How to Apply: Journalism Programs

The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation seeks applications from accredited journalism schools that wish to host a visiting professor to teach business journalism classes in the spring 2014 semester. This will be the third year of the grant program, and two schools in the U.S. will be selected to receive a visiting professor for a semester in residence. The deadline for applications is March 7, 2013.

The four inaugural schools in the Visiting Professors Program welcomed professors in January 2012. Three schools host a visiting professor starting in January 2013.

Schools interested in participating can apply to be considered by filling out an online application at Visiting Professor Program – University Application.

The program is designed to seed business journalism courses and curricula at accredited journalism schools across the U.S. that do not have an established presence in business journalism but aspire to have one. Selected universities commit to coursework in business journalism that has the goal of training student journalists to cover business and economic issues.

The program is administered through the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, headquartered at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, under the direction of Reynolds Center President Andrew Leckey.

Programs selected for the grant will receive:

• Funding that covers most of the salary for a highly qualified business journalist to teach two business journalism classes;
• Funding for up to four practicing business journalism professionals to visit their campuses during the semester to speak to classes and consult with the business journalism professor;
• Opportunity for its students to compete for a limited number of paid student internships in business journalism;
• Access to Reynolds Center webinars on important financial topics;
• Participation in the Reynolds Center’s weeklong Business Journalism Professors Seminar held at the Cronkite School each year;
• Support and guidance in building a business journalism curriculum on their campuses. Visiting professors will receive sample class outlines, materials, advice and support throughout the semester.

Participating journalism programs will contribute $10,000 toward the visiting professor’s salary, provide dedicated office space in the journalism building with networked computer and phone, and provide basic IT and administrative support. Participating programs will offer two courses in business and economic journalism during the semester of the visiting professor’s residency and create at least one media partnership with a media organization in the community where business journalism stories generated by the visiting professor’s class may be used. Visiting professors will establish a mentoring relationship with a local business journalist or news outlet and will contribute at least one article for use on the Reynolds Center’s website, BusinessJournalism.org.

Applicants are asked to provide a statement as to why their program should be selected and how the school will meet the program criteria, as well as corroborating letters from school administrators and from a local media outlet.  A critical part of the evaluation process will assess the school’s specific plans to teach business journalism in the future.

Selected universities will be contacted for follow-up interviews.