2008 Woodie Awards
Goldfarb Center wins journalism grant.
Aims to promote news literacy among students.
Ashley Camps
Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: News
The College announced last Thursday that the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civil Engagement has won a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to promote news literacy on campus. The $246,612 grant will enable students to become engaged in the dynamic field of journalism in a liberal arts education environment where such opportunities seldom arise.
Crucial to the Goldfarb Center's success in securing the Knight Grant was the fact that the Elijah Parish Lovejoy award is awarded each year to a journalist who exemplifies the qualities that Lovejoy embodied. Since 1952, this award has been given annually to a journalist who, even in the face of great danger, pursues the truth and relays it to others.
"We're very excited about it," said Director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement and William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Government L. Sandy Maisel. "It's the first time that we've had a chance to do anything in a structured way linking the Lovejoy tradition to the rest of what goes on at Colby."
While Maisel noted that much of the credit for the grant belongs to President William D. Adams, who initially contacted the Knight Foundation about the possibility of attaining the grant for the College, the proposal itself was crafted by Maisel with the assistance of Corporate, Foundation and Government Relations Director Marcie Bernard. The Knight Foundation responded with enthusiasm for the proposal, and gave some additional suggestions that, according to Maisel, "really improved the program."
In its final form, this program, which seeks to improve news literacy at the College, will consist of multiple parts.
The grant will finance the creation of the Visiting Lovejoy Journalists-in-Residence Program. Through this program, the Goldfarb Center will bring three accomplished reporters, editors or publishers to campus each year. The three people chosen to participate in the Visiting Lovejoy program will each give at least one public lecture, visit classes and meet with students in an informal way to share their experience, give advice and discuss the news. Overall, the Journalists-in-Residence will serve as a powerful presence on campus, calling attention to the career opportunities offered in the journalistic field.
Crucial to the Goldfarb Center's success in securing the Knight Grant was the fact that the Elijah Parish Lovejoy award is awarded each year to a journalist who exemplifies the qualities that Lovejoy embodied. Since 1952, this award has been given annually to a journalist who, even in the face of great danger, pursues the truth and relays it to others.
"We're very excited about it," said Director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement and William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Government L. Sandy Maisel. "It's the first time that we've had a chance to do anything in a structured way linking the Lovejoy tradition to the rest of what goes on at Colby."
While Maisel noted that much of the credit for the grant belongs to President William D. Adams, who initially contacted the Knight Foundation about the possibility of attaining the grant for the College, the proposal itself was crafted by Maisel with the assistance of Corporate, Foundation and Government Relations Director Marcie Bernard. The Knight Foundation responded with enthusiasm for the proposal, and gave some additional suggestions that, according to Maisel, "really improved the program."
In its final form, this program, which seeks to improve news literacy at the College, will consist of multiple parts.
The grant will finance the creation of the Visiting Lovejoy Journalists-in-Residence Program. Through this program, the Goldfarb Center will bring three accomplished reporters, editors or publishers to campus each year. The three people chosen to participate in the Visiting Lovejoy program will each give at least one public lecture, visit classes and meet with students in an informal way to share their experience, give advice and discuss the news. Overall, the Journalists-in-Residence will serve as a powerful presence on campus, calling attention to the career opportunities offered in the journalistic field.
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