"This is the time in life when young people are exploring the opportunities that are open to them. These ought to be the highest quality opportunities we as a society can provide for them."
- Richard Gilman
Above: Richard Gilman (right) chats with UA School of Journalism students Laura Klink and Matt Lewis of the school’s student advisory council. Photo by Kate Flynn, journalism student.
Putting Students FirstJournalism alum and industry giant Richard Gilman and his spouse, Wendy Gilman, are funding an endowed scholarship to encourage bright students to be journalists.
When Richard Gilman retired in 2006 as publisher of The Boston Globe, his bosses wanted to recognize his illustrious journalistic career. So The New York Times Co., the Globe’s parent company, endowed a $25,000 scholarship in his name in the UA School of Journalism, Gilman’s alma mater.
Gilman remembered how tough it can be for students to juggle classwork, jobs and internships. So to ease that burden, he and his spouse, Wendy, added another $40,000 to the scholarship endowment in 2008 and plan to boost it to $100,000 in another year.
“Our purpose with this scholarship is to encourage the best and brightest to learn about the field of journalism and to practice the profession. We believe strongly in the importance of journalism and the quality of the UA School of Journalism,” says Richard Gilman. “I want to give back some of the opportunities that were given to me.”
The Gilman Scholarship will be awarded for the first time in the spring of 2009. A sophomore will receive $2,000 for his/her junior year, and another $2,000 the following year. Next spring, the scholarship will be awarded to another student, resulting in two Gilman scholarship recipients at any one time. Students with high GPAs and some journalism experience will be given highest consideration.
“We see it as becoming one of the most sought-after scholarships in the school, because it rewards academic achievement and students’ published work,” says Jacqueline Sharkey, head of the School of Journalism.
Photo, top left by John deDios.
Photo, at right: Richard Gilman sits with Roxana Vasquez, president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists student chapter. Photograph by Kate Flynn.
Leading By Example
Richard Gilman’s career in journalism is an inspiration for students who aspire to make their mark in the field.
He earned a B.A. degree in government and journalism from the UA in 1972 and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1983. Gilman served in a number of positions at The New York Times Co. before being named publisher of The Boston Globe in 1999. The Globe won three Pulitzer Prizes under his leadership, including the Gold Medal for Public Service for the paper’s investigation into sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests in the Boston Archdiocese.
But Gilman began his career as a journalist with the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson in 1970, going to college during the day and covering the police beat at night between 4 p.m. and 1 a.m.
“Being busy was probably a good thing,” Gilman says. “I had to focus on the work that needed to be done.”
That early hard work showed a dedication and professionalism that followed him throughout his career.
Michael Chihak, former publisher and editor of the Tucson Citizen and currently the executive director of the Communications Leadership Institute, was a year ahead of Gilman when they were journalism students at the UA. They were both reporters for the Arizona Daily Wildcat, as well as competing rookie reporters for Tucson papers: Gilman at the Arizona Daily Star and Chihak at the Tucson Citizen.
“I think Richard’s success was driven by his intelligence, hustle, hard work and assertiveness,” says Chihak. “And his seriousness. He always had a serious
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assertiveness,” says Chihak. “And his seriousness. He always had a seriousness of purpose about things in college and afterwards. I think it served him well. It helped him to be focused.”
Training Journalists
Gilman recognizes that the college years are an important time to offer life-changing opportunities to students.
“This is the time in life when young people are exploring the opportunities that are open to them,” says Gilman. “These ought to be the highest quality opportunities we as a society can provide for them.
“One of the great things about the way the UA teaches journalism is students learn by actually doing — by writing stories and getting feedback from professors who know what they’re doing,” says Gilman. “I don’t think there is anything that replaces that. The programs offered by the School of Journalism are fabulous, and students ought to take advantage of as many of those as they possibly can.”
Gilman believes the skills taught by the UA School of Journalism are critical to preparing thoughtful, well-prepared journalists. He emphasizes the importance of students learning, not only the tools of the profession — how to gather and present information effectively — but also the ethical standards of the profession.
And although many newspapers across the country are struggling to find readers and advertisers, Gilman thinks this is a promising time to be a journalist because of the growth in news outlets.
“I see journalists as intermediaries — extremely critical intermediaries between those public officials and institutions that have information and the general public who needs that information to be part of a well-functioning society,” says Gilman. “There are a variety of media that can be that in-between, whether it be newspapers, or the internet, or visual media. There are probably more opportunities for young people these days.”
Student scholarships such as the Gilman Scholarship are invaluable to students struggling to pay rising tuition costs.
“The Gilman Scholarship will reward good, solid journalism in an amount that can make a real difference in the lives of our students,” says Sharkey. “That’s attractive to students, many of whom must work one — and sometimes two — jobs, in addition to taking a full course load.”
The Gilmans factored in the rising cost of college education in their decision to give.
“Wendy and I both feel that students need all the help that they can get,” says Gilman.
For more information, contact Lori Harwood at 520-626-3846 • Editor