ABC News has selected UF as one of five universities across the nation to participate in the first-ever 'ABC News on Campus' program this fall.
John Green, an ABC executive producer, said the program allows students to gain experience from a professional journalism organization in a mini-news bureau on their campus.
ABC will provide equipment such as cameras and computers for the program, which will be run by four students from the UF College of Journalism and Communications chosen by ABC, Green said.
ABC will publish most of the student-generated content on the ABC News Web site, but any story has a shot at winding up on Good Morning America or Nightline, he added.
After researching journalism programs in universities across the nation for more than a year, Green said UF stood out.
"The quality of the students who showed interest in the program was unbelievable," he said.
The other schools chosen for the program are Arizona State University, Syracuse University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Texas.
Miles Doran, a telecommunications junior, was selected as the reporter for next year. Doran said the positions of bureau chief, reporter, photographer and integrated media producer will receive a combined $10,000 each semester. And the perks don't stop there.
The bureau chief of each program will be sent to New York City twice a year to train at the ABC News headquarters, Doran said.
Mark Leeps, WUFT news director, will oversee students in the ABC newsroom in Weimer Hall and serve as the liaison between UF and ABC.
"Being able to participate in a program at the network level right at UF is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students," Leeps said.
