MOORHEAD -- A $1 million gift from Forum Communications Co. chairman William C. Marcil and his wife, Jane B. Marcil, will fund a new journalism education initiative at Minnesota State University Moorhead.
School officials announced the gift Friday during a homecoming event showcasing the university's four living presidents.
The donation will establish the William C. and Jane B. Marcil Center for Innovative Journalism at MSUM, which aims to bring curriculum and technology upgrades to the school to better prepare students for jobs after graduation.
MSUM President Edna Szymanski acknowledged a longstanding "symbiotic relationship" between the school's mass communication department and Forum Communications Co.
She said the center will be a place for students, faculty and working professionals to collaborate "side-by-side on how to prepare new generations of journalists."
ADVERTISEMENT
"Here is an opportunity to get into a new phase of training journalists," William Marcil said on stage inside the Roland Dille Center for the Arts.
A steering committee led by Forum Communications Co. President Lloyd Case will oversee the center.
In recent years, the Marcil family has made donations of $1 million or more to North Dakota State University, Concordia College and the University of North Dakota.
Jane Marcil is the fourth-generation family owner of Forum Communications Co., which owns newspapers, radio and television stations throughout North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota.
Check back later for an update on this developing story.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Cali Owings at (701) 241-5599
