Boston University associate journalism professor Nick Mills will serve as the new interim director for BU’s Washington Internship Program, Associate Provost for International Programs Ben DeWinter announced in an email to faculty last Thursday.
Mills is stepping in after former director Linda Killian stepped down earlier this month.
‘The search for a new director of the Boston University Washington Center will commence in early January,’ DeWinter said in the email. ‘Until a new director is appointed, Professor Nick Mills will serve as Interim Resident Director of the Boston University Washington Center.’
Mills, a former broadcast journalist, served as interim director in Washington in the summer of 1999 and interim director of the London Internship Program in 1998.
He has ‘worked closely with International Programs in many capacities over the years,’ DeWinter said in the email.
‘They contacted me because I had been interim director before,’ Mills said. ‘I would have been director of the journalism program next semester as well, if we had one.’
The Washington Journalism Center, a program of WIP, was canceled for spring 2010 due to poor enrollment.
Mills said he was surprised to learn the journalism program was canceled and hopes to work on attracting more students for fall 2010. Spring enrollment tends to be lower, he said, as many seniors who might be interested in internships want to spend their last semester on campus.
‘I am going to Washington on the 16th to talk to Linda Killian to get briefed on what I have to do,’ Mills said. ‘We will talk about ideas to increase enrollment.’
Mills said he also plans to meet with COM Dean Tom Fiedler to discuss how to increase awareness of the program. He said many students may not have applied due to financial constraints.
‘I don’t have actual numbers, but enrollment slipped overall for International Programs this year,’ Mills said. ‘We will do a deeper analysis and figure out how we can increase the numbers.’
This version corrects an earlier version of this story that incorrectly stated Mills would be only interim director of the Washington Journalism Center.
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I wonder if Mills was suprised to learn that these kids don’t know how to report a basic news story . . .
You write that Nick Mills will serve as the interim director of the Washington Journalism Center in your lede. As you note further down, the Washington Journalism Center has been canceled for the spring. So what you meant to write was that Nick Mills will serve as the interim director of the BU Washington Center, which also includes the Washington, DC Internship Program — a program that will be continuing in spring 2010. <p/>Here we come to the next bit of confusion. You write in the second graph that “the program” remains canceled due to poor enrollment. Your readers can assume from your first graph that you mean the Washington Journalism Center, which is canceled, but if you had been more clear to begin with you would have noted that Mills is in fact the interim director of the entire Washington center and not just the journalism program (and so then the second graph would reflect that only the journalism program is canceled, not WHIP). In fact, you fail to mention the WHIP program at all in your article. If I knew nothing about this subject, or very little, I’d have to assume nothing at all is going on in D.C. in the spring, which is false. There are a number of students coming down for internships who might be taken aback by the way you have written this piece.<p/>Aside from that confusion about the journalism part of the program versus the regular internship part, this article, like the others you have written recently about Washington, could use some more reporting. Sticking again to this piece, you quote Mills as saying overall enrollment slipped for International Programs this year. Where is the data? Do the actual numbers add up to what he said? As far as I know, from being involved this semester in the Washington center this fall as a graduate journalism student, the number of WHIP students is about the same for spring 2010 as fall 2009. I think the core of the idea here is that the journalism program did not see as much interest. Perhaps we could explore that, however briefly. Was adequate recruitment done? Does the disruption in the journalism industry as a whole have an affect on students applying to the program? You mention “financial constraints”. What does that mean? Less students applying to BU in general? Because students who are already enrolled are already paying tuition, and pay only an extra fee to live in Washington. Is this extra fee a hardship for students? Why journalism students and not WHIP students?<p/>I think every student that has spent time in the programs in Washington appreciates the amount of coverage The Daily Free Press has provided on this subject. Both programs — journalism and WHIP — provide students amazing, invaluable experience in their fields. It is a shame that the journalism program has been temporarily canceled. But I think each of us, at least the journalism students, would appreciate more accurate, comprehensive and cleaner copy on the shake-up.
