The end is really near!

It’s here. The final week of the term with commencement Friday and Saturday and finals the following week.

Where did the term go?? I wrapped up my Computer Assisted Reporting class tonight. We packed a lot of spreadsheet, database and mapping into this advanced level reporting course. I hope the students had as much fun as I did.

The Neal Shine Ethics Lecture on November 20 was amazing. M.L. Elrick, Jim Schaefer and Brian Kaufman of the Detroit Free Press did an outstanding job detailing their now year long effort covering the Detroit Mayoral scandal. The most poignant moment came at the beginning of the lecture when all three stood up to announce they were each wearing one of the late, great Neal Shine’s blazers. Elrick, wearing a remarkable green suit coat (and we LOVE green around here), teased Neal’s wife Phyllis about the color.

It was a terrific evening. The dinner after the lecture allowed students Kristen Daum and Craig Trudell to get to know the three journalists.

If you applied for a scholarship, stay tuned. The Outreach Committee was hard at work going through applications this afternoon. Decision will be announced soon—in time to help pay for some of next term’s tuition costs.

Good luck on exams, next week and good luck to all of us on the faculty who will be grading them.

Stay tuned for upcoming events next year including the Walter and Syrena Howell Essay Contest on media bias. The winning essay writer will receive a $1,000 award and a $3,000 scholarship. In addition, next fall’s seniors must apply in the spring for a fully paid year of tuition from the Mary Adelaide Gardner Trust Fund. Check your email, the website and the bulletin boards for more information.