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UT aids education in Jordan

October 16, 2006
Chris Akel - Staff Writer, The Daily Beacon

While conflict ensues in the Middle East, the efforts of University of Tennessee journalism and electronic media professor Sam Swan are helping to revive the area’s educational system, particularly in Jordan. Recently, Swan was awarded a $1.2 million grant to improve journalism education in Jordan.

From Sri Lanka to Eastern Europe, helping boost international journalism has always been Swan’s passion. The 35-year veteran of journalism and broadcasting has offered the last 10 years of his vocation to international media training in developing countries around the world.

“My passion for international travel and consulting began in 1971 when I went on a program similar to the Peace Corps but sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” Swan said in a recent press release.

He also used to serve as the interim director of the School of Journalism and Electronic Media as well as the head of UT’s broadcasting department, and now, Swan is the interim director of the college’s Internationalization and Outreach Program.

“This is a great opportunity for The University of Tennessee to have a lasting impact on journalism education in the volatile region of the Middle East and influence the region’s future journalism and mass communication leaders,” Swan said. “Most journalism education in Jordan is theoretical in nature. Students learn very few practical writing, research and interviewing skills.”

Michael Wirth, dean of the College of Communication and Information, is also very pleased with Swan’s efforts.

“This contract demonstrates the leadership we have here in the College of Communication and Information and that we’re able to share the expertise we have in the school with other countries that are developing,” Wirth said. “It provides us with an opportunity to interact with another country and build bridges, to share ideas and knowledge about journalism and electronic media and to help instruct journalists and such in another country.”

The contract is part of an original $5 million project, funded by the U.S. Agency of International Development, in conjunction with the International Research and Exchanges Board. The USAID broadcasted a call for the project, and Jordan was identified by the agency as a target for international development funding.

Though Swan and UT were awarded only $1.2 million, the contract is one of the largest received by the college and will raise its national and international prestige and reputation world-wide.

“This project will continue these efforts to improve the quality of journalism education, media and the development of a free press in the region,” Swan said.

UT will work hand-in-hand with a Jordanian university to implement the project’s goals. These goals include upgrading their radio-TV facilities, seeking licenses for student broadcast stations, revising the journalism curriculum and updating the journalism teaching materials. The project will continue for three years, and if all goes well, it will be extended for another two years.

The contract is just one of UT’s efforts to boost the university’s “Ready for the World” program, designed to better prepare students to work and live in a diverse 21st century.

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Article originally published by The Daily Beacon, University of Tennessee.