Journalism At King's: A New Degree for a New Generation of Kingsians
With the McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute on campus, The King’s College has steadily been earning a reputation as a leading Christian liberal arts school when it comes to training in journalism.
Despite its investment in students from partnering colleges, King’s was unable to offer its own students the same advantages that come with a dedicated journalism program. In response to this dilemma, King’s is now introducing a new degree: Journalism, Culture and Society.
“Students who really wanted to work in journalism need to encounter the basics of journalism early on," Paul Glader, Executive Director of the McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute and Associate Professor in Journalism and Entrepreneurship at The King’s College, said.
A degree in Journalism fits The King’s College’s mission and the demand from incoming and current students alike. A team of King's faculty worked tirelessly to bring the program to life, with Glader playing a very instrumental role in its development. He began to see the need for the degree after several years of teaching at King's.
Although the Media, Culture, and the Arts degree at King’s is “a good, flexible major,” any aspiring journalist would be better served by a degree that caters specifically to experience and training in that field. He recounted unfortunate encounters with seniors who told Glader that they wanted to be a journalist after graduating, but he had to inform them that they simply did not have the credentials.
“To get the internships it helps to have reporting or journalism classes early and intentionally," Glader stated. "[The degree] makes sense; we’re in New York City.”
The Journalism, Culture, and Society will provide those internships, connections, and classes that are central to the education of a successful journalist.
"This is a crucial time to bring optimism and energy to journalism education. It is fundamental to our nation, the concept of Democracy and our rights to liberty," Glader added.
He hopes that this degree will “help students know how to get where they want to go with their calling or with their life.”
The words "culture and society" were added, according to Glader, because students who chose this degree will, “learn about journalism, but they’ll do journalism to learn about culture and society.”
Glader hopes that there will be a journalism scholarship in the future and that, by 2020, there will be a minimum of 20 students pursuing this degree on campus. He hopes that King’s soon may lead the nation's liberal arts colleges with its undergraduate Journalism Major.
He stressed the importance of strong reports by recounting how difficult the career could be, but how crucial it was. He said, “Journalism is glamorized by the movies, TV, and sometimes the public, it’s ridiculed by our current president...it’s fundamental to democracy and to a free society.”
After the interview, Glader sent an email with this quote expressing his gratitude for the new degree.
“I am grateful to the leadership of President Greg Thornbury and my colleagues Dr. Mark Hijleh and Dr. Harry Bleattler for helping create space for me and our team to grow and expand journalism offerings at King’s. And...the late John McCandlish Phillips and the 20 or so donors who have given to journalism projects at King’s in his honor...Howard and Roberta Ahmanson (a journalist herself) have been particularly kind and generous patrons. This work would not be possible without them.”