SU to launch Center for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship in Washington D.C.

Searches are already underway for the executive director and managing director for journalism, and organizers will work during the summer to identify internship needs and opportunities, create a faculty hiring plan, and recruit the initial cohort of students to work and study in Washington D.C. in the fall.

Larry Kramer, a 1972 graduate of the Newhouse School and a member of the SU board of trustees, is supporting the executive director position with a $1 million endowment, the school said.

“At this point in the history of democracy, it is critical that our nation’s research universities lead dialogues that bring people together. We are educating the next generation of engaged citizens and producing knowledge that enables individuals, a free press and government institutions to work together in the public interest,” Gretchen Ritter, SU vice chancellor and provost, said. “As a scholar and educator who has focused on the U.S. Constitution, I firmly believe that opportunities to study and work in our nation’s capital provide an essential experience that shapes faculty engagement with key issues and students’ views of their purpose and career path.”

Ultimately, SU contends the center will “create new knowledge, foster a more informed and engaged citizenry and better equip students for success” in media, communications, policy, governance and citizenship, per the SU announcement.

The new Newhouse-Maxwell Center for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship represents the newest addition to SU’s Washington, D.C. portfolio, the school said. Serving as a hub for students, faculty and staff, the center will “foster collaborative work and bolster already existing academic scholarship in relevant areas.” It will also provide students with a “boots on the ground” experience in journalism, strategic communications, policy and governance, and public diplomacy, SU said.