Photo: Morgan State University
NBCUniversal News Group partners with Morgan State University to launch NBCU Academy, a new, innovative, multiplatform journalism training and development program for four-year university and community college students through education, on-campus training and online programming.
The initiative includes a curated onsite curriculum for hands-on learning experience with world-class NBCU News Group journalists, funding for accredited journalism programs and scholarships.
“We appreciate the investment being made into Morgan State University,” said DeWayne Wickham, dean for the School of Global Journalism and Communication at Morgan, and the past president and founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists. “The NBCU Academy is a ‘put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is’ commitment to newsroom diversity. It is a partnership of substance that strengthens our faculty and enhances the ability of our students to enter the journalism profession heavily armed with the skills they need to succeed.”
In keeping with Comcast NBCUniversal and NBCU News Group’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, the multi-year partnership involves 17 academic partners including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions and colleges with significant Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous and tribal populations – reaching students from underrepresented groups including those from diverse racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, 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.”
NBCU Academy will invest a total of $6.5 million to the initiative, including scholarships worth $3.5 million over the next two years. In addition to providing equipment and collaborating with professors to develop seminar courses, NBCU News Group journalists, executives and management from editorial and production teams across NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo will participate as guest lecturers to provide real-world insight and mentorship.
NBCU Academy builds on the foundation of NBC University, which NBC News launched nearly a decade ago as a training program for young journalism professionals at diversity journalism conferences and conventions, including at the Asian American Journalists Association, The National Association of Black Journalists, The National Association of Hispanic Journalists, The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, Native American Journalists Association, the Online News Association and many more. NBCU Academy is an expansion of that initiative, offering new institutional partnerships.
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.
In July 2020, NBCU News Group announced the Fifty Percent Challenge Initiative, an aggressive action plan to turn the NBCU News Group employee base to be 50% women and 50% people of color.
