The Center for Community News at the University of Vermont is pleased to announce its largest class of Faculty Champions ever, with 150 journalism leaders from colleges across the country, including CSUSB’s own Mariam Betlemidze, an associate professor within the Department of Communication and Media. These individuals are being recognized for their efforts to start or expand university-led reporting programs in their region, and their contribution to a national movement of student-powered community reporting.
“At the core of all of these university-led student reporting programs are innovative and entrepreneurial faculty committed to student success,” said CCN Director Richard Watts. “These programs are a win-win for everyone: students receive high-impact experiences, and communities benefit from more reliable news. This program is a chance to say thank you to the faculty who make it all possible.”
The Faculty Champions awarded this year represent 41 states and two Canadian provinces. They come from 15 community colleges, 41 Minority-Serving Institutions, 4 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 30 Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and seven public media outlets. There are 35 private institutions represented and 113 public ones.
“The extraordinary growth of university-led community reporting in recent years is a direct result of the tireless work of journalism educators, and this year’s class is a reflection of the breadth of their experience,” said CCN’s Scott Finn. Finn directs the Faculty Champions program in coordination with Amanda Bright of the UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
California State University of San Bernardino’s Dr. Betlemidze was selected for her research on numerous subjects such as multimedia journalism, poststructural media theory, and social change, among many others. A graduate of University of Utah with a Master’s and Ph.D, she has studied and worked in the field of communication for many years.
Dr. Betlemidze holds a long history of journalism work under her belt. She formerly worked as a journalist in her native country of Georgia, including the surrounding countries of Armenia and Azerbaijan. As part of her work in Georgia, she is the co-founder of the nonprofit organization GO Group Media, who are dedicated to documenting a variety of stories across Georgia and South Caucasus in a variety of ways. The organization uses multimedia journalism coverage to help spread important stories. She is also the co-founder of JAM News, another news outlet for reporting on stories across South Caucasus. As for her work on campus, she is the former faculty advisor of the Coyote Chronicle, Cal State San Bernardino’s long running student newspaper. She received a Faculty Research and Creative Activities Mentor Award from CSUSB in 2022 for her exemplary work at the university.
Each Faculty Champion will receive a $1000 reward, peer support and coaching throughout the year. As part of CCN’s expanded approach to the Champions program this year, participants will work in dedicated cohorts that are organized around beats, communities and geographic regions. The cohorts will be led by program alums with expertise in their focus area.
The program is in its third year at CCN. It began as an award that recognized journalism faculty for their ingenuity at a time when news-academic partnerships were emerging as one of the viable remedies for the spread of news deserts. Since then, it has grown exponentially in numbers and scope. Today the program is a year-long interactive fellowship and a peer-to-peer collaboration, honoring hardworking journalists like Dr. Betlemidze.
Learn more about why Dr. Betlemidze and the rest of these faculty are so critical to engaging the next generation of journalists and civic leaders – and how universities are stepping up to forge a sustainable future for local news at https://www.uvm.edu/ccn.
Photo from University of Vermont
https://uvmd10.drup2.uvm.edu/ccn/2026-faculty-champions