Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
- Multiple media
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on provenance.
Level of description
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1945 - (Creation)
- Creator
- University of King's College School of Journalism
Physical description area
Physical description
21m of textual records; approx. 200 photographs (head shots on admissions applications, primarily from 1987-1991 and 2000; class photos, faculty head shots, misc.); approximately 30 CDs containing photographs of people, places and events, and of student-created magazines; 34 framed newspaper front pages dated 1980-1981 that hung on the walls of the Journalism School during the 1980s when it was on the bottom floor of the main building (includes Daily Graphic, Daily Mail, Taifa Leo, Uhuru, Sydney Morning Herald, newspapers from India and elsewhere)
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The University of King's College School of Journalism was established in 1978. In 1974, President Graham Morgan began exploring the possibility of offering journalism classes in a more comprehensive program, and had a feasibility study done by Thomas, Giffen, Seaton Associates, Ltd., to explore the possibility of initiating a journalism program. A survey to determine the degree of interest was conducted in the spring of 1975, and the consultants' report was submitted to the Board of Governors in October. The study determined that the outlook was favourable, so the Board established an advisory council, engaged an academic consultant, and presented a proposal to the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC) on 1 Dec 1975, with a suggested date offall 1978 to commence operations. The President invited representatives from the local media and the Board of Governors to join the Advisory Planning Committee. The academic consultant's report was tabled in May 1976.
In 1976, King's applied to the MPHEC to institute degree-granting programs in the field of journalism. The MPHEC granted permission, and King's established two new programs in 1978: the four-year Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) (B.J.H.) degree for students with a high school diploma; and the one-year Bachelor of Journalism (B.J.) for students who already had an undergraduate degree.
The new school of journalism was to be an integral part of King's. Students would be obligated to enrol in the Foundation Year Programme and a French course. The school would be small and have rigorous entrance requirements. It would be housed in Classroom 1 in the basement of the main building. The promise of approximately $2,000 per student from the MPHEC in addition to student fees, the need for only three professors initially, the probability of help from the Government of Canada State Department, the Canada Department of Regional Economic Expansion (DREE) and the Nova Scotia Minister of Education, and increased renovation grants all combined to make the financial commitment less intimidating than the Board of Governors had originally calculated.
The school went through growing pains in its early years; there were issues with the lack of television and radio facilities and instruction, and its first director resigned in June 1979. George Bain, a renowned Canadian journalist, took on the directorship that October, and the school saw significantly increased enrolment. From 1980 to 1984, applications increased, with enrolment remaining at 20 to 30 students in each program, assuring quality of education through low teacher – student ratio. A radio room was installed in 1980-1981, although the School continued to use Dalhousie's facilities for television production. Writing for the School's student publication, The Monitor, and editing it and laying it out for printing became mandatory for fourth-year B.J.H. and one-year B.J. students.
After five years of existence, a review of the School showed generally positive results. Overall, it was perceived that applications were steady or rising, which allowed the School to enroll high caliber students.
In 1984, Walter Stewart, another noted Canadian journalist, became director, while George Bain, the former director, continued to teach at the School. All Directors' Reports to the President up to 1986 reported that a majority of graduates found placements at reputable media outlets. By 1986, the School had established internships with the Toronto Star and the chain of South Shore community newspapers operated by Lighthouse Publishing.
The University of King's College was the first university in Canada to offer a course in online journalism, and has continued as a leader in that field, with one of the few tenure-track faculties in Canada to specialize specifically in online journalism. Professors Tim Currie and Kim Kierans are co-editors (with Paul Benedetti) of Canada's definitive textbook for teaching online journalism, The New Journalist: Roles, Skills and Critical Thinking (Emond Montgomery, 2010).
In 2011, the School became the first university in Atlantic Canada to offer a Master of Journalism program. The M.J. is a "unique, new interdisciplinary program" emphasizing the importance of new technology in modem professional journalism: all graduates will be skilled in delivering multimedia content through websites, social media and mobile devices.30 The program has two streams: Investigative, concerned primarily with research and reporting methods, both traditional and emerging; and New Ventures, which equips students with "skills to develop a new journalism enterprise." The M.J. is a one-year degree (10 months of courses) aimed at students who already have a background in journalism. It offers skills transferable to public relations, marketing and other areas, but is billed as being "of maximal use to those who want to work in the news industry."
Custodial history
School of Journalism administrators deposited the records in the Archives in 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2010.
