Daniels family shifts scholarship funds to executive-in-residence program at Hussman

A new executive-in-residence program is coming to the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media in fall 2021, funded by the Daniels family. 

The program will be named after former News & Observer president and UNC alumnus Frank Daniels Jr. to replace the name of a family member with ties to white supremacy. 

After funding the 11 students on campus who have the scholarship, the family will shift to fund the executive-in-residence program. The Daniels family previously funded the Josephus Daniels Scholarship Medal for decades. 

The new program will bring media executives to Chapel Hill to teach a one-semester course for students in the Hussman School, placing emphasis on the business of news and the challenges involved. 

The program will be named after Daniels Jr., replacing the name of Josephus Daniels on campus. 

Josephus Daniels was a prominent instigator of the 1898 Wilmington Massacre, a white supremacy campaign led by the Democratic Party. During this massacre, a white mob killed at least 60 Black individuals, destroyed Black businesses and led a violent overthrow of the local government.

In July, the Board of Trustees voted to remove Josephus Daniels' name from the Student Stores building.

Susan King, the dean of the journalism school, said this is an opportunity the school has never had before. She said that having Frank Daniels Jr.'s name at the school was "a real plus for us." 

“I’m proud of having something named after Frank Daniels Jr.,” King said. “He was a newspaper man who helped lead a conversation and debate in this state that only enhanced its role in its financial, its economic, its education and its civil grant.” 

King said the family wanted to name something on campus after Frank Daniels Jr. because they are proud of his work and what he did for the state.

Frank Daniels III, the son of Frank Daniels Jr., said renaming the program was important for the family to honor the legacy of his father. The "Josephus narrative" was not one the family wanted to promote, he said.  

“We wanted to create the opportunity to move the focus to Frank Daniels and Frank Daniels Jr. and the work that they have been doing in our industry,” Daniels III said.

David Routh, the vice chancellor for University development, said in a statement via UNC Media Relations that the Daniels family will fully support the 11 scholars currently on campus through their graduation. From there, he said the family will support the executive-in-residence program. 

He said that, through the commitment to the journalism program at Hussman, the Daniels family honors the legacy and work of Frank A. Daniels Jr.

Daniels III said that, when creating the program, they wanted the training process to include experience, understanding and intelligence. 

Funds from the current need-based Josephus Daniels Scholars program will be shifted to the new program to emphasize the importance of training the next group of leaders going into the news and information industry. 

“No one is going to lose their scholarship,” Daniels III said. 

The new program, funded partly through this shift in funds, represents the interest of the family and its relationship with the University, Daniels III said. He said the new program is a better use of the contributions from the family, since it will benefit professors and students.

“We believe that executives will learn as much from teaching as the students will learn from what they teach,” Daniels III said. 

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