Knight-Wallace Fellowship

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Knight-Wallace Fellowship
Formation 1973
Founder(s) Ben Jablonky
Purpose/focus Allows mid-career journalists time to reflect on their careers and focus on honing their skills
Headquarters Wallace House
Location Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
Official languages English
Program Director Charles R. Eisendrath
Assistant Director Birgit Rieck
Parent organization University of Michigan
Affiliations Livingston Awards for Young Journalists
Staff 6
Website http://www.mjfellows.org
Former name NEH Journalism Fellowship (1973–1983)
Michigan Journalism Fellowship (1984–2002)

The Knight-Wallace Fellowship (previously known as the NEH Journalism Fellowship and the Michigan Journalism Fellowship) is an award given to mid-career journalists at the University of Michigan. Knight-Wallace Fellowships are awarded to reporters, editors, photographers, producers, editorial writers and cartoonists, with at least five years of full-time, professional experience in the news media.

The award allows fellows time to reflect on their careers and focus on honing their skills. In addition to mandatory seminars held twice weekly, each fellow pursues an independent study plan which involves auditing University of Michigan classes and working with a faculty advisor. International travel is an important part of the fellowship, with annual trips to Argentina, Brazil, and Turkey. For many fellows, it is a year of transformation, enabling them to return to their news organizations or freelance careers with renewed journalistic purpose.

Fellows are given a stipend of $70,000, paid in monthly installments from September to April.[1] The fellowship home is at the Wallace House in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

History

The NEH Journalism Fellowship, modeled on Harvard's Nieman Fellowship, was established in 1973. The founding director was University of Michigan journalism professor (and former Nieman Fellow) Ben Jablonky.[2] The fellowship was initially run out of the university's journalism department. In 1979, the journalism department was disbanded, and the fellowship was moved to the auspices of the university's Literature, Science and Art department.

In 1980, Graham Hovey succeeded Jablonky as program director,[3] serving until 1986.[4] (The program hosts an annual lecture named in Hovey's honor and delivered by a former fellow; 2013 was the 28th Graham Hovey Lecture.)[5] From 1984–2001, the program was known as the Michigan Journalism Fellowship.

Current program director Charles R. Eisendrath took over in 1986 upon Hovey's retirement. (Eisendrath himself was a fellow in 1974-1975.) At that point the program's endowment was down to $30,000.[6] Eisendrath recruited the assistance of renowned journalist (and University of Michigan alumnus) Mike Wallace, who became an active proponent of and financial donor to the program. In 1992, Wallace and his wife Mary donated the Arts and Crafts-era Wallace House to the program, which became its headquarters.[6] Wallace made regular appearances at Wallace House, giving seminars and meeting with fellows, until shortly before his death in 2012.[6] By this time, the fellowship was being administered by the University's Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies.[6]

Before becoming fully endowed the program would travel to Toronto and meet with the Massey College Journalism fellows, to Chicago to meet with Chicago Tribune journalists, and to Atlanta to visit CNN.[citation needed] The program began traveling to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2000,[7] and added a component in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2009.[7] An annual trip to Istanbul, Turkey, was added in 2005.[7] (In 2009 and 2010 the program went to Moscow, Russia; instead of Istanbul.)[7] In 2013 a trip to Alberta, Canada, became part of the program.[7]

In 2002, the Knight Foundation awarded a $5 million challenge to the program, establishing fellowships for international journalists (which usually include journalists from Argentina's Clarín and Brazil's Folha de S. Paulo, in exchange for their organization's hosting work on the fellowship trips).[7] Mike Wallace provided $1 million in matching funds, and the program was renamed the Knight-Wallace Fellowship.[8]

Since 2012, the fellowship has been administered by the University Provost's office.[9]

Program structure

Between 18 and 20 fellowships are awarded annually; generally 12 to Americans and 6 to 8 to foreign journalists. (Relationships with the BBC, Argentina's newspaper Clarín, Brazil's Folha de S. Paulo, and South Korea's Shinyoung Journalism Fund of the Kwanhun Club guarantee international fellows from the above newspapers.)

