Tim Franklin, director of the Sports Journalism Institute at Indiana University, announced Thursday morning he is leaving the school to accept a position at Bloomberg News. Here is his letter to staff:
 
 
July 14, 2011

 

Dear Friends,

When I came back to the IU School of Journalism in January 2009, I felt like a journalist reborn.

I left an industry in turmoil, and I walked into hallways and classrooms with idealistic students and passionate professors filled with a palpable sense of energy and optimism about the future of journalism and the transformative potential of new media.

I also felt the total support of Dean Brad Hamm and many colleagues who shared an ambitious goal – to build the nation’s pre-eminent center in sports journalism in a state and a city known around the world as a major hub for college and pro athletics.

For the past 2½ years, my labor of love has been attaining that goal, and I’ve had considerable help and encouragement from many of you, our great alumni and friends in the industry.

I never saw myself leaving. Until now, that is.

A life-long personal goal of mine has been to practice journalism in Washington. (In addition to sports, I’m also a government and political junkie). Beginning next month, I’ll be pursuing that new goal.

Today, it is being announced that I’m joining Bloomberg News as an editor at large in its Washington bureau. I’m excited about the opportunity to be part of a news organization that is growing rapidly, and that places a premium on journalistic excellence. I’m also thrilled about the job itself. I’ll be working with reporters and other editors to develop and execute major enterprise stories out of Washington.

As many of you know, I’ve also been commuting between Maryland and Indiana over these many months. This new position will significantly shorten my commute!

I feel incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity, especially with all of the major news that will be coming from the nation’s capital the next couple of years. But, this has been a very bittersweet decision for me.

I have a real love affair with the School of Journalism, and these past 31 months have only deepened that feeling.

I’m eternally grateful to all of you for your support and inspiration these past 2 ½ years. Your encouragement and willingness to help has played a huge role in the growth and success of the center. And, I hope you’ll continue to support the center long after I’m gone.

While there is still much work to be done, I leave with the confidence that the IU National Sports Journalism Center is now firmly established and on a good path on both the IUPUI and Bloomington campuses. Consider:

·      *  One education web site now ranks our sports journalism program as No. 1 in the nation, ahead of the University of Texas, Penn State and several others.

·      *  Our website, SportsJournalism.org, was named one of the country’s top sports business blogs earlier this year, and it now averages more than 10,000 page views a day.

·      *  Thanks to a lot of work from you all, we now have the nation’s only master’s degree in sports journalism. Our second master’s class this fall is expected to include our first international students.

·      *  Over the past couple of years, sports journalism students from the IUPUI and Bloomington campuses have interned at prestigious places like ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, AP in New York, Los Angles Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MLB.com, NCAA National Headquarters, Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever and many others.

·      *  The center now has official partnerships with the nation’s two largest professional sports media organizations, the Associated Press Sports Editors and the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

·      *  Last year, we dedicated the new APSE Red Smith Award Hall of Fame on the IUPUI campus. Its recipients include many of the giants in the history of sports journalism.

·    I’m happy to say that Dean Hamm has asked me to join the advisory board, and I’m looking forward to continuing my involvement with the center and working with you.

Dean Hamm will conduct a national search for my replacement, and I’m expecting a long line of very qualified applicants. So, I have no doubt the center will continue to thrive and be in good hands.

In the interim, Dan Drew, the executive associate dean in charge of the IU School of Journalism in Indianapolis, will oversee the center.

Thanks again for your help in making this a remarkable and rewarding ride!

Cheers, 

Tim

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