Scope and content
The records in the fonds were created, received or used by the School of Journalism staff and administrators in the course of their work. The School transferred most of the records arranged and described in this project to the Archives in 2010, at the time Kelly Toughill became Director in 2010.
The primary activity of the School of Journalism is to provide education to aspiring and seasoned journalists. By training students in the art, craft and profession of informing the public about matters of public interest, the program equips its students with the abilities to work as reporters and editors in the Canadian news media (from paper to broadcast to online), and provides excellent training for careers where being able to write and speak well, interview people, research topics and puzzle things out are assets.
The records are predominantly textual, including student records, correspondence, reports and promotional materials. Some photographs are included in student records (most appearing between 1987-1991). Some audio/video discs and videocassettes that were submitted as part of some students' portfolios in their admission applications, are in the fonds. In recent years, records have arrived in digital format, e.g., photographs on CDs and magazines created in the Magazine Workshop .
Notes area
Physical condition
Most of the records are in good condition. Some student publications that were printed on newsprint have yellowed or become brittle.
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
The student records that were delivered to the Archives in a filing cabinet were filed alphabetically, and the 12 boxes of records that were deposited at another time were organized by subject. During this project, some records belonging to other fonds in the Archives were removed and placed with those fonds ( e.g., Encaenia programs), and the School of Journalism student records, which had been in a single alphabetical series in the filing cabinet that they arrived in, were sorted according to matriculation year, following the pattern established earlier in the Registrar's Office fonds (UKC.REG).
The School of Journalism Fonds are divided into the following series and sub-series:
Series 1: Founding documents. - 1945-c.2000
Sub-series 1.1: Atlantic School of Journalism and Communications records
Sub-series 1.2: School of Journalism founding records
Sub-series 1.3: School of Journalism documents
Series 2: Administrative records. - 31 May 1979-Apr 2006
Sub-series 2.1: Staff meeting minutes
Sub-series 2.2: Staffing records
Sub-series 2.3: Maclean-Hunter Chair
Sub-series 2.4: Facilities and equipment records
Sub-series 2.5: Financial records
Sub-series 2.6: Correspondence within the School of Journalism
Sub-series 2.7: Correspondence within University of King's College
Series 3: Operational records. - c.1978-3 Jan 2012
Sub-series 3.1: Director's Annual Report to the President
Sub-series 3.2: Committee records
Sub-series 3.3: Correspondence - External
Sub-series 3.4: Subject files, conferences, special events
Series 4: Academic records. - 1979-2012
Sub-series 4.1: Student recruitment
Sub-series 4.2: Admissions and graduation
Sub-series 4.3: Curriculum (includes Master's proposal)
Sub-series 4.4: Internships
Series 5: School of Journalism student records. - 1978-2008
Series 6: Student publications. - 17 Oct 1980-9 Feb 2012
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Many student publications from 2008 onwards are available in digital format, e.g., King's Investigative Journalism projects, online workshops, etc. The School has not provided digital copies to the Archives for permanent preservation of student work published on the internet, so it is probably that most of such work will be lost in years to come.
Restrictions on access
Access to records containing personal information is restricted.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Copyright in the records belongs to the University of King's College or to the author of written or recorded works in the records.
Permission of the University Librarian & Archivist is required for reproduction or publication.
Finding aids
Finding aid for the University of King’s College School of Journalism Fonds is available on MemoryNS, as well as in-person in the King’s Library Archives.
Uploaded finding aid
Associated materials
The following University of King's College records in the Archives may include information relating to School of Journalism students (particularly B.J.H. students):
Foundation Year Programme fonds (UKC.FYP): student records
Registrar's Office fonds (UKC.REG): students' academic records
Information about the School of Journalism is found in Registrar's Office fonds promotional brochures:
UKC.REG.3.4.1: Bachelor of Journalism [One Year] Enquiry Package. -1994.
UKC.REG.3.4.2: Bachelor of Journalism [One Year] Information Package. 1993-1994.
UKC.REG.3.4.3: Bachelor of Journalism [One Year] Information Package. 1994-1995.
UKC.REG.3.4.4: Bachelor of Journalism One Year Program. 2004-2005.
UKC.REG.3.4.5: Curious? University of King's College School of Journalism. - c. 2003.
UKC.REG.3.4.6: Curious? 2000-2001.
