By Eliza Moody
The Deseret News awarded BYU’s communications department a $37,500 endowment Wednesday.
The award is to be used to provide a tuition scholarship for Deseret News interns.
The internships are provided for students who display excellence and promise in print journalism.
At the 150th anniversary banquet of the Deseret News in the Marriott Hotel in Salt Lake City, Dr. Laurie Wilson, chair of the communications department, accepted the award.
“It is significant that BYU was identified,” Wilson said. “The Deseret News has been very supportive of our journalism program. They give us money every year and always take an intern.”
President Gordon B. Hinckley attended the event and presented the awards.
All members of the First Presidency spoke, extolling the value of good journalism and recalling their experiences with the Deseret News.
The endowed scholarships, offered to four Utah universities, were created this year as part of the 150th anniversary of the Deseret News.
“It’s our 150th birthday, and we thought $150,000 divided between four universities was a nice sum,” said John Hughes, editor of the Deseret News.
The Deseret News Scholars will be given full-time summer employment and a $500 cash award in addition to the scholarship money that will be applied to their tuition.
The first recipients will be named in the Spring of 2001.
The Scholars will be selected by university faculty and editors at the Deseret News.
“The scholars are selected every year by interview. We recommend some of our very best students,” Wilson said.
