FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas has received a gift of $10,000 for computer software from Verizon, a telecommunications company, to be used by the UA journalism department’s Lemke Computer Lab, a part of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

"Thanks to this grant from Verizon," said Patsy Watkins, chair of the UA journalism department, "we will be able to upgrade the software in our computer lab this year to the most current editions." Watkins said the upgrades will include Quark Xpress, Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Microsoft Word and other programs commonly used in the journalism profession.

David Russell, vice president for external affairs at Verizon in Irving, Texas, is a graduate of the UA journalism department as well as a member of the department’s alumni advisory board. Watkins said that Russell has been "a tremendous help" in getting the donation for the journalism department.

Russell said that the training he received at the U of A still serves him well today. He pointed out that while he is now involved in corporate communications rather than journalism, "the reporting skill of distilling complex topics down to easier- to-understand concepts is quite valuable." Russell said that with society becoming more complicated due to advancing technology, "this type of communication ability will continue to be in demand."

"Verizon is one of America’s leading technology companies," Russell said. "As a result, much of our charitable giving supports the implementation of advanced technology. We believe it’s especially important that journalists are exposed to advanced technology so they are better equipped to educate the public about technology in the future. We also hope the journalism students will consider Verizon as a resource for stories they may do on technology topics throughout their careers."

Watkins said, "Verizon has been very generous to us in this and other awards, and we are very grateful for their continuing support."