UKC.REG.3.4.7: Journalism at King's. 1998-1999.
UKC.REG.3.4.8: One-Year Bachelor of Journalism Programme. 2000-2001.
UKC.REG.3.4.9: One-Year Bachelor of Journalism Programme. 2001-2002.
UKC.REG.3.4.10: One-Year Bachelor of Journalism Programme. 2003-2004.
UKC.REG.3.4.11: One-Year Bachelor of Journalism. 2009-2010,
UKC.REG.3.4.12: School of Journalism. - c. 1990.
The extension courses generated a series of approximately 500 cards 8 cm x 13 cm, each with the name of a student enrolled in an extension course in journalism and public relations, most of which were taught by Glen Hancock in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Board of Governors fonds (UKC.BOG) and Presidents' Papers (UKC.G) may contain correspondence and reports related to the School of Journalism.
Accruals
Further accruals are expected. All School of Journalism records in the Archives as of 31 Jul 2012 were arranged and described during this project and are included in this finding aid.
General note
In the fall of 1945, journalism classes began at the University of King's College, Saint Mary's College (now Saint Mary's University) and Mount Saint Vincent College (now Mount Saint Vincent University), taught by editors from the Halifax Herald, the Halifax Chronicle, and Sister Maura of MSVC. The journalism programs were designed to give students a well-rounded education on various subjects; students, most of them just out of high school, could earn a diploma in journalism in three years.
By 1948, the curriculum required courses in history, French, English, economics, political science and sociology. Classes were concentrated in practical study, and over the next 10-15 years, classes related to public relations and communications were added.
By 1956,the School was self-sustaining and had received grants from Halifax Herald Ltd., the Maritime Broadcasting Co., and the Chronicle Co. Ltd. In 1957, a committee was formed to review the curriculum, and the School's Director made efforts to arrange summer positions for students with local newspapers.
By 1963, however, the School was in dire financial straits, and in 1964, the School proposed becoming part of King's to assure its continued operations, suggesting that it occupy space under the recently constructed Prince Hall; consideration was also given to locating the School in the space under the Chapel (now King's Theatrical Society's performance venue, the Pit), which had become available after Muir Gymnasium was built that year.
In 1974, President Graham Morgan began exploring the possibility of offering journalism classes in a more comprehensive program, and had a feasibility study done by Thomas, Giffen, Seaton Associates, Ltd., to explore the possibility of initiating a journalism program. A survey to determine the degree of interest was conducted in the spring of 1975, and the consultants' report was submitted to the Board of Governors in October. The study determined that the outlook was favourable, so the Board established an advisory council, engaged an academic consultant, and presented a proposal to the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC) on 1 Dec 1975, with a suggested date offall 1978 to commence operations. The President invited representatives from the local media and the Board of Governors to join the Advisory Planning Committee. The academic consultant's report was tabled in May 1976.
In 1976, King's applied to the MPHEC to institute degree-granting programs in the field of journalism. The MPHEC granted permission, and King's established two new programs in 1978: the four-year Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) (B.J.H.) degree for students with a high school diploma; and the one-year Bachelor of Journalism (B.J.) for students who already had an undergraduate degree.
The University of King's College School of Journalism opened in September 1978 with David Oancia as Director. Applications increased steadily from 1980 to 1984, although enrolment remained about the same, 20-30 students in each program, assuring quality of education through a low teacher-to-student ratio. A radio room was installed in 1980-1981, although the School continued to use Dalhousie's facilities for television production. Writing for the School's student publication, The Monitor, and editing it and laying it out for printing became mandatory for fourth-year B.J.H. and one-year B.J. students.
The School of Journalism continued to grow and develop throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. In 2011, the School became the first university in Atlantic Canada to offer a Master of Journalism program. The M.J. is a "unique, new interdisciplinary program" emphasizing the importance of new technology in modern professional journalism: all graduates will be skilled in delivering multimedia content through websites, social media and mobile devices.30 The program has two streams: Investigative, concerned primarily with research and reporting methods, both traditional and emerging; and New Ventures, which equips students with "skills to develop a new journalism enterprise." The M.J. is a one-year degree (10 months of courses) aimed at students who already have a background in journalism. It offers skills transferable to public relations, marketing and other areas, but is billed as being "of maximal use to those who want to work in the news industry."
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- University of King's College (Subject)
Genre access points
Control area
Description record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
2022-09-03
Language of description
- English