Sam Donaldson to Announce New Multimedia Journalism Degree

Sam Donaldson, media icon and alumnus of The University of Texas at El Paso, will be on campus Nov. 2 to share how UTEP is addressing changes in the news industry.

At a 2 p.m. press conference on Monday, Nov. 2, Donaldson will reveal details about a new Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Journalism degree being offered through UTEP’s Department of Communication. The press conference will take place outside, between the Cotton Memorial Building and the Geological Sciences Building on University Avenue.

“UTEP is one of the first universities in the country to provide this kind of training that responds to the changing face of mass media,” said Frank Pérez, chair of the Communication Department. “Feedback from students has been strong and extremely supportive of this initiative.”

After the press conference, Donaldson will meet with Borderzine.com students. Borderzine is the capstone project for UTEP journalism majors in the new multimedia curriculum. Financed through a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the online magazine publishes the work of students around the country, grooming new Latino journalists and cultivating bilingual, multimedia news reporting.

“Our mission is to showcase the best of student journalism about borders while helping to prepare the next generation of multimedia news professionals, and getting recruiters to take notice of student talent with an eye to offering them internships and jobs,” said Borderzine Director Zita Arocha.

Donaldson will help the Borderzine students kick off their “What’s Your Border?” campaign and national photo contest. The weeklong campaign will feature a series of events and a large art installation that will give students the opportunity to define their geological, cultural, social and personal borders. Donaldson also will participate in a live webcast at 4:05 p.m. Mountain Time with journalism students around the country. The webcast will be broadcast on Borderzine.com.

Borderzine’s “What’s Your Border?” photo contest will be open to submissions from around the world, with prizes including a Flip Video Mino high definition camcorder and publication on Borderzine.com. Submission rules and instructions can be found on the Web site.

Donaldson, former chief White House correspondent and World News Sunday anchor for ABC News, graduated from Texas Western College (now UTEP) in 1955 and worked as station manager for KFOV-FM in El Paso, now KTEP. He has been a pioneer of Internet broadcasting and journalism in digital media.

In 2002, UTEP established The Sam Donaldson Center for Communication Studies to focus on innovative research, outreach and professional initiatives in media and communication.