By NGUYEN HÀ LINH
Global Business Journalism reporter
Rick Dunham, the former Washington bureau chief of the Houston Chronicle and president of the National Press Club, never envisioned a career in academia.
A conversation with a friend who was the president of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) led to an unexpected opportunity to teach journalism at Tsinghua University’s Global Business Journalism program, a partnership among Tsinghua, the ICFJ, and Bloomberg News.
What was meant to be a one-year sabbatical from his routine job of covering the White House turned into an 11-year (and counting) fulfilling career.
“I believe that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Professor Dunham. “I never imagined I would teach journalism in China, but the opportunity came, and I can’t believe how fortunate I was.”
A bumpy new journey
Transitioning from journalism to academia in a foreign country is a thrilling journey, but it can also be challenging, especially when it comes to cultural and language barriers.
“For a person of words, to go to another country and not be able to communicate can be frustrating,” the American professor recalls.
Despite the difficulties, Dunham embraces the adventure, making efforts to adapt and integrate into the local culture. During his time in China, he has climbed the Great Wall 39 times and has visited more than 30 different provinces and cities in the country.
The experience inside the classroom is also not free of challenges, especially considering the cultural differences in classroom dynamics.
“My biggest challenge is to get students to participate,” Dunham says.
He notes that some Asian students tend to be shy about speaking up in class, especially in an English-taught class. This often requires him to make a conscious effort to involve all students in discussion to make the class become more interactive.
A rewarding experience at a top journalism program
However, the rewards of becoming a full-time professor far outweigh the difficulties. Dunham has always been interested in working with and cultivating young talents since his time supervising young journalists in the U.S. Now as a professor, he finds great satisfaction in seeing his students grow and succeed.
“To see the students blossom, especially those who are shy or inexperienced at the beginning, and become top students by the time they graduate gives me a thrill,” he shares.
Many of his students now work at renowned international and Chinese news outlets, including Bloomberg News, CCTV, and Xinhua. Others have established successful careers in diverse industries, spanning PR and advertising to tech and banking.
Dunham has great pride in the professional accomplishments of his students and also in Tsinghua’s Global Business Journalism (GBJ) program, a program which he co-directs, as a whole.
“Our combination of excellence, internationalism, and cross-cultural experiences is unmatched in any other program,” he says.
According to Dunham, the GBJ program stands out for its diverse faculty and student body, access to Bloomberg’s data and cutting-edge curriculum that allows students to learn global best practices.
Versatility and boldness are the keys
As he continues his journey of training the next generation of journalists at Tsinghua, he offers two main pieces of advice for his students: seize opportunities and be bold enough to make mistakes.
“Always keep an open mind and take advantage of opportunities when they come,” Dunham says. “Be bold enough to make mistakes. It’s always worth taking the chances because that’s how you grow.”
For those entering the field of journalism, he stresses the significance of adaptability and continuous learning to catch up with the rapidly changing journalism field.
“What journalism is today is not the same as what journalism will be in ten years. You’re going to have to be willing to change with time,” he says.
This story was first published on Tsinghua University's WeChat/Weixin feed. It was edited by GBJ graduate Gillian Tang of the Tsinghua University Global Information Office.
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