Students in the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication have completed another successful semester in Schieffer School in Washington and 10 more have been selected in a competition for the 2014 class. The 2014 class will be the largest to date.
The 2013 Schieffer School in Washington class, pictured with Bob Schieffer on the set of Face the Nation. Photo courtesy of Face the Nation/CBS News
A signature program of TCU Journalism and Strategic Communication since 2010, Schieffer School in Washington has now been spotlighted by TCU’s academic partner for Washington programs, The Washington Center. “This just keeps getting better and stronger,” said Bob Schieffer, namesake of the Bob Schieffer College of Communication and CBS Senior Correspondent. “More than one of our students have described this as a life-changing experience and I couldn’t be more pleased. It is a joy to work with them.” In all, 30 of the School’s top seniors have matriculated for a full semester onsite in Washington. They take a full academic load and also work at full-time internships at news organizations like CBS, POLITICO, National Geographic and USA Today and communications offices in the U.S. Congress, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Library of Congress and ONE Campaign. In addition, they take a unique course created by the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication called “Media in Washington.” The course’s final exercise was moderated in December by Bob Schieffer in a format similar to his award-winning Face the Nation broadcasts on CBS. In addition to the eight students who enrolled in the 2013 Schieffer School in Washington, two strategic communication majors in Political Science’s Washington program took “Media in Washington,” which studies the impact of news and other organizations on the political process. The class incorporates site visits with top officials and executives, preparing the students for the Washington culture. Participation in Schieffer School in Washington has led to growing alumni of the program who decided to accept full-time positions after graduation there. Former students are at Public Strategies Washington, POLITICO, National Geographic, CBS News and the press office of a Texas congressional representative, among others. TCU’s chancellor, Dr. Victor J. Boschini Jr., accepted an appointment this past year to The Washington Center’s Council of Presidents, consisting of CEOs of some of the universities who use The Center as a facilitator for Washington programs. The Washington Center provides housing for the TCU students and arranges for instructors to teach classes at night so students can continue to make progress toward graduation in academic courses. The Schieffer School in Washington is coordinated by the director of the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication. A grant from the Helen Irwin Littauer Educational Trust (U.S. Trust / Bank of America, trustee) helps fund the students’ Washington experience. Students in the 2013 Schieffer Washington program included Emily Atteberry, Michael Barrera, Kate Fosha, Jake Harris, Sam Hassler, Lily Lamas, J. D. Moore and Mary Muller, with Political Science enrollees Brelle de Groot and Jaime Sporl joining the “Media in Washington” course. In 2014, the students from the journalism major will be Samantha Ehlinger, Tanner Giles, Katherine Love, Kayle Mulliniks, Jordan Ray, Daniel Salazar and Tyler Shahin. From strategic communication, there will be Haley Ast, Kayla Emmerson and Olivia Wise.