The Daily Plan-it / Dean of Students Blog, Columbia J-school

READ CAREFULLY - Graduation Tickets

Graduation tickets are now available.

To receive your tickets you MUST do TWO things.

1. Complete the graduation survey at http://bit.ly/GradSurvey13

The survey is used to create a class directory (both your class list serve and the alumni database), employment statistics and a database of employment information indicating the types of position openings in which you are interested. This is very important in determining how we can better help graduates find the best jobs as quickly as possible, and how the school can help make that happen by also collecting feedback on career services. You willingness to allow career services to circulate your resume is also indicated on the survey.

The survey is also used to gather feedback on other aspects of your Journalism School experience that cannot be captured through course evaluations.

2. Submit a NEW copy of your resume electronically with the survey. The resume should indicate that you have graduated and include up-to-date contact information. It will be used by the Career Services Office to assist you in your employment search.

You may pick up your tickets from Lauren Mack in room 207A once you have completed your online graduation survey AND submitted your updated resume. Ms. Mack will verify receipt of the survey and have you sign for your ticket envelope containing both sets of tickets.

The survey can done 24/7, but Ms. Mack is available for ticket pick-up/resume submission from 9 am-5 pm only. If you are a part-time student and it is impossible for you to come in, you may contact her (lem2111@columbia.edu) about having tickets mailed. Survey receipt verification is still required.

Questions to dos@jrn.columbia.edu

End-of-Year Manual

May 2013
TO: Graduating Students
FROM: Melanie Huff, Associate Dean of Students

In order to help you plan for Graduation and beyond, we have prepared some documents for you - please make sure you read both carefully.

Journalism Day, the Journalism School graduation ceremony and the University graduation are covered in detail on the graduation page

Post-graduation use of the building/equipment and alumni benefits/services are covered here.

Please keep in mind that in addition to having summer classes, documentary Master’s Projects and the Columbia Publishing Course in the building this summer, we will be doing extensive work to repair and prepare the building and equipment for the next academic year. Therefore, it is necessary to establish dates after which graduating students will no longer be able to access and use the facilities. Outlined below is the schedule for the coming summer.

Part of the reason for the tight deadlines is that the two new summer Part-time REPORTING classes begin on Friday, May 24.

Use of Journalism Building Facilities After May 22.

Use of Building:

Members of the Class of 2013 will have access to the building and its facilities through June 30, 2013.

Exceptions include: any area under construction, and any classrooms and computer rooms being used for summer classes or special programs. If you are in one of these rooms when a class is scheduled to begin, please leave immediately. Refusal to cooperate may result in the termination of your access to the building.

Equipment
All current fines must be paid by Monday, May 6 or a hold will be placed on your student account. All equipment must be returned to the Equipment Room (507) by Friday, May 17th. Action will be taken to repossess equipment from outstanding checkouts after May 17.

There will be no equipment checkouts from 5/17 - 5/22. (If you will need equipment during this time you must supply a written request from your professor.)

After graduation, students will be allowed to check out equipment, as available, until Friday, June 7th. Please remember that scheduled summer school classes and master’s project students, as well as necessary equipment maintenance upgrades, have priority for equipment and editing rooms.

Please be aware that individual computer rooms will be closed at different times for maintenance and upgrading. Though it is likely, it is not guaranteed that there will always be a computer room or terminal available. Due to maintenance schedules, summer class schedules and the master’s projects, it is possible that you will be unable to use a computer at a specific time.

Student Lockers:
All May graduates must empty their lockers by noon, Friday, May 24.

Continuing part-time students and documentary students may keep their lockers. Graduates who will be working on a demo tape or other approved projects during the month of June may also keep their lockers. To request such a locker extension, please send e-mail to Derek Gano at dg2382@columbia.edu with your name and the reason for your request.

Graduates’ lockers that have not been vacated by noon on Friday, May 24, will be have their locks removed and contents moved to a storage bin and eventually discarded. All locker questions should be directed to Derek Gano at building@jrn.columbia.edu (must be sent from CU email).

Student Mail Folders:
The mail folders of graduating students may be used until noon, Friday, May 24 as well. All items remaining in boxes after that date will be discarded.

Computer Account and Class Shares:

Access to J-School computer accounts for all graduating students will remain active until June 30, 2013.

All personal server space and class shares (posted below) will be deleted on May 30. Please be sure to backup all of your files to external media (CDs, DVDs, flash media, iPods, etc.) before your account is deactivated. These shares will no longer be available to you and the data will be unrecoverable. Even if you are not graduating this May please also note these shares will be deleted as they are for class work only, so do not continue to use them. New shares will be provisioned for summer courses.

Shares:

Photo
City News Room
CNS
DigitalMedia
FCSPartTimers
InternationalNewsroom
Magazine
Magazine A
Masters
Nightly
Nightly B
Yearbook
Workshop
TVReporting

University Services After May 22

Health Services
Access to Health Services at the University expires on August 31 for all graduating students. For those with major medical health insurance through Columbia (Chickering), coverage ends on August 31 You do have the option of purchasing an extension on this policy. Please see http://health.columbia.edu/insurance for details.

University Libraries
Recent alumni will retain full library privileges, including borrowing privileges and access to licensed electronic databases, for a period of three months beyond the degree conferral date. Access information can be found at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/services/lio/access/. Library Services for alumni can be found at http://www.alumni.libraries.columbia.edu/

Dodge Physical Fitness Center (aka the Gym): You may use the gym over the summer with your current CUID. However, you will have to pay the $91 gym use fee. Beginning in September, you will be eligible for alumni gym use. Please see http://www.dodgefitnesscenter.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9610&ATCLID=205330326

Alumni Benefits and Services

A variety of benefits and services are available to Journalism School graduates. This page answers most of your most questions and concerns, from auditing a class at Columbia to updating your address information, from obtaining a transcript of your time here to using Columbia’s recreational facilities - http://bit.ly/alumni_benefits

Please note that you will automatically be subscribed to your class listserv using the real world e-mail address supplied in your graduation survey (more details en route from Career Services). To update any of your contact information with us or sign up for a regional listserv, use this form:
http://bit.ly/cugsj_update

LionMail: Since all of you began using LionMail while at Columbia, you will be able to continue using your LionMail email account.

Dear Full-Time M.S. and M.A. Students:

This is a reminder that at this point, the following items should have been submitted to the Assessment system:

http://bit.ly/CUGSJ_Assessment

Master of Science

• First, un-edited assignment for your seminar
• First, un-edited assignment for your workshop
• Final version of your Master’s Project

Master of Arts

• Un-edited Sample C assignment for your seminar in discipline
• Final version of the Master’s Thesis

To be cleared for graduation, the items listed below must also be submitted no later than May 17.

Master of Science

• Final, un-edited assignment for your seminar
• Final, un-edited assignment for your workshop

Master of Arts

• Un-edited Sample D assignment for your seminar in discipline

Attn: Graduating Students
From: Dean Huff
Re: Year-end Awards for M.S. & M.A. Students
April 22, 2013

Each year on Journalism Day the school confers awards on several top-performing students. Each prize winner will receive a certificate and some will receive additional cash prizes (this depends on how the awards were originally set up). Below you will find the descriptions of this year’s awards.

These awards are open to any M.S. students graduating in this cycle (May 2013, Feb. 2013 and Oct. 2012). Some awards are also open to M.A. students - noted in each award description.

There are two broad categories of awards: those for which students can submit entries that are judged by faculty juries and those decided by the professors teaching the course for which they are awarded - no submissions are accepted for these.

Please note: The Blood award is run by an alumni committee and has already accepted submissions.

Another prize, the Harron Award, is decided by a faculty committee from nominations provided by the J-school community - see separate announcement) All M.S., M.A., Knight Bagehot, and Ph.D. students are eligible.

For juried awards, you may submit applications for no more than two categories (the Blood Award is not part of the limit), and each application can contain only one story, or segment of a Master’s Project/Thesis. Submissions must conform to the parameters (word count; video length; type of work) listed in the award description below.

The decisions of the faculty judges are final, and their deliberations are confidential.

To submit, please complete this form. In addition, for audio & video submissions, please also bring five copies of a labeled disk to Lauren Mack in 207A by Tuesday, April 30, at noon. If you are coming after business hours, please drop off the entries through the slot of the gray box outside of the DOS offices (Huff/Sotomayor)

If you are entering more than one category, you must complete a separate form for each entry (note: no more than two categories per student, not including Blood).

You can also read about how students graduate with honors in this DOS Blog post about year-end awards and grading.

