Seven years ago today, the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues became more than an experiment, as it got its first (and so far only) full-time staff member: the undersigned, who had been part of an ad hoc committee that obtained grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation of the Society of Professional Journalists to conduct some preliminary research and conferences to explore the notion of a center that would help rural journalists cover issues, especially regional issues that have a local impact but few good local sources.
With the help of grants from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and additional help from the Ford Foundation, the University of Kentucky established the Institute in its School of Journalism and Telecommunications and picked up the slack when the grant money ran out. Now the director has tenure, and the Institute has academic partners at 28 universities in 18 states, from Maine to Texas to Alaska, and an endowment of $1.44 million.
We thank officials of the university and all others who have helped us along the way, including those who have contributed a total of more than $720,000 to the endowment and had their contributions matched by the Research Challenge Trust Fund of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Because our fund-raising fell short of the $1.5 million available match, our annual budget will be reduced, but we now have more than 500 individual contributors, which we think gives us a strong base of support for an annual fund drive for our operating budget. If you need more information, go to http://www.ruraljournalism.org/ or email me at Al.Cross@uky.edu.
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