The King’s College, NYC, To Host Week-Long High School Summer Academy Online with Journalism and Finance Tracks

High school students will earn one college credit for a week of virtual study in finance or journalism this July.

This July, The King’s College in New York City will host two week-long summer sessions for high school students to earn college credit studying with finance and journalism faculty and industry leaders.  

Each week includes interactive classes with professors and field-trip style sessions virtually exploring New York City institutions. The King’s College is a Christian liberal arts college, and professors bring a biblical perspective to their areas of expertise.

This is the college’s sixth year offering Summer Academy and the first hosting the program virtually. Summer Academy Online is offered at the highly discounted rate of $200 for one week or $350 for two weeks. Dates and track options are as follows:

• July 12–17: Faith and Finance

• July 26–31: Sports Journalism | Arts and Culture Reporting

Paul Glader, track leader for Arts and Culture Reporting, will take students on a virtual visit to Newsweek magazine and on virtual visits of MoMA, Pace Gallery and the David Zwirner Gallery. “The arts world has long wrestled with digital categories,” says Glader, a former reporter at The Wall Street Journal who also edits the award-winning web-site ReligionUnplugged.com. “And this year their ability to make, show and demonstrate art in that new format is very important.” Students will explore this digital trend and consider how it will shape the future of the art world. They will discuss NYC as a hub of book publishing, fashion, art, film / tv, music and many other parts of culture. They will also consider how Christians can think about and approach culture. And they consider how Christians are working in the world of art and culture at a high level.

Clemente Lisi, track leader for Sports Journalism, will give students hands-on writing experiences to hone their craft, including an examination of how society engages with sports on TV, apps and the Internet as well as in person. This is even more relevant during a year in which pro sports and college sports are adapting to Covid-19. Lisi is a former deputy head of news at The New York Daily News and a sports journalist who covers major league soccer and the World Cup. One element of the course covers the life of Jackie Robinson and features a virtual tour of Brooklyn locations that highlight the famed baseball player. "Robinson is the kind of historical figure that transcends sports. He broke the color barrier to become the first African-American to play in the major leagues in 1947," Lisi says. "He was also a devout Christian and remains a role model for so many Americans seven decades after he played baseball."

In the Faith and Finance track, Dr. Kimberly Reeve and Prof. Michael Hrynuik will lead group activities and discussions to teach students the economics, instruments and institutions of financial markets using New York City as a case study. As Christian finance practitioners, they will discuss how Biblical principles are applicable to everyday operations at a financial institution. Dr. Reeve has an MBA and a PhD and has worked as a managing director at Cathedral Consulting Group. Hrynuik has an MBA from Yale University and has worked in finance at Lehman Brothers, MUFG Securities and Queensboro Capital. “We start with the very roots of capitalism in New York City,” Dr. Reeve says. They plan to cover an overview of money from seashells and gold to cryptocurrency. And Hrynuik says they aim to help students answer the question: “Is it possible to be a Christian leader within the world of financial services and to find a way to glorify God?" 

Students can apply and submit their enrollment fee at www.tkc.edu/sa. Applications due by July 8 for the finance track and by July 17 for the journalism tracks. 

The King’s College (www.tkc.edu) is a Christian liberal arts college in New York City’s Financial District founded in 1938. It chooses to engage American culture at its heart, providing students with opportunities they won’t find elsewhere. The College’s Core Curriculum gives students a robust intellectual foundation for principled leadership throughout society. Under the mentorship of its faculty, students learn to seamlessly integrate their faith and morality into their lives and careers. King's is not a college for the faint of heart — it calls students to be good, brave and ready.

Arne Fjeldstad Scholarship Brings International Journalism Students To The King’s College in NYC

Carol Wambui is the fourth Arne Fjeldstad Scholar, who received a scholarship to be part of the NYC Semester in Journalism (NYCJ) at The King’s College in NYC. She is studying Journalism at the Multimedia University of Kenya. During her time at King’s in the NYCJ program, she is interning at ReligionUnplugged, an award-winning non-profit news outlet that covers religion.

After a Norwegian journalist and minister named Arne Fjeldstad died of a blood clot in his lung in 2014, MPJI director Paul Glader had the privilege to meet Hilde Margrethe Sæbø Fjeldstad in Kristiansand, Norway and other family members of Arne in 2015. 

