Hello, there!

I know where you want to be during spring semester 2009 -- in Washington,
DC, right? Witnessing what happens when a new president takes office ... but
you're stuck here in Oxford, right? WRONG!

Come to an informational meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, or 7 p.m.
Wednesday, April 9, to find out how you can be one of 15 students < a mix of
journalism, politics and communication majors < in the next semester-long
Inside Washington program. Both informational meetings will be held in 102
Bachelor Hall.

Those who participate in the program will earn 16 credits < eight of which
can count as required courses for their journalism degrees. The other eight
elective credits are for a 10-week internship at a place like Fox News,
Voice of America, Capitol News Connection, The Hill newspaper, or another
media organization. If you prefer, you can also intern with a member of
Congress, in a government agency or with a non-governmental organization.

If it sounds like I'm writing this in an unjournalistically promotional
tone, you're right. I led the pilot semester-long program last fall. I saw
first-hand how amazing this program is, and I'm absolutely thrilled that
I'll get to lead the program again in the spring.

For the first five weeks of the semester, we traveled throughout Washington
and the surrounding area, hearing speakers like FCC Chairman Kevin Martin,
Washington Examiner Publisher (and Miami alum) Michael Phelps, Ohio Sen.
Sherrod Brown, CNN correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, New York Post Washington
Bureau Chief Tom Franks ... a truly amazing array of people whose faces we'd
all seen on the national news.

Then the students began their internships, and the stories they tell about
what they learned, where they went and who they met are pretty amazing.

To see more about what the program is like, go to these Web sites:

The main Web site for Inside Washington:
http://www.units.muohio.edu/insidewashington/

The Web site from the fall program (a work in progress): www.miamiofdc.org.
One of the students produced a video that's posted there, and I'm working to
get the students work up, but it's taking me a while (you can still get
quite a bit of information by going to the site, though).

Students from the fall program will be there to answer your questions, and
so will I and Dr. Howard Kleiman, who founded the summer program with Miami
alum and Fox News journalist Chad Pergram almost 10 years ago now.

I hope to see you at one of the meetings!

Meanwhile, enjoy this spring weather < FINALLY!

Cheryl

--
Cheryl Gibbs
Assistant Director
Journalism Program
260A Bachelor Hall
Miami University
Oxford, OH   45056
[log in to unmask]
(513) 529-1923 (office)
(765) 993-0624 (cell)