FAQs about all this at the end of this post.

If you have any questions, please address them to dos@jrn.columbia.edu.

Regards,

Dean Huff

AWARDS TAKING SUBMISSIONS (descriptions below):

• Blood Award for reporting (closed)
• duPont/Judy F. Crichton Award - (M.A. eligible)
• Hechinger Education Journalism Award - (M.A. eligible)
• Horgan Prizes (3) for science reporting
• Journalism Editorial - (M.A. eligible)
• Mencher Award for superior reporting
• Wechsler for local reporting - (M.A. eligible)
• Wechsler for national reporting - (M.A. eligible)
• Wechsler for international reporting - (M.A. eligible)

AWARDS NOT TAKING SUBMISSIONS:

• Best M.A. Thesis
• Balakian Award for writing about literature - (M.A. eligible)
• Baker Award for City Newsroom
• Baker Award for CNS
• Baker Award for New York World
• Baker Award for Magazine Workshops
• Greer Award for financial writing (one M.S. & one M.A.)
• Peter Keller Award for Editing
• Joan Konner Broadcast Journalism Award
• Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing (All Book seminar students eligible)
• Nelson Award for national affairs reporting
• Digital Media Workshop Award
• Nightly News Workshop Award
• Photography Award
• Radio Workshop Award
• Best Performance in Law Class
• Taylor Award for best international student (M.A. eligible)
• Video Storytelling Workshop Award
• Louis Winnick Prize for RWI Writing

AWARD WITH NOMINATIONS FROM J-SCHOOL COMMUNITY

• Harron Award or excellence in reporting as well as exemplary kindness and courtesy to fellow students (see separate announcement) [Whole school eligible]

2013 STUDENT PRIZES IN DETAIL

AWARDS TAKING SUBMISSIONS

THE RICHARD BLOOD AWARD
The Richard Blood Award is given to the student–judged by a panel of the former professor’s students–to have written the best investigative, hard-news or news feature story (closed).

THE DUPONT/JUDY F. CRICHTON AWARD (M.A. eligible)
The duPont/Judy F. Crichton Award is named in commemoration of the former duPont-Columbia Awards juror, who during her career served as one of the first female documentary producers at CBS Reports; and who became the founding Executive Producer of PBS’ show, the American Experience. It honors student video work that most encapsulizes Judy’s ideals of hard-hitting journalism, long-form narrative storytelling, and historical perspective on issues of concern to American culture and history. Entries can be posted on Vimeo or Youtube, or on DVD’s There is no time limit on material. Questions? Contact Abi Wright, Director of the duPont Awards: awright@columbia.edu

THE FRED M. HECHINGER EDUCATION JOURNALISM AWARD (M.A. eligible)
This award is given to a student who produces outstanding work in education reporting. This award was established by the Hechinger Institute on Media and Education at Teachers College, in honor of New York Times education editor, Fred M. Hechinger. Stories are accepted in television, digital media, radio and print. There is no length restriction. Judges will be looking for insight and excellence in reporting and writing.

HORGAN PRIZES
There are three Horgan awards given to the students from the M.S. Science Writing seminar who have produced the best stories focused on science, health or the environment. No length restrictions.

JOURNALISM EDITORIAL
This award recognizes excellence in editorial writing. Opinion pieces such as editorials, commentaries, and essays with a strong point of view are eligible. Entries must not exceed 1,000 words.

MELVIN MENCHER REPORTING AWARD
The Melvin Mencher Award was established by the students, friends and associates of Professor Melvin Mencher, the man who wrote that text book, who retired in 1990. The award recognizes superior reporting on local government activity (including education, social services, politics, health, etc.). Only print entries of no more than 2,000 words will be considered. Print Master’s Projects are welcome but must be excerpted or condensed so that they fit the word limit.

THE JAMES A. WECHSLER MEMORIAL AWARDS (M.A. eligible)
The first James A. Wechsler Memorial Award is presented to the student who, in the judgment of the Faculty, submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant local issue. The awards were established by the Pisces Foundation in memory of the former editor and columnist at the New York Post. The second James A. Wechsler Memorial Award is presented to the student who submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant national issue. The final James A. Wechlser memorial Award is presented to the student who submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant international issue. Word counts are non-negotiable and submissions with a higher count will not be considered.

AWARDS NOT TAKING SUBMISSIONS:

BEST M.A. THESIS
This award honors the best M.A. thesis as determined by the deans.

THE NONA BALAKIAN AWARD (M.A. eligible)
The Nona Balakian Award was established in 1992 to honor the student who shows the most promise for achievement in writing about literature. Ms. Balakian, a 1943 graduate of the Journalism School, was an editor at the New York Times Book Review and had much influence on American arts and letters for more than four decades. Students are nominated by faculty and then the nominees will be asked to submit work samples. Book reviews, profiles and articles about the literary world are acceptable

THE RICHARD T. BAKER AWARDS
The Richard T. Baker Award for outstanding performance in the Newspaper workshops – City Newsroom, New York World, Columbia News Service - was established in honor of the late Dick Baker, a J-School graduate and long-time professor who also served as acting dean, associate dean, historian and administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes. The second Richard T. Baker Award is for outstanding performance in the Magazine workshops.

PHILIP GREER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND AWARD (one M.S. & one M.A.)The Philip Greer Memorial Scholarship Fund Award, presented for the first time in 1988, was established in honor of the late Mr. Greer, a financial correspondent and columnist for the New York Herald-Tribune and The Washington Post, to recognize the outstanding students in financial writing.

THE ROBERT HARRON AWARD
The Robert Harron Award is presented to the student who has demonstrated excellence in writing and reporting as well as exemplary kindness and courtesy to fellow students. The award was established in memory of Robert Harron, the former sportswriter and long-time assistant to the presidents of this university, through gifts from his many friends. (Call for nominations)

THE PETER KELLER PRIZE FOR EDITING
The Peter Keller Prize is presented to a student who shows great promise in editing. This award is made possible by a gift from Lisa Keller Yakas and Saky Yakas.

THE JOAN KONNER AWARD
This prize is presented to the student who has produced the most thought-provoking and original television and radio reporting.

THE LYNTON FELLOWSHIP IN BOOK WRITING (All students in the Book Writing Seminar are eligible)
Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing is given for outstanding work in the Book Writing seminar.

THE LARS-ERIK NELSON PRIZE
The Lars-Erik Nelson Prize was established by the New York Daily News, in honor of Lars-Erik Nelson, its distinguished Washington columnist, who died in 2000. It is presented to a student for best reporting or opinion piece in the National Affairs Reporting seminar.

THE DIGITAL MEDIA WORKSHOP AWARDS
This award is for outstanding performance in the Digita Media Workshops.

THE NIGHTLY NEWS AWARD
This award is given for outstanding performance in Nightly News Workshop.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD
The Photography Award is given for outstanding performance in the photography courses.

THE RADIO WORKSHOP AWARD
This award is for outstanding performance in the Radio Workshop.

BEST PERFORMANCE IN THE LAW CLASS
This award is for outstanding performance in the Law Class.

THE HENRY N. TAYLOR AWARD
The Henry N. Taylor Award was established in 1962 by friends of Henry Taylor, a journalist who was killed on assignment in the Congo at the age of 31. The award is given at the end of each school year to that member of the International Division who has demonstrated the qualities of a superior journalist. The award includes a grant providing for travel in the United States before returning to his or her homeland.

THE VIDEO STORYTELLING WORKSHOP
This award is for outstanding performance in Video Storytelling Workshop.

THE LOUIS WINNICK PRIZE FOR RWI
This award in memory of Louis Winnick, is given to the best story done in RWI in the previous calendar year. The story must demonstrate outstanding reporting and writing, along with great precision and accuracy in grammar.

FAQs ABOUT AWARD SUBMISSIONS

Over the years, students have asked questions along these lines:

* Can I submit more than one entry per award?
THE ANSWER: No, you cannot. We want you to pick the best story and submit it, rather than send in more than one for any one award.

* Can I really only submit entries in two awards?
THE ANSWER: We want you to pick up to two awards and submit stories for those only. The Blood Award is not part of that quota.

* Can I submit same piece for two different awards?THE ANSWER: Yes, you may submit the same story for two different awards.

* Can I submit a double-bylined story or a team production in broadcast or digital media?THE ANSWER: Yes, you may. Each year, multi-person entries do win awards.

All questions to dos@jrn.columbia.edu

The M.A. Arts Program talks to Lisa Pulitzer on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. ET.

