Delhi University Vice-Chancellor keen on Columbia-like journalism school

Delhi University is all set to begin a separate school of journalism on the lines of the world-famous Columbia School of Journalism in a year from now.

Without revealing too many details, DU vice-chancellor Professor Yogesh Tyagi in a recent academic council meeting presented his vision document of the school. He also said that he has already decided the location of the school.

Speaking to this newspaper, academic council member R.N. Dubey said, “The academic council members have given their approval to constitute the core committee for initiating the making of the school of journalism. The process is at the construction stage. The vice-chancellor wants it to be of international standards, especially on the lines of the Columbia School of Journalism. The core committee will forward recommendations to the vice-chancellor. He will forward it to the executive council for the final approval.”

According to Mr Dubey, this journalism school is being established in order to increase DU’s position in the University Global Rankings. The school will have nothing to do with the colleges of the varsity which at present offer courses in media and journalism at undergraduate level. It will be an independent institution with a separate media research centre.

Once the school becomes functional, it will offer post-graduate degree, M.Phil and Ph.D.

It would be facilitated with research avenues and also integrated media platforms.

The university’s popular colleges, including Kamla Nehru College, Indraprastha College for Women, Kalindi College, Maharaja Agrasen College, Delhi College of Arts and Commerce and Lady Shri Ram College, offer mass media and journalism undergraduate degrees.

At present, JNU’s Centre for Media Studies and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University are the two institutions that offer media research.