Liberal Arts Education Provides Solid Foundation for
Journalists
Most educators believe that a liberal arts education is essential
for any good reporter. Journalists need to be well-informed in
many areas and often face the challenge of interpreting and
explaining complex, technical information in plain language for
a diverse public. A liberal education prepares students to think
rationally, to evaluate situations judiciously and to write
clearly and gracefully. These are the journalist’s most
valuable skills.
Journalism students most frequently select majors such as English,
politics and government, history, economics, philosophy or particular
interest areas like music or art. A self-designed major is yet
another option. For example, one student designed a major in
political communication involving an internship in Washington,
D.C.; another supplemented a French major with a self-designed
journalism major in preparation for a career as a foreign correspondent.
If you wish to go on to specialized training in journalism, you
may arrange to do so after three years at Ripon, receiving degrees
from both Ripon and the journalism school of your choice.
Recent graduates have gone on to prestigious journalism schools,
including Columbia University, University of Missouri and the
Northwestern Medill School of Journalism. Undergraduates also have held part-time jobs and credit-bearing internships at area
newspapers and in the College’s own Office of Marketing and Communication.
Prominent Ripon alumni in the field include Bill Roberts, class
of ’41, former White House assistant press secretary; Curtis
MacDougall, class of ’23, one of the leading journalism
professors in the country; Richard Threlkeld, class of ’59,
former CBS journalist most recently on assignment in Moscow;
Walter Zimmerman, class of ’67, former news director for
a Wisconsin regional television station and now a television
news director in Hawaii; Marti Spittell Ziegelbauer, class of ’82,
former anchor for a Green Bay, Wisconsin, television station and a
consultant for Frank Magid & Associates in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa; and Susan Bundock, class of ’84, producer for the
C-SPAN cable television network.
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