I was very fortunate to be able to transfer to the University of Florida when I saw the Journalism degree I was getting at Florida Gulf Coast University would not let me match up with the competition. Throughout my time here the College has made huge improvements. All along it has been regarded as one of the best Journalism schools in the country, but something that deserves more mention is that even with that title, the school has not become complacent. It still makes vast improvements to the overall education of students, keeping up with the fast updates of technology and giving them the best chance at a successful future in the media industry.
An example of this is the Center for Media Innovation and Research, or CMIR, Director David Carlson sums it all up in the first page, “We are committed to offering all of our work to others either open source or via Creative Commons licensing. We want to collaborate with other institutions and the industry at large. We want to collaborate with you.” This couldn’t be more true.
Above I posted a package I put together about the drought situation in Gainesville. I put this package together in the CMIR. Before this, putting together packages was done in a classroom type setting in the same building, where my TV2 class met to work at the TV station twice a week. It was still a pretty advanced space but sometimes packed. CMIR gave a great space to all students to be able to find a quiet place to work, always have peers around to help them, and never be short of computer or technology.
Even the CMIR website is consistently updates. The projects section gives the college a place to showcase the best talent in the university with diverse stories that are great to watch. This week much focus is being placed on the Mega Millions that are up for grabs in the lottery, and what a luxury it would be to win it. But us students at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism, already have plenty to be thankful for, starting with the CMIR where millions have already been put in, and we get to enjoy the results everyday.
I have learned a lot from this college, how to produce TV and Radio stories, the art of the one man band, putting together creative standups, writing for electronic media, the topics are endless. But maybe the most important lesson is the one taught throughout the creation of the CMIR: not to ever get complacent. As graduates of this school we may start above many other graduates, but that doesn’t mean we should ever stop learning, or strive to be better.
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