Glader and Hilde spoke and prayed about how they might honor her late husband, Arne, his focus on reporting about religion in public life and his legacy of caring for journalists around the world. Arne was a Lutheran minister and a night editor at the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten. Arne helped develop The Media Project, an international network of working journalists who care about good journalism, particularly religion reporting. Arne was beloved by many people in Africa, India, Latin America and other corners of the globe. 

As Hilde and her daughter, Silje Marie, visited New York City in 2015, Hilde said she believed in what the McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute was doing to teach and promote quality journalism through its programs at The King’s College in NYC and as the home of The Media Project, of which Professor Paul Glader now serves as executive director. She said she would love to see a scholarship that honored Arne and allowed students from the global south to participate in the NYC Semester in Journalism (NYCJ) program. 

Hilde Fjeldstad (right) with her mother and Prof. Paul Glader (left), executive director of The Media Project and the McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute, during a visit in Kristiansand, Norway, in 2015

Glader and team began raising money to make it possible for a student from Uganda, Gertrude Too-Rom, to attend the program. Then, in 2016, Howard and Roberta Ahmanson (Roberta being the chairwoman of The Media Project) agreed to fund an annual scholarship ($20,000 in value) for at least one international journalism student from the global south to attend the NYCJ program. Since then, the NYCJ program has hosted two annual Fjeldstad Scholars from Uganda, one from Kenya and one from the Republic of Georgia. 

The scholarship funds either two $10,000 scholarships to help students attend NYCJ or one $20,000 scholarship. The scholarship(s) covers the bulk of tuition and housing for students (leaving costs for transport to NY, food and a small amount for tuition). In some rare instances, one student may be selected for the scholarship each year and fully funded. The students will be placed in a newsroom internship in NYC for 20 hours per week (receiving 6 academic credits). Most often, the Fjeldstad Scholar will serve as an intern at ReligionUnplugged.com, the award-winning, non-profit news outlet connected to TheMediaProject.org and an important outlet for TMP members to report on religion in public life around the world. The Fjeldstad scholars also take three classes at The King’s College with other students in the NYC Semester in Journalism program, who come from 40 partner schools around the US and world.

Silje Marie Fjeldstad (left) and Hilde Fjeldstad (right) the daughter and wife of the late Arne Fjeldstad, during a visit to New York City in 2015.

Colleges and universities that would like to become a partner to the NYCJ program so their students can compete for the Arne Fjeldstad scholarship can write to Paul Glader at Pglader@tkc.edu. And students who would like to apply for the scholarship can do so at https://www.tkc.edu/nycs and should be in touch with Eleni Glader at eglader@tkc.edu about their application.

We spoke with our current Arne Fjeldstad Scholar, Carol Wambui, who is from Nairobi, Kenya, and is interning at ReligionUnplugged.com as part of her internship. 

What first sparked your interest in journalism? What led you to consider pursuing it in college?

From a young age, I have always been fascinated by the media, from news anchoring to news reporting. I did not know much about journalism then but I was sure it was what I wanted to do, even if it was not full-time. Just before graduating from high school, we wrote down our courses of interest and the colleges where they were offered. I wrote out my choices, and journalism was at the very top. When I received my high school grades, and was accepted to enroll in a journalism program at college, it was almost a confirmation of my destiny. Back in high school, I had done some basic newswriting and reporting after major school functions, but that was all I knew about journalism. An opportunity to learn more excited me.

How did you hear about NYCJ and the Arne Fjeldstad scholarship? What made you decide to apply?

Stella Ogigo, a former editor at the Kenya Broadcast Corporation in Kenya, who has also worked with Professor Glader in the past, mentioned the program to me and advised that I apply. I knew that an opportunity to study journalism in the U.S.—a place of diversity, advancement and exposure—was exactly what I needed for my career. I believed God had blessed me with a rare opportunity, so I took it. I applied and I am so grateful that I was accepted.

“Becoming one of the people who is shining a light on religion across the globe is a beautiful thing and I cannot wait to learn more and grow in this.”

- Carol Wambui, Arne Fjeldstad Scholar

What do you hope to gain from your time in New York?

