“We believe the Center can contribute much more in the future to Wisconsin citizens, faculty and students through its present location at the university. Thus, we respectfully request removal of language that would curtail what has been a productive and rewarding collaboration for all, providing students with pay, real-world experience and expanded opportunities for employment while helping residents understand major issues facing their communities.”

The Legislature’s action, wrote Hall, would “diminish opportunities for students” and “limit the freedoms of faculty members to determine how best to teach.”

The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and MinnPost are receiving a major grant from The Joyce Foundation to support reporting on key issues in their neighboring states. The $100,000 grant from the Chicago-based foundation, to be split by the two nonprofit news organizations, will fund coverage of political reform, environmental protection and gun violence issues in Wisconsin, as well as political reform in Minnesota.

The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have won a national award for their collaborative efforts to produce investigative reporting. The Associated Press Media Editors’ first Innovator of the Year for College Students award cites the Center and school, which since 2009 have collaborated in classrooms and through paid internships.