Date: Thu 8 Jun 11:41:38 EDT 2006 - This has really been a great year for the journalism students and all the mentoring they have gotten from you is paying great dividends.  Congratulations.
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I came across this old email as I was doing summer cleaning of my email box. Mentoring, for me, is characteristics of journalists/J-instructors whom I respect: A primordial urge kicks in when they meet the up-and-coming and want to help, not  as crutches but as mentors. Mentoring is big part of the serious journalism programs, such as those at Columbia University and CUNY’s. That’s what my former students say and they don’t use the word, nope, they describe – effusively – their interactions with faculty and administrators and staff. Some can even cite mentors they’ve met as they started their careers. Mentoring shouldn’t be a big deal.
It’s fair to say there are others – with far more serious sway in my department’s journalism curriculum than I do – who don’t share the sentiment.
In fact, that negative perception of mentoring ranges from serious antagonism to indifference to serious indifference. I even once heard a few years ago the President of the College, as she was trekking through a campus hallway, lament the diffidence she said she had witnessed among Hunter instructors (she had been at Harvard where, she noted, it was quite different). Nevertheless, it can’t be denied that some departments – definitely not mine – value mentoring.
Anyway, I thought I would post even though “it’s” old.
At 08:34 PM 6/7/2006, you [I] wrote [on the Hunter-L Listserv]:
>Gloria Romano, recent graduate and editor at CENTRO and former writer for
>the Envoy, was one of four students selected for the 2006 Ford Motor
>Company NAHJ/NAHP Journalism Fellowship. Romanos and all the other
>students blazing or about to blaze trails (as well as those who might not
>blaze trails but will make a difference) make Hunter a real pleasure
>(despite all my griping about … etc.).
>
>Her instructors should be proud and should crow loudly. Her message to
>Hunter is below.
>
>G Morris
>
>
>—– Forwarded message from glo12ria@yahoo.com —–
> Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2006 17:20:31 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Gloria Romano <glo12ria@yahoo.com>
>Reply-To: Gloria Romano <glo12ria@yahoo.com>
>Subject: Hunter student
> To: gmorris@hunter.cuny.edu
>
>Hi Prof. Morris
> I know we haven’t met, but i thought this will be interesting for
> Hunter students especially Hispanic students at the College. My name
> is Gloria Romano, and i graduated last week. Well the interesting part is
> that i was one of the four selected to the 2006 Ford Motor Company
> NAHJ/NAHP Journalism Fellowship. One of the internship programs
> availiable to young Hispanic aspiring journalist. This fellowship
> will offer an opportunity to develop myself professionally and get
> journalistic skills as well. I have been placed at Latina Style
> magazine for the summer in Washingotn D.C, with a stipend, paid
> accomodations, and travel allowance, and also will particpate at the NAHJ
> convention that will be held in Fort Lauderdale, FL. next week.
>I am currently assistant to the editor at CENTRO Journal for the Center
>for Puertorrican Studies, written for the Envoy and have interned at
>several magazines, like American Ceramics. I believe this can be a
>great opportunity for anyone aspiring to be a journalist and get
>experience in it. The organization places students at different
>newspapers, magazines and everything is hands-on. There will be work to do
>- and the best part of it you will be treated as a professional. There
>is much more to say, but will keep it up to that. Hope to hear from you
>if you need anything.
>Gloria Romano
>
Tags: journalism, journalism education, mentoring, teaching