Almost $9 Million From Private Donors

The CUNY Graduate School of Journalism has met with great success in its drive to raise private funds for scholarships and academic enhancements that will ensure its success as a top-flight graduate program. Over the past three years, friends of the School of Journalism and supporters of its mission have donated almost $9 million to help get the School successfully underway.

The gifts already have been used to offer approximately 150 full and partial scholarships to students who otherwise couldn't afford to attend the School. These need-based scholarships have ranged in size from $1,000 to $7,580, the full cost of annual tuition and fees. Scholarship support is key to the mission of enrolling a diverse group of talented and promising students. Private support is also used to help subsidize summer internships.

Although the School of Journalism is publicly supported, many program enhancements are beyond the scope of its modest tuition and state funding. To build a truly great program, the School must secure supplementary help from the private sector.

Contributors

Those who have stepped up to help in the Schools first three years include prominent journalists, alumni of City College’s storied journalism program, private foundations, corporate philanthropic sources, members of the School’s advisory board, and a host of individuals who support the program’s mission. The largest contribution, a $4 million endowment gift, was made by the sisters of retired New York Times publisher Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger. The gift provides scholarships for talented students with limited financial resources. In June 2006, the School received a $1 million pledge from an anonymous donor.

Other major contributors to the School include: News Corporation; the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; The McGraw-Hill Companies; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; the McCormick Foundation; Time Warner; Hearst Corporation; the Lambert Family Foundation; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; family and friends of long-time City College Professor Irving Rosenthal; the family of broadcast journalist Daniel Schorr; broadcast journalists Connie Chung and Maury Povich; the family of ABC News engineer Julius Barnathan; radio pioneer Himan Brown; public relations guru Howard Rubenstein; and television anchor Roz Abrams. Apple Inc. donated 75 laptop computers for the first class.

Program Enhancements and Projects

While scholarships and paid internships remain the School's highest priority, Dean Steve Shepard is leading the effort to raise support for a number of program enhancements. The School is currently seeking $3 million in matching funds to meet the requirements of a $3 million challenge grant from the Tow Foundation. The money will be used to establish the Tow Center for Journalistic Innovation, which will study new business models for journalism, create an incubator to develop new journalistic products and services using Internet technologies, and conduct an array of activities designed to help the journalism profession negotiate the difficult transition to a digital future.

Other projects worthy of funding include endowed chairs; the NYCity News Service; the January Academy; visiting journalist fellowships; merit awards; endowment programs to build the urban, business/economic, health/medical, arts/culture, and international specialty reporting areas; and a student services support fund.