Gray Construction makes major donation to Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues

From left: Dr. Beth Barnes, director, School of Journalism & Telecommunications; Al Smith, co-founder of Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues and chairman of its advisory board; Al Cross, director of the institute and assistant professor in the school; Jim Gray, president and CEO of Gray Construction Co.; Dr. Lee T. Todd Jr., president, University of Kentucky; Dr. J. David Johnson, dean, College of Communications and Information Studies.

To help rural communities like those where the company began, Gray Construction Co. of Lexington has donated $100,000 for the endowment of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, based at the University of Kentucky.

“I hope our contribution will encourage other business folks with rural roots to help rural America by investing in its journalism,” company President and CEO Jim Gray said. “Rural journalists play an important role in defining issues for their communities, and the Institute helps them do that in many ways.”

Gray said the gift recognizes the life's work of Institute co-founder Al Smith of Lexington, who published weekly newspapers, was federal co-chairman of the Appalachian Regional Commission and a charter member of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame. “I am confident that my gift to the Institute’s endowment will help it create a better future for the people of rural America, through good journalism,” Gray said.

The mission of the Institute, part of UK’s School of Journalism and Telecommunications, is to help rural journalists define the public agenda in their communities through strong, responsible reporting and commentary. It is directed by Al Cross, former political writer for The Courier-Journal, who is an assistant professor in the school.

“Jim Gray’s gift means a lot for several reasons,” Cross said. “Not only does it set a great example for others to follow, Jim and I grew up 55 miles apart in Southern Kentucky, and we share an understanding of rural areas like Glasgow and Albany and how good journalism can help their public life.”

Gray is a native of Glasgow, where teh compnay began as James N. Gray Construction Co. It is now based in Lexington, where Gray was elected vice mayor in November 2005. He is president and CEO of the company, one of the larger design, engineering and construction firms in the United States.

While the company builds projects all over the U.S. and in Japan, much of its work is still in rural areas, which face new economic challenges in an era of globalization and high technology. One focus of the Institute is helping rural journalists cover and guide the economic development of their communities. It also focuses on education, health care and the environment, and has academic partners at 25 universities in 16 states.

The Institute holds workshops, conducts research, makes presentations at conferences, maintains a Web site, www.RuralJournalism.org, and publishes The Rural Blog -- a digest of events, trends, issues and journalism in rural America at http://irjci.blogspot.com.

The Institute is building an endowment to give it a permanent place in UK’s College of Communications and Information Studies and on the fast-changing landscape of American journalism. Gifts to the endowment are currently matched by the state Research Challenge Trust Fund, known as “Bucks for Brains.” For more information, contact Cross at 859-257-3744 or al.cross@uky.edu.