Two J-school faculty members selected for Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholars program
Two UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media professors — Barbara Friedman and Anne Johnston — were among nine University faculty members selected as the fifth class of Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholars.
Friedman and Johnston were chosen for their work developing web-based resources for journalists who cover sex trafficking. They co-direct The Irina Project (TIP), which monitors media representations of sex trafficking and advocates for the responsible and accurate reporting of sex trafficking.
The Faculty Engaged Scholars (FES) program is sponsored by the Carolina Center for Public Service at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It brings together selected faculty from across campus to engage in a two-year experiential, competency-based curriculum designed to advance their engaged scholarship.
Every other year, eight to 10 faculty members are selected to participate in the program aimed at learning about and pursuing community engagement through scholarly endeavors. The other faculty members selected for the fifth class of Faculty Engaged Scholars include:
- Maureen Berner, professor, School of Government
- Juan Carrillo, assistant professor, School of Education
- Cheryl Giscombe, assistant professor, School of Nursing
- Adam Jacks, assistant professor, Department of Allied Health Sciences
- Steven May, associate professor, Department of Communication Studies
- Vicki Mercer, associate professor, Department of Allied Health Sciences
- Cherie Ndaliko, assistant professor, Department of Music
During the two years, scholars work with community partners to develop projects and participate in sessions in community settings to learn about each other’s projects. While developing their projects, each class of scholars forms a learning community with the course directors to support one another’s projects.
In 2013, the Chancellor Holden Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholars Endowment was established at the Carolina Center for Public Service. The endowment was created with a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor to name and support the center’s Faculty Engaged Scholars program.
Since the program began in 2007, 43 faculty members have been selected from nine schools and 21 departments to participate in the program. The growing network of Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholars reports outcomes including new interdisciplinary collaborations, successful grant applications and both traditional and non-traditional products of their scholarship. Through this engaged scholarship, the program continues to build strong university-community relationships.
J-school senior lecturer and Carolina Community Media Project director Jock Lauterer was as a Faculty Engaged Scholar in 2010. Under Lauterer’s leadership, the journalism programs at UNC and North Carolina Central University partnered with Durham civic and church leaders, volunteers and residents to launch The Durham VOICE, a community news publication serving Northeast Central Durham. Stories are printed and posted online with neighborhood news, information, photos, videos and features provided by NCCU and UNC journalism students and local teens mentored by students and faculty.