Pooja, I would encourage you to be clearer with your readers. Focusing on this article in particular, and avoiding re-hashing mistakes made in previous articles about the shake-up down in Washington, I’d like to point out some murkiness in your writing at the top of this story. <p/>You write that Nick Mills will serve as the interim director of the Washington Journalism Center in your lede. As you note further down, the Washington Journalism Center has been canceled for the spring. So what you meant to write was that Nick Mills will serve as the interim director of the BU Washington Center, which also includes the Washington, DC Internship Program — a program that will be continuing in spring 2010. <p/>Here we come to the next bit of confusion. You write in the second graph that “the program” remains canceled due to poor enrollment. Your readers can assume from your first graph that you mean the Washington Journalism Center, which is canceled, but if you had been more clear to begin with you would have noted that Mills is in fact the interim director of the entire Washington center and not just the journalism program (and so then the second graph would reflect that only the journalism program is canceled, not WHIP). In fact, you fail to mention the WHIP program at all in your article. If I knew nothing about this subject, or very little, I’d have to assume nothing at all is going on in D.C. in the spring, which is false. There are a number of students coming down for internships who might be taken aback by the way you have written this piece.<p/>Aside from that confusion about the journalism part of the program versus the regular internship part, this article, like the others you have written recently about Washington, could use some more reporting. Sticking again to this piece, you quote Mills as saying overall enrollment slipped for International Programs this year. Where is the data? Do the actual numbers add up to what he said? As far as I know, from being involved this semester in the Washington center this fall as a graduate journalism student, the number of WHIP students is about the same for spring 2010 as fall 2009. I think the core of the idea here is that the journalism program did not see as much interest. Perhaps we could explore that, however briefly. Was adequate recruitment done? Does the disruption in the journalism industry as a whole have an affect on students applying to the program? You mention “financial constraints”. What does that mean? Less students applying to BU in general? Because students who are already enrolled are already paying tuition, and pay only an extra fee to live in Washington. Is this extra fee a hardship for students? Why journalism students and not WHIP students?<p/>I think every student that has spent time in the programs in Washington appreciates the amount of coverage The Daily Free Press has provided on this subject. Both programs — journalism and WHIP — provide students amazing, invaluable experience in their fields. It is a shame that the journalism program has been temporarily canceled. But I think each of us, at least the journalism students, would appreciate more accurate, comprehensive and cleaner copy on the shake-up.
Pooja, I would encourage you to be clearer with your readers. Focusing on this article in particular, and avoiding re-hashing mistakes made in previous articles about the shake-up down in Washington, I’d like to point out some murkiness in your writing at the top of this story. <p/>You write that Nick Mills will serve as the interim director of the Washington Journalism Center in your lede. As you note further down, the Washington Journalism Center has been canceled for the spring. So what you meant to write was that Nick Mills will serve as the interim director of the BU Washington Center, which also includes the Washington, DC Internship Program — a program that will be continuing in spring 2010. <p/>Here we come to the next bit of confusion. You write in the second graph that “the program” remains canceled due to poor enrollment. Your readers can assume from your first graph that you mean the Washington Journalism Center, which is canceled, but if you had been more clear to begin with you would have noted that Mills is in fact the interim director of the entire Washington center and not just the journalism program (and so then the second graph would reflect that only the journalism program is canceled, not WHIP). In fact, you fail to mention the WHIP program at all in your article. If I knew nothing about this subject, or very little, I’d have to assume nothing at all is going on in D.C. in the spring, which is false. There are a number of students coming down for internships who might be taken aback by the way you have written this piece.<p/>Aside from that confusion about the journalism part of the program versus the regular internship part, this article, like the others you have written recently about Washington, could use some more reporting. Sticking again to this piece, you quote Mills as saying overall enrollment slipped for International Programs this year. Where is the data? Do the actual numbers add up to what he said? As far as I know, from being involved this semester in the Washington center this fall as a graduate journalism student, the number of WHIP students is about the same for spring 2010 as fall 2009. I think the core of the idea here is that the journalism program did not see as much interest. Perhaps we could explore that, however briefly. Was adequate recruitment done? Does the disruption in the journalism industry as a whole have an affect on students applying to the program? You mention “financial constraints”. What does that mean? Less students applying to BU in general? Because students who are already enrolled are already paying tuition, and pay only an extra fee to live in Washington. Is this extra fee a hardship for students? Why journalism students and not WHIP students?<p/>I think every student that has spent time in the programs in Washington appreciates the amount of coverage The Daily Free Press has provided on this subject. Both programs — journalism and WHIP — provide students amazing, invaluable experience in their fields. It is a shame that the journalism program has been temporarily canceled. But I think each of us, at least the journalism students, would appreciate more accurate, comprehensive and cleaner copy on the shake-up.