Listen live & ask questions via computer: http://bit.ly/cujlisa
Listen live & ask questions via phone: +1-646-915-9583

Columbia J-school’s M.A. in Arts and Culture program presents the latest in a series of interviews with intriguing artists in various fields. Join us for a conversation with Lisa Pulitzer.

Lisa Pulitzer is a former reporter for The New York Times and a prolific author of non-fiction books on crime, cults, and religious sects. In the past few years, Pulitzer has co-written several bestsellers, including “Stolen Innocence,” the story of Elissa Wall, who grew up in a polygamous sect and was forced to marry her cousin at 14; “Beyond Belief,” the memoir of Jenna Miscavige Hill, niece of the leader of the Church of Scientology; and “Banished,” the story of Lauren Drain’s life in the Westboro Baptist Church, a zealously anti-gay, anti-Semitic organization from which she was ultimately exiled. Learn more about her at http://LisaPulitzer.com and via Twitter: @LisaPulitzer

NOTE: HIT “FOLLOW” AT WEBCAST LINK TO GET AN E-MAIL REMINDER; AND/OR HIT “FOLLOW” TO GET FUTURE ALERTS

You can listen to more than 100+ conversations with faculty, alumni and media influencers of all kinds at http://blogtalkradio.com/columbiajournalism

The MA seminar in Arts and Culture is interviewing Molly Crabapple live on Internet radio today from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Stabile Student Center.

The students of the M.A. seminar in Arts & Culture are hitting the airwaves for the first of two live radio broadcasts on www.blogtalkradio.com. Their first guest is Molly Crabapple.

Listen live & ask questions via computer: http://bit.ly/cucrabapple
listen live & ask questions via phone: +1-646-915-9583
Recording at same URL later. You can set e-mail reminder at that URL.
You can join in the conversation by tweeting questions with the hashtags #CUMOLLY or #cucrabapple
or send an email to ddeere01@gmail.com.

Molly Crabapple (Born Jennifer Caban) is an internationally renowned artist, author and activist. She has drawn cartoons for The New York Times, The Wall St. Journal, and illustrated graphic novels for both Marvel and DC Comics. Her Kickstarter-funded gallery show “Shell Game” opens on April 14. It features nine paintings dedicated to the 2011 financial collapse. She writes a monthly column for Vice on everything from Madrid’s protests against austerity measures, to New York’s stop-and-frisk program.

They will also stream the broadcast live at Stabile Student Center, so please come at 9:20 a.m. for free coffee and donuts.

NOTE: HIT “FOLLOW” AT WEBCAST LINK TO GET AN E-MAIL REMINDER; AND/OR HIT “FOLLOW” TO GET FUTURE ALERTS.

You can listen to more than 100+ conversations with faculty, alumni and media influencers of all kinds at http://blogtalkradio.com/columbiajournalism

TO: M.A. Students
FROM: Tali Woodward, Director, Master of Arts Program
RE: Instructions on Submitting Your M.A. Master’s Theses, Spring 2013

THESIS SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Your completed Master’s Thesis is due at 4 p.m. Monday, April 22, 2013.

I’ll be in Room 607B collecting copies starting at 3 p.m. If you have class that afternoon, please email me (tmw2112@columbia.edu) to arrange an earlier time to drop it off.

You must do three separate things by 4 p.m., in order to meet the deadline:

1. You must EMAIL ELECTRONIC COPIES OF YOUR THESIS to your primary adviser, your outside adviser, and me. Your primary adviser may also request a printed copy.

2. You must submit the final version of your thesis to the assessment system at
http://bit.ly/CUJLearning2013

3. You must submit TWO PAPER COPIES that meet the requirements outlined below. One goes to the library and one is read by the thesis-prize judges. You’ll be required to sign your name in the thesis submission log when you hand them over.

FORMATTING YOUR PAPER COPIES
Please follow these instructions carefully. Those of you submitting web or broadcast pieces should pay particular attention to numbers 3 and 4.

Each thesis should include the following:

• A SOURCE LIST: At minimum, this should list the name and contact information of your human sources. Some advisers may also require a bibliography. If you’re not sure how to cite a source, consult with your adviser. You don’t have to submit a source list with the copy intended for the library.
• A SEPARATE TITLE PAGE: This should have the following information: Your name, class year, the title of your thesis, and the name of the faculty member(s) who advised you. At the bottom of the page, type the following:

  Submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Arts in Journalism

  Copyright

  [Your Name]

  [Year]

• A POSTSCRIPT: You’ll need to submit a short first-person account of how you discovered, researched, and reported your story. This postscript should run no longer than 1,000 words. The goal is to help future students see what goes into a successful Master’s Thesis.

Once you have these three things — and the body of the story itself – assembled:

1. Format your manuscript, title page, source list, and postscript so that there is an inch-and-a-half margin on the left-hand side and at least an inch on the other three margins. Make sure the pages are numbered. Print your manuscript or broadcast script on plain white paper, double-spaced and single-sided. Do not put any sort of binding on the thesis, and do not staple the pages.

2. Put each copy in a new 9 x 12 envelope. Label the front of each envelope with your name, your class year, the title of your thesis, and the name(s) of your adviser(s) for the Master’s Thesis. The first copy will be reserved for the library, and the second copy will be used in judging the M.A. thesis prize. Please write “Library Copy” on the envelope intended for the library.

3. WEB THESES: If your thesis work is collected on a website, the paper copy of the thesis should consist of a printed title page with the name, title, URL, and a copyright statement. You should also include a source list and the postscript as described above. Submit two hard copies (again, one for the library, one for the thesis judging). A hyperlink will be made from the Master’s Thesis web page to the thesis itself. Email the URL to your advisers and me separately.

4. BROADCAST THESES: If you’re submitting a broadcast thesis, please make two copies on CD or DVD. Label the discs, their covers, and the cover spines with complete thesis information (author, title, adviser(s)). Then make two printed copies of your script, title page, source list, and postscript. Put one disc and one set of papers in each envelope. E-mail a separate copy of your script to each of your advisers and to me.

PLEASE NOTE:

EXTENSIONS/LATE THESES
Extensions will be granted case-by-case, when circumstances require. In order to get an extension, your adviser (not you!) must send a written request to Dean Huff and me. The request must specify the new deadline. Students who get extensions should know, however, that late theses are disqualified from thesis prizes. Let me state that again: only theses that are handed in by the deadline will be in the running for thesis prizes. Only in extenuating circumstances such as serious illness or a death in the family will this rule be reconsidered. Also, any student who does not submit his or her thesis by May 13 runs the risk of not graduating.

If you’re submitting your Master’s Thesis earlier than the deadline, you still have to submit two paper copies. Please contact me to make arrangements.

Remember to keep a copy of your thesis for yourself. Neither the Journalism School nor the Journalism Library is able to provide copies of your work. You are expected to keep usable copies of your Master’s Thesis for future reference.

To All MS Students:
Welcome back to NYC, and if you’re still away, travel safely.

We want to let you know what is planned for Spring Prep Day, next Wednesday Jan. 23, to get your next semester underway. We’ve lined up a stellar day-long program of world-class prize-winning journalists to inspire you no matter your concentration or subject interest, prep you for the job search now and beyond, and provide you a chance to engage on critical issues facing journalism. We’ll built in a comfortable lunch break with several options, including a session to learn about attending the MA program. We’ll end the day with a nice reception to be hosted by our friends from Hearst. Follow the links to learn more about the projects they will discuss, and bring plenty of questions for the DuPont winners, the recent grads and other speakers.

NOTE: Attendance is mandatory by MS students, so plan to be there.

