McElroy Trust approves $42,000 grant

Feb. 05, 2008

WAVERLY, Iowa — The R.J. McElroy Trust has awarded Wartburg College a $42,000 grant for a new television internship program.

The grant will fund a program that gives electronic media students from Wartburg and other colleges and universities in the region hands-on opportunities in real-life news gathering. A minimum of two-thirds of the grant will be reserved for Wartburg students.

Dr. Jeff Stein, R.J. McElroy Chair and Executive-in-Residence in Communication Arts, will serve as liaison between Wartburg and host television stations. KWWL-TV 7 in Waterloo is expected to be the primary placement site. Other television stations may also be involved in the internship program.

The McElroy Trust and KWWL partnered in a unique college internship program for more than 25 years. Interns from the program have gone on to television news careers in local, regional and national markets.

“Internships allow students to hone their skills,” said Stein. “Under the most recent program funded by the McElroy Trust, KWWL has hired several Wartburg students as interns in its Waterloo newsroom. At times, up to half of the interns in the original program were from Wartburg.”

The recently awarded grant allows Wartburg to administer a program similar to the original one for its students and those from other institutions.

“Students are attracted to Wartburg’s Communication Arts Department because of its strong reputation for preparing students for the seamless transition into professional newsrooms or graduate school,” said Stein. “Wartburg’s emphasis of hands-on, real world experience assists in such endeavors.”

To carry on that tradition, Wartburg has undertaken a long-term remodeling of its television facility, ultimately converting to all-digital technology, Stein added. Recent work in the multi-year project includes renovation of the television control room and installation of a new studio for Wartburg Television, the student-run co-curricular program.