Freedom Forum obligated five-year support, USD, foundation to negotiate new contract
The Freedom Forum has funded scholarships, programs and major renovations at the University of South Dakota, but its current relationship with USD is “up in the air,” according to USD President James Abbott.
For the past 24 to 36 months, Abbott said it has been clear the foundation, created under the guidance of USD alumnus Al Neuharth, has cut back on non-Newseum activities.
“It is a matter of priorities, and clearly they have reduced their activities outside of Washington, D.C., both on our campus and at Vanderbilt (University),” Abbott said. “Unfortunate, but not surprising.”
The last person working for the Freedom Forum at USD is Jack Marsh, president of the Al Neuharth Media Center. Marsh is retiring in late March, and will not be replaced. With a physical absence on campus, USD will continue to negotiate with the Freedom Forum to answer two major questions: What the foundation expects of USD, and what their level of support will be for the university.
So far, Abbott can confirm the foundation will continue to financially support the university for five more years for an undetermined monetary amount. He said his intention, along with Jan Neuharth, chair of the Freedom Forum Board of Trustees and Al Neuharth’s daughter, and the foundation CEO Jim Duff, is to use all further support to build the Al Neuharth fund. This money will go primarily to support The Volante, upkeep and maintenance of the Al Neuharth Media Center and other programs.
The foundation increases cutbacks
The Freedom Forum was established in 1991 and funded operations of the Newseum in Washington, D.C., the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and the Newseum Institute (formerly known as the Diversity Institute), along with a number of programs and offices at USD.
The foundation started with an endowment upwards of $1 billion, but after diminishing funds, cut 16 jobs last year, according to Jonathon Thompson, the Freedom Forum’s media relations. This included four of the five positions of the Diversity Institute and seven of 11 positions at the First Amendment Center in Nashville, Tenn.
With the Freedom Forum attempting to stabilize their financial obligations, programs like the American Indian Journalism Institute have been cut. AIJI began in partnership with USD and the Diversity Institute in 2001, and was hosted on campus during the summer.
AIJI was a signature program for junior Dylan Geuther, who took part in the 2012 session. The summer event was his first “real” experience in journalism, a career milestone he said he will not soon forget.
“The program gave me so much, so I’d hope others would be given the same chance that I had with AIJI,” Geuthers said. “I really don’t know what else to say — I wish they hadn’t cut it.”
Aside from programs, the Al Neuharth Media Center is also another collaboration between the university and foundation that is significant to students, as it houses the Contemporary Media and Journalism department, as well as a number of student media organizations.
The $5 million building renovation was funded in part by a lead gift from the Freedom Forum. As of March when Marsh retires, the university will essentially take care of and manage the building.
The Al Neuharth Media Center cafe will also remain closed, with Abbott citing that for the past two years the Freedom Forum has subsidized costs, because the cafe was “not at all profitable.”
Freedom Forum’s impact on Neuharth’s legacy at USD
The current relationship between USD and the Freedom Forum is the same as it has always been, but altogether different following Al Neuharth’s death last April, said Jan Neuharth.
“My dad always talked about the ‘sacred soil of South Dakota,’ and this state, USD, The Volante; all of these mean a great deal to my family,” Jan Neuharth said.
The Freedom Forum has committed to put on the Al Neuharth Excellence in Journalism Award, Jan Neuharth said, with plans for the annual event to continue this fall. The Free Spirit Award is another program still being supported by the foundation, which targets high school seniors interested in pursuing a career in journalism.
The foundation is continuously re-evaluating programs and their priorities, but Jan Neuharth said she and Abbott are committed to protecting student media at USD, and “keeping it thriving.”
Connections made between Abbott and the foundation outside of the university could be significant to their relationship. If the Freedom Forum did not wish to maintain a presence in one way or another at USD, Abbott said he did not see why they would ask him to chair the Newseum Institute and to be on the Freedom Forum Board of Trustees.
While the foundation’s presence on the university may have a smaller role than in the past, the current relationship between the two entities may not be against the wishes of the Freedom Forum’s founder, whom Abbott called the “ultimate realist.”
“(Al Neuharth) was well aware that with the recession and the decline of the value of the Freedom Forum endowment, it was very necessary to prioritize,” Abbott said. “I think Al — as much as he loved the university — agreed that the Newseum had to be the priority for the time being.”
Follow reporter Megan Card on Twitter @meg_card
Correction: This earlier version of this article misreported the number of jobs eliminated by the Freedom Forum last year.
