Last modified: Thursday, December 16, 2004
J.M. Druck endowment creates four-year scholarships for IU School of Journalism
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University School of Journalism received a $500,000 grant last August from the Seattle-based Howard Charitable Foundation to fund an endowment that will provide scholarships to incoming IU freshmen who plan to pursue a degree in journalism. The scholarship grant was given by the Howard Foundation to honor the life and career of J.M. Druck, former owner of The Pharos-Tribune and The Logansport Press in Logansport, Ind.
Druck was thrust into ownership of the Logansport dailies when his uncle was stricken with serious health complications. He owned the newspapers for 30 years before selling them to Robert Howard in 1966. Druck, who formed a close friendship with Howard, was publisher for 50 years before retiring on his 75th birthday in 1990. Druck lives in Sarasota, Fla.
Druck is known as a savvy businessman, a stalwart community leader and a family man. Dick Newell, secretary and treasurer for the Howard Foundation, said, "He is extremely interested in journalism, freedom of speech, and how important the news and media are to our communities."
While Druck never attended IU, he has been a guest lecturer and has made other presentations over the years. He designated this grant to Indiana University rather than his alma mater (the University of Minnesota) because of the accomplishments of IU alumni in the Logansport newsrooms.
"I wanted to give the grant to IU because the newspaper has a history of hiring well-trained graduates from IU," Druck said. He designated the Howard Foundation's grant for journalism scholarships, which he hopes will enhance the training of future journalists. "The school is fortunate that the creative business acumen of Robert S. Howard has made all of this possible," Druck added.
The IU School of Journalism awards nearly $160,000 in scholarships each year, but the Druck Scholarship is the first of its kind for the school, according to Trevor Brown, dean of the school.
"There are two fundamental differences that distinguish the Druck Scholarship from the others," Brown said. "One is that journalism scholarships are usually reserved for students who are already journalism majors at IU. The Druck Scholarship will help us actively recruit high school students with a keen interest in pursuing a journalism degree. Potential recipients must be admitted to IU before applying for the scholarship.
"The second difference is that our scholarships are usually offered for a single year," Brown added. "A student might receive several throughout his or her four years, but the Druck Scholarship will be awarded to a recipient for all four years at IU."
The four-year financial commitment is contingent upon the recipient's admission to the School of Journalism. Recipients must apply and be admitted to the School of Journalism in their sophomore year to remain eligible for the scholarship. Recipients also must maintain scholarship standards of the school to retain the scholarship each year.
Brown considers the Druck Scholarship among the most valuable scholarships in the school to date. "I am eager for the best students to come to IU and for us to expand the pool of applicants in the designated counties," Brown said. "This scholarship will offer a handsome reward for future journalism students."
All high school seniors in the state of Indiana may apply for the scholarship, but preference will be given to students from Cass County and the immediate surrounding counties. The Druck Scholarship provides tuition, mandatory and course-related fees, and an annual stipend for living expenses, books and academic supplies. The first Druck Scholars will be named for the 2005-06 academic year.
Because the Druck Scholarship is available to incoming freshmen, the income earned on the original gift value of the endowment will be matched by the Office of the Chancellor for the Bloomington campus. The IUB campus is allocating $4 million in matching funds over five years to provide four-year scholarships to incoming freshmen. The source of funds for the match will come exclusively from the IU base budget in perpetuity.
Amanda Burnham, executive director of development and alumni relations for the School of Journalism, noted that with the match from the campus, the school will get an additional $25,000 each year for freshman scholarships in Druck's name.
"The match will enable the school to name two Druck Scholars in the first year, rather than only one," Burnham said. "And as the endowment grows, we will be able to offer more scholarships in the future."
For further information regarding the Druck Scholarship, visit the IU School of Journalism Web site at https://www.journalism.indiana.edu/academics/scholarships.php or contact Amanda Burnham at aburnham@indiana.edu or 812-855-6317.
Those interested in applying to IU may visit the IU Office of Admissions Web site at https://www.indiana.edu/~iuadmit/ or e-mail the office at iuadmit@indiana.edu. The deadline for application to IU and the Druck Scholarship is Jan. 15, 2005.
