Media College News

The Cherokee Nation Education Corporation is accepting applications for scholarships. Form more information click here cnecapplication_2010

The Federal Writers’ Project was a program, dreamed up by Eleanor Roosevelt, which put more than 10,000 aspiring writers to work in the years 1935-1940 as part of an unprecedented effort to document the richness and diversity of American life. The FWP produced guides to each of the 48 states which summarized the history, culture, folkways, geography and economy of each and also provided detailed itineraries of travel along the major highways. In addition, the FWP workers did over 100,000 life history interviews of ordinary Americans, essentially founding the discipline of oral history as we now know it. A recent Smithsonian Channel documentary, “SOUL OF A PEOPLE: The WPA Writers” Project Uncovers Depression America” gives a great glimpse into what it was like to be young, talented – and paid to write – back in the day.

Hard times have returned to America once again. And these are especially hard times for young people seeking work – most of all for young writers and journalists. But a select few of you will have the chance to relive the inspiring days of the Federal Writers’ Project for a year starting in September 2010 gathering oral histories through multimedia storytelling methods. With the help of the AmeriCorps program, Pocahontas County Free Libraries will have three positions in a new West Virginia Writers’ Project. This pilot program will operate in Pocahontas Greenbrier and Monroe Counties. Our dream is that it will be the beginning of a larger scale rebirth of the Writers’ Project in subsequent years. The concept has at least one friend in high places. Terrell McSweeny of Hillsboro WV, Domestic Policy Advisor to Vice President Biden, finds the idea intriguing.

Bill Pitzer is News Graphics Editor at the Charlotte Observer. He is also director of the multimedia studio: infoartz.com.

An information designer who creates visuals for print and online, Pitzer holds a masters degree in New Media and Global Education from Appalachian State University and is a faculty member with the VASA Project. He is also part of the online faculty at West Virginia University in the Integrated Marketing Communications masters program.

Want to enhance your professional image? The B&E Center for Career Development (CCD) is holding its annual Professional Business Etiquette Dinner Seminar. The event will be Wednesday, February 24 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Lakeview Golf Resort & Spa. The featured speaker will be International image consultant Susan Lawrence. The cost is $15.00 per student, which includes a four course dinner and program. Stop by the CCD in B&E room 345 for more info and to register. Registration deadline is Friday, February 19.

Hunter Public Relations in New York offers full-time (35–40 hours per week) paid internships to qualified candidates from late May to late August. The internship term lasts approximately 8–10 weeks, and start and stop dates are mutually agreed upon between the agency and intern.

Hunter PR will may also have Fall (September-December) and Winter (January-April) internship positions. If so, postings to this web site will be made in mid-August and mid-December.

Academically successful West Virginia University students who want to give back to their campus and community are encouraged to apply online for the Helvetia (sophomore), Chimes (junior) or Mortar Board (national senior) honoraries.

Information on qualifying criteria and forms are available online at http://weekendofhonors.wvu.edu .

Apply to become a 2010 -2011 Gold and Blue Student Ambassador. The Ambassador are composed of students from almost every school and college at WVU and are involved in other campus organizations and activities, such as student government, honors programs and Greek life. If you are interested in applying to become a 2010 -2011 Ambassador visit: http://universityevents.wvu.edu/goldandbluestudentambassadorprogram or contact Hilah Zia, Gold and Blue Student Ambassador Liaison: hilah.zia@mail.wvu.edu. Deadline is February 21, 2010.

WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism alumnus Andrew Scritchfield (BSJ, 1998) spent two-and-a-half weeks covering the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti for NBC News.

Read a Q&A with Scritchfield and watch his stories.

The WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism’s Kearns Fellowship permits a student the opportunity to cover an international news event. This year, the Kearns recipient will cover the European Journalism Training Academy’s Annual General Meeting at UNESCOin Paris. The trip, slated for May 17-23, will include tours of French media outlets, as well as the chance to visit journalism schools in the region.

To be eligible, students must be sophomores, juniors or seniors in the news-editorial, broadcast news or journalism program (PRNJ, VISJ, or TVJ). Candidates for the fellowship must have solid academic standing. Those minoring in French or pursuing a dual degree in French will receive special consideration.

The Journalism Qualifying Exam (JQE) scheduled for tonight, Tues., Feb. 9 and tomorrow, Wed., Feb. 10, has changed locations. It will now be in 101 Clark Hall at 5:30 pm. Read more about the JQE, pre-registration and preparation on the SOJ website.