Rowan junior to attend New York Times Student Journalism Institute

 

Rowan University junior Stacy A. Jones, editor-in-chief of the University's student newspaper, has been selected to attend the New York Times Student Journalism Institute.

A journalism major from Piscataway, Jones is one of 24 students nationwide attending the institute, which runs May 18-31 at Dillard University in New Orleans.

During the program, Jones will work side-by-side with writers, editors, designers and photographers from The New York Times, The Boston Globe and other regional papers in the Times Company. She'll be assigned to cover real news and the results will be posted on the web at http://www.nytimes-institute.com. The best work will be published in a newspaper at the end of the institute.

Since its inception six years ago, the institute has gained recognition as one of the top training opportunities for young journalists. Some of the 149 students who have attended the institute have gone on to land jobs at major metropolitan dailies across the nation, including the Times and the Globe.

"The institute represents some of the finest talent in the field of journalism," says Jill Abramson, managing editor of The New York Times.

The institute is a collaborative venture with the Black College Communication Association.

Before this year, the institute accepted applications only from students at historically black colleges and universities. This year, applications also were open to student members of the National Association of Black Journalists. Jones, editor-in-chief of The Whit, Rowan's student newspaper, jumped at the chance to apply.

"It was perfect timing for me," says Jones, who was required to submit an essay and six examples of her work to the institute. The program accepts applications from promising students in any class year who are in good academic standing and have worked for at least one semester on a student publication.

Jones will attend the institute alongside students from Harvard, Tuskegee, Northwestern, Howard, Florida A&M, Ohio State, Maryland, and Missouri, among others.

"My professors in the journalism program are just phenomenal. I feel really prepared for this," says Jones, who recently completed an internship on the metro desk at the Courier-Post newspaper in Cherry Hill.

As she prepares for the all-expenses-paid institute, Jones is reading up about New Orleans. She's also been in touch with 2003 Rowan alumnus Trymaine Lee, who was part of the reporting team for the Times-Picayune newspaper that won two Pulitzer Prizes for their Hurricane Katrina coverage. Lee now writes for The New York Times and was involved in the institute last year, according to Jones.

A 2005 graduate of Piscataway High School, is planning to write a blog about her experiences in the program.