Specific fellowships include:

  • David B. Burke Fellowship in General Studies
  • Time Warner Fellowship for Minority Journalists
  • Mike Wallace Fellowship in Investigative Reporting
  • Benjamin R. Burton Fellowship in Broadcast Journalism
  • Ford Fellowship in Transportation Technology and Environment
  • Karsten Prager Fellowship in International Reporting
  • Benny Friedman Fellowship in Sports Journalism
  • William C. Richardson Fellowship for Public Policy and Philanthropy
  • Knight Specialty Reporting Fellowships

The Knight-Wallace Fellowship program is fully endowed at a value of over $50 million.[6] The program specifies that funders have no input on the selection of the endowed fellowships.[10]

Current Knight-Wallace board members include Jill Abramson, Jeff Fager, Charles Gibson (KW'74), Clarence Page, and Michele Norris. Former board members include Mike Wallace and David E. Davis.[11]

Stipend

In 2000, fellows received a stipend of $40,000.[12]

In 2003, fellows received a $55,000 stipend.[13]

Currently, the annual stipend is $70,000 plus university tuition and health insurance.[1]

Notable Knight-Wallace Fellows

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Press release. "U-M names Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellows," University of Michigan News Service (May 8, 2012).
  2. ↑ "Thomas, Mary Edsall to deliver Yablonky Lecture," University Record (Nov. 2, 1992).
  3. ↑ Johnston, Laurie and Albin Krebs. "Notes on People: A Newsman at Liberty," New York Times (July 22, 1980).
  4. ↑ "Paid Notice: Deaths: Hovey, Graham," New York Times (February 28, 2010).
  5. ↑ Riley, Melissa. "Hovey lecture to explore changes in higher education," University Record (Sept. 9, 2013).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Bacon, John U. "Column: Thank You, Mr. Wallace: Legendary journalist changed lives, including those in UM program," Ann Arbor Chronicle (Apr. 13, 2012).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Eisendrath, Charles J. "Program Has Been Built by Those It Serves," KWF newsletter vol. 23, #1 (Winter 2013).
  8. ↑ Moses, Lucia. "Knight's aid totals $6.3M," Editor & Publisher vol. 135, #35 (Sep 30, 2002), p. 5.
  9. ↑ "Office of the Provost: Reporting Units," University of Michigan Provost website. Accessed Feb. 5, 2014.
  10. ↑ Blum, Debra E. "Nike's role in selection process for fellowship spurs controversy," The Chronicle of Higher Education 42. 14 (Dec 1, 1995), p. A47.
  11. ↑ "David E. Davis Jr., auto writer and Automobile Magazine founder dies". Detroit Free Press, March 28, 2011, Mark Phelan. 
  12. ↑ "Chronicle Reporter Yumi Wilson Named Michigan Journalism Fellow," San Francisco Chronicle (May 1, 2000).
  13. ↑ "12 Journalists Get Michigan Fellowships," New York Times (25 May 2003), section 1, p. 23.
  14. ↑ The 1998 Pulitzer Prize Winners: National Reporting: Russell Carollo and Jeff Nesmith," The Pulitzer Prizes website. Accessed Dec. 16, 2012.
  15. ↑ Toby, Mekeisha Madden. "Gibson Visits Channel 7," Detroit News (29 Jan 2007), p. E.4.
  16. ↑ "UM Knight Wallace Fellows". Mjfellows.org. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  17. ↑ Arrant, Chris. "Cartoonist Josh Neufeld receives Knight-Wallace Fellowship in Journalism," Comic Book Resources: Robot 6 (May 11, 2012).
  18. ↑ Spurgeon, Tom. "Cartoonist Josh Neufeld Win UM Knight-Wallace Fellowship," Comics Reporter (May 11, 2012).
  19. ↑ Knight-Wallace Fellows at Michigan. "Past Fellows: 1995-1996". Retrieved on 2008-08-02.
  20. ↑ "Former Journalism Fellow wins Pulitzer Prize," The University Record (April 22, 1997).

External links

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