Spring Prep Day / Wednesday, January 23, 2013
8:15-9:00am
Welcome Breakfast – Discounted breakfast and coffee/tea at Brad’s Café

8:30-9:00am
Student Registration, Lobby. // Pick up your special nametag

9:00-9:45am: Lecture Hall
Welcome – Ernest R. Sotomayor, Dean of Student Affairs; Associate Dean Melanie Huff; Student Q&A

Winners Circle, presentation by awardees from Columbia’s Alfred I. DuPont competition / Intro by Abi Wright, director, DuPont & Chancellor Awards

10:00-11 am: Lecture Hall
USA Today: “Ghost Factories”
* Alison Young, reporter, USA TODAY
* John Hillkirk, managing editor for investigative and data journalism, USA TODAY
* Anthony DeBarros, Director-Content, Gannett Digital
* Shannon Green, video editor, USA TODAY
Moderator: Sheila Coronel, Professor, Columbia Journalism School, and director, Stabile Center for
Investigative Journalism

11am-Noon: Two Concurrent Events, two locations (Pick one)

Lecture Hall
Covering Conflict (SANA): Reporting on Syria
* Deb Amos, NPR coverage of Syria
* Clarissa Ward, CBS “Inside Syria”
Moderator: Ann Cooper, Professor, Columbia Journalism School

Stabile Student Center
Investigate This: Local Investigative Reporting (TURNER)
* Ross Jones and Heather Catallo, “Wayne County Confidential”
* Lee Zurik, “Dirty Deeds” & “Hiding Behind the Badge”
* Colleen McCarty, “Desert Underwater”
* Susan Phillips, “Shale Play”
Moderator: A’Lelia Bundles, J-School graduate and bestselling author, independent journalist and Trustee, Columbia University

12:00-1:30pm
* Lunch on your own, or:
* Attend Documentary panel with pizza to be served, courtesy the DuPont Awards, or
* Attend Information Session for the 2013 Master of Arts Program.

12:30-1:15 pm, Room 601B
Info session for students interested in applying to next year’s Master of Arts program. Hosted by Associate Dean Christine Souders & MA Program Director Tali Woodward. To attend, Register at http://fs18.formsite.com/CUJournalismAdmissions/MASession/index.html

12:30-1:25pm,Lecture Hall: Documentary: Social issues (SANA)
* Cynthia Lowen, Bully
* Alex Kotlowitz, The Interrupters
* Steve James, The Interrupters
* Alison Klayman, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
Moderator: June Cross, Professor, Columbia Journalism School

1:30-2:15pm: Lecture Hall
Student Panel: Surviving and thriving in your final semester, by three May 2012 Grads who’ll share advice, tips and take your Qs.
* Carmel DeAmicis - Digital Media Associate, Columbia J-School
* Diane Jeantet – Freelancer writer, and part-time reporter, American Lawyer Daily
* Elizabeth Dilts – Reporter, Reuters Magazine and Editorial Research Asst. to Reuters Editor in
Chief Stephen Adler

2:15-3:15 pm: Lecture Hall
Planning your Spring Career Strategies and beyond
Associate Dean Julie Hartenstein and the Career Services Team. An early look at the March Career Expo, planning for OPT and more about what’s to come this spring

3:15-3:30pm: Break

3:30-4:45 pm: Lecture Hall
Hearst - Columbia Journalism Dialogues: A conversation about “Post-Industrial Journalism: Adapting to the Present,” and the implications for how you as new grads will practice journalism and build careers in an increasingly changing media world, with co-authors Columbia Journalism Professor and Tow Center Director Emily Bell, and College of Staten Island Asst. Professor Chris Anderson (CUJ Ph.D ’09). Moderated Columbia Journalism Academic Dean Bill Grueskin; followed by Q&A ( session will be webcast live)

5-6 pm: World Room
Reception, hosted by Hearst.

6-7 pm: Room 607B
Spring Information Session for Part-time Class, with Elena Cabral, Director, Part-Time Program. Refreshments to be served.

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs announces its fourth annual International Essay Contest. This competition is open to both teachers and students anywhere in the world.

From climate change, to terrorism, to global financial crises, many of the greatest problems facing us in the 21st century transcend national borders. All involve ethical issues, such as fairness, rights, and responsibilities. So as part of the Council’s three-year Centennial project, “Ethics for a Connected World,” we are asking thought leaders around the world to identify the greatest ethical questions facing the planet and how individuals, organizations, and countries should respond.

But the project would not be complete without input from students and teachers like you. What do you think? What is the world’s greatest challenge, and how does it affect both your local community and the world? What are the ethical issues involved and how can we work together to overcome this problem?

ESSAY TOPIC: In your opinion, what is the greatest ethical challenge or dilemma facing the planet?

ESSAY REQUIREMENTS:

* Style: Op-ed style (not academic, footnoted papers)
* Length: 1,000 to 1,500 words
* Format: Word document, or email. English language entries only.

COMPETITION DEADLINE: December 31, 2012

HOW TO ENTER:

This competition is open to teachers and students of all nationalities.

All teachers, at whatever level, are eligible.

All students, from high school students through to graduate students, are eligible. Non-students are automatically disqualified.

Collaborative essays between students and teachers are welcome.

Please email your entries to studentcontest@cceia.org. Please include your full name, address, email, age, and affiliation.

PRIZES:

1st prize: $250 Amazon Gift Certificate

2nd prize: $150 Amazon Gift Certificate

3rd prize: $75 Amazon Gift Certificate

All winners also receive a copy of the edited volume, Ethics & International Affairs: A Reader< http://press.georgetown.edu/book/georgetown/ethics-international-affairs>.

GRANTS: CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH AWARDS

DEADLINE: All proposals must be received no later than March 1, 2013

The Dirksen Congressional Center invites applications for grants to fund research on congressional leadership and the U.S. Congress. The Center,
named for the late Senate Minority Leader Everett M. Dirksen, is a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit research and educational organization devoted to the study of Congress and its leaders.

Since 1978, the Congressional Research Awards (formerly the Congressional Research Grants) program has invested more than $881,041 to support over 414 projects. Applications are accepted at any time, but the deadline is March 1 for the annual selections, which are announced in April. A total of up to $35,000 will be available in 2013.

Complete information about what kind of research projects are eligible for consideration, what could a Congressional Research Award pay for,
application procedures, and how recipients are selected may be found at The Center’s
Website:http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_grants_CRAs.htm

PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY.
Frank Mackaman is the program officer - You may send the application as a Word or PDF attachment to an e-mail directed to Frank Mackaman at
fmackaman@dirksencenter.org. Please insert the following in the Subject Line: “CRA Application [insert your surname].”

The SIPA Journal of International Affairs is accepting submissions for our spring Cordier Essay Contest. Submissions should be related to our spring issue on Latin America. The Cordier Essay contest is open to all Columbia Schools, including the School of Journalism, from which a single student will be rewarded $500 and published alongside notable Latin America scholars.

For submission guidelines and additional information click on the link below:

http://jia.sipa.columbia.edu/newsevent/call-for-cordier-essays-spring-2013

EVENT: STORYLINK (rsvp required)

FOR: Writers & Directors in these graduate departments: Creative Writing, Film, Journalism, Theater.

DATE: Friday, November 30th, 9pm.

LOCATION: Dodge Hall, room 501.

WEBSITE: www.facebook.com/Storylink

RSVP / CREATIVE PROFILE FORM: http://fs9.formsite.com/soafilm/form110/index.html?1352690883802

HOST: Film Directing Professor Ramin Bahrani, http://arts.columbia.edu/film/ramin-bahrani-0

ABOUT:

STORYLINK is an exclusive networking event to link graduate students in the Creative Writing, Theater, Journalism and Film departments. This is an opportunity for writers (screenwriters, playwrights, fiction writers & journalists) and directors (theater & film) to meet and spark collaborations on story ideas that can become scripts, plays or films.

There is tremendous talent spread through multiple departments at Columbia, and we hope that this event can bring students together and foster long-lasting collaborations both within and also outside the scope of the coursework of each discipline.

By RSVP’ing in advance and filling out the RSVP/CreativeProfile Form, we will attempt to connect writers and directors who share similar interests in creative speed-dating sessions. A mixer with food and drinks will follow where dialogues can continue, and also provide a forum to meet writers and directors who you were not paired with in the creative speed-dating sessions.

M.A. Spring Prep Follow-Up

Dear M.A. Students:

You will want to keep this note because it contains all the links you need to get ready for the spring term.

• ASSESSMENT: Students who have not submitted seminar Sample A and/or the final History assignment to the Assessment system will not be registered for the second semester until they submit. Students who have not submitted Sample B by January 4 will not be allowed to continue to the second semester.
  http://bit.ly/CUJLearning2013

• INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL: All M.A. students traveling outside of the U.S. during winter break to do reporting for the thesis must submit an international registration form. Failure to do so will result in your not receiving your thesis grant.
  http://fs8.formsite.com/cjdos/IntlTravel/

• SPRING DIGITAL SKILLS: To request a spring skills class, please complete a ballot . Please note that your ballot must be submitted no later than November 26 at 10 a.m.
  http://fs8.formsite.com/cjdos/SP13_ballots/

• DIGITAL NEWS STRATEGIES or FORMATS, PROTOCOLS, ALGORITHMS: Please submit an Add/Drop form. The form goes live on January 7 at 7 a.m. Please note that Add/Drop is processed first-come, first-served.
  http://fs8.formsite.com/cjdos/AddDrop/
  You will need the course number, call number, section number and class name for each class that you will Add and Drop. Please see http://www.columbia.edu/cu/bulletin/uwb/ for this information.

