The Education Writers Association will hold its 2020 fall Higher Education Seminar on September 15-16 on the theme of “Racial Reckonings Amid COVID, Recession and Political Conflict.”
While struggling with immediate crises such as the current pandemic and funding collapse, many colleges around the country are also being pressed to finally confront the long-entrenched systemic racism that has reinforced inequities in opportunity.
The Education Writers Association will hold its 2020 fall Higher
Education Seminar on September 15-16 on the theme of “Racial
Reckonings Amid COVID, Recession and Political Conflict.”
While struggling with immediate crises such as the current
pandemic and funding collapse, many colleges around the country
are also being pressed to finally confront the long-entrenched
systemic racism that has reinforced inequities in opportunity.
Held online, this training event will offer dozens of story
ideas, practical reporting tips, access to leading experts and
chances to connect with colleagues. To make sure you get a seat,
register now.
(Journalists can apply for a scholarship to cover their
registration fees here.)
This year’s seminar will examine, among other topics:
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The rise — and impact — of student activism.
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How colleges are changing the way they teach about race and
racism.
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The momentous financial challenges facing many colleges —
especially minority-serving institutions.
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The impact of the pandemic and racial conflicts on the mental
health of college students, and what colleges are doing to
help.
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The equity implications of reduced reliance on tests and
other looming changes to college admissions practices.
Registration is $200. Journalists can apply for
a scholarship to cover registration less a $35 deposit
(refundable after the journalist completes the post-event
evaluation). Questions? Email
us.
We are no longer accepting Journalist scholarship
applications.
Registration has now closed for this
event.
How COVID-19 Is Crushing Colleges’ Budgets
Experts offer story ideas on inequities, budget squeezes and college closures.
The COVID-19 pandemic “is the most significant crisis (higher education) has faced, even going back to the late ‘60s, early ‘70s, and the Vietnam War protests,” said Carlos Santiago, the Massachusetts commissioner of higher education and a 40-year veteran of the sector.
3 Surprising Ways COVID-19 Is Changing College Admissions And Tests
Experts offer new angles for reporters covering SAT, ACT and the test-optional movement.
Prom, graduation, the SAT. For decades, those three springtime rites of passage have been important steps for American teens marching toward adulthood.
But the coronavirus pandemic upended those traditions for the 3.7 million students in the high school class of 2020.
Investigative Reporters: What to Do When The Story Changes
Three strategies for piloting journalistic projects through news and change.
It’s hard enough these days for journalists to get the time, resources and editorial support they need to pursue ambitious projects. So when the story changes, or news, of, say, a pandemic breaks, reporters may fear that their story and hard work will be abandoned.
But reporters who build good rapport with their editors, stay organized, and work out ways to incorporate new developments into their stories can save and even elevate their projects, according to teams of journalists from The Washington Post and APM Reports.
How to Cover The Way Race and Racism Are Taught
Start your research by checking reading assignments, instructor pay, and student demographics
Police brutality, race and social justice have long been on the syllabus for college professors who teach about ethnicity and cultural issues. But now, incidents such as the killing of George Floyd and protests against systemic racism have sparked much broader interest in race and diversity issues, according to three experts who spoke at the Education Writers Association’s 2020 Higher Education Seminar.
Four Strategies for Covering Student Activism
Reporters should broaden source networks and avoid assumptions about "success."
Student activists are increasingly making news, tackling issues such as campus racism, rising tuition and college administrators’ often arbitrary pandemic responses. But they often complain that coverage of their activism can be shallow, cliched or even biased.
Colleges Struggle to Serve Mental Health Needs During COVID
One challenge: Differentiating between COVID anxiety and mental illness
Mental health is an increasingly important issue on college campuses, yet it is a topic that does not get enough coverage from education reporters, speakers said during a panel discussion on the topic during the Education Writers Association’s 2020 Higher Education Seminar.
The Top 11 Higher Ed Stories Likely to Make Headlines This Year
Inside Higher Ed's Scott Jaschik highlights COVID, Title IX, affirmative action and more
COVID-19 will continue to be a major story topic for the 2020-21 school year, but reporters should also look at the future of affirmative action and race on college campuses, according to Inside Higher Ed’s Scott Jaschik.
Jaschik, veteran higher education journalist and editor, listed his top 11 topics he thinks every higher education reporter should be ready to cover.
EWA Offers “Office Hours” With Expert Communications Professionals
Higher Ed Seminar attendees can apply for 20-minute private consultations
Want to talk over a big idea? Get advice on a career change? Or looking for an expert perspective on a workplace challenge? Take advantage of this year’s Office Hours at EWA’s Higher Education Seminar, Sept. 15-16. Among the experts who will be offering office hours are:
Lauren Empson, founder and communications consultant, Empson Communications
Sharise M. Johnson, chief communications consultant, SMJ Communications Consulting
EWA Offers “Office Hours” With Veteran Education Journalists
Higher Ed Seminar journalist attendees can apply for 20-minute private consultations.
Want to talk over a big story idea? Need career advice? Or looking for an expert perspective on a workplace challenge?
Take advantage of this year’s Office Hours at EWA’s Higher Education Seminar, Sept. 15-16.
We’re offering journalist attendees one-on-one opportunities to chat with veteran and prize-winning higher education reporters and editors, including:
Agenda for EWA’s 2020 Higher Education Seminar
Sept. 15-16
Attendance at EWA’s 2020 Higher Education Seminar is limited to EWA members who pre-register.
If you’re a journalist interested in these opportunities, EWA membership is free, and we award scholarships to cover registration fees.
Non-journalists are also welcome to join EWA and attend this event.
Confirmed Speakers for EWA’s 2020 Virtual Higher Education Seminar
This is a preliminary list of confirmed speakers for the Education Writers Association’s Higher Education Seminar, to be held online September 15-16, 2020.
Attendance at this convening of education experts and practitioners is limited to EWA members who pre-register. EWA membership is free for journalists, and journalists can apply for scholarships to cover the registration fees.