Carol Marin

Esteemed Chicago journalist Carol Marin is stepping down after 11 years as a columnist for the Sun-Times to join the faculty of DePaul University this spring.

The university announced Monday that Marin and her longtime producer, Don Moseley, will become co-directors of the new Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence and will teach investigative reporting classes in the College of Communication.

Marin, 67, will continue as political editor at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 and a regular contributor to “Chicago Tonight” on public television WTTW-Channel 11.

Sun-Times colleagues praised Marin’s achievements as a political columnist and reporter on numerous investigative stories. Her last weekly column will appear December 13.

“Carol has done incredible work for the Sun-Times as a columnist and on stories we've done in conjunction with NBC 5, and most especially her work with Tim Novak and Chris Fusco on the award-winning David Koschman series,” said Jim Kirk, editor and publisher of the Sun-Times. “She truly has demonstrated what it means to be a multimedia journalist in this era, and we are very pleased she may continue to write for us on occasion. We wish Carol nothing but the best.”

Don Moseley

In collaboration with DePaul’s journalism program, the Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence will be located in the Richard M. and Maggie C. Daley Building in the College of Communication at 14 East Jackson Boulevard.

The Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, president of DePaul University, said in a statement: “DePaul has an opportunity to shape the next generation of journalists and media professionals with the highest standards of ethics and quality. We are thrilled that the Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence will be led by two journalists who embody the ethical commitments we hope to teach.”

The appointment of Marin and Moseley is effective in April.

“As lifelong journalists, we love our work,” Marin said. “And we believe, as St. Vincent de Paul taught, that there is a mission in all that we do. In this case, the mission of this new center focuses on journalism practiced with integrity and excellence.”

Starting in the fall of 2016, Marin and Moseley will teach an investigative reporting course each quarter. “Beyond the nuts and bolts of learning to be a reporter, the center will focus on the ‘whys’ of journalism and the responsibilities of being a journalist,” Moseley said. “This new role allows us to keep mentoring our former interns . . . while challenging new students to consider the ramifications of what they will face as young journalists.”

Marin and Moseley have been affiliated with DePaul since 2003 when they founded The DePaul Documentary Project on the university’s Lincoln Park campus. The project provides student internships in print and broadcast journalism.

“We are thrilled to expand our role with DePaul's great students, excellent faculty and staff,” Marin said. “It is an honor.”

It’s a return to the classroom for Marin, who began as a high school teacher before embarking on journalism.

A South Side Chicago native and University of Illinois graduate, Marin taught English at Dundee High School for two years before joining WBIR-TV, the NBC affiliate in Knoxville, Tennessee. After a stint at WSMV-TV (formerly WSM), the NBC affiliate in Nashville, Tennessee, she came home to join NBC 5 as a news anchor and reporter in 1978. She also was a correspondent for CBS News and a news anchor for CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2.

Marin joined the Sun-Times as a political columnist in 2004 after two years as an op ed contributor to the Chicago Tribune. She joined “Chicago Tonight” in 2006.

Winner of two Peabody Awards and multiple Emmy Awards, she has been inducted in the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame and the Silver Circle of the Chicago/Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.