The Dean’s Scholarships in Media Innovation

The purpose of the Deans’ Media Innovation Scholarships are to:

• Support and nurture emerging talent to utilize media across diverse applications and careers by providing them with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. Program experiences include a combination of training, mentorship, networking, and funding to help participants develop their skills, build their networks, and launch their careers, all while elevating and fostering access for other students who will follow in their footsteps.

• The ultimate goal of a media scholarship program is to help create a pipeline of diverse, talented individuals who are prepared to take on leadership roles in the media and related industries and drive innovation and growth. By providing support and resources to emerging talent, these programs can help ensure that the media in Pittsburgh and beyond remains vibrant, dynamic, and increasingly inclusive.

Commitment

• The scholarships are a 1-year scholarly commitment of engaged learning and practice in media content, design, management, and technology. Eight (8) students will be selected to receive a $1000 tuition scholarship, preferably for their freshman, sophomore, or junior year. Seniors may also apply but will not be considered for the follow-on Transformational Creativity Fellowship.

• Personal Statement (300 words)

• Resume (including 2 academic, personal or professional references)

• Sample of audio, written, or visual media work (up to 100mb)

Application (Due August 5, 2024)

Timeline

Semester 1

• During an event in early fall, awardees will receive documentation materials from the previous year’s AMC scholarship recipient.
• Awardees will participate in one or more AMC programs from student-run media platforms and clubs to industry-guest run  professional workshops. Through these experiences they will be exposed to an overview of media applications, best practices and challenges, ethical and technical standards, as well as opportunities for innovation - both short-term development and long-term transformation.
• Students will propose a project exploring their area of academic media study - Leadership, Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations, Experience Design, Film and Television, Game Design, Graphic Design, Podcasting, Social Media or Media Technology.

Semester 2

• Awardees will continue developing their project, documenting each stage of research, planning, and implementation - while utilizing this effort as an opportunity to provide other students access to applicable learning resources provided by the Center
• Representing the AMC and scholarship program to at least one Student Activities Day and one Admissions Events, and two RMU classes.
• In late Spring Awardees will present their completed project and documentation with the RMU community, including an audience of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and industry partners.
• At the conclusion of the scholarship, the awardee will pass on their project documentation to be shared with the succeeding award recipient.

Contact

Program Specific Descriptions and Requirements:
 

Advertising, Marketing Public Relations ($1000)

The $1000 Advertising and PR scholarship is designed to support students pursuing a career in the fields of brand development and public relations. Applicants are required to submit a written statement and demonstrate their academic performance in the field. The scholarship will be awarded to one successful applicant based on their creativity, objectives, and academic performance.

• Work with student, faculty and staff stakeholders to reduce obstacles for RMU campus community members who want to participate in branding and marketing student media.
• The student will develop an advertising, marketing or public relations project for one or more student media platforms (e.g. Sentry Media or RMU TV), brands (e.g. RMU Tonight or the Bobby Mo Game Show) or brand partners (e.g. Student Life or RMU Recreation). This project must be shared with campus at an event at the end of the year, and documentation posted for other students to reference and learn from the fellowship recipient’s experience.
• This student should be an advocate for these learning resources and spaces providing tours to prospective students.

Experience Design ($1000)

The $1000 experience design scholarship is aimed at supporting students who are passionate about creating engaging and memorable user experiences. Applicants must demonstrate their dedication to experience design through a portfolio and a written statement. The scholarship will be awarded to one successful applicant based on their creativity, objectives, and academic performance.

• Work with student, faculty and staff stakeholders to reduce obstacles for RMU campus community members who want to participate in UX/UI learning Experiences.
• Students will create a unique experience using either our Animation Studio, Immersive Studio or Projection dome. The experience must be shared with campus at an event at the end of the year, and documentation posted for other students to reference and learn from the fellowship recipient’s experience.
• This student should be a resource helping others use these spaces.
• This student should be an advocate for these learning resources and spaces providing tours to prospective students.

Film and Television ($1000)

The $1000 cinema and television scholarship is designed to support students pursuing a career in the film and television industry. Applicants must demonstrate their passion for cinema and television through a portfolio and a written statement. The scholarship will be awarded to one successful applicant based on their creativity, objectives, and academic performance.

• Work with student, faculty and staff stakeholders to reduce obstacles for RMU campus community members who want to participate in film and television production, distribution, criticism or analysis in student media.
• The student will develop an film or television project for one or more student media platforms (e.g. Colonial Sports Network or RMU TV. This project must be shared with campus at an event at the end of the year, and documentation posted for other students to reference and learn from the fellowship recipient’s experience.
• This student should be an advocate for these learning resources and spaces providing tours to prospective students.
• Embrace and follow a “converged media” approach to media content development and publishing, such that content from RMU TV and RMU Radio is regularly repackaged into a Sentry news story, published, and put out via as many platforms and social media channels as possible.

