Spring 2021 Class of Higher Education Media Fellows Named

NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: March 11, 2021
CONTACT: Frances Hannan, Program Officer, Higher Education Media Fellowship | 201-587-4755 | hannan@citizensandscholars.org

Fellows To Build Career And Technical Education Knowledge To Inform Reporting Projects

PRINCETON, NJ (Thursday, March 11, 2021)—Eleven journalists have been named Higher Education Media Fellows at the Institute for Citizens & Scholars. These Fellows come from a range of backgrounds, outlets, and geographic locations.

The spring 2021 ECMC Foundation Fellows of the Higher Education Media Fellowship include Adam Bruns (Site Selection Magazine), Stephanie Daniel (KUNC), Derricke Dennis (ABC News New York), Cassandra Etienne (CivicStory), Tasmiha Khan (freelance), Kate McGee (Texas Tribune), Elle Moxely (KCUR), David Tobenkin (freelance), Alina Tugend (freelance), Charlotte West (freelance), and Chandra Thomas Whitfield (freelance).

The Higher Education Media Fellowship names two classes of Fellows each year. The program aims to increase the number of journalists equipped with tools and networks to provide more comprehensive coverage of postsecondary education, particularly career and technical education (CTE).

Journalists in this year’s class have a range of experiences. Fellows have won honors from the Apex Awards and the Edward R. Murrow Awards and held fellowships at Yale and the National Press Foundation. The group also includes recipients of awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Magazine Association of Georgia and the Southeast, the Education Writers Association, and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Each Fellow receives an award of $10,000—a $5,000 stipend and $5,000 to support a CTE reporting project. Fellows in past classes have covered such topics as students with bachelor’s degrees returning to school to learn trades, the pipeline of early childhood educators in Colorado, and the adjustments to in-person, hands-on training in CTE programs necessitated by COVID-19.

As a deep fellowship experience, the Higher Education Media Fellowship provides knowledge- and network-building as well as professional development. Through the CTE symposium hosted by Citizens & Scholars, Fellows hear from experts in the CTE field, get to know each other, and connect with a mentor matched with them by the program.

The funding for this program is a part of the ECMC Foundation’s CTE Leadership Collaborative, an initiative focused on bringing together diverse perspectives and equipping CTE leaders with the tools, resources, and skills needed to advance postsecondary CTE.

Applications are now open for the fall 2021 class. More information about the program, eligibility requirements, and the application process can be found at https://woodrow.org/fellowships/cte-media-fellowship/.

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About the Institute for Citizens & Scholars
The Institute for Citizens & Scholars (citizensandscholars.org) is a 75-year-old organization that has played a significant role in shaping higher education. Now, with an expanded mission Citizens & Scholars prepares leaders and engages networks of people and organizations to meet urgent education challenges. The overarching goal is to shape an informed, productively engaged, and hopeful citizenry.

About the ECMC Foundation
ECMC Foundation (www.ecmcfoundation.org) is a Los Angeles-based, nationally focused foundation whose mission is to inspire and to facilitate improvements that affect educational outcomes—especially among underserved populations—through evidence-based innovation. It is one of several affiliates under the ECMC Group (www.ecmcgroup.org) enterprise based in Minneapolis. ECMC Foundation makes investments in two focus areas: College Success and Career Readiness; and uses a spectrum of funding structures, including strategic grantmaking and program-related investments, to invest in both nonprofit and for-profit ventures. Working with grantees, partners and peers, ECMC Foundation’s vision is for all learners to unlock their fullest potential.