Centennial overview

By MADOLINE MARKHAM

COLUMBIA — The coming week will serve as an important historical marker for the Missouri School of Journalism. From Sept. 10 to Sept. 12, the school will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding and mark the event by dedicating the new, state-of-the-art Reynolds Journalism Institute.

The centennial celebration, sponsored jointly by MU, the journalism school and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, will offer professionals, students, alumni and the public a multitude of opportunities to learn about the present and future of journalism.

The event centers on the mission of the Reynolds Journalism Institute, which is to reconnect journalists and citizens and to use new technologies to advance the work of journalism.

The schedule features 35 interactive journalism sessions, 27 technology discussions, 11 museum exhibits and displays, five live performances and two dining experiences.

ALICIA SCHAMBURG/Missourian
The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute will be dedicated on Friday as part of the Centennial at the MU School of Journalism.

Many of the activities are free and open to the public; others can be attended by paying a $200 registration fee that covers all sessions and dinner.

Headlining Wednesday's activities is a "Freedom Sings" event hosted by Ken Paulson, a graduate of the school and current editor of USA Today. The event celebrates the First Amendment through music that has been banned or censored or has served as a social anthem.

It features Grammy Award winners Ashley Cleveland, Craig Krampf and Don Henry, as well as Jason White, songwriter of Tim McGraw's "Red Rag Top." The concert is at 8 p.m. in Mizzou Arena and is free and open to the public.

Thursday's "Futures Forum" features discussions with alumni and industry leaders from BusinessWeek.com, Parade Magazine, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Tonight, The Washington Post and more.

On Friday, a technology summit introduces 27 innovative ideas in 15-minute presentations. The sessions cover digital storytelling, revenue-generating strategies and the next wave of promising technology.

At 4 p.m. Friday, the Reynolds Journalism Institute will be dedicated in a ceremony that is free and open to the public. The centennial tribute will close Friday night at Mizzou Arena with a showcase of photographs accompanied by an original musical composition.

History of the School

The Missouri School of Journalism was founded Sept. 14, 1908, as the world's first school of journalism. It was the first journalism school to offer bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in the field. Currently, the school is home to several national journalism institutions and research facilities.

The school's hands-on curriculum has trained generations of journalists through local media outlets such as the Columbia Missourian, Vox, KOMU, KBIA and MyMissourian.com. This "Missouri Method" approach played an instrumental role in the professionalization of the industry and has become a model for many journalism schools.

The residents of Columbia have always been valuable resources for students at the journalism school as they use the city as their laboratory.

"The journalism school has always depended heavily on the good nature of the citizens of Columbia," said Dean Mills, dean of the school.

Now the school invites the public to help celebrate the past and cooperatively seek how to best approach journalism in a rapidly changing world.

Mills cited seminars on the use of cell phones and Web technology as examples that "will enable citizens to have a greater understanding of how to be stronger participants."

"We hope the events surrounding the centennial celebration will help everyone, citizens and journalists, to learn how to better use the tools of journalism," he said.