Campus United Way Campaign a Success

The University of Mississippi’s campus United Way campaign has been extremely successful this school year, according to the campaign co-chair Dr. Lucile McCook.

Through several different fundraising events and donations the campus campaign was able to give $148,000 to the United Way, a 4% increase from last year.

Kathy Sukanek, executive director for the United Way, said UM’s donation came at a critical time this year. “A number of our current partner agencies are facing the very real possibility of reduced funding due to economic conditions,” Sukanek said. “Unfortunately when funding is tight, that is when the need for help is often the greatest.”

One particular way the university campaign met that need this year was through the Fair Share gift. A Fair Share gift is an opportunity for faculty and staff to donate through payroll deductions. It is the equivalent of one hour’s pay per month. Those who participated were entered into a community-wide raffle for a chance to receive a $100 gift certificate donated by Barnes and Nobles. Project Manager of the Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute Ken Sleeper was the winner of this year’s raffle.

“I take great pleasure in contributing to United Way because it is such a broad gift to the community,” Sleeper said. “I feel confident that when I give to United Way it is going to a good cause.”

The funding will be used in various ways but three areas of focus will be education, health, and income programs. McCook said that she appreciates the United Way’s efforts to assure that all funding is utilized in the most efficient way. “One of the reasons I’ve been co-chair of this campaign for so long and the thing I really like about the United Way is that when you give money through the United Way, you know that your money is going where there is an immediate need,” McCook said.

Sukanek greatly appreciates all that the UM faculty, staff and students do to support the United Way. “The University is a great partner to United Way and most, if not all, of our partner agencies. The UM students who volunteer enable our agencies to offer services and programs that greatly benefit the community,” Sukanek said. “Together we can make a difference; together we are creating opportunities for change in the lives of many in our community.”

Story Idea

I'm going to be doing a story about the UM campus United Way Campaign. This year the campaign has been very successful and co-chair Dr. Lucile McCook is hoping to increase awareness and thank donators through a story. I will talk to her, Ken Sleeper (who won a United Way raffle), Cathy Sukanek (United Way director), and possibly a few others.

Business Journalism: Pros and Cons of Niche Majors

In response to an increasing demand for niche journalism, several universities have decided to introduce Business Journalism as a new major.

Most journalists tend to have a general liberal arts degree and it's not often that they specialize in any one subject. Their reports about in-depth business news, such as stock market fluctuations or the reasons behind increased gas prices, tend to be more generalized and somewhat slanted to their own understanding. Because of this many business professionals reject general news publications, instead looking to more specialized sources like the Wall Street Journal.

Dr. Ken Cyree, dean of the School of Business, said he collects his news from a variety of sources to get a breadth of coverage, but generally avoids sources that aren't business publications. “I rarely get news from general news publications,” Cyree said. “I could be unusual in that regard, but I bet I am not.”

Business Journalism is designed to provide a solution to this issue. The program allows for an opportunity to specialize in covering business news. The goal is to provide students with the skills to write a good story about business and the knowledge to back it up – all in one major.

Dr. Will Norton, dean of the Meek School of Journalism, said the University of Mississippi currently doesn’t offer Business Journalism as a major. Norton doesn't agree with the idea of having niche journalism majors. Instead, he believes that good journalists will seek additional degrees in specific areas to give them their own specialization. “If you're going to be a good business journalist, first you're going to be a good journalist,” Norton said. “Then you're going to get at least a minor in business and probably more than that.” Norton stressed that the most important thing a good journalist needs is basic journalism skills. “The ones that really thrive are the ones that know how to write,” Norton said. “A lot of people know business really well; but if you can't write about it, what good is it to you?”

Deb Wenger, assistant professor of journalism and director of undergraduate studies, said she believes that specialization is important; however, it's just not the focus for the journalism school at Ole Miss. “Our focus in on new ways to capitalize on technology to create new forms of journalism business – not how to cover business,” Wenger said.

For those interested in one major that offers a mix of journalism and business courses, however, Ole Miss does offer Marketing Communications and will soon offer Integrated Marketing Communications.

Both degrees combine a mix of journalism courses to hone students' writing skills and business core classes to give students a better understanding of business. Marketing Communication students also study advertising, consumer behavior, and additional marketing courses. “Graduates will be able to understand business while possessing the writing, broadcasting, or public relations skills necessary to compete effectively in the marketplace,” Dr. Ken Cyree said.