HAMPTON, Va. (January 14, 2021) – The Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications is excited to announce a $500,000, multi-year partnership with NBCUniversal News Group that will literally infuse much needed support to a myriad of areas, such as scholarships, on-campus journalism training and access to world-class NBCU News Group journalists. This much-welcomed partnership is a testament to the global corporation’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and creating pipelines for students from all ethnicities, gender, and backgrounds, to realize their dreams of working in the media industry.
“Hampton University appreciates NBCUniversal News Group for its financial investment, technological contributions and other collaborative efforts in supporting our Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications, as well as the other participating institutions,” said Dr. William R. Harvey, President of Hampton University. “The NBCU Academy will provide our students with unmatched opportunities from one of the leading mass media and entertainment conglomerates in the world. This effort is in-line with the goal of diversifying staff in newsrooms across the country when Scripps Howard was established in 2002.”
The strategic partnership places Hampton among 16 other Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Service Institutions and Colleges with Significant Black, Indigenous and People of Color Populations, that will benefit from the wealth of support through NBCU Academy, a newly launched program from NBCUniversal News Group. NBCU Academy is an innovative, multiplatform journalism training and development program for four-year university and community college students through education on-campus training and online programming.
The NBCU Academy will provide professional journalists, guest lecturers and fieldwork under the guidance of current NBCU News Group talent to elevate the curriculum, and resources for special seminars across all of the classification of students. The financial support will include tuition assistance, internship stipends, funding for equipment, both in studio, digital and mobile, as well as production tools including software.
“It is difficult to capture in words the impact of the NBCU Academy grant as we navigate the uncertainty around recruitment and retention that hovers as a result of this pandemic. As a dean, I am spending endless hours shoring up resources to ensure that these young journalists and communicators have every educational advantage possible paving a path to placement in this industry,” said B. DàVida Plummer, Dean of the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications. “So many corporations have called to discuss diversity and inclusion; but it takes more than synergy. It takes a financial commitment to raise the bar in tools, resources, expertise, scholarship and exposure to working professionals who can lead the way. NBCU News Group came willing to support the program in a myriad of sustainable ways. Students who have financial need will be assisted; academic programs will be enhanced with an infusion of NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo talent and expertise; technology will be upgraded and our entire school community has been inspired by the depth and reach of support that simply couldn’t have come at a better time.”
NBCUniversal has always shown a strong level of support of the SHSJC through internships and job opportunities, including hiring the school’s graduates. While we’re proud of all of our graduates, we are particularly happy to recognize Rashida Jones, class of 2002, who was recently named the new president of MSNBC, effective Feb. 1, 2021. She will become the first Black executive to lead a major television news network.
The newly launched NBCU Academy will reach students from underrepresented groups, including those with diverse, racial, ethnic, economic and geographic backgrounds.
“Creating an inclusive culture for journalism that represents the communities we serve is at the very core of what we do,” said NBCU News Group Chairman Cesar Conde. “Through NBCU Academy, we have the opportunity to widen our extraordinary legacy by building on-ramps for a talented generation of journalists and storytellers who—for so long—may have been overlooked.”
In June 2020, Comcast NBCUniversal announced a multi-year, $100 million commitment to help address systemic racism and inequality. NBCU Academy is part of that pledge and focuses on providing tools, resources, and platforms for young, underrepresented voices.