• OUTSIDE COURSES: Please see this link for the required form that must be signed by both your seminar professor and the outside course instruction.
  http://bit.ly/MA_outside

• DIPLOMA APPLICATION REMINDER: Diploma applications are due by December 1 for May 2013 graduates! This link will provide you with a pdf document that you may complete online, save to your computer, and then attach in an e-mail to diplomas@columbia.edu. If you are unable to save the completed form, you may print it and fax it to 212-854-8747.
  http://bit.ly/CU_DipAp

The Tiziano Project is currently looking for students and student groups to collaborate with on audience engagement
and program development for the 2012 American Giving Awards voting contest (Nov. 27-Dec. 4). With funding
from the American Giving Awards, The Tiziano Project plans to support one or more student groups interested in
completing their own storytelling projects around the world.

Current students at the elementary, high school or college level can sign up as a group to compete for a $15,000 grant
to complete a storytelling project in their own community.
The Tiziano Project will provide winners with program support and consultation on their projects and will promote
the final project through our own channels (a value of an additional $15,000 in pro-bono communications support).
Final story packages will be featured on the StoriesFrom.us platform.

Student groups must register for a unique URL at www.TizTheSeason.org and invite supporters to vote during the
week of Nov. 27-Dec. 4.

Please contact Victoria Fine (vfine@tizianoproject.org) or visit www.tiztheseason.org for more information.

Welcome to the Spring Ballot for M.S., Knight Bagehot and JN/SEAS Students:

Please carefully follow the instructions below.

First, please read the Spring Curriculum thoroughly. Some information has been added and some changed since the document became available.

You may read students’ evaluations of many of the classes and professors at http://web.jrn.columbia.edu/students/view_evaluations.htm. You will have to log in using your UNI and password. Please note that some courses are being taught for the first time this spring. If you cannot find evaluations for a particular course, look instead for evaluations of other courses that professor has taught.

Please select the appropriate ballot for concentration/program. If you complete a ballot for a concentration/program other than your own, you will have your classes assigned randomly in the correct concentration/program.

Please note that if you began the program as a part-time student, you must ALWAYS use the part-time ballot even if you plan on accelerating to a full-time course load.

To complete the ballot you will need your Columbia e-mail address and PID (If you have lost your PID, please refer to http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2005/11/14/faq-how-do-i-find-my-pid/)

The ballots are NOT handled on a first-come, first-served basis. As long as you make the deadline (Monday, November 26, 10 a.m.) you have equal standing with all other students.

If you applied for an application class (Book Writing or Covering Religion), please do not complete your ballot until you have been notified about the results - November 23. Those accepted will not be balloting for that type of class.

NOTE: Ranking the same class as your first choice repeatedly DOES NOT increase your likelihood of getting into that class. Rather it means that we will randomly select your class if we are not able to give you your first choice.

If you do not submit a ballot, you will be placed in classes on a space available basis. If you made a mistake or changed your mind, please resubmit your ballot. Your most recently-submitted ballot as of the deadline (Monday, November 26, 10 a.m.) will be the one processed.

All students who began the Master’s Project in the fall will be automatically registered for it in the spring. FT Stabile students will automatically be enrolled for the Stabile seminar and the Stabile elective.

If you experience any problems using the ballot, please send e-mail to dos@jrn.columbia.edu Please note we cannot promise students they will gain a seat in any specific class.

Please note that you will receive a confirmation e-mail containing the ballot information you submitted. You will have to look through it carefully to find what you entered as the response includes both the pages you were required to complete and those you weren’t based on type of ballot.

Please answer all questions carefully.

Spring 2013 Ballot

SPJ is excited to announce the launch of a newswire to help students get their work published!!

The SPJ Student Newswire will be a collection of the best stories written or produced by Columbia Journalism students, sent out twice a month and free of charge to publications around New York City.

Last year, publications like The Huffington Post, The New York Daily News, The Atlantic, Sports Illustrated the Nieman Lab at Harvard and many others expressed interest in the wire.

SUBMISSION RULES:
To be eligible for submission, a story must have been edited by a professor and not have been published on the class’s website.

For the first run please submit your best stories by Monday,November 12, 2012

To submit your stories-
Go to http://spjnewswire.jrn.columbia.edu/
Username: cujstudent
Password: $PJnewswire1

Please include links for images, audio and video stories in the text submission.

VETTING:
Over a one-week period the submissions will be vetted by a group of
10 readers and the best stories will go on the wire. The wire will be password protected and accessible to publishers.
The story’s authors will retain full ownership of the stories in all instances. The authors whose stories are picked up for publication will be notified by SPJ.

Stories that are not put on the final wire will be put on the open access public page of the newswire.

For any questions please contact the News Wire Chairs below. (A special thanks to Keith Collins for his tireless work in setting up the Newswire website)

Keith Collins kc2766@columbia.edu
Harman Boparai hsb2129@columbia.edu
Tanay Warerkar tw2401@columbia.edu

_______________________________________________

Dear Students:

The Earth Institute at Columbia University has assembled its 2012-2013 Student Advisory Council with two students from the Journalism School who will assist in developing student and academic activities for the campus around the issues of earth systems science and sustainable development.

Jay Devineni (jrd2174@columbia.edu ) and Alexis Fitts ( acf2149@columbia.edu) have been selected as our representatives and are available if Journalism students have suggestions regarding potential speakers, panels, or other activities at the Earth Institute.

If you have questions or suggestions, please contact Jay or Alexander. Also, if you are interested in additional information on the Earth Institute, please visit the website at http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/

Dear Students,

Friday, August 31, we have a fun day of all-school events scheduled to kick off the school year..

THE FOLLOWING EVENTS ARE OPEN TO THE ENTIRE COLUMBIA J-SCHOOL COMMUNITY

10:00 a.m.-12 p.m., Miller Theater @ Columbia University
“How to Survive, and Thrive, at J School.” We’ll discuss various topics, including Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, the 2009 movie Adventureland, and a recent New York Times story about illicit amphetamine use, which is attached to this email. Be sure to read this story before you arrive.
*Miller Theater is located in Dodge Hall which is parallel to the Journalism School across College Walk. See map at http://bit.ly/DodgeHall

12 p.m.-3 p.m. Furnald Lawn
BBQ Picnic
Join us for an old-fashioned picnic… Pulled pork, ribs, chicken, macaroni and cheese, baked beans and collard greens will be served. (Vegetarian, Kosher and Halal meals will be available for those who ordered them).
*Please note that you must pick up your J-School wrist band during the Miller Theater event for entrance to the picnic!

2:00 p.m. -2:30 p.m.
Multicultural Programs

• Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (Rm 502)
• Asian American Journalists Association (Rm 601C)
• National Association of Black Journalists (Rm 202)
• National Association of Hispanic Journalists (Rm 107B)

2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Multicultural Programs

• National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (Rm 607C)
• South Asian Journalists Association (Rm 601B)
• Central, Eastern and European Interest Group (Rm 107A)
• Africa Interest Group (Stabile Student Center)

From Dean Huff, Asst. Dean of Students

The Add/Drop period for M.S./K.B. students begins August 20 at 7 a.m.

Add/Drop forms ARE processed first-come, first-served!

During this period, M.S. students may request a change of classes. Knight Bagehots can request classes.

Please note that this is only a REQUEST and we cannot guarantee your request will be accommodated.

On each Add/Drop request form you may request to add one class AND drop one class.

It is possible to simply fill out the “Add” or “Drop” portion if you are a PT or K.B. student not looking to switch, but merely to add or drop a class (or if you are a FT student looking to add a second skills class).

The Add/Drop request form will be available as of 7 a.m. on Monday, August 20.

Additional information on the Add/Drop request process is listed below. Please read it carefully before submitting a request form.

Add/Drop forms ARE processed first-come, first-served!

PLEASE NOTE: You may also sign up via Add/Drop for Prof. Herman’s class:

Business and Financial Reporting
Instructor: Tom Herman
Mon. 6:30-8:30 p.m.
This course is an introduction to the basic concepts and tools of business reporting, designed for students interested in the field as well as those planning to specialize in other areas. The dynamics of business are at the heart of many journalistic subjects, so learning how to make sense of business news and bring it to life are invaluable skills. We will study these subjects both through readings, by following and discussing news stories throughout the semester, and by analyzing classic business articles. Several short features, as well as in-class writing exercises, will be assigned. We will cover effective methods for conceiving and pitching stories, identifying and interviewing sources, story structure, and writing. Several class sessions will feature guest speakers from major business and general-interest publications. (A more in-depth version of this course will be offered in the spring.)