Game Design ($1000)

The $1000 game design scholarship is designed to support students who are interested in game design, meaningful or serious games and applied play. Applicants must demonstrate their passion for game design or game studies through a written statement and sample work. The scholarship will be awarded to one successful applicant based on their creativity, objectives, and academic performance.

• Contribute meaningfully to the development of RMU-oriented audiences.
• The Recipient will collaborate with participants in AMC game lab programs (e.g. the Game Lab Podcast S) developing game-related experiences that enrich the campus community and beyond.

Graphic Design ($1000)

The $1000 graphic design scholarship is an opportunity for passionate graphic design students to receive financial support towards their professional goals. Applicants must demonstrate their dedication to the field of graphic design through a portfolio and written statement. One winner will be selected based on creativity, objectives, and academic performance.

• Work with student, faculty and staff stakeholders to reduce obstacles for RMU campus community members who want to participate in graphic design learning experiences.
• Engage AMC student media programs to create engaging visual design for:
  • Educational Informational Graphics
  • Industrial Design
  • Advertising and Branding
  • Drawing and Illustration
  • Typography
  • Animation
  • 2D and 3D design
• Students will share work produced with the campus at an event at the end of the year, and documentation posted for other students to reference and learn from the fellowship recipient’s experience.
• The student should be an advocate for these learning resources and spaces providing tours to prospective students.

Media Leadership ($1000)

The $1000 media leadership scholarship is aimed at supporting students who are interested in pursuing a career in media leadership. Applicants must demonstrate their dedication to media leadership through a written statement and academic achievements. The scholarship will be awarded to one successful applicant based on their leadership philosophy, objectives, and academic performance.

• Maintain a mentorship relationship with any new freshman or transfer student, guiding him or her toward understanding the fundamentals of ethical reporting and adapting to the professional culture of the Academic Media Center
• Lead with journalistic integrity, honesty, mutual respect, and passion, in accordance with the University policies.
• Contribute meaningfully to the development of RMU-oriented audiences.
• Continually recruit new students, including representing the AMC at Student Activities Day in the fall, at Admissions Events, organizing at least one special recruiting event per semester, and speaking in at least two classes.

Media Technology ($1000)

The $1000 media technology scholarship is aimed at supporting students who are interested in the intersection of media and technology - from information systems to broadcast engineering. Applicants must demonstrate their passion and dedication to media technology through a written statement and portfolio. The scholarship will be awarded to one successful applicant based on their creativity, objectives, and academic performance.

• Work with student, faculty and staff stakeholders to reduce obstacles for RMU campus community members who want to participate in the design, development, administration and analysis or of media technology resources in the AMC.
• The student will develop an media technology project in the AMC using either our physical technology resources of the studios or master control rooms or the web resources and data generated by the student media platforms (Sentry Media, Colonial Sports Network, RMU TV and RMU Radio). This project must be shared with campus at an event at the end of the year, and documentation posted for other students to reference and learn from the fellowship recipient’s experience.
• This student should be an advocate for these learning resources and spaces providing tours to prospective students.

Arts, News and Sports ($1000) 2 Available

The $1000 journalism scholarships are designed to support students who are passionate about pursuing a career in journalism. Applicants must demonstrate their dedication to journalism through a written statement and a sample of written or recorded reporting. The scholarship will be awarded to two successful applicants in news, art and entertainment and/or and sports journalism based on their work, objectives, and academic performance.

• Required to establish/maintain regular “beats” that effectively represent and cover a diversity of activities across campus and would be updated weekly. This should include student life, student government, sports, arts and entertainment, Greek life, and RMU administration/leadership, plus additional beats at his or her discretion. Ensure the entire staff understands that news includes coverage of events that can be classified as hard news, soft news and features.
• Responsible for the generation of regular compelling content across media platforms that targets RMU-oriented audiences and leverages as many media platforms as possible, whether Web site, social media, TV, Radio or YouTube.
• Contribute meaningfully to the development of RMU-oriented audiences.

Photography ($1000)

The $1000 photography scholarship is aimed at helping aspiring photographers achieve their professional goals. Applicants are required to submit a portfolio and a written statement demonstrating their passion and dedication to photography. The scholarship will be awarded to one successful applicant based on their creativity, objectives, and academic performance.

