Carnegie Corporation of New York: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century

« Previous: International Program

Other Programs

Carnegie Corporation’s support of efforts to strengthen American democracy both to enrich and secure our national life as well as to help fulfill our international obligations would be diminished if we did not take account of the role that journalism plays in these endeavors. That is why, in 2005, along with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, we launched the Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education, which is based on our conviction that preserving the fundamental institutions of our country and our freedoms requires the functioning of the kind of free and vibrant press that for so long has been one of the pillars of our participatory democracy. This means that we continue to need well-educated journalists who are analytic thinkers, clear writers and communicators and who have in-depth understanding of a wide range of subject matter and of the complexity of issues facing the modern world. To help us shape an initiative aimed at achieving these goals, prior to launching our journalism initiative we asked McKinsey & Co., on a pro bono basis, to undertake a survey for Carnegie Corporation of more than 40 of the country’s most prestigious news leaders, asking for their ideas about the future of American journalism to help the Corporation shape a program to improve and revitalize journalism education. Their responses indicated a clear and urgent need for schools of journalism to help reporters build specialized expertise that will enhance coverage of complex subjects ranging from medicine to economics to international conflicts, and to understand the languages and cultures of distant parts of the world as well as appreciate the ethical dimensions of their work and prepare them for the pressures they will face in a 24/7 competitive news environment. At the same time, we were engaged in ongoing conversations with the deans and director of five of America’s most prestigious journalism schools—at the University of Southern California, Northwestern University, Columbia University, the University of California at Berkeley, and The Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University—about the future of journalism education. The resulting Journalism Initiative has curricular reform at its core and includes an emphasis on integrating journalism schools into the wider intellectual life of the academic community so that the education of journalism students is enriched by the resources of the entire university. The presidents of all five universities have recently reaffirmed their commitment to fund the third year of this ongoing initiative, which now includes four more exemplary journalism schools at the University of Maryland, the University of Missouri, Syracuse University and the University of Texas at Austin. The Journalism Initiative will be expanded in 2008 to include three more schools and then capped at that twelve-university membership. In the future, an international cohort may be added to the initiative to strengthen the links between American and international journalism schools.

In the same vein, both our International and National programs recognize the role of creative and innovative leadership to the strength of their work. Indeed, supporting pioneering leadership has always been a hallmark of Corporation grantmaking. To underscore our belief that strong leadership at our universities is especially critical, in 2005 we launched our Academic Leadership Awards, which honor leaders of institutions of higher education who have an abiding commitment to liberal arts and who have initiated and supported curricular innovations, including development of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary programs that aim to bridge the gulf between the theoretical and the practical. In addition, the award honors leadership that actively supports K-12 school reform, strengthens teacher education and emphasizes community outreach. Though previously given on a biennial basis, the award will now be presented annually to highlight the synergy between academic excellence, intellectual rigor and innovation, and exemplary education throughout every level of American schooling.

Since 1921, the Corporation has always had some funds put aside outside the main program foci to allow the foundation to support projects that are related to the Corporation’s history and/or present a one-time only funding opportunity. Given the demands on the Corporation’s budget and the number of new initiatives being launched foundation-wide, these projects, which are supported through the Corporation’s Special Opportunities fund, will likely be few in number. No unsolicited proposals will be accepted. Rather, program staff members foundation-wide who receive proposals that they consider “special opportunities” will make the case for support from this fund, probably once or twice a year. Unlike grants that are given as special opportunities, there are times when a cluster of grants or a larger investment in an important idea or project can succeed in focusing attention on a particular priority of the Corporation’s strategy. Such Special Initiatives are not every-year commitments but carefully thought out responses to pressing issues or opportunities often outside direct Corporation programs. These initiatives are always Corporation sponsored and outside proposals or nominations are not accepted.