SPJ is seeking nominations for its annual Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award as well as the Student of the Year Award.
FOR TEACHER OF THE YEAR
The Teacher of the Year award recognizes outstanding work in the classroom and continued service to the profession, for his/her talents as a teacher, mentor and journalist.
Past winners are…
2012: SANDY PADWE [not eligible]
2011: KEVIN COYNE [not eligible]
2010: MICHAEL SHAPIRO [not eligible]
2009: PAULA SPAN [not eligible]
2008: BRUCE PORTER [not eligible]
2007: ROBIN REISIG [not eligible]
2006: RICHARD WALD
2005: JAMES W. CAREY
2004: KEVIN COYNE
2003: DAVID KLATELL
2002: LYNNELL HANCOCK
2001: MARGUERITE HOLLOWAY
2000: SANDY PADWE
1999: MICHAEL SHAPIRO
1998: SIG GISSLER
1997: SAMUEL FREEDMAN
ELIGIBLITY: Any professor at the Journalism School is eligible, EXCEPT of the winners from the last
six years so recipients from 2007/2008/2009/2010/2011/2012 can NOT receive this year’s award.
Preference will be given to full-time faculty and visiting professors who have made a real commitment of their time to the school and the students.
You may nominate ONE person for consideration by the SPJ Board. Please fill in the ballot below and write no more than 100 words with the reason you are nominating this professor — bullet points are OK.
Provide specific examples of this person’s qualities — teaching AS WELL AS service to the profession.
FOR STUDENT OF THE YEAR
The Student of the Year award recognizes dedication in academic work AND student activities. A student whose energy and talent make him or her an example of a superior Columbia Journalism School graduate. Someone who has helped make the year better for his/her class.
Only students graduating in May 2013 (full-time or part-time) can be nominated BUT all students can participate in the nomination process.
As in every year, the class president (this year it’s Kimberly Brooks) is NOT eligible for this award.
Please write the reasons you are nominating this student. 100 words max — bullet points are OK.
Both awards are NOT a popular vote. You are suggesting names for the SPJ Board to consider.
DEADLINE: Monday, May 13 at MIDNIGHT
Winner announced at the Boat Cruise on Monday, May 19, 2013.
IMPORTANT: Many of the nominations are eloquent and compelling — but only the eventual winner knows he/she was even nominated. You will receive a copy of your input via e-mail after you finish filling in the form. Please consider sending a copy to your nominee so that he/she knows you appreciate him/her.
Attn: Graduating Students From: Dean Huff Re: Year-end Awards for M.S. & M.A. Students
April 22, 2013 http://bit.ly/CUJ_Awards13
Each year on Journalism Day the school confers awards on several top-performing students. Each prize winner will receive a certificate and some will receive additional cash prizes (this depends on how the awards were originally set up). Below you will find the descriptions of this year’s awards.
These awards are open to any M.S. students graduating in this cycle (May 2013, Feb. 2013 and Oct. 2012). Some awards are also open to M.A. students – noted in each award description.
There are two broad categories of awards: those for which students can submit entries that are judged by faculty juries and those decided by the professors teaching the course for which they are awarded – no submissions are accepted for these.
Please note: The Blood award is run by an alumni committee and has already accepted submissions.
Another prize, the Harron Award, is decided by a faculty committee from nominations provided by the J-school community – see separate announcement). All M.S., M.A., Knight Bagehot, and Ph.D. students are eligible.
For juried awards, you may submit applications for no more than two categories (the Blood Award is not part of the limit), and each application can contain only one story, or segment of a Master’s Project/Thesis. Submissions must conform to the parameters (word count; video length; type of work) listed in the award description below.
The decisions of the faculty judges are final, and their deliberations are confidential.
To submit, please complete this form. In addition, for audio & video submissions, please also bring five copies of a labeled disk to Lauren Mack in 207A by Tuesday, April 30, at noon. If you are coming after business hours, please drop off the entries through the slot of the gray box outside of the DOS offices (Huff/Sotomayor).
