Provost Steven E. Hyman announced today that Ann Marie Lipinski will become curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism, succeeding Bob Giles, who announced his plans to retire last fall. Lipinski, who served as editor of the Chicago Tribune for more than seven years, shared a Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for reporting on corruption in the Chicago City Council during her years in the paper's newsroom. She has first-hand experience of the Nieman Foundation both as a Nieman Fellow in 1989-90 and as the chair of an external review committee, organized by the provost's office, that visited the foundation last year.
Lipinski left the Tribune in 2008, concluding 30 years of service there, and now serves as co-chair of the Pulitzer Prize board and as vice president for civic engagement at the University of Chicago. She is also on the board of visitors to the Knight Fellowships in journalism at Stanford.
In the news announcement, Hyman said, “I am thrilled with the outcome of this search. Ann Marie recognizes the urgency surrounding the field of journalism and its future, and I am excited for the vision and innovation she will bring to one of Harvard’s most treasured institutions.” Lipinski said, "Harvard and the Nieman Foundation have an extraordinary record of promoting and elevating the standards of journalism, and there is more to be done. I look forward to working with colleagues at universities and news organizations globally in addressing the challenges and promise of journalism. Harvard's deep commitment to this work and to excellence makes this an extraordinary time to be at Nieman."
According to the announcement, she hopes to foster increased rapport among Nieman fellows, faculty members, and other campus constituents, and to open foundation programming to allow for larger audiences and impact. The curator is responsible for managing the foundation's fellowship program (which brings working journalists to campus for a year of study), conferences, seminars, and journalism awards, and for overseeing all Nieman programs and publications, including the recently created reporting fellowships aimed at increasing coverage of specialized areas such as global health, business, arts and culture, and community reporting.
