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A new page for A&M Journalism
After more than 20 years without a journalism program, Texas A&M is making an effort to bring it back. Kathleen McElroy, Ph.D., who has been chosen to lead the revived school, has big plans.
McElroy, who spent over two decades as a professional journalist, said she was inspired to go into journalism education during her tenure at The New York Times.
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“I was working on The [New York] Times web desk, and I was working with these amazing young people,” McElroy said. “They were young people who were so smart ... I was already thinking about winding down my career, so I thought, I’ll get a Ph.D. I love doing a little bit of research, but I really love being an administrator.”
Regarding her goals as the incoming director of A&M’s journalism school, McElroy said she aims to consult students, faculty and journalism professionals to develop an ambitious vision.
“I really have to talk to you all,” McElroy said. “I’ve got to talk to faculty, and I’ve got to talk to people in the industry. But, there’s some really obvious, big goals.”
By Jack Lee @Jackthebatt
As director of the program, McElroy said she aims to modernize the journalism curriculum in accordance with A&M’s identity as a scientific powerhouse.
“[A&M] is a top research institute,” McElroy said. “How can we make journalism be more of a part of that? The term I use is that there will be no accidental journalism majors. So if you’re here, you’re gonna learn data, you’re gonna learn coding. The whole idea is that, let’s make use of what’s here, so that [journalism graduates] are really competitive and attractive to places that are going to be looking for more from journalism majors.”
The new journalism school, McElroy said, should effectively connect students with major media outlets.
“That’s another goal: more collaboration with publications on and off campus, and with publications all around the state,” McElroy said. “Making sure there’s a relationship with places like New York and the West Coast and, you know, I say Austin, not that I want
