The New York Times Student Journalism Institute Announces 2008 Participants in Annual Program at Dillard University

The New York Times Student Journalism Institute today announced the participants admitted into its annual program at Dillard University in New Orleans for aspiring journalists, to be held May 18 to 31. The Institute has graduated 149 students from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and gained recognition as one of the top training opportunities for talented young journalists. Its success inspired a companion program, based on the same model, for student members of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. That program, held each January, has graduated 48 students. Students from the Institutes have gone on to hold jobs at newspapers around the country, including many major metropolitan dailies - The New York Times and The Boston Globe among them. "The Institute represents some of the finest talent in the field of journalism,” said Jill Abramson, managing editor of The New York Times. "Now in its sixth year, our collaborative efforts with the Black College Communications Association and historically black colleges and universities have made this program essential in bringing promising journalists to news organizations across the country.” The Institute accepts applications from student members of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and students at HBCUs around the country, including reporters, editors, Web producers, photographers and graphic designers. Applicants are required to send an essay and six clips; photographers may elect to send six prints. During the program, newsroom staffers from The New York Times, The Boston Globe and the regional newspapers of the Times Company work individually with the students in a newsroom setting. The students are assigned to cover real news and the results are posted on a Web site (http://www.nytimes-institute.com), with the best work published in a newspaper at the end of the Institute. The program is a collaborative venture with the Black College Communication Association, an organization of faculty members committed to developing strong journalism programs at HBCUs. This year, for the first time, student members of the NABJ were also eligible to apply. The 24 students selected for this year's program represent eight HBCUs and nine other schools from around the country. The program accepts applications from promising students in any class year who are in good academic standing and have worked for at least one semester on a student publication. This year's students are: Yewande Addie, Florida A&M University; Aisha Al-Muslim, Lehman College of the City University of New York; Gregory Brand Jr., Tennessee State University; Nigel Chiwaya, New York Institute of Technology; Ronald P. Clark, Hampton University; Juanita Irene Cousins, University of Georgia; Drew Daniels, Dillard University; Joshua Garner, University of Maryland at College Park; Jamison A. Hill, Harvard University; Sha'Day Jackson, Tuskegee University; Jhenelle Johnson, Florida A&M University; Stacy Ann Jones, Rowan University; Gerrick Lewis, Ohio State University; John W. Marsh, Florida A&M University; Jackie (J.J.) McCorvey Jr., Tuskegee University; Michael J. McCray, North Carolina A&T University; Leroy V. Mikell III, North Carolina A&T University; RaShawn Mitchner, Howard University; Nathaniel Nelson, Florida A&M University; Amber R. Perry, Southern University at Baton Rouge; Hilary Lynette Powell, Medill School at Northwestern University; Siraaj Sabree, Florida A&M University; Juana Summers, Missouri School of Journalism; and Christina M. Wright, Howard University. About The New York Times Company The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), a leading media company with 2007 revenues of $3.2 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 16 other daily newspapers, WQXR-FM and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment. This press release can be downloaded from www.nytco.com