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT ADD/DROP REQUESTS:

The Add/Drop period Monday, August 20, at 7 a.m. to Friday, September 14, at 7 a.m.

Add/Drop forms are processed on a first come, first served basis.

If your form is submitted correctly you will receive a request confirmation e-mail within 24 hours. Please remember to include the @columbia.edu after your UNI.

You will NOT receive an e-mail from our office saying that your request was granted or not granted.

To learn if your request was granted, you must keep checking your class schedule on the web using SSOL at https://ssol.columbia.edu/. All requests remain on file during the add/drop period.

You do not need to submit multiple forms for the same Add/Drop request. If I am able to grant requests I do it as soon as possible but sometimes it takes days for a space to open in a class. Sometimes the space never opens up. In most cases, if you want to add a class I have to wait to see whether someone else wants to drop it.

Please remember that you are submitting an Add/Drop REQUEST.

There is no guarantee that I will be able to approve your request. Until you see a change reflected on your class schedule at https://ssol.columbia.edu/ your request has not been approved.

I will NOT drop you from a required course unless I can get you into the course you have requested. If you have more than one preference, you may for a given course, in the notes section of the Add/Drop form, indicate so. Simply complete the add portion of the form with your first preference and in the notes section give me the same info about your second, third, etc., choices. You must include the call and course numbers if you indicate other preferences in the notes section.

Also, please be certain that you are not requesting a class that conflicts with any of your other classes. Such requests will be ignored.

See http://bit.ly/Skills_F12 for the complete schedule of M.S. skills classes.

See http://www.columbia.edu/cu/bulletin/uwb/ (J for Journalism and then Fall 2012) for the days/times of everything else.

And finally, remember that if you are requesting to add a course, you are also probably planning to drop a course. DON’T forget to request to drop the course and please do it on the same form you use to request a class.

The only way I will be able to approve most requests is by knowing which courses will be dropped by students.

SAMPLE FORM BELOW (information is fictional)

Program/Contact Information (information below is fictional)

Your Name: SUSIE J-SCHOOLER

PID: C000213126

E-mail: sjs2009@columbia.edu

Phone: 917-123-4560

Program: FT Master of Science

Concentration: Newspaper (M.S. students only)

Stabile: No

Please enter the details of the course you would like to ADD: (information for completing this section is at the Directory of Classes - see http://www.columbia.edu/cu/bulletin/uwb/)
Class Number: J6000; Section Number: 20; Call Number: 81350
Title: Covering Fish

Please enter the details of the course you would like to DROP: (information for completing this section is at the Directory of Classes - see http://www.columbia.edu/cu/bulletin/uwb/)
Class Number: J6000; Section Number: 16; Call Number: 72241
Title: Reporting on Snails

ADD/DROP FORM - http://fs8.formsite.com/cjdos/AddDrop

TUESDAY:

Tuesday, May 15
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon, Miller Theatre

*Open to students and faculty only. A lecture is given and student prizes awarded. Class photo taken at the conclusion.

The first of two school ceremonies for graduates. Students, faculty, adjuncts & staff gather for Pringle Lecture and the student awards.

* Introduction by Dean Nicholas Lemann
* 2012 Henry Pringle Lecturer: David Brooks
* Presentation of the Mike Berger Award
* Presentation of the Paul Tobenkin
* Award Awarding of Student Prizes
* Guests: No
* Attire: Business attire; no caps & gowns

Class Photo Shoot

GRADUATION DAY
Wednesday, May 16

University Commencement
10:30 am (seating begins for guests at 8:30 am)

Schedule:

8:30 a.m. General admission gates open
9:00 a.m. Degree Candidates line up
9:30 a.m. Degree Candidate Procession begins
10:30 a.m. Ceremony begins with the Academic Procession
12:00 p.m. Ceremony concludes

Graduates must enter the Earl Hall gate on Broadway at 117th street (east side of Broadway, opposite the Barnard gates) wearing your cap and gown. Please note access to the Journalism building from that side of campus will be impossible. If you need anything from the building, get it before lining up. Also, bathroom breaks are difficult once the event begins.

For those who have purchased academic attire to walk in the University Commencement, we will congregate next to Low Library on the Broadway side just north of the flag pole (next to Lewisohn) at 9:00 am. Don’t be late. Look for the sign and Dean Huff and our student marshals Jake and Mohammed. Attached are pdf files of where you can enter campus, where the Journalism graduates will be lining up and where we will be seated. Maps are also available at http://www.columbia.edu/content/maps-0.html

Seating & Family:

We will be sitting in the bleachers, left staircase, on the Dodge/Lewisohn side of Low. Wear sensible shoes, especially if it is raining. Please see the attached files.

The best place for parents to sit to see you in the bleachers is on the Amsterdam side of the campus. Guests can enter the campus at the Amsterdam or Broadway entrances. Don’t forget to remind them to bring their tickets, a camera and a cell phone. Many students call their parents so they can wave to them at the appropriate moment. If it is raining – everyone should bring plastic bags, dry towel and umbrella or if it is the expected sunny morning – water, umbrella and sun screen. The earlier they arrive the better the seating.

After the ceremony it will be very difficult getting around so please pick an obvious place to meet your loved ones. Off campus is best, for example, in front of “Ollies.” The campus will be a mass of confusion with the graduates and families all trying to find each other. Patience is the word for the day as well as the use of cell phones.

A live webcast of the university ceremony will be available here: http://www.columbia.edu/content/2012.html
*************************

J-School Graduation
3 pm-4:30 pm (seating begins for guests at 2:15 pm)

Lerner Hall, entrance at 115th street. Roone Arledge Auditorium; CUIDS are required for faculty, staff and graduates. Non-graduating students must watch via live stream: http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/graduation2012

The doors open at 2:15 p.m. Your guests will need to present a ticket at the entrance. Seating for the graduates will be the center and right sections at the very front. Guests will be seated floor-left, floor right rear section and in the balcony. The best view is from the balcony level, but there really isn’t a bad seat in the house.

Your seating will be assigned by your program or core course (PhD, Knight Bagehot, Spencer, RWI or Seminar in Discipline). A numbered chart will be given to you as you enter the event. After remarks from Dean Lemann, SPJ President Jake Heller, Katherine Boo, the Columbia Journalism Award winner and recognition of the prize and honors winners, diplomas will be awarded. At the appointed moment, you will directed to the stage with your fellow classmates where your name will be read and you will receive handshakes, congratulations and your diploma from the deans and your primary instructor. Dress is afternoon wedding or business attire.

The entire ceremony live-streamed at http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/graduation2012

There will also be a photographer taking your picture as you exit the stage with your diploma. Personal cameras are OK but please caution anyone who will be taking pictures to stay clear of certain areas (i.e., the front of the stage as graduates walk across and down the steps).

After the event (about 4:30 pm) there will be a reception on Furnald lawn, between Lerner Hall and the J-school. In the event of steady rain, it will be held at the Journalism School.

Congratulations!

Dear Journalism Students,

The evaluation system (https://courseworks.columbia.edu/) for students to provide feedback about their classes will be live for the Fall 2011 semester on Monday, December 5, 2011.

M.A. Seminar in Discipline and M.S. RWI professors will be scheduling lab time for you to complete these. If you are not enrolled in any of these courses, please complete all your evaluations on your own. The deadline for completion is Friday, December 30.

Your role in providing feedback via course evaluations is of vital importance to the Journalism School. The information is used by faculty to evaluate their syllabi and to refine their practices and by the administration to make curriculum decisions and assess professor performance.

Course evaluations are one element in tenure, promotion and contract decisions; they can affect professors’ careers at Columbia.

Future students also use the information to make informed balloting choices.

We ask that you take your time and seriously reflect on your learning experience as you provide an honest answer to each question. You do not have to complete all the forms in one sitting. However, once you begin working on the form for a given class you must complete and submit it before exiting the system. Partially completed forms are not stored.

Please be aware that professors won’t have access to your evaluations of them until after they have submitted their evaluations of your performance.

Please note, we have no control over the system once the deadline has passed. Every semester students contact us after the deadline asking to fill in the form or to make edits to their evaluations, and there is nothing we can about those situations. Please be certain to complete all evaluations by the Friday, December 30 deadline.

