Morgan State University Newsroom Morgan State University
Morgan State University President David Wilson yesterday announced the receipt of a $250,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to establish an Urban Digital Journalism program in the university’s School of Global Journalism and Communication. The grant will enhance training technologies and resources to develop undergraduate journalists covering news and features stories in four Maryland municipalities; Baltimore City, Frederick, Cambridge and Montgomery County.
“We want to be number one in the nation producing the graduates who will shape our culture and our world through integrity and responsibility in journalism and communications,” says Dr. Wilson.
The announcement was made during the ceremonial opening of the SGJC, and is the latest of three grants won by the school since formally opening on the historically Black northeast Baltimore campus in July. The Morris A. Mechanic Foundation gave $10,000 for general support of the school’s programs and activities, and the Gannett Foundation gifted $15,000 to fund a four-day broadcast journalism symposium to be held in spring 2014.
The symposium will offer 40 students from several historically Black colleges and universities intensive training in broadcast newsgathering techniques and technical operation. It will be taught by a team of broadcast news professionals from Gannett’s broadcast division, which operates 43 television stations across the nation.
SGJC Dean DeWayne Wickham says the support of prominent industry foundations indicates an early signal of strength and sustainability within the media industry’s philanthropic support network.
“I think this is a pretty good start for our three-month-old school. I’m optimistic that our fundraising efforts will produce even better results in the coming year.”
The MSU School of Global Journalism and Communication offers undergraduate degrees in multimedia journalism, multiplatform production and strategic communication.
