New fund to help Missouri biz journalism students

Family and friends of Randall Smith, the Donald W. Reynolds Endowed Chair in Business Journalism at the Missouri School of Journalism, are raising money for a fund that will support the Missouri News Network’s digital business news outlet, Missouri Business Alert.

Austin Fitzgerald of the School writes, “The fund will also help students access opportunities in New York City through the School’s New York Program and other shorter-term trips.

“‘Missouri Business Alert and the New York Program offer students hands-on opportunities to plug into the worlds of business media at local, statewide and national levels,’ said David Kurpius, dean of the School of Journalism. ‘Expanding those opportunities through this fund is a fitting legacy for Randy, who has given so much to his students in his fifteen years at the School.’

“Smith, who came to the School of Journalism in 2009 after three decades in both news and business roles at The Kansas City Star, is retiring this year. The fund will help ensure that the publication he founded in 2012 continues to cover the state’s business community while giving students valuable experiences in preparation for their careers.

“For Smith, the payoff has always been seeing the widely varying success his students (nearly 600 at the latest count) achieve after graduating, and there has been no shortage in that department: former students now work at the likes of The Washington Post, Bloomberg and CNN, and some have started their own businesses.”

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