program, which gives students a chance to learn from the film industry’s best in Los Angeles over the summer, and is the vice president for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. She has mentored students in multiple different departments here at UNC over the years since her graduation.
The Department of Communication congratulates Lawrence on her outstanding achievements and thanks her for her continued support of COMM students at Carolina.