Doualy Xaykaothao, professional-in-residence at WRHU-FM 88.7, has been named a Faculty Champion by the Center for Community News (CCN) at the University of Vermont. Faculty champions are recognized for their efforts to start or expand university-led reporting programs in their region, and their contribution to a national movement of student-powered community reporting.
At WRHU, Xaykaothao mentors students and community volunteers in the art of radio, podcasting, and broadcast journalism at the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. Her work at WRHU fosters connections with the local community through student engagement, community volunteer engagement, and coverage of local news and issues.
In addition to her work at Hofstra, Xaykaothao is a newscaster and reporter for NPR, where she is responsible for writing, producing and delivering national newscasts. She also reports on breaking news stories for NPR’s All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Weekend Edition.
This year’s class of 150 Faculty Champions is the largest ever for CCN. Each Faculty Champion receives a $1,000 reward, peer support, and coaching throughout the year.
Now in its third year at CCN, the Faculty Champion program began as an award that recognized journalism faculty for their ingenuity at a time when news-academic partnerships were emerging as one of the viable remedies for the spread of news deserts. Since then, it has grown exponentially in numbers and scope and is today a year-long interactive fellowship and a peer-to-peer collaboration.
