Strategic Plan

We Reimagine Learning

We empower the next generation of journalists and scholars to lead with integrity, innovation and impact by embracing hands-on experience, experimenting with new technology and storytelling strategies, and keeping community engagement top of mind.

Goal 1

Expand high-impact experiential learning. We embrace creating a more varied, immersive, real-world educational experience that allows our students to produce impactful journalism and scholarship that serves the public and encourages informed civic participation. That includes community-centered projects, policy and government reporting, and more. Our students learn to understand communities different from their own, build trust with audiences, practice ethical storytelling and gain a nuanced understanding of contemporary issues.

Goal 2

Lead in the development of innovative and inclusive approaches. We shape the future of journalism education and strengthen the profession by pioneering innovative, collaborative and inclusive teaching strategies. We stay on the cutting edge by integrating AI-driven research, immersive storytelling, and advanced data analysis and visualization into our curriculum. We promote equitable access to our programs and foster a learning environment that prioritizes community-centered journalism, ethical reporting, critical media literacy and scholarship for the public good. We develop journalists and scholars who will help facilitate fair and open public discourse and navigate increasingly complex information environments.

Goal 3

Create opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration. The challenges and opportunities of the 21st century demand collaboration and interdisciplinary thinking. We forge strategic partnerships across the university and beyond, providing students with access to specialized knowledge and skill sets, connecting them with experts and thought leaders in fields such as technology, business, policy and environmental science. This will produce more accurate and in-depth reporting, more valuable research and scholarship, and better-connected students and scholars who spread our values and share our expertise.

We Take on Humanity's Grand Challenges

We ensure our students and researchers produce journalism and scholarship that helps people navigate the grand challenges facing society. We also address the grand challenges facing journalism, namely helping create a journalism for the 21st century that is sustainable and trusted and that fulfills its responsibility under the U.S. Constitution to operate as a free press and a right of the people, and as a model for societies worldwide.

Goal 1

Give students the tools, skills and ethical grounding to produce journalism that meets its moment. To serve the public well, journalism must constantly change alongside technology. But the fundamental principles that govern that work — the responsibility to engage in open-minded inquiry in order to provide citizens with accurate, verified information they need to be free and self-governing — are enduring. We will ensure our students have those fundamentals. 

Goal 2

Help rebuild and reform the economic model for news and civic information. Our students, faculty, research and partnerships will help lead the way in innovating journalism and developing  news revenue streams required for the public to be well informed. That includes rethinking journalism itself.

Goal 3

Reimagine how journalism can serve the needs of the public in the 21st century. We will lead the way in rethinking how journalism in a digitally networked world can be more accurate, comprehensive and useful for the public. This includes working to understand modern news ecosystems and how people process information; learning how to listen to the needs of different communities; research and teaching about resilience to mis- and disinformation; and pioneering new delivery and access systems to meet citizens where they are. The 21st century needs journalism that helps people live their lives and solve problems, not just journalism that momentarily catches their attention.

We Invest in Our People and Surrounding Communities

We invest in the well-being of our students, faculty and staff, and the conditions that enable them to be productive and innovative. We also invest in our surrounding communities by producing journalism that meets their information needs. We further invest by serving as a pathway for those who understand the importance of journalism to the health of our democracy to participate and contribute to it. We invest in their priorities through the allocation of resources and our commitments of time.

Goal 1

Foster a welcoming and collaborative environment for all students, faculty and staff. We proactively engage and listen to students, faculty and staff to understand their needs, ideas and interests; encourage collaborative approaches to teaching, research and problem solving; provide opportunities for community building and cohesion, and reaffirm inclusion as a core value. We give students the tools to build resilience not only here but also in a turbulent profession.

Goal 2

Partner with our surrounding communities to ensure they benefit from journalism. We collaborate with high schools and community colleges to promote news literacy, foundational principles of journalism and the importance of journalism for our democracy, and to serve as an incubator for future journalists. We engage with community members to better understand their information needs and to promote inclusiveness in local news gathering and production.

Goal 3

Attract the most talented and diverse pool of applicants possible. We strategically invest in marketing and the college’s presence at conferences and symposia to drive interest in our programs and employment opportunities while seeking the widest possible array of talented prospective applicants. We work to increase the representation of our student applicants from surrounding communities.

We Partner to Advance the Public Good

Goal 1

Improve professional journalism by developing new tools and strategies. We collaborate with international, national and local news organizations and journalists through our experiential learning programs, such as Capital News Service, the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism and the Local News Network. We work with professionals to tell stories that help their audiences better understand the world, and help our students prepare for meaningful careers. We research and develop tools and strategies to help newsrooms become more sustainable and better meet the needs of their communities. We recognize democracy cannot thrive without an informed citizenry served by robust, helpful and ethical journalism.

Goal 2

Use research to build stronger community bonds. Our research on technology, information and society powers understanding of the media ecosystem and innovation in newsrooms. We partner with foundations and professionals to build tools that make journalism better. We work with colleagues across the university in service of democracy, media literacy and reimagining the business of journalism. Our collaborative efforts serve the public and the profession by producing rigorous scholarly work that examines news coverage of societal issues, seeks to improve journalism, and helps journalists build trust, credibility and lasting relationships with audiences.

Goal 3

Support journalists and inspire the next generation. We improve outcomes for our community by investing in training for students and journalists at every stage of their development. We partner with high schools, community colleges and seasoned professionals to make journalism and public discourse better. We work with high school teachers to provide modern journalism training they can take to their classrooms. We provide continuing education programs for professionals who are ready for a career pivot or want to boost their skills. We embrace the necessity of communities informed by trustworthy journalism.

Adopted: Spring 2025