Reynolds visiting professors awarded to University of Oklahoma and Cal State Fullerton

Journalism programs at the University of Oklahoma and California State University, Fullerton will receive visiting business journalism professors next spring under an Arizona State University program funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. This is the third year the foundation has funded business journalism professors at universities to encourage development of stronger business journalism education. The $1.67 million grant is administered through the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “One of our goals in funding this grant was to broaden the reach of the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism into other institutions across the country,” said Steve Anderson, president of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. “This year, two new grantees will join the existing cadre of institutions that will be able to enhance and expand their ability to teach the principles and skills necessary to train the next generation of business journalists.” The five-year program will ultimately create 11 visiting professorships at 11 different schools. Inaugural visiting professors taught at Colorado State University, Grambling State University, the University of South Carolina and Texas Christian University in spring 2012. This past spring, visiting professors have taught at Central Michigan, Elon and Louisiana State universities. Andrew Leckey, president of the Reynolds Center and the Reynolds Chair in Business Journalism at the Cronkite School, said the two schools were chosen from dozens of applications, and both presented “immediate and longer-term plans for solid business journalism coursework.” The visiting professors, who have yet to be selected for these two schools, will bring with them years of professional business journalism experience. Deans of the selected programs committed to continue teaching business journalism at their schools after the grants conclude. Joe S. Foote, dean of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma, said the school “is excited to have this opportunity to expand its coverage of business through the Reynolds Professorship. We are especially looking forward to offering a course on coverage of the energy industry, constructing a business reporting module for our multimedia reporting course and partnering with the Journal Record business newspaper in Oklahoma City.” William Briggs, dean of the College of Communications at Cal State Fullerton, said this “will allow us to enhance our curriculum, further our strong relationship with the Orange County Register and help cover the dynamic business community of Orange County. We look forward to hosting a visiting professor and collaborating with the Reynolds Center. Understanding how business affects all of us is critical for students and media consumers alike.” In addition to teaching courses in business journalism in the spring 2014 semester, visiting professors help establish partnerships with local business media and contribute to BusinessJournalism.org. The schools, which also are eligible for funding for business journalism internships and visits by business journalists, provide space as well as technical and administrative support for the professors. Reynolds Visiting Professor Program: HOW TO PARTICIPATE Learn how to become a Reynolds visiting business journalism professor or to bring a visiting professor to your university. ABOUT THE REYNOLDS CENTER Since 2003, more than 17,000 journalists have learned to cover business better through free training from the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism. The center is part of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University’s Phoenix campus. The center offers free training in business journalism, both at regional workshops and online, as well as through daily tips on its website, http://businessjournalism.org. It is funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, a national philanthropic organization founded in 1954 by the late media entrepreneur for whom it is named. Headquartered in Las Vegas, it has committed over $145 million nationwide through its Journalism Program.