Humber j-school has impressive record for innovation and the hardware to prove it

 
 
By Teri Pecoskie

This weekend I’m going home for Easter and since I’m from a pretty small town, it’s inevitable that I’ll run into an old friend who’ll ask what I’ve been up to.
When I tell them I’m finishing up journalism school, they’ll be intrigued.

“You must be at Ryerson,” they’ll say.

“Well no, I’m ––,” I’ll start to respond.
“Carleton?” they’ll ask, cutting me off. 

“Humber, actually. It’s a really unique program ––,'' 

I’ll try to explain, but by that point I’ll have lost them.

It’s a conversation that I’ve had dozens of times since I chose Humber’s post-grad program two years ago, a conversation that often highlights the stigma that still clings to a hands-on college education.

But what almost always goes unsaid is that Humber has fared better than many of its competitors when it comes to preparing students to work in this rapidly evolving field.

Just this month, Humber journalism students brought home a record-breaking 49 awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Awards and the College Media Advisors Convention in New York City.

Among those honours were a prestigious Silver Crown for best online newspaper site and two David L. Adams Awards, for top radio broadcast and top two-year tabloid newspaper.

Humber’s online news site thedailyplanet.com  also nabbed an impressive nine nods, while work in magazine, TV, radio and newspaper split the remaining prizes.

These various awards didn’t only recognize the college’s stellar student-produced and directed material but also Humber’s innovation in integrating online and new media with traditional print and broadcast products, something many commercial media outlets are still struggling with. But, like it or not, this is the direction journalism is heading. By teaching students to create compelling multiplatform content, Humber is putting students head and shoulders above the competition.

While Carleton and Ryerson might have great reputations, i don't believe either school has had Humber’s success in anticipating where this complex, changing industry is headed.

As a former academic snob, it was tough for me to choose Humber in the first place. But with only a couple of weeks to go before graduating, I can look back at my years in J-school knowing I made the right choice. Now, if I could only convince all the doubters out there …
 
Teri Pecoskie is a radio room reporter, a journalism student and a former philosophy geek. tpecoskie@thestar.ca