UBC Announces Creation of New Journalism School

The University of British Columbia and the Sing Tao Foundation
will announce the establishment of a new graduate school of journalism
at UBC during a ground-breaking ceremony today.

The Sing Tao School of Journalism will offer an integrated program
that combines graduate study in academic disciplines with advanced
training in the profession of journalism. It will be the first graduate
school of journalism in Western Canada and the only one in Canada
to emphasize advanced academic studies.

The founding of the school is made possible by a donation from
the Sing Tao Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sing Tao, a Hong
Kong-based media corporation. The amount of the donation is confidential
at the request of the donor.

“There has been discussion about establishing a school of journalism
at UBC for many years but, until now, funding was simply not available,”
said UBC President David Strangway.

“The Sing Tao Foundation’s gift has made it possible to establish
an important new centre for the training of journalists in Canada,”
he said.

The school will be housed in the first phase of the new Creative
Arts Building, to be constructed at the former site of the Old Armoury
on West Mall between Memorial and Crescent Roads. First phase construction
is scheduled to begin later this month.

The school will seek outstanding applicants from within Canada
and from abroad. About 15 students will be admitted annually. Those
who complete the program will receive a Master of Journalism degree.

The journalism program is intended for those who already have a
bachelor’s degree in an academic discipline, and either have extensive
journalistic experience or demonstrate superior research and writing
ability.

Some of the program’s credits will be taken in regular academic
courses offered by other UBC departments. Other credits will be
given within the school and will be divided between theoretical
media studies and the practical, technical aspects of journalism.
Scholarly understanding, critical thinking, and ethical responsibility
will be emphasized.

The newsroom training aspect of the program will focus on achieving
the highest standards in research, writing and editing in the print
media. Other aspects of journalism may be added to the curriculum
at a later date, but excellence in journalistic research and writing
skills and their application to specialty areas will remain the
core of the program.

Program curriculum will be approved by the faculties of Arts and
Graduate Studies.

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