National Press Club and VCU's School of Mass Communications present a panel discussion on the media

The National Press Club, the world’s leading professional organization for journalists, and the School of Mass Communications are teaming up to present a panel discussion on the future of the news media and how to protect its core values.

The October 6 event will begin at 7 p.m. at Harris Hall on the university’s Monroe Park Campus. The event, part of Mass Comm Week 2008, is open to the public and admission is free.

The NPC Centennial Forum on “The First Amendment, Freedom of the Press and the Future of Journalism,” features some of the leading journalists shaping the news business.

• Reid Ashe, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Media General


• Nancy Kent, news director for NBC-12
  
• Bob Sullivan, technology correspondent for msnbc.com


• Jeff South, VCU School of Mass Comm associate professor who specializes in multimedia journalism.

The panel will be moderated by Gil Klein, a veteran national correspondent for the Media General News Service, past NPC president and director of the club’s Centennial Forum Project.

This forum is part of a nationwide conversation the National Press Club is holding during its 100th anniversary to look at where the news business is going and what news consumers should be demanding. This is one of 35 forums the club is hosting this fall.

The event begins with a preview of the club’s centennial documentary, “A Century of Headlines,” which follows the history of American journalism through the lens of one of its leading institutions. Everyone who attends this forum will get a copy of the documentary.

“We’re excited to be hosting this forum and are especially excited that it will give our students the opportunity to hear from these journalists and newsroom executives about the transformation taking place in the news industry,” said Dr. Judy VanSlyke Turk, director of VCU’s School of Mass Communications.

Let Mass Comm Week '08 inspire you!

Continuing its tradition of excellence, the School of Mass Comm brings its students and community a week full of informative and interactive learning sessions focused on the field of Mass Communications. Featuring experts from around the country, check out how Mass Comm Week can inspire you!

Student Advisory Board seeks six new members

The School of Mass Communications Student Advisory Board is seeking six new members for the 2008-2009 academic year.

Established in 2005, the Student Advisory Board meets monthly to assist the school's faculty and administration in identifying important student issues and assists with school activities such as open houses, the internship fair and graduations.

The SAB consists of 12 members – presidents (or designees) of the five MASC student organizations and seven at-large members representing MASC freshmen through seniors. Two at-large members fill the position of chairman and vice-chairman. The openings include five at-large positions and one vice-chairman position.

All students within the School of Mass Communications are urged to apply. Applications are due Friday September 19 by 4 p.m. For more information contact Board Chairman Allyson Hunter at hunterag@vcu.edu.

Fall 2008 Meeting Schedule:

October 6, 4pm
November 3, 4pm
December 1, 4pm

Journalist and writer David Hadju to discuss the surprising tale of comic books in American history

To commemorate Constitution Day, the VCU School of Mass Communications is cosponsoring a talk by David Hadju, journalist and author of The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare and How it Changed America.

This free event will take place Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in Harris Hall Auditorium. The School of Mass Communications and the VCU Student Chapter of Society of Professional Journalists are cosponsors of the event, along with VCU Student Media, VCU Libraries and the VCU Division of Student Affairs.

Learn more about the book and the author now.

Mass Comm professor honored for promoting diversity in newsrooms

June Nicholson, associate director and associate professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Mass Communications, has received the 2008 Robert P. Knight Multicultural Recruitment Award. The award was given by the Scholastic Division of the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication.

Nicholson, a VCU faculty member since 1984, was honored for her significant contributions over more than two decades to promoting diversity in America's newsrooms through work in scholastic media programs.

"June is passionate about bringing more young people of color into journalism education and the profession of journalism," said Judy VanSlyke Turk, director of the VCU School of Mass Communications. "She has done a remarkable job of pursuing that passion and creating undeniable results."

From 1985 to 2007, Nicholson directed VCU's Virginia Urban Journalism Workshop, an intensive summer workshop founded to provide experience and training for minority high school students interested in journalism. A dozen participants spend two weeks each year at VCU, learning the basics of journalism and producing a 20-page newspaper. The workshop is sponsored by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the national Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, VCU and the Virginia Press Association. In 2007, the workshop adopted race-neutral admission criteria.

A number of graduates of the Urban Journalism Workshop during Nicholson's tenure advanced to careers in journalism and journalism education. Among them is George Daniels, assistant professor at the University of Alabama and a 1987 participant in the workshop program.
"Her willingness to not give up is exceeded only by her passion for young people that has lasted for decades," Daniels, who nominated Nicholson for the Knight Award, said in his nomination letter. "It is fitting that we pause to recognize and salute her for the time and talent she has brought to ongoing efforts to make our nation's newsrooms more reflective of the diversity in their communities."