Between Monday, December 5 and Friday, December 30, you will receive reminders every day for each evaluation that you have yet to complete. These automatic reminders are generated by the CourseWorks system.

Thank you for your assistance.

Questions to dos@jrn.columbia.edu

Welcome to Spring 2012

MA students will be automatically registered for their seminar in discipline (6 points) and for the thesis (6 points). Additionally you must take two additional 3 point electives.

Tali Woodward has prepared an MA Spring memo with detailed instructions on the registration process for outside classes. Please keep an eye out for it.

MA students are expected to take their spring electives OUTSIDE the J-school. This is essential to the subject-matter immersion that is the bedrock of the MA program.

There are two primary exceptions to this rule in the spring semester:

• Skills Classes: MA students may attempt to take a skills course in the spring semester. The skills classes are described at http://bit.ly/spring12skills The skills schedule is available at http://web.jrn.columbia.edu/students/Skills_SP12.htm. To request a skills class, you must submit an online ballot before November 28 at 10 a.m.

• The “Cost and Effect in Digital Journalism” course taught by Profs. Emily Bell and Duy Tu. This course is designed for MA students and Knight-Bagehot fellows. Any M.A. student is welcome to submit an Add/Drop form for it. If you get in, it’ll take the place of one of your outside courses. Please note that these forms are processed on a first-come, first-served basis so please submit at form right at 7 a.m. on January 4 if you want to take it.

MA students are generally not eligible for J-school courses designed for MS students. (There are two reasons for this: 1. They won’t boost your subject-matter expertise, and 2. They were created for a different set of students.)

In very rare cases, an MA student may receive permission to take one of the 3-credit MS electives. But this only happens when a seminar professor recognizes a hole in a MA student’s journalism training or experience, and asks the Dean of Students office to let the student take a specific J-School elective. In that situation, the student may try to add the course during the Add/Drop period. However, many of the MS electives are full before Add/Drop begins, so you should develop a backup plan.

Lastly, MA students cannot take the 6-credit MS seminars or workshops like next semester’s Investigative Reporting class. (As you may have noticed, MS students can’t take MA seminars either.)

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Monday, November 21: 1,000-word thesis proposal due to primary adviser and to Tali Woodward. If you wish to apply for second-round thesis grants, submit your application at the same time. [Business students can submit a revised budget up until Nov. 28]
• Tuesday, December 13, time TBA - Lucille’s Ball
• Late December: Students will be registered for their Spring courses.
• December 18-Jan. 16: Winter Break (Please note that outside departments may be working with different dates so please check the schedule of the school hosting your outside class as well)
• January 4-January 27: Add/Drop period
• Tuesday, January 17: M.A. classes begin
• Wednesday, Jan. 18, 9:30-5:00: ALL-CLASS EVENT: SPRING PREP DAY: “An annual day of academic, career and writing/reporting tips and advice, before the semester formally begins. Brought to you by Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and Career Services “ - mandatory for all full-time MS students and MA students (except those MA students whose outside classes begin then); all others welcome. Presented by DOS Office and Career Services.
• Monday, January 30: MA THESIS - First Draft due. Talk to your adviser about what the “first draft” should entail. Some will want full drafts; others may prefer a detailed outline and a section of the story or a progress report. This draft can be shared with the outside adviser when appropriate (and at the discretion of the primary adviser). All drafts should be emailed to Tali Woodward.
• Monday, February 27: MA THESIS - Second Draft due to both advisers. This should be a reasonable facsimile of the thesis—outlines no longer suffice. Send a copy to Tali Woodward.
• Spring Break: March 12-16.
• Monday, April 16, noon: FINAL THESIS DUE. Hand in your hard copies. You must also email an electronic copy to Tali Woodward and to your adviser.
• GRADUATION: Tuesday, May 15 is Journalism Day; University and Journalism School graduation celebrations are on Wednesday, May 16. More details en route.

Degrees are awarded in October, February and May. Every candidate, regardless of graduation date, is invited to participate in the May Commencement ceremony.

You must have completed all graduation requirements to participate in a May graduation ceremony.

In order to be considered for a degree or certificate, you must file a degree/certificate application form with the University.

This link will provide you with a pdf document that you may complete online, save to your computer, and then attach as an e-mail to diplomas@columbia.edu.

If you are unable to save the completed form, you may print it and fax it to 212-854-8747.

Alternately you may mail it or hand deliver it to:

Diploma Division
Office of the Registrar
Columbia University
210 Kent Hall, MC 9202
1140 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027

Application Deadlines
Graduating in - Apply by
October - August 1
February - November 1
May - December 1

Please Note The Following:

• When a deadline for application falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.
• Doctoral students must deposit their dissertation at least a week before the conferral date in order to graduate.
• You may check the status of your degree application in SSOL. Please note that during peak times, it may take a week for your status to be updated in SSOL after you submit your application.

To: M.S. & M.A. Students

From: SPJ Academic Affairs Committee & J-School Broadcast Department

So you’ve completed the master’s project or thesis. Now what?

Join your classmates to showcase and celebrate your work! Sign up now with this (very quick!) form.

On May 11th from 12-5 p.m., students will present their work, watch / read other projects and enjoy free food!

Participating students will have the opportunity to sign up for a time that fits their schedule. And feel free to just drop by if you can’t make it to the full event. It’s a great opportunity to share your work - or to practice pitching it!

All media are welcome.

Those presenting Radio, Hybrid or Digital Media projects will have 15 minutes to introduce their projects, play a segment from it and field a few questions. Print projects will be presented, either extracts or in full, in a separate room.

If you have already indicated that you are interested in being a part of the showcase, you still need to enter your information on this form to participate.

Questions? Email CUJShowcase@gmail.com.

**DEADLINE TO RESPOND IS APRIL 26TH at midnight.**

Thank you!

-SPJ Academic Affairs Committee & J-School Broadcast Department

Click here to access the form.

SPJ & the Dean’s office invite you to join students, faculty, adjuncts, staff and guests as we cruise the Hudson on our very own boat, the Sightseer Vessel XVII (alas, it’s ours only for a night). No RSVP required. FREE for current students, faculty, adjuncts & staff (bring your ID). $20 for each guest (cash only, bring money to the boat; parents, spouses, significant others, friends, grandparents, aunts, uncles all welcome). Kids under five: no charge; kids under 12: $10. The cruise will include a DJ, cash bar and a $5 “cash food bar” i.e., chicken, pasta, salad, rice, etc.

Before we sail, we will present the award for SPJ Teacher of the Year and SPJ Student of the Year.
Attire should be Holiday Party-ish, or as we like to say, “reporter semi-formal” (dressy, but no tuxedos required).

*Sunday, May 15, 2010*
Hours: 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
• 4:00 p.m. - boarding starts
• 4:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. - party on board docked boat
• 5:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. - disembarking for those who don’t want to sail 6-8 p.m.
• 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - SAILING

* Sightseer XVII (Circle Line)*
Pier 83, 12th Ave. and West 41st Street
New York, NY 10036

*Directions*

Parking is available on Pier 83.
Monday through Friday: $25 before 3pm, $30 thereafter. $30 all day on Saturday and Sunday. (During events an additional $5 for SUVs)

TO: MA CLASS OF 2011

Your completed Master’s Thesis is due by 10 a.m. on Monday, April 18. I’ll be in the World Room collecting copies starting at 9 a.m.

You must submit TWO PAPER COPIES that meet the following requirements. You’ll be required to sign your name in the thesis submission log when you hand them over.

You must also EMAIL ELECTRONIC COPIES OF YOUR THESIS to your primary adviser, your outside adviser, and me.

Please follow these instructions carefully. Those of you submitting web or broadcast pieces should pay particular attention to numbers 8 and 9.

1. Each thesis should include the following:

–A SOURCE LIST: At minimum, this should list the name and contact information of your human sources. Some advisers may also require a bibliography. You should be aware that source lists (and your entire thesis, including the postscript described below) will be available to all library users. If there are confidentiality issues with sources, you are responsible for removing the source list from the library copy before you submit it. If you’re not sure how to cite a source, consult with your adviser.

–A SEPARATE TITLE PAGE: This should have the following information: Your name, class year, the title of your thesis, and the name of the faculty member(s) who supervised it. At the bottom of the page, type the following:
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Arts in Journalism
Copyright
[Name of Student]
[Year]

–A POSTSCRIPT: You’ll need to submit a short, first-person account of how you discovered, researched, and reported your story. This postscript should run no longer than 1,000 words. The narrative will help students in the future see what goes into the making of a successful Master’s Thesis.

