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Time Warner Professionals to Teach at Howard

By Christina M. Wright
Black College Wire

Photo credit: Mark King/The Hilltop Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons said the role of editors is going to become more important.

A partnership between Time Warner and the Howard University School of Communications will allow Howard students to be taught by both professors and working professionals starting in the fall.

Richard Parsons, chairman and CEO of Time Warner, and Jannette Dates, dean of the school, introduced the Time Warner program during a taping Feb. 16 at the studios of the university's television station, WHUT-TV.

According to Kira Calm Lewis, special project coordinator in the Office of the Dean, the program begins with writing as its main focus, but the emphasis will change each semester.

"There is writing in every field of communications," Lewis said. "The students in each concentration will learn how writing is present in their field."

Each professor will be paired with a professional and work together to decide the outline of the class.

Students reacted positively to the announcement at the taping.

"Having a professional from an actual bureau is something you could never pay for," said Krystin Ramlogan, a freshman radio, TV and film major. "The program seems to be a good opportunity for all students."

Parsons, who serves as the chairman of advancement on the university's Board of Trustees, said during the taping that the most important job will be selecting what to report and which parts to show.

"The role of editors is going to become more and more important," he said. "I think Time Warner is in the best position" of the companies in its industry.

He urged the School of Communications students, professors and administrators to "make this simply the best media department of any institute of higher learning."

As attendees mingled over light refreshments at a catered reception after the taping, Howard University President H. Patrick Swygert expressed his appreciation for all that Parsons has done for Howard.

Parsons "mentioned that Time Warner has donated $50 million, but he didn't mention that he had donated over $1 million of his own to Howard," Swygert said. "It's wonderful that Mr. Parsons continues to give back."

Christina M. Wright is a student at Howard University who writes for The Hilltop.

Posted Feb. 22, 2005