The first Jones fellow will receive a cash grant of $10,000
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Williams is seeking applications from our students for the inaugural Jeffrey Owen Jones '66 Fellowship in Journalism. Thanks to the efforts of the Class of '66, this endowed fellowship in honor of their classmate will provide start-up funds to a graduating Williams senior for post-graduate work or study in the field of journalism.The first Jones fellow will receive a cash grant of $10,000 to aid in launching a career in journalism. This launching point may take a spectrum of forms, whether an entry-level newspaper job to an independent blog to an investigative reporting project, both in traditional and new media.
The selection committee is looking for a senior who most exemplifies the qualities for which Jones was widely admired: integrity, talent, independence of mind, wit, strength of character, skepticism of authority, and concern for others.
In announcing the new fellowship, the college said, "Today the field of journalism is under siege - battered by commercial pressures, public antipathy, and its own painful failings. An award that in some small way goes against this grain, by helping a promising young person into the field, would not only honor Jeff, but would most certainly have pleased him."
During his time as a Williams College student, Jones was editor of the Williams Record, displaying the journalistic flair that would distinguish his career in numerous media-related fields. He was also a star athlete, winner of the prestigious Grosvenor Cup for dedicated service to the community, and a Rhodes Scholar finalist.
After graduation, Jones spent time in Uruguay on a Fulbright Scholarship and earned a master's degree at Middlebury College's Foreign Language School before writing and directing films in Spain. Jones subsequently returned to Williams, where he taught Spanish and served as dean of first-years before being named editor of Psychology Today magazine and produced promotional and educational videos for CBS. In 1997, he won a New York Emmy for Outstanding Fine Arts Programming. Jones returned to academe as a professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology's School of Film and Animation. He died of lung cancer on Nov. 11, 2007.
Interested candidates should submit a written proposal of no more than five pages in length, as well as a detailed resume explaining previous experience in journalism and one letter of recommendation from a Williams faculty member or former employer. Should the selection committee decide that no applicant's project meets the criteria for funding in any given year, no fellowship will be awarded.
Applications for this fellowship should be submitted to John Noble, Director of the Office of Career Counseling, Williams College, Weston Hall, 955 Main Street. All materials must be received no later than 5 p.m. on April 6. The selection committee will make its decisions by April 25.
