UA Multicultural Journalism Program Wins National Diversity Award

A national panel of journalism educators has named The University of Alabama’s Multicultural Journalism Program the winner of the Journalism Education Association’s 2011 Diversity Award.

The award, which recognizes leaders in promoting diversity in scholastic media and those working to break down walls across cultures, will be presented at the JEA convention in Anaheim, Calif., in April.

The Multicultural Journalism Program in UA’s department of journalism is in its 28^th year. More than 600 high-school students interested in journalism have come to the UA campus for a 10-day intensive summer workshop that teaches them to produce news in a multicultural society for print, broadcast and online journalism platforms.

“The Diversity Award serves as a thank you to all of the teachers and journalism professionals who have, over the years, helped the workshop’s participants,” said Meredith Cummings, director of the Multicultural Journalism Program and the Alabama Scholastic Press Association. “Many participants come to study journalism at UA and go on to become journalism professionals or teachers. It’s a wonderful cycle to watch unfold.”

Each year, up to 20 high-school students from throughout the country are selected to participate in the Multicultural Journalism Workshop, run by the program. All tuition, supplies, housing, meals and field trips are provided at no cost, thanks to grants and donations.

The program began as an idea in the early 1980s by journalism professor Marian Huttenstine and then-graduate student Marie Parsons to encourage minority students for careers in journalism. Parsons went on to direct the program, as did Dr. Ed Mullins, former dean of the College of Communication and Information Sciences.

“We’ve had tremendous support from the journalistic community and the University’s central administration as we’ve become one of the country’s leading workshops of this type,” said Dr. Loy Singleton, dean of the College of Communication and Information Sciences. “The program has certainly made a difference in the lives of so many students investigating journalism as a career, and it has been a key component in diversity efforts for the college, UA and media outlets in the region.”

Major donors to the program over the years have included the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, Gannett Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Freedom Forum, Alabama Press Association Journalism Foundation, Alabama Broadcasters Association, The Tuscaloosa News, The Press-Register (Mobile), The Birmingham News, The Montgomery Advertiser, Cox Radio of Birmingham and Mercedes-Benz U.S. International.

In 2008, in honor of the program’s 25^th anniversary, the department of journalism used two unrestricted donations to establish a $75,000 endowment to ensure continued success of the program. The program also receives support from UA’s Center for Community-Based Partnerships.

For the 28^th annual program in 2011, up to 20 high-school students will be selected to study on campus and to visit the Gulf Coast of Alabama to produce a newspaper and website about how the region is faring one year after the oil spill. The program accepts applicants finishing grades nine through 12. Information about the program and the application for the 2011 workshop, which will be held June 17-26, can be found at http://aspa1.ua.edu/mjw/.