NBCUniversal creates $1M scholarship fund for underrepresented students at Columbia Journalism School
The NBCUniversal News Group has launched a $1,000,000 multiyear scholarship fund at Columbia Journalism School to support students from underrepresented populations who seek careers in journalism.
"This generous gift is part of a broader school campaign to expand the professional pipeline for students who can help our industry better reflect the communities it serves," said Steve Coll, Dean of Columbia Journalism School and Henry Luce Professor of Journalism.
The school’s scholarship campaign is called Access Matters, raising funds from alumni and friends of the school to educate the next generation of journalists. It is focused on making a Columbia education available to all students, regardless of their circumstances, to achieve their potential.
"Particularly at this time when economic stress has hit so many underrepresented communities the hardest, Columbia Journalism School is committed to keeping our goal of inclusiveness and equity a top priority," said Dean Coll.
"It makes a real and lasting impact when newsrooms are filled with journalists who represent our diverse society and can tell stories that matter to their communities," said Cesar Conde, Chairman, NBCUniversal News Group. "Building an inclusive future starts with the younger generation, and we are proud to partner with Columbia Journalism School to elevate and develop talented students from all backgrounds."
The NBCUniversal News Group Scholarship was the idea of veteran NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, who recently announced his retirement after a distinguished 55-year career at the network.
Brokaw hopes to create more pathways to journalism careers for students from underrepresented populations. He also seeks to pay special tribute to all those he collaborated with over the course of his career, both in front of and behind the camera.
“Broadcast journalism is always a team effort and that should be recognized and honored,” Brokaw said.
The scholarship will be awarded over five years to students beginning in the 2021-22 academic year.
About NBCUniversal News Group
More Americans watch NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC than any news organization in the world. NBC News’ leading and award-winning television news broadcasts include TODAY, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Meet the Press with Chuck Todd and Dateline NBC. MSNBC is the #2 network across all of cable and the premiere destination for breaking news, award-winning content, in-depth analysis and informed perspectives. CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news and provides realtime financial market coverage, business and general news content, and primetime reality programming, consumed by more than 557 million people per month across all platforms. The rapidly-growing NBC News Digital Group - including its streaming news services NBC News NOW and TODAY All Day - and the network’s award-winning original podcast and audio unit provide continuous content to consumers wherever they are, whenever they want it. NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC are part of the NBCUniversal News Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast Corporation. For more information about NBCUniversal, please visit www.NBCUniversal.com (link is external).