2. Print your manuscript or broadcast script on plain white paper, double-spaced and single-sided. Leave an inch-and-a-half margin on the left-hand side and at least an inch on the other three margins. The pages must be numbered. Do not put any sort of binding on the thesis, and do not staple the pages.

3. Put each copy in a new 9 x 12 envelope. Label the front of each envelope with your name, your class year, the title of your thesis, and the name(s) of your adviser(s) for the Master’s Thesis. The first copy will be reserved for the library, and the second copy will be used in judging the M.A. thesis prize. Please write “Library Copy” on the envelope intended for the library.

4. Please submit separate, additional copies of your thesis to both of your advisers. Unless one or both of your advisers prefers to receive a paper copy, you may do this by email.

5. Please email an electronic copy of your thesis, saved as a single Word or PDF document, to me at tmw2112@columbia.edu

6. If you are submitting your Master’s Thesis earlier than the deadline, you still have to submit two paper copies. Please contact me to make arrangements.

7. Keep a copy of your thesis for yourself. Neither the Journalism School nor the Journalism Library is able to provide copies of your work. You are expected to keep usable copies of your Master’s Thesis for future reference.

8. WEB THESES: If your thesis is a website, the paper copy of the thesis should consist of a printed title page with the name, title, a URL, and a copyright statement and, if possible, printed material from the website. You should also include a source list and the postscript as described above. Submit two hard copies (again, one for the library, one for the thesis judging). All content and source code must be uploaded to the Columbia server. If you are using software such as Wordpress, you need to have it hosted by Columbia. Also, your videos and other multimedia need to be on Columbia servers, even if you are already hosting your content on external servers such as YouTube, blip.tv, etc. The library cannot store computer disks, and does not have the facilities for viewing their contents. A hyperlink will be made from the Master’s Thesis web page to the thesis itself. Email the URL to your advisers and me separately.

9. BROADCAST THESES: If you are submitted a broadcast thesis, please make two copies on audio tape, CD, or DVD. Label the tapes/discs, the covers and the cover spines with complete thesis information (author, title, adviser(s)). Then make two printed copies of your script, title page, source list, and postscript. Put one tape/disc and one set of papers in each envelope. E-mail a separate copy of your script to each of your advisers and to me.

A NOTE ON EXTENSIONS/LATE THESES

Extensions will be granted case-by-case, when circumstances require. In order to get an extension, your adviser must put in a written request to Dean Huff and me. The request must specify the new deadline. Students who get extensions should know, however, that late theses are disqualified from thesis prizes. Let me state that again: only theses that are handed in by the deadline will be in the running for thesis prizes. Only in extenuating circumstances such as serious illness or a death in the family will this rule be reconsidered. Also, any student who does not submit his or her thesis by May 6 runs the risk of not graduating.

—
Tali Woodward
Assistant Director, MA Program
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

Dear Students,
Now that we are in the full swing of the second semester, I want to remind you of all the terrific services Columbia has to address your health and emotional needs. The list below includes everything from back rubs to couseling!

Also, please note that Deans Sreenivasan and Huff are also available to meet with you about concerns you may have.

Alice! Health Promotion Program connects students with information and resources, and supports healthy attitudes and behaviors within the campus community.

• Health Questions: http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/
• Stress Management: http://health.columbia.edu/services/alice/stress-management
• Back Rubs: http://health.columbia.edu/services/alice/stressbusters
• Getting More Sleep: http://sleep.health.columbia.edu/
• Sexual and Reproductive Health: http://health.columbia.edu/services/alice/sexual-health
• Excercise Tips and Tools: http://health.columbia.edu/services/alice/cumove#exercise_tips
• Alcohol and Other Drugs: http://health.columbia.edu/topics/alcohol-other-drugs/alcohol

Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) offers short-term individual counseling, couples counseling, student life support groups and medication consultation.

Office of Disability Services (ODS) coordinates reasonable accommodations and support services including assistive technology, networking groups, academic skills workshops and learning specialists.

Primary Care Medical Services (PCMS) provides routine and urgent medical care, as well as sexual health, reproductive and gynecological services, travel medicine, LGBTQ healthcare, confidential HIV testing and immunizations.

Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Program (SVPRP) supports students in healing from sexual and relationship violence, as well as educates students about consent and coercion to promote a respectful and safe campus

The Gay Health Advocacy Project (GHAP) volunteers are trained to address a broad range of issues pertaining to sexual and emotional health. They offer workshops on HIV transmission and risk reduction; other STIs, and the physical and emotional health of the LGBTQ community. Contact them at http://health.columbia.edu/contact-us#Contact_GHAP

News21 2011 Brave Old World: Aging America
Faculty: Professors Paula Span and Duy Linh Tu

Few demographic shifts will strike our country with as much force as the aging of our population. To choose one illustrative statistic: The number of American over 95 has jumped 60 percent – to 435,000 – just since the 2000 Census.

Medical advances have given our elders more years of life, but not necessarily healthy ones. Most will need long-term care for an average of three years. Yet the national programs that support them in old age date to 1936 (Social Security) and 1965 (Medicare); they were never designed to cope with so many people reaching such advanced ages and requiring so much help. Their creators never envisioned a society in which the fifth leading cause of death among those over 65 is dementia.

Our News21 fellows will continue last summer’s reporting on both the public aspects of this change, the way government policies and the American economy are adapting or failing to, and the private dramas, since families bear the greatest share of responsibility for senior care. We’ll use a panoply of storytelling techniques and tools: long-form writing, interactive graphics, audio and video, photography, social media, all fed by energetic, in-depth reporting. We will require professional-level work and emphasize journalistic innovation. We’ll also work hard to draw our work to the attention of national media outlets, advocacy and research organizations, policymakers and the public. Last year, nearly all our work appeared in the Washington Post, on nytimes.com and in AARP Bulletin; it was also used by government agencies, nonprofit organizations and universities.

Who should apply? Fellows will have strong skills in one or more of the above formats, and will want to develop them further by applying them to meaningful stories. They’ll work individually with experienced editors and digital producers; they’ll have travel budgets that allow them to follow projects where they lead; they’ll have a chance to collaborate with one another and with fellows on seven other campuses around the country. Think of News21 as a post-doc grant, one fewer than 100 journalism graduates in the U.S. will receive.
This year’s News21 program begins May 23 and runs through July 29. Fellows will receive a $750 weekly salary for 10 weeks of full-time work; they won’t be able to hold other jobs or internships while reporting for News21. Some internships, however, will defer start dates to allow fellows to complete News21 first.

To prepare, fellows and alternates must also attend a weekly no-credit course for 10 weeks, beginning March 2 and meeting Wednesdays from 12:30 to 3. It will incorporate speakers, reading and discussions about aging, to help fellows develop and focus their reporting projects; it will also include advanced digital media training. We’ll require no assignments except those that allow fellows a running start, so that they can begin traveling, reporting and working as soon as the summer program starts.

We’ll select 10 fellows and several alternates (who frequently wind up becoming fellows or paid freelance contributors).

INFORMATION SESSION: Tuesday, January 18, 4 p.m., 607B

Applications for News21 2010 open at 7 a.m. on Monday, January 24 at http://www.formsite.com/columbiaspj/news21

The application closes at 5 p.m. on Monday, Februrary 7. We can’t accept late applications.

We’ll notify fellows and alternates of their selection by February 21.

Dear Students,

The Business School’s cross-registration system http://www3.gsb.columbia.edu/crossreg goes live tomorrow, December 10, at 10 a.m. It closes at 10 a.m. on January 5.

The link will provide you with information on the available classes as well as an enrollment application.

On January 12, I will notify those Journalism School students who apply with a decision.

For M.S. students, the Business School class would be taken in lieu of your Wednesday elective. An outside course meeting on any day other than Wednesday will require special permission from your seminar or workshop professor.

For M.A. students, this class would be the second of your two electives (Corporate Finance is your first).

Please let me know if you have any questions.

MH

Do You Procrastinate? What Can You Do About It?

Procrastination Workshop

This hands-on, sequential 4-session* workshop will:

• address procrastination and time management difficulties which affect your studies and your life

enable you to pinpoint the problem and address its’ solutions

When? Mondays, 10/25, 11/1, 11/8, & 11/15/10

What time? 5:30pm – 7:00pm

Where? Counseling & Psychological Services’ Conference Room, Alfred Lerner Hall, 8th Floor

To reserve a spot or for more information, please e-mail:
Dr. Yaniv Phillips at py2120@columbia.edu.

*Students must attend the first meeting and are expected to attend all 4 meetings.