If you are entering more than one category, you must complete a separate form for each entry (note: no more than two categories per student, not including Blood).
You can also read about how students graduate with honors in this DOS Blog post about year-end awards and grading.
Wechsler for international reporting - (M.A. eligible)
AWARDS NOT TAKING SUBMISSIONS:
Best M.A. Thesis (M.A. only)
Balakian Award for writing about literature - (M.A. eligible)
Baker Award for City Newsroom
Baker Award for CNS
Baker Award for New York World
Baker Award for Magazine Workshops
Greer Award for financial writing (one M.S. & one M.A.)
Peter Keller Award for Editing
Joan Konner Broadcast Journalism Award
Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing (All Book seminar students eligible)
Nelson Award for national affairs reporting
Digital Media Workshop Award
Nightly News Workshop Award
Photography Award
Radio Workshop Award
Best Performance in Law Class
Taylor Award for best international student (M.A. eligible)
Video Storytelling Workshop Award
Louis Winnick Prize for RWI Writing
AWARD WITH NOMINATIONS FROM J-SCHOOL COMMUNITY
Harron Award or excellence in reporting as well as exemplary kindness and courtesy to fellow students (see separate announcement) [Whole school eligible]
2013 STUDENT PRIZES IN DETAIL
AWARDS TAKING SUBMISSIONS
THE RICHARD BLOOD AWARD
The Richard Blood Award is given to the student – judged by a panel of the former professor’s students – to have written the best investigative, hard-news or news feature story (closed).
THE DUPONT/JUDY F. CRICHTON AWARD (M.A. eligible)
The duPont/Judy F. Crichton Award is named in commemoration of the former duPont-Columbia Awards juror, who during her career served as one of the first female documentary producers at “CBS Reports;” and who became the founding Executive Producer of PBS’ show, the “American Experience.” It honors student video work that most encapsulizes Judy’s ideals of hard-hitting journalism, long-form narrative storytelling, and historical perspective on issues of concern to American culture and history. Entries can be posted on Vimeo or Youtube, or on DVD’s There is no time limit on material. Questions? Contact Abi Wright, Director of the duPont Awards: awright@columbia.edu.
THE FRED M. HECHINGER EDUCATION JOURNALISM AWARD (M.A. eligible)
This award is given to a student who produces outstanding work in education reporting. This award was established by the Hechinger Institute on Media and Education at Teachers College, in honor of The New York Times education editor, Fred M. Hechinger. Stories are accepted in television, digital media, radio and print. There is no length restriction. Judges will be looking for insight and excellence in reporting and writing.
HORGAN PRIZES
There are three Horgan awards given to the students who have produced the best stories focused on science, health or the environment in the M.S. science writing seminar. No length restrictions.
JOURNALISM EDITORIAL
This award recognizes excellence in editorial writing. Opinion pieces such as editorials, commentaries, and essays with a strong point of view are eligible. Entries must not exceed 1,000 words.
MELVIN MENCHER REPORTING AWARD
The Melvin Mencher Award was established by the students, friends and associates of Professor Melvin Mencher, the man who wrote that text book, who retired in 1990. The award recognizes superior reporting on local government activity (including education, social services, politics, health, etc.). Only print entries of no more than 2,000 words will be considered. Print Master’s Projects are welcome but must be excerpted or condensed so that they fit the word limit.
THE JAMES A. WECHSLER MEMORIAL AWARDS (M.A. eligible)
The first James A. Wechsler Memorial Award is presented to the student who, in the judgment of the Faculty, submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant local issue. The awards were established by the Pisces Foundation in memory of the former editor and columnist at The New York Post. The second James A. Wechsler Memorial Award is presented to the student who submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant national issue. The final James A. Wechlser memorial Award is presented to the student who submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant international issue. Word counts are non-negotiable and submissions with a higher count will not be considered.
AWARDS NOT TAKING SUBMISSIONS:
BEST M.A. THESIS
This award honors the best M.A. thesis as determined by the deans.
