John Morris and his family in 1991. Left to right, in the back: John Matthew, 13; Sheryl, John. Left to right, in the front: Mary Kaye, 18, AnnMarie, 17.
By: Lyndi Robins, CHaSS Communications Journalist
Utah Public Radio (UPR) is hosting a fundraiser from July 26 through Aug. 6, 2021, to raise money for the new John W. Morris Scholarship. The scholarship will fund a paid student intern at UPR beginning fall 2021.
The John W. Morris endowment, which will fund the scholarship, was created by John Morris’ sister, DeAnn Morris. Increasing the money in the endowment through private donations will result in a greater scholarship for years to come.
John Morris was an adjunct professor of journalism at Utah State. Although John Morris died in 1992, his legacy lives on through his students from his time at USU.
“For those of us who had the fortitude to allow Mr. Morris to influence us as journalists and writers, he instilled the desire to continually strive to gather and share facts, to push for transparency, and to bring individuals and communities together through storytelling,” said Kerry Bringhurst, UPR station co-manager.
Bringhurst considers John Morris a mentor to her as he was her editor while she was a journalism student at USU.
In honor of John Morris’ role as mentor to many journalists, stories about mentorship from UPR interns will be posted on the UPR social media accounts through the duration of the fundraiser.
“We’re encouraging people to donate in honor of a mentor or teacher who was significant for them,” said Matilyn Mortensen, news director at UPR.
Internships at local news organizations, like the forthcoming internship at UPR, give young journalism students crucial professional experience.
“Scholarships, such as this one, are essential to UPR’s ability to provide good news today and also an essential part of making sure we are preparing good communicators for our communities in the future,” said Mortensen. “Even if it’s just one or two students with a scholarship from UPR, we’re ensuring that there are students out there who are getting good training and opportunities.”
Announcements about the fundraiser will be made on UPR’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages (@UtahPublicRadio) and through on-air messages. Donations to the John W. Morris endowment can be made at https://chass.usu.edu/giving/john-morris.
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