Dr. Northup Travels to Build International Partnerships to Globalize JMS

When Dr. Temple Northup, director of the School of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS), boarded a flight to Hong Kong this fall, he wasn’t just traveling for work – he was chasing a vision for the school. 

Over the next several days, he would visit four cities in three countries, building partnerships that could redefine what international education means for future journalists.

From Hong Kong to Mumbai, Delhi to Guangzhou, Northup’s itinerary was packed with meetings, campus tours and conversations focused on creating opportunities for SDSU students to learn, collaborate and experience media in a global context.

“I’m very passionate about internationalizing our programs,” he said. “A lot of students may not feel adventurous enough to travel on their own, so I want to create pathways that make it easier for them to go places they might not have considered otherwise.”

In Mumbai, he reconnected with a colleague he had known for nearly a decade, a partnership delayed by the pandemic but revived in person this year. In Delhi, he met with a university recognized for its journalism and advertising programs. And in China, he explored opportunities with a Guangzhou-based institution that already has strong ties to SDSU.

“Each connection came about differently, some through old friends, some through new introductions,” Northup said. “But the goal was the same everywhere: to create programs that will genuinely benefit our students.”

Out of the trip emerged three distinct models for future study abroad programs.

In Mumbai, Northup is working to develop a faculty-led trip for January 2027, where journalism and public relations students would collaborate with a nonprofit organization that paints murals in underprivileged communities. 

“Students would not only help execute the project,” he explained, “but also write about it and learn how to amplify their impact through storytelling.”

In Delhi, the potential program would be a three-to-four-week summer experience hosted by the O.P. Jindal Global University, where students could take media and communication courses tailored to their degree requirements. “It’s longer than a typical faculty-led trip but shorter than a semester abroad,” Northup said. “It gives students flexibility and meaningful cultural immersion.”

In Guangzhou, he’s exploring a semester-long exchange at a partner university offering an international journalism program taught entirely in English, a rare opportunity for journalism majors to study abroad without a language barrier.

While many students gravitate toward Europe for study abroad, Northup hopes to expand their sense of possibility.

“There’s no shortage of programs in Europe,” he said. “And there’s nothing wrong with that, but I think students gain something different when they go somewhere more culturally different from the U.S. For me as an undergraduate student, it was transformative.”

Amid his packed schedule, Northup made time for a few unforgettable moments, including finally seeing the Taj Mahal.

“It’s a place I’ve dreamed of visiting for as long as I can remember,” he said. “And it didn’t disappoint. The artistry, the marble inlays, the beauty of it, it’s all extraordinary.”

He also visited Gandhi’s home and the Lotus Temple in Delhi, describing both as humbling experiences. And though he joked about being “very careful about the water,” he embraced every opportunity to immerse himself in local culture.

Northup’s goal is simple but ambitious: To make global experiences a regular part of journalism education at SDSU.

“In an ideal world, every student would have an international experience before graduating,” he said. “I’d love to see five or more JMS programs each year, across different regions, so students can choose what works best for them.”