Hampton University builds growing Scripps Howard journalism program with OU's help

by Jeremy Boren
Staff Writer

Ohio University's journalism school has a new partner in mass media education at Hampton University in Virginia, which might create new opportunities for OU journalism students.

In March 2000, the Scripps Howard Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The E.W. Scripps Co., committed $2.3 million to HU's department of Mass Media Arts.

From there, Scripps foundation head Judith Clabes and HU President William R. Harvey created plans for constructing a new Scripps-inspired program and journalism center.

As for the direct relationship between OU's established E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and HU's fledgling program, a formal "academic exchange and cooperation" agreement is in the works, said Michael Real, OU's journalism school director.

Once signed, the agreement will allow students from both schools to study at either institution on a one-to-one exchange basis. Credit for journalism classes taken at HU or OU will be interchangeable, he said.

"We're hopeful we can help their program; we know they can help our program," Real said.

The fundamental goal is to increase diversity in the nation's newsrooms, said Eddith Dashiell, OU journalism professor. HU is listed as one of more than 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the United States, which are postsecondary academic institutions founded before 1964 whose educational mission has historically been the education of black students.

"One of the complaints we always get from prospective (media) employers is that they don't have any minorities out there to hire," Dashiell said. "We're trying to get rid of that excuse."

Dashiell is a visiting professor at HU for the fall semester and will return to OU in January as the associate dean of the College of Communications.

This year, 350 students and six full-time faculty members make up Hampton's mass media arts program. Dashiell said officials in the mass media department want to improve the quality of their program without drastically increasing enrollment.

The college's size is limited because of its location on a peninsula. About 6,000 students are enrolled at HU.

As a part of the mass media school's building process, the Scripps Foundation increased funding to a total of $10 million during a 10-year period, said Charlotte Grimes, chair of HU's mass media department.

Half of the money will be used in the construction of a new building and the rest will provide financial resources for student scholarships, a visiting professionals program and other advances.

For picking up the price tag, Scripps Howard will get the naming rights to the school once construction is complete in early 2002, Real said.

The two-story building will be 40,000 square feet with a 150-student lecture hall, four computer labs and a CNN-style newsroom, Grimes said.

OU's Scripps Hall has 18,000 square feet of usable space.