The "Wheels Up to Cuba!" group pose for a photo at SJSU before boarding a flight to the Caribbean nation (James Tensuan photo).
By Bob Rucker, Director, School of Journalism and Mass Communications & Broadcast Journalism Coordinator
For twelve days, from January 10th through 22nd, 32 SJSU students, faculty, and media professionals will visit the Caribbean nation on a very special learning experience to discover and study Cuba, its people, their concerns and life experiences in the 21st century. They will also be in Havana for the visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Multimedia journalism professionals and media students will lead a cross-disciplinary academic group from SJSU’s College of Applied Sciences and Arts. They plan to work together, share their knowledge, training, and research skills, and creatively produce a special multimedia presentation in April 2012 that will include a website and blog, newspaper and broadcast news feature stories, photo essays, and a magazine detailing their Cuba travel experiences.
The goal is to listen, learn and share as much as they can about Cuba today: its successes and hardships; advances in nursing, healthcare, athletics, news reporting, and other areas; and explore global questions about Cuban society, business, law enforcement, and living conditions.
In recent years the Obama Administration has relaxed American travel restrictions to enable more Cuban educational missions. SJSU Photojournalism Professor and Cuba Trip Coordinator, Dr. Michael Cheers, traveled to Cuba during the summer of 2011, and made arrangements to bring a large group from San Jose State University back to Cuba.
Top Bay Area Latino community reporters are going along as guest professors. Joe Rodriquez from the San Jose Mercury News, and Rigo Chacon, three-time Bay Area Emmy Award winning TV journalist, have volunteered to help guide SJSU students identify stories, and conduct poignant interviews.
South Bay local businesses and Silicon Valley companies were asked to help sponsor this ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ trip. The cost per student on this special “Education: Wheels Up to Cuba” project is $3,050. Most students raised the money for their travel among family and community friends, or participated in Journalism School fundraisers last fall.