MEDIA CONTACT: Polly Burks
561-297-2595, pburks@fau.edu

FAU Hosts Scripps Howard Institute on the Environment

BOCA RATON, FL (February 27, 2006) – The Scripps Howard Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant to Florida Atlantic University to host the 2006 Scripps Howard Institute on the Environment.

The weeklong educational program, announced today by William A. Covino, dean of FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, is scheduled for May 15-20 at FAU’s Jupiter campus. The institute, sponsored by the foundation since 2000, is designed for professional journalists who cover environmental issues. This is the first time it will be held at FAU.  Administered by the communication department at FAU’s John D. MacArthur campus, the institute will be attended by journalists from across the nation. Participants will be chosen from print, broadcast and web-based media.

Neil Santaniello, previously an environmental reporter for the South Florida “Sun-Sentinel,” has been named the new director of the institute for the university. He joined FAU’s communication department as a full-time faculty member in January.

 “The institute is one of Scripps Howard Foundation’s most successful continuing education programs for career journalists,” said Judith G. Clabes, the Foundation’s president and CEO. “Our goal in establishing the institute has been to provide a valuable resource to environmental journalists and enhance their ability to report on the complicated world around us.”

The program strives to deepen the understanding reporters have of environmental sciences and delves into some of today’s top environmental topics, including water pollution, the spread of invasive species, urban sprawl, growth management, climate change, catastrophic weather and legal protections for endangered species.

“This biologically diverse, low-lying, watery place is rife with environmental problems – ever-expanding development, disappearing wetlands, shrinking open space, nutrient pollution and ailing coral reefs,” said Santaniello. “At the same time, it serves as the staging ground for nationally monitored environmental restoration initiatives, such as the $10 billion plan to revitalize the Everglades.”

According to Susan Reilly, communication department chair, Santaniello is well suited for his institute role. “He was a staff writer for the ‘Sun-Sentinel’ for 22 years and spent the last ten years of that tenure covering the environment and water management issues,” Reilly said.

A Delray Beach resident, Santaniello holds a master’s of science degree in journalism from Northwestern University and is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists. Prior to joining the faculty full-time, he taught environmental journalism at FAU as an adjunct instructor.   

            The Scripps Howard Foundation serves as a leader in industry efforts in journalism education, scholarships, internships, literacy, minority recruitment/development and First Amendment causes. It is the philanthropic arm of the E.W. Scripps Company, a diverse media group with Florida newspaper and television operations.

Two South Florida Scripps executives – Thomas E. Weber Jr., president and publisher of the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, and Brian Lawlor, vice president and general manager of Scripps-owned WPTV-Channel 5, are members of FAU’s multimedia studies advisory board.

            For more information about the institute, call 561-799-8047 or email nsantane@fau.edu.

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