School of Communication and Media to Partner with NBCU Academy

Students to benefit from scholarships, training and enhanced course content as part of comprehensive development program

The School of Communication and Media has accepted a prestigious invitation to join NBCU Academy, an innovative, multiplatform student journalism development program that will provide scholarships, training and enhanced course content.

Launched in 2021, NBCU Academy provides tools, resources, and platforms for young, underrepresented voices in partnership with 30 Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and colleges and programs with significant Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous and tribal populations.

“This is a historic day for our School, students and faculty,” says Keith Strudler, director of the School of Communication and Media. “It is an honor to be part of the NBCU Academy, which reflects our belief in the importance of hands-on learning and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. This partnership will be life-changing for many of our students, who will benefit directly from financial and scholarship support, first-rate educational tools, and networking opportunities that will make a profound impact on their lives and careers.”

In addition to enhancing current courses, the School of Communication and Media and NBCU Academy will also collaborate to create online educational content around bilingual reporting and other topics that will serve a diverse group of future multimedia professionals.

“We are so excited to partner with NBCU News Group journalists and multi-media professionals in developing content and lessons to prepare the diverse workforce of tomorrow, leveraging our world-class facilities and faculty to provide tomorrow’s leaders with new learning, creative and fieldwork experiences,” says Strudler.

“The way we gather and consume news is consistently evolving,” says Yvette Miley, senior vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for NBCU News Group. “Through NBCU Academy, we’re forging a generation of diverse journalists that are ahead of the curve on media technologies and have a deep understanding of a range of industries.”

The NBCU Academy reflects Comcast NBCUniversal and NBCU News Group’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. The program provides four-year university and community college students scholarships, education, on-campus training, online programming, funding for accredited journalism programs and access to world-class journalists from NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo News.

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About the School of Communication and Media: Founded in 2012, the School of Communication and Media offers a range of dynamic programs in communication and media to a talented and diverse student population of over 1,300. Offering degrees in film and television, social media and public relations, advertising, journalism and digital media, sports communication, and an MA in public and organizational relations, the School prepares the next generation of communication and media practitioners and leaders. The School houses award-winning student programs that include WMSC Radio, The Montclarion newspaper, Hawk Communications PR Agency, the Red Hawk Sports Network, and News Lab, as well as the Center for Cooperative Media, which serves the public by working to grow and strengthen local journalism. Recent national School recognitions include an Edward R. Murrow Award, several Marconi Award nominations, and a College Television Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.