Medill faculty profile: Michele Bitoun

Name/Title
Michele Bitoun, Senior Director of Undergraduate Education and Teaching Excellence and Assistant Professor; Director, Journalism Residency Program

Hometown
Evanston, Illinois

Departments
Editorial (Medill School of Journalism)

Current project
My biggest priority right now is running the Journalism Residency Program, which is a requirement for all Medill students, typically done during their junior year. I place students in one of nearly 100 magazines, newspapers or broadcast stations across the country to work for a quarter alongside professionals and learn the business. As such, one of my most important ongoing projects is looking for new magazines, television stations and newspapers to add to our program. I am continually looking for companies where students will be able to do substantive writing, reporting and editing, while at the same time receiving good mentoring from the professionals who supervise them.

Hobbies
I'm not sure if they're really hobbies, but raising two wonderful children — Sarah, 18, Phillip, 15 — enjoying good friends and family, skiing and cycling.

Questions and Answers

Why did you choose Northwestern?

I have a strong affiliation to Medill, which began when I started working on a master's degree in 1980. I experienced as a student how committed, talented and supportive the Medill faculty was, and I was grateful for the practical, top-notch training that allowed me to pursue a rewarding career (in journalism).

What is the best thing about being a teacher at Northwestern?

The students, hands down. They are bright, they are enthusiastic, they are appreciative, and they are hard-working. Their efforts and successes make all the long hours I spend reading copy or finding the right Journalism Residency site for each student immensely worthwhile.

Do you have a favorite teacher-student experience you'd like to share?

The types of experiences that energize me most are the instances when I see that I've helped bring students to another level of understanding, performance or self-awareness. It could be in the classroom when a student is finally been able to turn out solid stories on deadline after routinely struggling with writer's block. Or it could be through my work with Journalism Residency when a student who wasn't sure she wanted to pursue a career in journalism comes back from a JR site with the skills, confidence and understanding that she really can find a satisfying niche in this profession.

If you weren't a teacher, what would you be doing?

I would still be a journalist, either freelance or on-staff at a magazine or newspaper. The entire process of writing an article - learning about a topic, talking to sources, and then crafting a story - is exhilarating. But to me, I have it all. I'm still in the field I love, writing pieces when I have the time, and I'm helping young people acquire the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in this noble, vastly rewarding profession.

Michele Bitoun

Michele Bitoun