About the O'Brien Fellowship

The Perry and Alicia O’Brien Fellowship, which will begin in fall 2013, will bring three journalists from all types of media to Marquette for one academic year.

During this time, fellows will:

Research and produce an in-depth public service journalism project, to be published or broadcast to the public by the fellows’ home news organizations.
Integrate journalism students from the Diederich College of Communication into their projects as investigators and assistants, giving them a first-hand experience in investigative journalism.
Partner with the Pulitzer Prize-winning Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as they wish and have access to its journalists, staff, data and other investigative resources.
Become immersed in the Marquette community and culture to benefit from the college experience by participating in the life of the college.
Access and utilize resources from university faculty and scholars. Teach or guest-lecture at university classes and events.
Take courses among the different colleges such as poll data analysis or the 15-credit-hour graduate certificate program in digital storytelling.
Host select student collaborators for university-sponsored summer internships at their home news organizations.
Present their work at an annual university-sponsored O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism conference. Attendees: Past and future O’Brien Fellows, past candidates not selected to be fellows and their peers from across the nation.

Anticipated outcomes of the fellowship

Teaching and mentoring Marquette journalism students as tomorrow’s journalists, steeped in the importance of servant leadership through their profession
Elevating and educating a growing cohort of journalists nationally
Heightening awareness and understanding of important issues of our time
Helping to motivate and inform legislative or civil/societal change
Reinforcing the principles of self-governance and self-accountability among students

Stipend and benefits

The O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism will provide three fellows with the following:

A monthly stipend in 10 installments, September to June, totaling $65,000, with health insurance and fringe benefits if the fellow’s current employer does not provide them
Fellows and their spouses are eligible for tuition remission from Marquette during the fellowship term
A $4,000 technology, research and equipment allowance to be used for expenses related to the project
A residency allowance based on family requirements for fellows moving to the Milwaukee metropolitan area ($4,000 for a single, married or partnered fellow, or fellow already living in the Milwaukee area; $6,000 for a fellow with one child; $7,000 for a fellow with two children; $8,000 for a fellow with three or more children)
A moving allowance between $2,000 and $4,000 depending on family size and distance
A travel allowance between $2,000 and $4,000 depending on the nature of the project

Selection

Selection of the O’Brien Fellows in Public Service Journalism will be based on

A proposal to produce a rigorous, world-class, multimedia public service journalism project with the potential to have major impact, lead to significant reform, and investigate and explain how individuals and groups can identify creative solutions to social problems.
Fellows and their projects will be evaluated on several criteria, including:
- The potential impact of the project
- The ability of the fellow to successfully conduct the project during the fellowship
- The successful integration of Marquette students as part of the reporting team

Selection of fellows in the first year of the fellowship will be conducted informally; in subsequent years, applicants will formally submit materials in January and be notified in March about acceptance to the program.

About the donors

Peter and Patricia Frechette, of Minneapolis, donated $8.3 million to the Marquette University Diederich College of Communication in honor of Patricia's parents, Perry and Alicia O'Brien. Perry and Alicia graduated from Marquette in 1936 and 1935, with degrees in journalism and liberal arts. The couple designated the gift toward the launch of "The Perry and Alicia O'Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism." Patricia's father, Perry, was a longtime reporter with the Janesville Daily Gazette.

Legacy of Perry and Alicia O'Brien lives on in fellowship

Perry O’Brien was a consummate field reporter and staff photographer for the Janesville Daily Gazette, having the proverbial “finger on the pulse” of all things in Janesville and its environs. From the aftermath of WWII through the 1950s, he covered stories that defined the everyday life of his neighbors and fellow citizens. Perry mastered the art and science of journalism as a 1936 Marquette grad. But it was a personal connection with the local community — and genuine care for it — that underscored his stories and framed the images he took. Perry’s reach extended well beyond Janesville Daily Gazette by-lines. On most days at 1:30 p.m., locals tuned into 1230 AM radio WCLO to hear Perry — the secretary of the Wisconsin Breeders and Harness Horse Association— deliver his patented, “They’re off and trotting!” call from the Elkhorn track. And Perry’s contributions on behalf of his beloved community and the good of society at large shone through his commitment as admissions director of Rock County’s Milton College, a prominent institution founded in 1844 that closed in 1982. From journalism to higher education, Perry was a man who valued and promoted the things that build a strong community.

In 1934, her senior year, Alicia Sexton served on the Marquette University Coed Board, the executive committee of the central women’s organization on campus at the time known as the Coed Club. Though women had been allowed to attend the university as early as 1909—Marquette was the first Catholic university to do so—the cultural transition took time and effort. The Coed Club was formed in 1919 to “encourage coeducation at Marquette.” By Alicia’s day, the club was going strong with 13 members on the board representing each college of the university; Alicia represented the College of Liberal Arts. This busy organization took on a number of duties including welcoming female freshmen, coordinating homecoming activities, sponsoring charity parties and managing Marquette’s Mother Daughter banquet. Alicia in particular headed the board’s “sick committee,” which was responsible for visiting Coed Club members who had fallen ill and looking after their needs. Alicia was also a member of Chi Sigma Chi, “one of the first sororities on campus in scholastic rating.” The sorority encouraged academic excellence among its members and awarded a laurel pin to the sister with the highest grade point average each semester.

Contact

For more information about the O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism contact:

Lori Bergen, Ph.D.,
Dean of the Diederich College of Communication
Marquette University
lori.bergen@marquette.edu
(414) 288-8033

George Stanley
Vice President/Managing Editor
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
gstanley@jrn.com
(414) 224-2248