COLLEGE PARK — Dr. Shuning Lu, assistant professor in media, democracy and technology at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, has been awarded a $21,500 grant from the UMD Do Good Campus Fund for her project, “Catalyzing Storytelling for Local Ethnic Communities.”
Lu’s proposal seeks to respond to the local news crisis by enhancing the reporting capacity of local newsrooms and the storytelling capacity of ethnic communities in College Park.
Lu plans to use the grant to foster a partnership with the College Park Here & Now and with ethnic community storytellers to accomplish the project’s goals of:
- Identifying the information needs of ethnic audiences.
- Mapping the Here & Now’s current practices and barriers in covering issues affecting ethnic communities.
- Developing co-reporting models between local media outlets and ethnic communities to promote inclusive narratives.
- Equipping students with community-engaged research skills, intercultural awareness and civic responsibility.
“I am excited to apply my expertise in journalism and audience engagement to better understand the challenges facing local news in ethnic communities in College Park and to develop meaningful, effective solutions to address them,” Lu said. “Merrill is a leading force in supporting the survival and growth of local news during challenging times. I am eager to collaborate with students and community partners to advance the college’s ongoing efforts to strengthen community-centered news in Maryland.”
Lu’s proposal was among 18 that won a combined $245,000 from the Do Good Campus Fund this spring. Now in its third year, the grant awards aim to spark innovative ideas that reimagine learning and strengthen efforts to serve humanity, offering students transformative experiences inside and beyond the classroom.
This spring, the Do Good Campus Strategic Leadership Council, in collaboration with UMD Provost Jennifer King Rice and the Do Good Institute, awarded the grants to faculty, staff and student groups across nearly every school and college. Over the fund's first two years, grantees have engaged more than 5,000 students in hands-on, experiential learning that connects classroom knowledge with real-world impact.
Grantees will use their award to scale their impact according to the Do Good learning principles: experiential, inclusive, innovative, social impact-oriented and in service of humanity.
Lu’s project advances those goals by helping students learn about local communities, by seeking to better address the information needs of local ethnic communities, and by building a more accessible and inclusive local storytelling environment.
For more information, contact:
Josh Land, Communications Manager
joshland@umd.edu