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Project February 22, 2013

William & Mary 2012-2013 Sharp Reporting Projects

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Media file: Danasharp_JBR-Romi_Butmir-7A.jpg

Eight William & Mary students worked with Pulitzer Center grantees Stephanie Hanes and Jina Moore during the 2012-2013 academic year to develop their writing and reporting skills through the second Sharp Writer-in-Residence Program. The program is a joint Campus Consortium initiative with the Pulitzer Center and the William & Mary Roy R. Charles Center, supported by William & Mary alumni Anne and Barry Sharp.

The College launched its Campus Consortium partnership in fall 2011 with the first Sharp Writer-in-Residence Program. Following the Sharps' vision and for the second year running, the College and the Pulitzer Center offered a unique experience for students, developing integrated programming segments during the academic year tied together through a three-credit seminar named in honor of the Sharps. Pulitzer Center grantees Hanes and Moore led the students through the process of developing and finalizing their reporting projects.

In addition to small group and individual sessions with each student, the journalists and the Pulitzer Center created a series of workshops exploring the craft of journalism and today's media landscape as well as providing a window into the journalists' own reporting projects and career paths. Each student undertook a reporting project of his or her own choice and worked with the journalists to craft the final product, published on the Pulitzer Center platform and on the William & Mary Charles Center site. These final products are the culmination of the students' independent reporting and the mentoring support by Hanes and Moore through the 2012-2013 Sharp seminar.

"Since William & Mary doesn't have a degree program in journalism, the Sharp Seminar is a critical resource for students who want to communicate to broad audiences about subjects on which they feel passionately and have conducted academic research," said Joel Schwartz, director of the Roy R. Charles Center in the College's Art's and Sciences arena, at the inception of the program.

Barry '81 and Anne Pennewell Sharp '82 are the parents of Katherine "Katie" Sharp '14. Barry Sharp is senior vice president and CFO of Imagine Schools, Inc., an Arlington-based not-for-profit company and largest operator of K-12 charter and private schools in the US. Anne Sharp is a former secondary school English teacher. The Sharps have been active volunteers with The College over the years. Barry Sharp serves on the Mason School Advisory Board and the Business School Foundation board. Anne Sharp serves on the W&M Foundation board. The Sharps are generous donors to The College, and their generosity established the Sharp Public Writing Program.

Check out Jim Ducibella's article on the Sharp seminar reception, which was sponsored by the Roy R. Charles Center.

Image by Jasmin Brutus. Bosnia, 2009.

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