This article has been updated.
Rosanna Tamburri has won the 2012 Award for Excellence in Education Journalism given annually to a journalist in Canada by the Canadian Association of University Teachers. University Affairs nominated Ms. Tamburri for this award to recognize the quality of her reporting in the magazine and on the accompanying website over the past 12 years.
During that time, Ms. Tamburri has written stories on a wide range of subjects, most recently about the changes in entrance requirements and student services at the University of British Columbia. Her feature stories have frequently focused on university access and financing.
In selecting Ms. Tamburri for the award, CAUT singled out her article “Indebted to higher education” about the array of student aid programs in Canada that have worked to a degree but have failed to close the gap in university participation rates between the rich and poor. Ms. Tamburri, who lives in Toronto, has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Carleton University. Before turning to freelance writing, she was for many years a staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal in Ottawa.
This is the second time that a freelance writer has won the CAUT award for excellence in education journalism for work in University Affairs. The first was Harriet Eisenkraft, who won in 2005 for her articles about work-life issues for faculty.
Education journalism – such an important subject which should be investigated and reported without fault. After reading her article, she definitely deserved to win this award and should be extremely proud of herself.