Missouri School of Journalism
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| Missouri School of Journalism
|
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| Established | 1908 |
| Founder | Walter Williams |
| Dean | R. Dean Mills |
| Location | Columbia, Missouri, USA |
| Buildings | Neff Hall, Neff Annex, Walter Williams Hall, Gannett Hall, Lee Hills Hall, two buildings under construction |
| Enrollment | Total, 2,250 (approximate) 2,000 undergraduate |
| Faculty | 80+ |
| Homepage | [1] |
The Missouri School of Journalism is the world’s first school of journalism. It was founded by Walter Williams on Sept. 14, 1908, on the campus of the University of Missouri. A daily newspaper, the University Missourian, (now called the Columbia Missourian]) also began publishing on that day, beginning what is nearly a century of hands-on journalism education for students.
Today, the Missouri School of Journalism is consistently ranked as one of the top journalism schools in the world[citation needed]for its “Missouri Method,” in which students learn about journalism not only through lectures and discussions, but also by practicing it. With students working at the only university-owned commercial television station in the United States, a daily community newspaper, two local culture magazines, an international journalists’ magazine, an NPR member (radio) station and a student-run advertising agency, Missouri offers more hands-on practice for students than other journalism programs.
[edit] History
The school opened on September 14, 1908 at the urging of Joseph Pulitzer, following lobbying by Walter Williams, the editor of the Columbia (Missouri) Herald and a University curator. It operated out of Switzler Hall.
The Missouri state senate in 1895 defeated a bill that requested a chair of journalism be established at the school (previously newspapers usually required apprenticeships). The Missouri Press Association began supporting the proposal in 1896.
The first day's class published the first issue of the University Missourian which was to become the Columbia Missourian. Williams was the first dean. Among the original faculty members was Charles G. Ross who was to be press secretary for President Harry S. Truman.
In 1910 the school began its Journalism Week celebration.
In 1919 Jay Holcomb Neff Hall, the first building formally assigned to the school, was built based on a donation from Neff's son (and 1913 Journalism graduate) Andrew Neff from the estate of his father who was a Kansas City, Missouri publisher and mayor. The donation at the time was the biggest in the university history.[1]
In 1921 the school offered the world's first master's degree in journalism.
In 1930 it launched the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism.
In 1934 it offered the world's first Doctor of Philosophy degree in journalism.
In 1936 the school began offering broadcast courses in conjunction with KFRU, the station owned by the St. Louis Star-Times.
In 1944 Prof. Clifton C. Edom and his wife Vi, in association with the school, developed the News Pictures of Year Competition and Exhibition, now Pictures of the Year International, launching the College Photograph of the Year program a year later.[2][3]
In 1953 the school launched KOMU-TV the first and only commercial affiliate television station used as a training lab for students.
In 1958 the school opened the Freedom of Information Center, the world's first academic center dedicated to the topic.
In 1971, the school switched its radio to using KBIA for its lab.
In 1981, the school was ranked the top journalism school in the country, under dean Roy M. Fisher.
In 2008, Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute will open offering advanced studies of journalism and its role in democratic societies. The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation awarded the Missouri School of Journalism $31 million for the creation of the Institute in February 2004, the largest private donation ever to the University of Missouri.
[edit] Missouri firsts
- The Missouri School of Journalism is the world’s first school of journalism, opening in 1908.
- It awarded the world’s first undergraduate journalism degree in 1909, the first master’s degree in journalism in 1921, and the first doctor of philosophy degree in journalism in 1934.
- International students were represented in the school’s first full graduating class.
- The Columbia Missourian was the first PC-networked newspaper newsroom in the world.
- Mojo Ad, the student-staffed advertising agency is the first that specializes in the youth and young adult (YAYA) market.
- Founded in 1958, The Freedom of Information Center [2] is the world’s first academic center dedicated to the topic.