• Work with student, faculty and staff stakeholders to reduce obstacles for RMU campus community members who want to participate in photography learning experiences.
• Engage AMC student media programs to capture:
  • Campus and Community Events
  • Commercial Products and Brands
  • Fashion, Portrait and Landscape Photography
  • Documentary, Sports and Photojournalism
  • Immersive Photography
• Students will share work produced with the campus at an event at the end of the year, and documentation posted for other students to reference and learn from the fellowship recipient’s experience.
• This student should be an advocate for these learning resources and spaces providing tours to prospective students.
• Contribute meaningfully to the development of RMU-oriented audiences.

Podcasting and Streaming Media ($1000)

The $1000 Podcasting and streaming media scholarship is designed to support students seeking to develop their skills in digital storytelling and community engagement using audio and video. Applicants must demonstrate their passion for streaming media through a written statement and sample work. The scholarship will be awarded to one successful applicant based on their creativity, objectives, and academic performance.

• Contribute meaningfully to the development of RMU-oriented audiences.
• The Recipient will collaborate with participants in RMU Radio as well as on faculty and staff programs, and may propose and develop a show to be distributed on the campus podcast platform.

Social Media ($1000)

The $1000 social media scholarship is designed to support students who are interested in the field of social media marketing and strategy. Applicants must demonstrate their passion for social media through a written statement and sample work. The scholarship will be awarded to one successful applicant based on their creativity, objectives, and academic performance.

• The Recipient will collaborate with participants in AMC student media programs (e.g. Sentry Media, Colonial Sports Network, RMU TV, RMU Radio, and Student Film Society) developing social media strategies to increase impact across the campus community and beyond.
• Embrace and follow a “converged media” approach to media content development and publishing, such that content from RMU TV and RMU Radio is regularly repackaged into a Sentry news story, published, and put out via as many platforms and social media channels as possible.
• Contribute meaningfully to the development of RMU-oriented audiences.

Qualifications:

• All majors are welcome and no specific knowledge of media tools is required. 
• Strong problem solving and time management skills. Ability to work within deadlines.
• Ability to communicate and collaborate with a wide variety of project stakeholders.
• Remain in good standing with the University, without disciplinary or academic deficiencies, while maintaining a 3.0 GPA overall and 3.2 in the major.  
• Serve as a steward of the University’s legacy of independent student media and experiential media learning.

Selection Process:

Applications will be subject to blind review, and successful candidates will be selected by a panel of faculty, staff, alumni and industry advisors.

Transformational Creativity Fellowship

RMU students who successfully complete the Dean’s Media Innovation Scholarship program are considered for an additional one-year fellowship in the Academic Media Center, with an additional tuition support and funding for their projects. Each year the center selects one student proposal to facilitate the development of new kinds of media experiences from: concept, to prototype, execution, and launch to stakeholders across the campus community and beyond.

The Transformational Creativity grants are a blend of research and practical experience, drawing together both storytelling and technology aspects of media. The Fellow may develop new content, platforms or even environments that challenge preconceptions about media, extend our creativity, and generate powerful learning experiences. The fellowship includes:

• $3000/year tuition support.
• Up to one year of project funding (up to $5000 subject to approval) for prototyping and production, or purchasing services, software or equipment. The student will learn to develop a budget and present it to stakeholders for review.
• Access to faculty, staff and alumni mentorship at each stage of project development.

Successful fellowship projects may take many forms — from community-engaged media art, to novel works of journalism, new social media platforms, or game-like immersive narrative experiences.

Fellowship Qualifications

Candidates for the Transformational Creativity fellowship are evaluated on: 1) the originality of the project described; 2) its potential for impact; 3) track-record of academic success; and 4) the timeline outlined to complete the work.

Candidates must have previously completed a Deans Media Innovation Scholarship and:

• starting your junior or senior year in Fall 2024
• Demonstrate strong problem solving and time management skills.
• Work well independently and within a team
• Willing to collaborate with a wide variety of campus stakeholders.
• Remain in good standing with the University, without disciplinary or academic deficiencies, while maintaining a 3.0 GPA overall and 3.2 in the major.

Fellows are expected to carry out their work in residence in the Academic Media Center, and to present their proposal at the scholarship event at the beginning of the academic year, participate in monthly work-in-progress review meetings, and the final presentation of the completed work by the end of the academic year.  

Upon conferral of the award they will work with AMC staff to:

• Develop a Proposal Presentation - for university stakeholders, including a timeline for research, development, execution and delivery.
• Create a portfolio - audio, illustrations, mockups, photographs or video (up to 100mb) to accompany your proposal.
• Draft a 12-month Budget - not exceeding a total of $5,000. The budget can include cost for specialized hardware, software, and materials; travel, services; etc.
• Represent the AMC and scholarship program to at least one Student Activities Day and one Admissions Event, and two RMU classes.