Impact at CLIPI
After graduating from Yale Law School, Cowan became a co-founder of a Washington, DC based public interest law firm, the Center for Law and Social Policy, before moving to LA to head UCLA’s communications law program. While at UCLA, he served in an “of counsel” capacity with CLIPI through much of the late 1970s and 80s. He was closely involved with Phillips in the Century Freeway settlement. Cowan also championed several of CLIPI’s civil liberties/free speech cases including League of Women Voters v. FCC, which struck down a federal law barring non-commercial public broadcasting stations from editorializing.
Cowan’s post-CLIPI career has encompassed significant roles in academia, government, and media. He served as dean of USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism from 1996 to 2007 and is currently a University Professor at USC, holding the Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership. Additionally, he directs the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy. His government service has included appointments during the Clinton administration as director of Voice of America and as associate director of the U.S. Information Agency. He has written numerous highly regarded non-fiction books and produced award winning television shows.
