Letter from Interim Director Susan Jacobson

Welcome to the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media Spring 2024 semester!

I hope you had a great winter break filled with joy, relaxation, and memorable moments with loved ones. As we embark on a new semester, we are excited to see the campus buzzing with energy and enthusiasm once again. The fields of journalism and media are always evolving, and the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media evolves with it. This Spring you will find many exciting new developments at our School:

• Broadcast Performance Lab – Students interested in honing their on-camera performance skills may sign up for a session at the Broadcast Performance Lab, located next to the TV Studio. In the Lab, you may read a script from a teleprompter and record your performance. The video of your performance will then be sent to our Digital Broadcast Journalism professors for feedback. Contact Mr. Wayde Klipper klipperw@fiu.edu to make an appointment at the lab.
• Island TV – The leading streaming network of the Caribbean, Island TV, produces some of its shows in our TV studio. The staff of Island TV is very interested in meeting students who are interested in internships with the network. Please contact Tamara Rodriguez trodriguez@islandtv.tv for more information.
• Intro to 3D Content Creation – All students enrolled in the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media may register for Intro to 3D Content Creation, an introductory course taught in our iSTAR facility by the Animation Media and Game Media faculty.  Spots are limited, and you need permission, so work with your advisor. Last semester a group of Game Media students won first place for their VR project at a local hackathon.
• Students may now enroll in the Creative Digital Filmmaking Certificate – This program is offered by the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media in collaboration with the Department of Theatre. DIG 3153 Writing for Film and FIL 2000 Film Appreciation are available this Spring. Courses in Digital Cinematography, Sound Design for Visual Media and Acting/Directing for TV/Film will be offered in the Fall. This five-course certificate program may be used to satisfy the Area of Concentration requirement for students in Digital Journalism, Digital Broadcasting, Digital TV and Interactive Media majors.

Mark Your Calendar

These are just some of the events that we have planned for the Spring semester, in January and February:

• Mick McGuire from Rhino Staging on January 9 https://www.rhinostaging.com
• Future in Films Festival on January 26 https://asfimiami.org/film-festival/
• Emmy award-winning Journalist and FIU Journalism & Media alum Laurie Jennings https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriejenningslive/ on February 6
• Respected Israeli journalist, Gil Hoffman, https://www.linkedin.com/in/gil-hoffman-9b3660248/ on February 9
• Long-time Miami Herald photojournalist Carl Juste with Colette Veazy-Cullers, Dean and Deputy Director of the International Center for Photography https://www.linkedin.com/in/colette-veasey-cullors-9054b616/on February 16

Are you interested in internships? Students who participate in Caplin News Newsbreak, our live morning TV news show, are more likely to secure paid internships at local and national media organizations. Any student enrolled in the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media, from Freshmen to Seniors, may participate in Newsbreak, which is broadcast live on YouTube every morning at 9:30am and then rebroadcast throughout the day on Island TV, the Caribbean’s leading streaming channel. Please contact Prof. Stephen Kairalla, faculty Director of Newsbreak, to learn how to participate.

The school offers internships and experiential learning opportunities with high-profile media companies like NBC Universal, Univision, the E.W. Scripps Network and The Miami Herald. Our students have won dozens of national and regional media awards in the last two years, and our publication, Caplin News (then the South Florida Media Network), was named The Best College News Website in 2020 by Editor & Publisher Magazine. Get involved with Caplin News – contact Prof. Charles Strouse, Assistant Director of Experiential Learning, to find out how. Our school website has many resources that will help you. Find internship and job opportunities on Handshake, FIU’s internship database

Have you dreamed of spending a semester in Washington, DC? You can spend a semester in the Caplin Media Washington, DC, bureau where you will work on news and video packages for Newsbreak from FIU in DC, just steps from the U.S. Capitol. You can take a DC-based internship and classes online while you are in Washington. Students may also apply for a $5,000 scholarship to help pay for a semester in DC. Contact Ms. Freeman at afreeman@fiu.edufor more information.

You will be hearing from me as the semester progresses, letting you know about the exciting opportunities we have planned. Look for messages from us via your FIU e-mail. You will also find resources available to make your academic journey a success, including information about advising and student groups like The Society of Professional Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Visit the Scholarships site for more information on various scholarship opportunities.

I look forward to meeting all of you as you work toward your future at FIU.

Sincerely,

Susan Jacobson, Ph.D.
Interim Director
Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media
Associate Professor
Co-Director, Steven Cruz Institute for Media, Science + Technology