The annual scholarship awarded by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalism Association of Northern California has been named for the late Bay Area Reporter founder and publisher Bob Ross.
The decision was made after the Bob Ross Foundation approached NLGJA and offered to permanently fund the three-year-old chapter scholarship, according to NLGJA Northern California Chapter President Ken Miguel.
Chapter members – long known for their media ethics – engaged in heavy discussion about the implications of honoring someone who was a political advocate as well as a journalist, said Miguel, but ultimately the members realized that "It came down to Bob's reputation for service to the community and the launching pad he basically created for so many LGBT journalists. A newspaper serving this community can't really serve it without also acting as an advocate."
NLGJA is a nonprofit organization of journalists, media professionals, educators, and students who work within the news industry to foster fair and accurate coverage of LGBT issues. The group has 1,300 members and 24 chapters in the United States, Canada, and Germany. Northern California is the third largest NLGJA chapter with 150 members and is the only chapter that offers an annual scholarship.
Before the Ross foundation's offer, said Miguel, the local NLGJA was paying for the $1,000 scholarship itself through a variety of fundraising efforts for general chapter activities.
Qualified Northern California college students pursuing an education in journalism have until July 17 to apply for the 2006 Bob Ross Student Scholarship, which will be awarded in San Francisco at an event in October.
Applicants should demonstrate an outstanding commitment to NLGJA's mission. Sexual orientation is not a factor in the selection process. For more information, visit http://www.nlgja.org/chapters/NoCal/nocal.html.