[edit] Degrees offered
- Bachelor of Journalism
- Master of Arts
- Doctor of Philosophy
[edit] Undergraduate sequences
- Advertising (Strategic Communication)
- Magazine Journalism
- Media Convergence Journalism
- Print and Digital News
- Photojournalism
- Broadcast Journalism (Radio-Television)
[edit] Graduate degree
- Numerous curriculum models
- Three master’s options:
- On-campus
- Online
- Five-year BJ/MA (bachelor’s degree plus one-year master’s studies)
[edit] Real media outlets
As part of the "Missouri Method" of hands-on journalism education, undergraduate and graduate students have the opportunity to work at the School's 10 media and agency outlets. Depending on their chosen sequences, students can work at:
- KOMU-TV, a local NBC affiliate television station
- The Columbia Missourian [3], a daily community newspaper
- VOX magazine [4], an arts and culture city weekly
- KBIA 91.3 [5], an NPR member station
- Mojo Ad [6], an advertising and public relations agency
- Adelante [7], a Spanish-bilingual publication
- eMprint [8], an electronic media print publication
- MyMissourian [9], an online citizen journalism forum
- IPI Global Journalist [10], an international magazine
- Missouri Digital News [11], a state government reporting program
[edit] Missouri journalism numbers (approximate)[citation needed]
- 2000 undergraduates
- 220 master’s degree students
- 30 doctoral degree students
- 80+ faculty members
- 40 percent of graduate students are international students
- More than 30 countries typically are represented in the student body
- 15 percent of undergraduates study abroad each year
[edit] Sample undergraduate career paths[citation needed]
- Investigative reporter
- Public relations specialist
- Magazine writer
- News Artist
- Radio and television producer and reporter
- Advertising copy writer
- Photographer
- Legal writer
- International correspondent
- TV news anchor
- Online journalist
- Art director
- Newspaper designer
- Magazine designer
- Copy editor
- News editor
- Multi-media producer
- News executive
- Media critic
- Editorial columnist
[edit] Journalism facilities[citation needed]
- Five buildings (soon-to-be seven) on the main campus that house:
- Newsrooms for print media outlets (Columbia Missourian [12], VOX magazine [13], IPI Global Journalist [14])
- Two high-tech design labs
- Three major writing labs
- A digital television editing lab
- Two major auditoriums with state-of-the-art audiovisual capability
- An electronic photojournalism laboratory for photojournalism students
- An advanced computer lab for producing Web-based text, audio and video materials
- More than 550 computers for student, faculty and staff use
- Wireless network access
- KOMU 8, a commercial NBC-affiliate television station
- KBIA 91.3 FM an NPR-affiliate radio station
- Journalism Library
- More than 50,000 books
- 167 periodicals
- 41 daily domestic newspapers
- 18 international newspapers
- Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute [15], when completed in late 2007, will house:
- Journalism Futures Laboratory
- Technology Demonstration Center
- Collaborative forums, seminar rooms, office space
[edit] Off-site programs[citation needed]
- Jefferson City, Missouri
- London
- New York City
- Washington, D.C.
- Study abroad locations in more than 10 countries
- Formal partnerships with more than 12 educational programs in nine countries, including Moscow State University and Sciences-Po in Paris.
[edit] Professional organizations headquartered at the Missouri School of Journalism
- Association of Health Care Journalists [16]
- Investigative Reporters and Editors [17]
- National Freedom of Information Coalition [18]
- National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting [19]
- National Newspaper Association [20]
- Science Journalism
- Society of American Business Editors and Writers [21]
[edit] Accreditation
- Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications [22]
[edit] Distinctions
The Missouri School of Journalism …
- Operates the only network-affiliated television newsroom in the country designed as a teaching facility for students.
- Awards the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism, one of the profession’s highest honors.
- Publishes a daily community newspaper, a weekly city magazine, a monthly Spanish-language newspaper and a quarterly magazine for international journalists.
- Hosts the annual Pictures of the Year International [23] photography competition, which began as Pictures of the Year contest in 1944.
- Has large and active student chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists [24] and the American Advertising Federation[25].
- Houses the Missouri Interscholastic Press Association, created in 1923 to promote journalism to middle and high school students.
- Hosts AHANA [26] (African-American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American), the oldest Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Minority Journalism Workshop.
[edit] The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute
The new Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute [27] at the Missouri School of Journalism focuses on advanced studies of journalism and its role in democratic societies. The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation awarded the Missouri School of Journalism $31 million for the creation of the Institute in February 2004. Of this gift, $18.6 million will be spent on construction and technology, $12.4 million on programs.
Institute facilities will include:
- A Technology Demonstration Center
- Journalism Futures Lab
- Multi-media editing stations and editorial offices
- Collaborative workspace, seminar rooms and forums
- Broadcast-quality forum for public events
- Open public reception and exhibit area
Programming is already under way at the Institute with the introduction of eMprint [28], a pioneering digital publishing platform that delivers print content with the speed and versatility of online methods. In March 2005, the Columbia Missourian, the community daily newspaper affiliated with the School, conducted a 10-week field test of the product. It is now published twice a week in conjunction with the Columbia Missourian. The Nieman Foundation has released eMprint editions of its Nieman Reports, a quarterly journalism magazine, illustrating the versatility of the eMprint format.
[edit] References
- ^ A Creed for My Profession: Walter Williams, Journalist to the World - By Ronald T. Farrar - University of Missouri Press - 1998 - ISBN 0826211887 - Page 175 (available on print.google.com)
- ^ Pictures of the Year International History
- ^ College Photographer of the Year History
