Ball State Project to Study News Industry Issues, Convergence

Posted Thursday, September 28, 2006 12:00 am

By: E&P Staff Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., has announced the creation of the News Research Institute (NRI) as a part of the Digital Exchange, an initiative to expand innovative, immersive educational experiences for students.

The NRI will be an interdisciplinary project, bringing together students, faculty, and industry professionals to identify and offer practical solutions to issues that face the news industry in an uncertain future of convergence.

Managing Editor of NewsLink Indiana (the university?s converged news project) Chris Bavender will direct NRI operations.

In its first year, NRI will coordinate some of the school?s immersive learning projects including NewsLink Indiana; WebFirst, which develops online applications for print media; and J-Ideas, Ball State?s national scholastic journalism and First Amendment project. It will also test new media products, conduct research projects, and host professional workshops.

NRI is a result of a $20 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. to fund the digital exchange. Three other institutes have been created from the grant and are each administered by the university?s Center for Media Design: the Institute for Digital Entertainment and Education, the Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts and Animation, and the Instittue for Digital Fabrication and Rapid Prototyping.

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Ball State Project to Study News Industry Issues, Convergence

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