University of Miami creates International Media Center.

The University of Miami announced a major gift from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to create, evaluate and implement new global news techniques at the Knight Center for International Media, with two endowed teaching chairs in residence.

The announcement took place Friday at UM, during the We Media Miami Conference.

The Knight Center for International Media, http://knight.miami.edu>, will be launched with a total of $10 million – a new grant of $3.5 million, the reallocation of previous Knight endowments to the University totaling more than $5 million, and a UM contribution of more than $1 million.

As a result of this new Knight grant, the University of Miami will develop a new, permanent Knight Center for International Media, with the two Knight Chairs, one focusing on visual journalism and the other on cross-cultural communication.

“The Knight Foundation has a history of supporting important projects that have helped make the University of Miami the great institution it is today,” said UM President Donna E. Shalala.

“This grant is based on the simple idea that the world will not solve its most difficult problems unless its people can communicate effectively across national, ethnic and cultural borders,” said Alberto Ibarguen, president of the Knight Foundation. “Journalists can play a major role both in bringing clarity to complex issues and bridging cultural divides. The Knight Center for International Media at the University of Miami will be dedicated to the proposition that we can understand each other and will train journalists in the use of many forms of media to achieve that goal. I am particularly pleased that the Center will place a major focus on photojournalism and the use of electronic media.”

“With the gift, the Knight Foundation will establish a professional residency program at the School of Communication for working journalists to use new multimedia tools in reporting issues of major millennial significance,” said Dean of the School, Sam L Grogg. The University will add new media and international journalism courses to the curriculum, and will publish the results of the Center’s work worldwide.

Sanjeev Chatterjee, Vice Dean of the School of Communication, and an award-winning documentary filmmaker, will serve as Executive Director.

The Center will undertake innovative photojournalism projects, and “One Water,” a nonverbal documentary feature film about the world’s state of drinkable water.

UM will immediately launch an international search to fill both chairs in time for the fall 2007 semester.