PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Dec. 2, 2022) – Lights, camera and – into action.
For students in Prairie View A&M University’s communication program, their educational experience is about action: how to build connections, learning technical skills, production, editing and writing.
As Terésa Dowell-Vest, assistant professor of communication in media production and director of PVAMU’s film and television production program, puts it, “The real world doesn’t start for my students after they graduate. It starts now.”
Dowell-Vest’s vision and goal are not just educating and equipping students with the skills they need to succeed in their field and post-graduation jobs or continuing studies, but, as a journalist and storyteller, her drive also includes finding ways to tell the stories of important work happening at Historically Black College and Universities across the country.
Her work, so far, has earned the university a Title 3 grant from the Department of Education. Now, on the cusp of a new era of development for the program, a new $300,000 grant from the Propel Center and Apple will be like handing the program a megaphone, allowing it to launch a new TV show called “HBCU Today.” The show will share stories of successes and work at America’s HBCUs.
It’s “round one” of a total of $3 million awarded to 15 HBCUs. PVAMU’s grant will focus on the Arts, according to a press release from Propel.
“We believe all students should have access to the tools, resources, and opportunities to change the world,” said Lisa Jackson, vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives at Apple. “The HBCU community is full of creativity and vision, and we’re proud to support new programming and pathways to drive meaningful change through these Propel Impact Grants.”
“This unique project supported by the Propel Center offers an exceptional opportunity for our faculty and students in the Communication Department,” said Dorie J. Gilbert, dean of the Marvin D. and June Samuel Brailsford College of Arts & Sciences at PVAMU. The College houses the Communications program. “The grant supports the sustainability of our PVAMU TV station, while the programming for ‘HBCU Today’ puts students-our future communications professionals-at the center of this cutting-edge work. I’m particularly pleased that the production will showcase the talents of PV students as they hone their skills alongside their peers from other HBCUs.”
It’s Showtime on “The Hill”
Dowell-Vest’s vision for this new show has roots in her experience at PVAMU.
“From the day I interviewed at PV, I could feel the energy of something I’d never experienced before,” Dowell-Vest shared. “I have worked in higher education since 1994, and although each of those experiences built me into the person I am, it was different when I got here. Every step was confirmed. Who I am at my very core is affirmed here. The parts that felt more in the shadows have really been amplified and brought into the light.”
“This is the feeling that I want every one of these stories that we’re casting a vision for ‘HBCU Today’ to feel like,” Dowell-Vest continued. “In today’s media world, these stories don’t always make it to the big outlets, and even the stories of work done by voices of color are sometimes marginalized. We want to change that. We want to broaden the work that PV is doing to a bigger network and open those doors for students at HBCUs as they become part of the next generation of storytellers, filmmakers and broadcast journalists.”
With the new grant, the sky’s the limit, Dowell-Vest said. In a weekly magazine format similar to 60 Minutes, VICE, or Dateline, producers and writers will take a deep dive into an issue or topic in focus for HBCU campuses in a way that has never been done before. Thanks to the grant, the news packages developed for this show will be cohesive and unified in branding and formatting, allowing student journalists to get on the ground and tell stories that amplify the successes and work of faculty, staff, students and community members.
“We’re ready to dig in and get to work,” Dowell-Vest said. “This grant will allow us to identify student journalists who can cover stories that are all connected to social justice at different schools. It expands our reach tremendously.”
“We’d love to cover stories such as PV’s annual march to the polls or discuss how athletics at HBCUs are changing to help students competitively choose a school for their athletic career,” she continued. “We want to find the stories of people who are creating the changes they want to see. At PVAMU, I’m inspired by the work of the Ruth J. Simmons Center for Race and Justice. How can that mission be reflected in a mass media version? I’m excited that this grant will help us find out and take action.”
An Upward Trend
In the last three years, Dowell-Vest’s Title 3 grant has allowed for renovation, expansion and reimagining of the film and television production program, including renovations and updates to PVAMU’s TV studio, as well as upgrades to equipment and resources available to the department. Updates included everything from a physical facelift, to replacing older cameras and control equipment. The brand new studios are more accessible for journalism, production and live content creation, and it’s all student focused.
A positive outcome of the pandemic has been the introduction of remote and livestreamed content: students can share stories wherever they are in a live fashion with technology like Zoom, StreamYard, or Restream. Broadcasting live has become much more of a focus and a critical skill for journalism students, Dowell-Vest noted.
It’s also part of the reason she emphasizes the real world is now for her students, whether they join the industry in influential media markets or head to grad school.
“I tell my students that your success may not always necessarily come from those who are already established, but rather from those who are in the trenches with you,” Dowell-Vest said. “You’re looking over, not up. The connections you make now in your career could be the ones that help you later in the future. You never know how those connections might elevate others or help you find a kindred voice in your work.”
Networking skills and the ability to build connections with industry professionals, Dowell-Vest said, are an important part of a student’s experience.
“We try to introduce [students] to media leaders, alumni working at top media outlets, and build opportunities for engagement in film festivals, or projects like PVAMU TV and ‘HBCU Today’ – all of these build a strong foundation they can work off of when they graduate,” Dowell-Vest said.
The successes that have come from PVAMU’s flourishing television and film production program are just one example of the spirit of mentorship cultivated by the university. With this new grant, Dowell-Vest dreams of PVAMU continuing to be a leader for students to experience a world of possibilities.
“It’s so important to get into that particular market and experience something beyond your world,” Dowell-Vest said. “Our hope is that their experience at PVAMU is preparing them for building their resume, cutting their teeth and being able to say, ‘I went here confidently and experienced working here, and I am ready for whatever comes next.’”
So far, special guests on “HBCU Today” have included three HBCU presidents and rapper T.I. The show is slated to premiere in February of 2023.
By Meredith Mohr
-PVAMU-