Nicholson is co-developer of the Society of Professional Journalists' (SPJ) diversity curriculum that is part of the organization's newsroom training program, and is a former member of the national SPJ committee on diversity among journalists. She is the chair of national SPJ's International Journalism Committee and served as chair of SPJ's national Journalism Education Committee from 2000-07. She is former president of the Virginia Professional chapter of SPJ and a current board member.

The Knight Multicultural Recruitment Award is given by the Scholastic Division of the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication to recognize any media organization or individual who has made significant contributions to promoting diversity through contributions to high school or middle school media programs.

School of Mass Comm recruits for four new professors

Want to have a hand in shaping future mass communications professionals? At VCU's School of Mass Comm, you can impact the future! We enroll 1,200 majors and pre-majors in journalism, advertising and public relations and 200 graduate students in advertising and public relations. VCU has a diverse student body of more than 28,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students.

Current Job Openings (Beginning Fall Semester 2009):

• Assistant or Associate Professor, Broadcast Journalism
  (Two Positions Available)
  
  
• Assistant or Associate Professor, Advertising
  (Two Positions Available)

VCU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Women, minorities and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Urban Journalism Workshop Wraps Up

The ink has dried on the 2008 Virginia Urban Journalism Workshop and a dozen outstanding students from across the Commonweath have a publication to prove it – The Urban Reporter.

The UJW is a two-week intensive workshop for high school students who might be interested considering journalism as a course of study in college and as a possible career. The participants produced a 20-page tabloid-sized newspaper which focused on the 2008 Presidential election. Each student wrote an article highlighting some aspect of the election and a profile on one of their peer reporters.

The residential program, held June 15-27, was one of nearly 30 Urban Journalism Workshops across the country sponsored in part by a grant from the by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund. Other sponsors of the VCU workshop included the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Virginia Press Association and VCU’s School of Mass Communications. It was the School’s 24th year to host the workshop.

“This was a wonderful opportunity for students to learn about interviewing, reporting, writing and editing by working in an intensive news environment. They interacted with some of Richmond’s top newsmen and women,” said Carol Mawyer, director of the UJW. “For the first time in our workshop’s history, we included a multi-media component. This reflects the industry trend in convergence and received high marks with the students.”

The workshop was held on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University and included occasional visits to the Richmond Times-Dispatch building as well as a trip to the Newseum in Washington, D.C., an interactive museum of journalism history and current worldwide news. The students also enjoyed visits from various speakers including Tom Silvestri, president and publisher of the Richmond-Times Dispatch and Glenn Proctor , the paper’s vice president and executive editor.

Bonnie Davis, the workshop’s associate director noticed a big change in some of the students during the workshop. “They came in timid and left with a sense of self confidence,” she said. “The program provides them with skills they can take with them in various aspects of their lives for years to come.”

Matthew Bardowell, a rising senior at James River High School in Chesterfield County, recieved a four-year renewable $1,000 scholarship from the Richmond –Times Disptach for his outstanding reporting on immigration issues. Kendra Johnson, a rising senior at Varina High School in Henrico County, was recommended for a $1,000 national Dow Jones Newspaper Fund scholarship for her story on Barack Obama.

UJW participants lived in university dorms and ate in the campus dining center during their stay. Most days began at 7 a.m. and ended at 11 p.m.

After two weeks of hard work and long hours, the students reflect on what they learned.

“I have really enjoyed the Urban Journalism Workshop this year, despite the long nights and the lack of sleep, said Erika Maguire, a senior from Midlothian’s Cosby High School. “However, with our daily schedule, I have really gotten a feel of what it's like to be a reporter.”

Lurah Lowery, a rising senior at John S. Battle High School in Bristol, said, “We have to work hard and work long days but it's worth it because we end up writing great articles. Plus this is good practice and experience for college.”

Maguire said, “Although it is a lot of work, you get the chance to come in contact with so many people, from newspaper writers, to broadcasting anchors, to politicians, and best of all, to fellow students, just like yourself, who want to pursue the same career. These are the people that will ultimately help you get where you'd like to be in the future.”

Arviet Rawlings, a rising senior at L.C. Bird High School in Chesterfield, said, “I would absolutely recommend this program to other students. Whether they are into advertising, live broadcast, or journalism, I think this is definitely a good source for preparation.”

Reuben Jones, a rising senior at Charlottesville High School, said, “I would recommend the workshop because you learn a lot and meet a lot of friends and hear from a lot of journalists. The workshop helps improve your writing skills and helps you become a better journalist.”

Learn More!

Read the coverage from the Richmond Times Dispatch.

View a slideshow of the UJW experience.