Lee Caplin Gift and Naming Announcement

I’m pleased to announce that Mr. and Mrs. Lee and Gita Caplin have signed a transformative $10 million gift agreement in support of journalism and media.

The Caplins’ gift, one of the largest to a journalism program in the history of the State of Florida, directly supports

Our Vision,
to shape the future of journalism and media education and thus the next generation of journalists and media professionals;

Our Mission,
which is grounded in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, to prepare career-ready journalists and media professionals, in English and Spanish, who are critical and reflective thinkers and communicators, ethical, socially responsible, well rounded, and fair minded;

And, Our Promises,
that we will achieve our vison and our mission by fulfilling our promises to the diverse communities we serve through providing our students with

• a solid grounding in the researching, reporting, writing, storytelling, and critical thinking skills that form the foundation of all journalism endeavors.
• the opportunity to learn from and be mentored by a diverse, dedicated, innovative, and acclaimed faculty of professional practitioners and scholars.
• an engaging, inclusive, content producing curriculum that supports our experiential “learn by doing” teaching philosophy.
• instruction in the use of industry standard equipment, software, and the latest immersive and emerging technologies.
• information, media, and digital literacy skill sets required to combat misinformation and disinformation.
• access to participate in and engage with our local, national, and global media partnerships.
• need-based and merit-based financial assistance.
• the opportunity to complete their degree in a timely manner with career ready skills sets.

In recognition of Mr. and Mrs. Caplin’s generosity and confidence in our students, faculty, staff, and alumni, the University has renamed the Department of Journalism + Media and established the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media within the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts.

Please join me in thanking Mr. and Mrs. Caplin and congratulating our students, faculty, staff, and alumni, whose commitment to excellence led to this transformative gift.

In the Spirit of the Blue + Gold,

Brian Schriner
Dean