During my time in New York, I want to learn everything that was not taught in my college classes—from the field work experiences to my writing skills. I want to learn and enhance my reporting skills, whether by live-recording or writing as both will help me in my investigative journalism. I believe that studying in one of the biggest cities in the world will not only enhance my career, but also my view and perception of the world, of successful journalism and of life in general.

How will you bring the skills you have learned here back to Nairobi?

My time at The King’s College is giving me a true journalistic eye that I will bring back to Nairobi. I am learning to work with diligence and excellence at my internship with Religion Unplugged. I believe I will practice and even show others how to make journalism in Kenya better than before.

You are interning at ReligionUnplugged (a publication of The Media Project, which Arne led). What are you learning about the importance of religion coverage in the news?

Honestly, I had never thought about religion coverage before starting this internship. The only religion news coverage I ever knew of were the videos I made with my church. When I joined Religion Unplugged, it was like my eyes were opened to religion reporting. I am sure there are other people out there like myself, who probably have not learned the importance of religion coverage. Becoming one of the people who is shining a light on religion across the globe is a beautiful thing and I cannot wait to learn more and grow in this. I feel like a lot of people need to know what is going on in their particular religions as well as in other religions and that is exactly what Religion Unplugged is doing for the world. I am happy to be part of it.

What are some of your future journalistic goals?

I am interested in moving into investigative journalism, and would like to take journalism into a whole other level of finding and fighting crimes. This is not a well developed field in Kenya, and I hope to be among the few who can grow it and make it something huge. I hope to have a media network at some point in my career where I can host different types of media coverage like sports, investigations and religion, and mediums like print, radio and broadcast. I would want to help highlight any sort of journalist worldwide starting from my home country. I hope to help not only future journalists, but also people with other career interests, by offering scholarships and sponsorships to advance in their education. These are some of my many future goals.

What has surprised you about New York City? 

New York City is nothing like I imagined, read or watched in the movies. I guess seeing things with your own eyes makes all the difference. I think it is one thing to hear or even read about something, and it’s another to actually experience something. I came in winter, and the weather is like nothing I have ever experienced before in my life. With extremes of up to -3 degrees Celsius, I definitely wasn’t ready for the cold. 

How is Nairobi different from New York and what has been the biggest challenge to living here?

New York boasts a diversity of cultures and religions that makes it unlike Nairobi or any other town in Kenya. Nairobi is my city, my town—I literally know almost every corner of the city. I know how to get around Nairobi, which is not the case in New York. Still, I am learning little by little how to get around. I am naturally adventurous and curious, which has made aligning with how things work around here much easier. I am always ready to learn or experience something new. I am happy in New York, even with its many differences.

Carol Wambui, on the roof of her apartment building overlooking Brooklyn, NY.

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Meet our previous Arne Fjeldstad Scholars:

Gertrude Too-room, Spring '17

Uganda Christian University

Keta Bagashvili, Spring '18

Caucasus University, Georgia

Ruth Rose Akongo, Fall '18

Uganda Christian University

King’s Announces Semester Study Partnership with Morocco’s Ecole Superieure De Journalisme De Communication

ESJC students may now attend The King’s College as visiting students through the New York City Semester program. Pictured here: the fall 2017 Journalism track with track co-leaders Paul Glader, far right, and Clemente Lisi, far left.

By Rebecca Au-Mullaney

The King’s College is pleased to announce a new partnership with Ecole Superieure De Journalisme De Communication (ESJC), a journalism and communication school in Casablanca, Morocco. Founded in 2008, ESJC is a three-year degree granting institution established to train journalists and media professionals. It is owned by Eco Media, the largest private media group in Morocco.

Through the partnership, ESJC students are eligible to apply to and attend The King’s College as visiting students through the New York City Semester program (NYCS). Students will receive ESJC course credit for their semester at King’s.

ESJC is one of 35 partner institutions that participate in The King’s College’s NYCS, with tracks in journalism, theater and business. ESJC is the sixth international partner school, joining other institutions in Uganda, Indonesia, Lithuania and Norway.

