(Photo: Dylan Gillis/Unsplash)
More than a dozen four-year universities and community colleges — including Historically Black College and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions and colleges with high representation of BIPOC students — were selected to participate in NBCUniversal News Group’s new NBCU Academy for journalism.
The initiative will provide journalism-centered education, online programming and on-campus training to students. As part of the multi-year partnership, the academy will distribute $3.5 million in scholarships and an additional $3 million will be invested in providing equipment and other funding over the next two years.
“Creating an inclusive culture for journalism that represents the communities we serve is at the very core of what we do,” the news group’s chairman, Cesar Conde, said in a news release. “Through NBCU Academy, we have the opportunity to widen our extraordinary legacy by building on-ramps for a talented generation of journalists and storytellers who — for so long — may have been overlooked.”
University presidents expressed gratitude for the partnership.
“This partnership begins at a time when there is a tremendous need for talented journalists who are expert communicators and are highly capable of articulating news and information that impacts our culture and society. This program is a great opportunity for our students and Claflin University,” said Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack, president of Claflin University, in a statement.
New York’s City College president echoed Warmack’s sentiments.
“I’m particularly thankful for their willingness to invest in CCNY’s efforts to develop civic minded leaders from a breadth of backgrounds to participate in and shape public discussions on matters of vital importance,” said City College President Dr. Vincent Boudreau. “This support reflects NBCU News Group’s deep commitment to helping us develop an educated society, one that will benefit from and contribute to the critical engagement of public affairs.”
Florida International University’s President Mark B. Rosenberg said, “As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, we have a greater need for communicators with the skills to bridge cultures and help make sense of complicated issues,” he said, adding, “At FIU, we welcome the opportunity to be part of NBCU Academy and look forward to working with the talented professionals at NBCUniversal News Group to make sure our students are graduating with the skills they will need to thrive in the changing world of journalism.”
Additional participating schools:
- Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York, NY
- California State University, Fullerton in Fullerton, CA
- Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA
- Dallas College in Dallas, TX
- El Camino College in Torrance, CA
- Hampton University in Hampton, VA
- Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM
- Miami Dade College in Miami, FL
- Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD
- North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, NC
- Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College in Orangeburg, SC
- University of North Texas in Denton, TX
- University of Texas at El Paso in El Paso, TX
- Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, LA