CINCINNATI – The Scripps Howard Foundation has awarded a three-year grant of $545,000 to the Center for Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado at Boulder to host the Ted Scripps Fellowships in Environmental Journalism. The Center is part of CU-Boulder’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication.The program is designed to give journalists with at least five years experience an opportunity to deepen their understanding of environmental issues. The two-semester academic program will elevate the quality of reporting with the goal of increasing public understanding of all sides of the complex environmental issues facing the nation today and in the 21st century.The fellowships are named for the late Ted Scripps, grandson of the founder of Scripps Howard, who distinguished himself as a journalist who cared especially about First Amendment rights and the environment. The grant is made available largely through a donation by Scripps’ daughter, Cindy Scripps Leising, and her husband, Nathan Leising.CU-Boulder was selected to host the fellowship program, previously located at the University of Michigan, in competition with other universities.Albert J. Schottelkotte, Scripps Howard Foundation president and CEO, said, “The University of Colorado at Boulder is a natural choice because of its outstanding programs.” Referring to the Rocky Mountain News, he added, “We are always pleased to support worthy programs in communities where Scripps Howard does business.”The first journalists will begin their fellowships in the non-degree program in fall 1997. Five journalists with proven skills in such areas as general assignment reporting, free-lance writing, editing or broadcasting will be selected. The deadline for applications is March 1, 1997.Fellows will receive a $26,000 stipend to cover housing and other expenses while on campus. They will meet in weekly seminars, attend a range of classes of their choice and complete an independent studies project with a faculty mentor in the sciences. The projects are expected to lead to published articles or broadcast programs.CU-Boulder’s Center for Environmental Journalism, the first of its kind in the nation, was founded in 1992 under the direction of Associate Professor Len Ackland, who will direct the Ted Scripps Fellowships program.Tom Yulsman, former editor of Earth, an international consumer environmental magazine, has been appointed deputy director of the Center for Environmental Journalism. Yulsman, who joined the CU-Boulder journalism faculty in August as an associate professor, will work closely with the Ted Scripps Fellows.