ASU Cronkite School accepting applicants for Knight Innovation Grant

September 9, 2014

Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is now accepting applications for the Knight-Cronkite Alumni Innovation Grant, which awards up to $15,000 to Cronkite School graduates who are professional journalists looking to pioneer cutting-edge technologies and practices in their newsrooms.

The support, made possible by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, is available to Cronkite School alumni as a way to accelerate newsroom innovation across the country. Download Full Image

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis with periodic deadlines – the first on Oct. 15. Finalists for first-round applications will be announced Oct. 31. Cronkite School graduates can apply at https://cronkite.asu.edu/knight-cronkite-alumni-innovation-grant-application.

To be eligible for the grant, applicants must be a Cronkite School graduate, working in a newsroom. They must also have support from their news organizations, showing a commitment to implement the proposal within six months of the development period’s conclusion. Those selected will have to report project outcomes to the Cronkite School.

Knight Foundation President Alberto Ibargüen announced the Knight-Cronkite Alumni Innovation program during the Cronkite School’s May 2014 convocation ceremony. Ibargüen pledged $250,000 from Knight Foundation, challenging Cronkite graduates to disrupt the status quo in newsrooms.

“We’ve been waiting for your generation of digital natives, driven to tell stories, to become the leaders of newsrooms in America,” Ibargüen said at the convocation, “and maybe this will help that generational turn go even faster.”

Christopher Callahan, dean of the Cronkite School, said the generous grant comes at a much needed time in journalism as newsrooms face new challenges in the digital age.

“Our alumni are passionate leaders and ambitious innovators in journalism,” Callahan said. “I encourage Cronkite Nation to take up President Ibargüen’s challenge and use this grant as a way to spark much needed change in our profession.”

Some of the Cronkite School’s most important programs are supported by Knight Foundation, including Carnegie-Knight News21, a national fellowship program where top journalism students conduct investigations into issues critical to Americans; the Public Insight Network Bureau, a specialized news bureau where students work with professional news organizations to deepen their connections to audiences; and the Knight Chair in Journalism, a tenured professorship at Cronkite currently held by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Doig.

Marshall Terrill

Reporter , ASU News

480-727-5176 marshall.terrill@asu.edu

Forum to focus on China's role in global economy

September 9, 2014

As part of the Chinese mid-autumn harvest Moon Festival celebrations, Arizona State University’s Confucius Institute will host the sixth annual China Forum, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Sept. 21, in the Memorial Union Turquoise Ballroom at the Tempe campus.

Titled “Working with China in the Global Market,” the forum will facilitate a dialogue between community and business leaders, government dignitaries and the public regarding China’s increasing significance in the global economy and innovation in science and technology. Download Full Image

Deputy Consul General Sun Lushan of Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles will present the keynote address.

“The China Forum provides students and members of the community with a unique opportunity to hear firsthand from individuals directly involved with the ins-and-outs of working and investing in China,” said Joe Cutter, director of the Confucius Institute and the School of International Letters and Cultures. “This year's panel will be able to offer very interesting and useful insights into doing business in China.”

In addition to the keynote remarks, the forum will feature three presentations that will provide an insight into doing business in China. Jeff Wu, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Pactera Technology International, will present “Path to Globalization – The Pactera Story.”

“Future challenges can only be managed successfully if the largest developed country, and the largest developing country, cooperate,” said Wu. “Despite our different perspectives and beliefs on certain issues, there are many areas that are ‘win-win’ in nature. One of [these] optimal pathways is collaboration in technology innovation.”

Daniel Shum, partner, and Emily Tadano, vice president at Najafi Companies, will present “China Opportunities: Cultural Products and Media Industries.” Randal Schulhauser, senior product development manager at Medtronic, Inc., will present “Medtronic in China – A Short History and What’s Next.”

“Medtronic has been involved in business in China for 25 years. What we have learned is that it's a very dynamic market where its needs are huge, so are the challenges," said Schulhauser. "Adapting to fast-pace change, different and complex rules, getting closer to customers, including physicians and patients, will be the keys to succeed in China.”

A luncheon for dignitaries and speakers will precede the forum. Greg Stanton, mayor of the City of Phoenix, will partake in the luncheon. The festival celebrations will also feature paintings and images from award-winners of the poster design, and photo contests held by the Confucius Institute that day. An exhibit titled “Beautiful Arizona” will showcase a collection of Arizona photos of local photographers.

Cutter said that the forum is directly relevant to Chinese language students at ASU.

“At ASU, a wide range of majors and programs in the Chinese language serve the needs of our students. Some of our students are interested in becoming academics with expertise in areas such as Chinese linguistics or Chinese literature and culture,” he said. “Some students simply wish to learn the language or intend to use it in their future careers. The Chinese Language Flagship, in particular, is geared to training global professionals in a variety of fields, including technology and business. The forum provides an insight into the practical application of learning imbibed in the classroom.”

The forum is free and open to the public, but registration is required due to limited seating. Please RSVP here: http://confuciusinstitute.asu.edu/portal/chinaforum2014.

The ASU Confucius Institute, the School of International Letters and Cultures, and the United Chinese Association of Arizona are sponsoring the China Forum in collaboration with the ASU W. P. Carey Global Education, ASU Chinese Flagship Program, Global Chamber, and the ASU Chinese Students and Scholars Association.