Ohio State to restructure its Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism

COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University will restructure its longstanding Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism, to offer mid-career journalists expanded opportunities for customized study and writing projects during six months in residence at the Columbus, Ohio, campus.

The new, more-flexible Kiplinger Program--previously a master’s degree program--will now allow Kiplinger Fellows to audit courses throughout the University in fields relevant to their research projects.

Fellows will take advantage of OSU’s excellence in a wide range of academic fields, visit the University’s John Glenn Institute Washington office for discussions with national policymakers and media representatives, and interact with University experts, visiting journalists, and officials in state and federal government.

The University and the Washington-based Kiplinger Foundation, which together have funded the Kiplinger Program for nearly 30 years, will work together on the restructuring plan during the coming academic year, aiming for a relaunch in the fall of 2004.

The University is considering centering the Kiplinger Program in a new, more-central location, perhaps within the interdisciplinary John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy. With more than 130 affiliated faculty, the nonpartisan Institute maintains connections with all of Ohio State’s academic departments and with policymakers throughout the nation. The Glenn Institute's policy centers, lecture series, and conferences would complement the work of the Kiplinger Fellows.

The Kiplinger Program will retain ties to Ohio State’s School of Journalism and Communications through its laboratory student newspaper, The Lantern, which has a daily circulation of 30,000. W. M. Kiplinger ’12, for whom the Kiplinger Program is named, was one of Ohio State’s first two graduates in journalism and an editor of The Lantern. Kiplinger Fellows have served as mentors at The Lantern throughout the life of the Kiplinger Program.

“We look forward to working with Ohio State on this exciting new direction for the Kiplinger Program,” said Kiplinger Foundation president Austin H. Kiplinger, who conceived the idea of the program as a tribute to his father.
Kiplinger is chairman of the board and editor emeritus of the Kiplinger publishing organization in Washington, D.C.

“Ohio State’s Kiplinger Program will offer journalists a vital opportunity to explore policy issues in two capitals,” observed Deborah Merritt, Director of the Glenn Institute and John Deaver Drinko/Baker & Hostetler Chair at Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law. “In Columbus, journalists have access to a thriving state capital and academic experts in every discipline. In Washington, they will be able to use the University's office for interaction with national politics and policymakers.”

The University will consult with former Kiplinger Fellows, the Kiplinger Foundation, and others in determining details of the new program. Founded in 1972, the Kiplinger Program has an alumni body of more than 220 former fellows, who include distinguished, prize-winning journalists in news organizations throughout the nation.

W. M. Kiplinger was one of journalism’s most innovative figures, credited with creating an entirely new journalistic medium--the modern newsletter--and a new field of editorial content--personal finance guidance.

The weekly Kiplinger Letter, founded in 1923, is today the most widely read business forecasting periodical in the world, and Kiplinger's Personal Finance, started in 1947, has a monthly circulation of one million.

The Kiplinger Foundation, founded by W. M. Kiplinger, is a grant-making charitable foundation that focuses on education, the arts, and mid-career professional development for journalists.

More information about the restructured Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism will be available during early fall 2003.