In the journalism track, students take three courses at The King’s College—Journalism Foundations (3 credits), Entrepreneurial Journalism Skills and the Future (3 credits) and an elective course of the student’s choosing (3 credits). Journalism students also intern 20 hours per week at a news media organization in New York City (6 credits). Likewise, the tracks in business and theater include discipline-specific courses, elective courses and the opportunity to pursue an internship for credit. All NYCS students interact with guest speakers on campus, meet with professionals at work and learn how to practice Christian faith within the competitive environment of their industry.

This partnership agreement came through the work of ESJC general manager Khalid Belyazid and Paul Glader, co-director of the New York City Semester in Journalism track and an associate professor of journalism at The King’s College.

Belyazid says, “ESJC managers, teachers and students are so proud to belong to The King’s College NYCS network. We hope we’ll build a bridge between Casablanca and New York, two dynamic cosmopolitan Atlantic cities. The best vehicles for this bridge are education, journalism and communication that allow the people to overcome borders.”

Interested students can apply at www.tkc.edu/nycs. Upon acceptance into the program, King’s will issue students a J-1 visa for the semester of study. Tuition and housing payment for the semester will be made directly to The King’s College before classes begin. Any international students interested in the journalism track should apply for the Arne Fjeldstad Memorial Scholarship, which provides $20,000 each year to qualified students.

Since 1938, The King’s College has educated young leaders to integrate their faith, ethics and morality seamlessly into their lives and careers. The only traditional Christian liberal arts college or university located in the heart of New York City, King’s prepares students for principled leadership around the world. Visit tkc.edu for more information or request a personalized visit by calling 888-969-7200.

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republished from tkc.edu

The McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute Welcomes the NYCJ class of Fall 2018!

NEW YORK – The Seventh class of the NYC Semester in Journalism (NYCJ) arrived in August from all over the United States and Uganda. The class of 14 students represent 11 different universities.

They will participate in the unique semester-long, off-campus study program operated by the McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute at The King’s College in NYC. The students live in student housing at King’s, where they take three classes, including capstone courses with Prof. Terry Mattingly, a syndicated religion columnist, and Prof. Paul Glader, a former staff writer at The Wall Street Journal. Under the guidance of Prof. Clemente Lisi (former deputy head of news at the New York Daily News), they also work 20 hours per week in a newsroom in NYC, earning six academic credits under and pursuing at least one byline per week for their portfolios.

Here is a roster of the Fall 2018 class of NYCJ

Brianna Kudisch is a journalism major from Taylor Univeristy in Upland, Ind.. She will be interning at The Brooklyn Paper, a weekly broadsheet that covers news related exclusively to the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

Brooke Sargent is a Broadcast Journalism major from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, Calif. She will be interning at Newsweek, on the video desk.

Cassidy Klein is a journalism and philosophy double major from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, Calif. She will be interning at The Queens Ledger, a weekly community newspaper for Queens, NY.

Emma Miller is an English major from Messiah College in Grantham, PA. She will be interning at The Queens Courier, a local paper in Queens, NY.

Goldene Brown is a Multimedia Journalism major from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill. She will be interning at the New York Daily News.

Jenna Miller is a Journalism major from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, Calif. She will be interning at The Story Exchange, a media organization telling stories of women entrepreneurs.

Josh Towner is a journalism major from Bethel University in Minneapolis Minn. He will be interning at The Queens Courier, a community paper in Queens, NY.

Julianna Hernandez is a Journalism and Integrated Media major at Biola University from La Mirada in Calif. She will be interning at the New York Daily News.

Kassidy Vavra is a Journalism, Culture and Society major from The King’s College. She will be interning at the New York Daily News.

Kennedy Weber is a Multimedia Journalism and Political Science major from Milligan College in Tenn.. She will be interning at Providence Magazine, a journal of Christianity and American foreign policy.

Marlee Drake is a Journalism major from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, Calif. She will be interning at Newsweek, on the video desk.

Nathan Foster is a Dual major in Sports Journalism and Public Relations from Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, Calif. He will be interning at Newsweek.

Princess Jones is a Multimedia Journalism major from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville Tenn.. She will be interning at the New York Amsterdam News, the oldest black newspaper in the country.

Ruth Rose Akongo is a journalism and media major from Uganda Christian University in Mukono, Uganda. She will be interning at Providence Magazine, a journal of Christianity and American foreign policy.