Apply for fellowships to attend Business Journalism Professors Seminar 2014

The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism is offering fellowships worth $1,500 for four days of intensive study in how to teach an undergraduate course in business journalism Jan. 2-5, 2014 in Phoenix.

Limited to 12 prospective professors, the eighth annual Business Journalism Professors Seminar will take place during Reynolds Business Journalism Week at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Fellowships cover the full cost of training, lodging, materials and most meals. Fellows have to cover just their transportation costs.

Dianne Finch of Elon University attended the 2013 Business Journalism Professors Seminar. Photo by Aaron Lavinsky.

This seminar will cover the essentials of teaching a hands-on course, including deciding what to teach, organizing your course, keeping students interested, plus how to teach financial statements and the use of data. It is an opportunity for prospective business journalism professors to learn from experienced instructors and journalism professionals.

WHAT PAST FELLOWS SAY

A 2013 participant, Melita Garza of Texas Christian University, said, “This is an outstanding program: It offers constructive ideas that I can immediately apply, and important resources, including colleagues to network with in the future.”Former SABEW President Rob Reuteman was a 2012 participant and participated in the Reynolds Center’s inaugural Visiting Professors Program at Colorado State University in spring 2012. He said, “It’s an intensive workshop. I don’t think there was a wasted minute. Every aspect was valuable to me in important ways.”

HOW TO APPLY

The selection process is highly competitive, and applicants must supply the following by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time Nov. 1, 2013, at BusinessJournalism.org:

Contact informationA 500-word statement explaining why they should be chosen and how the seminar will improve their instructionA resumeA one-paragraph bioA letter of support from their dean or department head recommending the applicant and outlining the program’s commitment to offering a course in business journalism.

WHAT TO EXPECT

To give you an idea of what to expect, here’s the agenda for the 2013 Business Journalism Professors Seminar.

And here are video recordings, slides and handouts from each day of the 2013 seminar:

Day 1: Business Journalists as Investigators, Deciding What to Teach, Organizing Your Class, Keeping Students InterestedDay 2: Designing Assignments, Teaching the Business Narrative, Teaching the Use of Data, Preparing Students for InternshipsDay 3: Teaching Financial Statements and SEC FilingsDay 4: Using Multimedia in Your Class, What Do Editors Expect, Jump-starting Your Program When You Return Home

Business journalists from around the country, who are attending a concurrent seminar called Strictly Financials, will attend some classes with the professors.

QUESTIONS?

Contact Andrew Leckey, Reynolds Center president, at Andrew.Leckey@businessjournalism.org or 602-496-9186.

View the original article here

Apply for fellowships to attend Strictly Financials Seminar 2014

The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism is offering fellowships worth $1,500 for four days of intensive study in financials and accounting Jan. 2-5, 2014 in Phoenix.

Limited to 12 professional journalists with at least two years of business journalism experience, the seventh annual Strictly Financials Seminar will take place during Reynolds Business Journalism Week at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Fellowships cover the full cost of training, lodging, materials and most meals. Fellows have to cover just their transportation costs.

This seminar will cover the essentials of of covering financials, from stock markets and bonds to financial statements and company research.

Danielle Douglas of The Washington Post attended the 2013 Strictly Financials Seminar. Photo by Aaron Lavinsky.

“We’re offering this seminar in answer to requests from many participants in our one-day workshops who want to raise their sophistication level in all the financial aspects of business coverage,” said Andrew Leckey, president of the Reynolds Center. “Spending a week digging into balance sheets and accounting should provide a real boost to every journalist’s expertise.”

WHAT PAST FELLOWS SAY

Christopher Otts, a 2013 Strictly Financials fellow from The Courier-Journal, said, “Strictly Financials provided an excellent overview of financial statements and markets. I can’t thank you enough for providing this opportunity.”Mary Judd, a 2012 Strictly Financials fellow and reporter at the Fulton County Daily Report, said, “Thank you! I wish I’d had this experience 27 years ago when I began my career. What a generous, innovative investment the Reynolds Center is making in our profession, our economy and ultimately our world understanding of capitalism.”

HOW TO APPLY

The selection process is highly competitive, and applicants must be professional journalists working in the United States or, if based overseas, for media outlets serving a U.S. audience. They must provide by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time Nov. 1, 2013, at BusinessJournalism.org:

Contact informationA resumeA 100-word bio500-word statement of why you are interested in attending the seminar, how it would improve your coverage and how you would share this knowledge with colleaguesA letter of support from your editor recommending you for the seminar, explaining how your attendance would benefit the organization, and supporting your time away from work to attend. (Waived for freelancers.)

WHAT TO EXPECT

To give you an idea of what to expect, here’s the agenda from the 2013 Strictly Financials Seminar. And here are video recordings, slides and handouts from the 2013 seminar:

Day 1: Business Journalists as Investigators, Understanding Markets and the Income Statement, Common-Size Analysis and SEC DocumentsDay 2: Understanding Balance Sheets and Cash Flows, Understanding Goodwill and Proforma, Comparing Companies and Understanding Financial Statements for Banks, Mining SEC DocumentsDay 3: Decoding Financial StatementsDay 4: Financial Markets

Journalism professors from around the country, who are attending a concurrent seminar on how to teach business journalism, will attend some classes with Strictly Financials Fellows.

QUESTIONS?

Contact Andrew Leckey, Reynolds Center president, at Andrew.Leckey@businessjournalism.org. or 602-496-9186.

View the original article here