| PLNU Senior Shares in Pulitzer for Exposing Scandalous Politician |
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SAN DIEGO - Point Loma Nazarene University senior Kelly Bennett had quite a week - celebrating her 22nd birthday, earning her US citizenship, and oh, by the way, winning a share of the Pulitzer Prize.
Bennett will forever count herself a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist from her internship as a member of The San Diego Union-Tribune and Copley News Service. The award went to the staffs of both organizations along with notable recognition of Marcus Stern and Jerry Krammer, “for their disclosure of bribe-taking that sent former Rep. Randy Cunningham to prison in disgrace.”
Graduating this spring from PLNU, the Canadian-born Bennett attended the Summer Institute for Journalism, a four-week program that has now grown to become the Washington Journalism Center in Washington, DC. The center offers an advanced, experiential semester on Capitol Hill that cultivates professional news skills and encourages students to think through the implications of being a Christian in the news media.
“Working with Marc and all of the members of that bureau in D.C. and experiencing the camaraderie of being on a team like that, was a major shaping factor in my decision to pursue a career in journalism,” Bennett said.
With press credentials in hand, Bennett researched Rep. Cunningham’s financial disclosure forms during his tenure, and interviewed political analysts at Washington think tanks about the ramifications of Cunningham’s trading millions in defense contracts for cash and gifts. Bennett was listed as a special correspondent to editor Marc Stein’s reporting.
"The goal of our work here has always been to let our students test their calling and improve their skills by doing real journalism," said Terry Mattingly, director of the Washington Journalism Center and a national columnist for the Scripps Howard News Service. "Kelly earned a number of bylines while she was here, including trips to page-one territory. She did wonderful work and we all knew it. She was a tremendous help to other students, as well."
Dean Nelson, Director of Journalism Program at Point Loma, agrees.
“She is going to be one of the great Christian voices in the news media,” Nelson said.
Bennett is the first Pulitzer Prize winner in PLNU’s history, and overcame numerous challenges to win the honor.
“I was immersed in the capital city of a country I had not grown up in, I was surrounded by challenges – journalistic, personal and interpersonal, and I was expected to deliver professional results,” Bennett said. “I learned so much about conducting myself as a representative for PLNU, for the CCCU, for God. But my time in D.C. also sparked a recommitment to pursuing excellence in everything I do.”
WJC is one of 12 semester- or summer-long student programs offered by the CCCU through BestSemester. Culture-shaping programs are: American Studies Program (Washington, D.C.); Contemporary Music Center (Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.); Los Angeles Film Studies Center (L.A., Calif.); and Washington Journalism Center (Washington, D.C.), which is scheduled to launch in Fall 2006. Included in the culture-crossing programs are: Australia Studies Centre; China Studies Program; Latin American Studies Program; Middle East Studies Program; Programmes in Oxford; Russian Studies Program; and Uganda Studies Program. All programs undergo regular site visit evaluations by the Student Academic Programs Commission (SAPC).
The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is a higher education association of more than 170 intentionally Christ-centered institutions around the world. There are now 105 member campuses in North America and all are fully-accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities with curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. In addition, 74 affiliate campuses from 25 countries are part of the CCCU. The Council’s mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help its institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.
Posted May 17, 2006
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