July 2006 Archives

Inside Higher Ed :: The J-School Boom Even The New York Times is cutting her page size to reduce costs. Why then, are some institutions cheerfully touting the creation of new journalism programs? The answer, they say, is that the writing and information gathering skills taught to journalism students are an entrée to an increasing number of jobs, both journalism and marketing, as the media comes to include both magazines and Webzines, both broadcasts and podcasts.

I tell my journalism majors that the word "journalism" on their degree won't get them a job at a daily paper or in a PR firm when they graduate. Doing well in their coursework will prepare them to get a good internship, and doing well in their internship will open doors to a continuing career (whether that is in the working world or in graduate school). But the Seton Hill New Media Journalism major is first and foremost a liberal arts degree. We also have several key newspaper staff members who are journalism minors, who are positioning themselves well for the transition to the world that comes after their BA degrees.

Small Colleges, Short of Men, Embrace Football - New York Times (by Bill Pennington; free registration required)

Some small American colleges, eager to attract men to increasingly female campuses, have taken notice of how many students like Mr. Bosworth can be lured to attend by adding football teams. Officials at these colleges say football can bring in more tuition-paying students than any other course or activity -- and not just players themselves.

"When you recruit a halfback, you get a few of his male friends, maybe his sister and his sister's boyfriend, too," said JoAnne Boyle, president of Seton Hill University. A 123-year-old former women's institution in Greensburg, Pa., Seton Hill added football last year.

"I could have started a spiffy new major of study, spent a lot of money on lab equipment and hired a few new high-powered professors," Dr. Boyle said. "I might have gotten 25 more students for that. And I couldn't have counted on that major still being popular in 15 years.

"Instead, I started a football team, brought in hundreds of paying students, added a vibrant piece to our campus life and broadened our recognition factor. And in the long history of American higher education, one thing you can count on is football's longevity. Football is here to stay."

Last year's freshman class at Seton Hill was the first with more men than women. Four years ago, when the college became fully co-ed, its undergraduate student body was 18 percent male; last fall it was 41 percent male.