Enhance Your Education

Distinctive Programs in Journalism

more than 90% of all Knox students complete an independent research or creative project by the time they graduate. There are ample opportunities to enhance your studies in journalism through independent research, off-campus study, and internships. These programs are integral to a Knox education, teaching you how to apply your skills in real world situations.

Midwest in Transition Reporting Project
Under the direction of Distinguished Professor of Journalism Marilyn Webb, the Midwest in Transition project involves in-depth reporting and multi-platform publishing of news and feature stories about the economic, social, and cultural transformation of midwestern communities such as Galesburg and the surrounding region. Much of the reporting in this project to date has focused on patterns of individual and community responses to the closing of Galesburg's Maytag refrigeration factory.

Using surveys and in-depth reporting, in cooperation with the Galesburg Register-Mail, the Midwest in Transition team of students and faculty has published an award-winning investigative series of stories about the ways in which displaced workers have remade their lives in often surprising ways. This series was awarded a first prize in the 2012 Illinois Associated Press Editors Association awards, in competition with professional journalists from across the state. It is also a finalist in the 2012 Illinois Press Association annual competition. In addition, three book-length investigative projects are currently in preparation.

Borzello Fellows Program
Knox Journalism Program students can receive support for independent research and reporting projects (multiplatform, print and photojournalism) through the Borzello Fellows Program, funded by a generous gift from Robert Borzello, a 1958 Knox graduate and publisher in England, noted for his work on ethics in news reporting.

Student Research and Creative Projects
Knox is a leader in promoting top-notch undergraduate research. In fact, more than 90% of all Knox students complete an independent research or creative project by the time they graduate. Many students' projects are supported by an unusually rich array of Knox College funding programs that together provide students more than $200,000 each year in support of their work. These sources include: Richter Memorial Scholars Program, Ford Foundation Research Fellows Program, Ronald E. McNair Fellows Program and departmentally supported independent studies. In addition, special fellowships awarded to Knox through national competitions and through the research grants of Knox faculty make Knox a leader in promoting top-notch undergraduate research.

College Honors
Outstanding students may elect to undertake College Honors in their senior year, carrying out an advanced research project presented and defended to a faculty committee that includes a distinguished outside examiner. Examples of recent Honors projects are:

"'To Never Allow Others to Define Me': Why Presidential Hopefuls Publish Books," Helen Avery Schnoes '11.
"The Environmental Health of Working for Maytag Galesburg Refrigeration Products," Alison Mariel Ehrhard '11.
"'Flirting With Disaster': Galesburg looks for An Economic Savior in a Beauty-Queen-Turned-CEO-Turned-International-Fugitive," Devin Hogan '06.
"Partisan Airwaves: The Repeal of the Fairness Doctrine and the Rise of Talk Radio," Donald J. Forti '06.
"Small City Journalism: Community of Color Coverage and Conflict," Julio Trujillo '06.

Off-campus Study
Knox offers you plenty of opportunities to begin exploring the world while still a student. Almost 50% of Knox students participate in off-campus study and consider their studies abroad to be the highlight of their college experiences. Knox offers several off-campus programs of particular interest to journalism students:

Urban Studies Program in Chicago -- Focuses on the social, cultural and economic forces shaping American cities, including the daily press and mass culture. The program includes seminars, an independent study project, and supervised internships.
Washington Semester -- Study government in action, including role of the media, in this intense program combining seminars, independent research, and a supervised internship.

Internships
As a student of art at Knox, you'll have the opportunity to expand your education -- to get that valuable "real world" experience you hear so much about -- by completing an internship. Internships provide an opportunity to explore and test career options, to gain experiences and skills needed to succeed as a professional, to build a resume, to network and make critical connections, and to experience a work environment. More and more employers are looking for college graduates with career-related experience. Knox's Center for Career and Pre-Professional Development specializes in helping you find an internship that best matches your goals and interests. Knox College students have recently had internships at the following media outlets: Chicago Sun-Times, CNN Chicago Bureau, Register-Mail (Galesburg daily newspaper), and Roll Call magazine, Washington, D.C.

Prizes in Journalism
Prizes are a public recognition of excellence in journalistic accomplishments.

Tarbell Prize for Investigative Reporting
The Ida M. Tarbell Memorial Prize for Investigative Reporting is awarded each year to the Knox student who has published the best article or series based on investigative reporting. Tarbell was one of the foremost early "muckrakers," who investigated significant social, economic and political evils. Her most celebrated stories dealt with corporate monopolies, especially the Standard Oil Company and its founder, John D. Rockefeller. She published many of her stories in McClure's Magazine, published by her friend, Samuel S. McClure, Knox Class of 1882. The Tarbell Prize was established in 1999 by an anonymous donor.
Kimble Prize for Feature Writing
The Theodore Hazen Kimble Memorial Award in Journalism is awarded each year to the student writing the best feature story published in The Knox Student. It was established in 1954 by Ralph A. and Ruth Hazen Kimble, both members of the Knox class of 1918, in memory of their son, class of 1946, who was an active student journalist during his years at Knox. At the time of his death in 1954, Theodore Hazen Kimble was managing editor of Household magazine in Topeka, Kansas.