THE NONA BALAKIAN AWARD (M.A. eligible)
The Nona Balakian Award was established in 1992 to honor the student who shows the most promise for achievement in writing about literature. Ms. Balakian, a 1943 graduate of the Journalism School, was an editor at The New York Times Book Review and had much influence on American arts and letters for more than four decades. Students are nominated by faculty and then the nominees will be asked to submit work samples. Book reviews, profiles and articles about the literary world are acceptable.
THE RICHARD T. BAKER AWARDS
The Richard T. Baker Award for outstanding performance in the Newspaper workshops – City Newsroom, New York World, Columbia News Service – was established in honor of the late Dick Baker, a J-School graduate and long-time professor who also served as acting dean, associate dean, historian and administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes. The second Richard T. Baker Award is for outstanding performance in the Magazine workshops.
PHILIP GREER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND AWARD (one M.S. & one M.A.)
The Philip Greer Memorial Scholarship Fund Award, presented for the first time in 1988, was established in honor of the late Mr. Greer, a financial correspondent and columnist for the New York Herald-Tribune and The Washington Post, to recognize the outstanding students in financial writing.
THE ROBERT HARRON AWARD
The Robert Harron Award is presented to the student who has demonstrated excellence in writing and reporting as well as exemplary kindness and courtesy to fellow students. The award was established in memory of Robert Harron, the former sportswriter and long-time assistant to the presidents of this university, through gifts from his many friends. (Call for nominations)
THE PETER KELLER PRIZE FOR EDITING
The Peter Keller Prize is presented to a student who shows great promise in editing. This award is made possible by a gift from Lisa Keller Yakas and Saky Yakas.
THE JOAN KONNER AWARD
This prize is presented to the student who has produced the most thought-provoking and original television and radio reporting.
THE LYNTON FELLOWSHIP IN BOOK WRITING (All students in the Book Writing Seminar are eligible)
Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing is given for outstanding work in the Book Writing seminar.
THE LARS-ERIK NELSON PRIZE
The Lars-Erik Nelson Prize was established by the New York Daily News, in honor of Lars-Erik Nelson, its distinguished Washington columnist, who died in 2000. It is presented to a student for best reporting or opinion piece in the National Affairs Reporting seminar.
THE DIGITAL MEDIA WORKSHOP AWARDS
This award is for outstanding performance in the Digital Media Workshops.
THE NIGHTLY NEWS AWARD
This award is given for outstanding performance in Nightly News Workshop.
THE RADIO WORKSHOP AWARD
This award is for outstanding performance in the Radio Workshop.
BEST PERFORMANCE IN THE LAW CLASS
This award is for outstanding performance in the Law Class.
THE HENRY N. TAYLOR AWARD
The Henry N. Taylor Award was established in 1962 by friends of Henry Taylor, a journalist who was killed on assignment in the Congo at the age of 31. The award is given at the end of each school year to that member of the International Division who has demonstrated the qualities of a superior journalist. The award includes a grant providing for travel in the United States before returning to his or her homeland.
THE VIDEO STORYTELLING WORKSHOP
This award is for outstanding performance in Video Storytelling Workshop.
THE LOUIS WINNICK PRIZE FOR RWI
This award in memory of Louis Winnick, is given to the best story done in RWI in the previous calendar year. The story must demonstrate outstanding reporting and writing, along with great precision and accuracy in grammar.
FAQs ABOUT AWARD SUBMISSIONS
Over the years, students have asked questions along these lines:
Can I submit more than one entry per award? THE ANSWER: No, you cannot. We want you to pick the best story and submit it, rather than send in more than one for any one award.
Can I really only submit entries in two awards? THE ANSWER: We want you to pick up to two awards and submit stories for those only. The Blood Award is not part of that quota.
Can I submit same piece for two different awards? THE ANSWER: Yes, you may submit the same story for two different awards.
Can I submit a double-bylined story or a team production in broadcast or digital media? THE ANSWER: Yes, you may. Each year, multi-person entries do win awards.
Attn: Graduating Students
From: Dean Huff
Re: Year-end Awards for M.S. & M.A. Students
April 22, 2013
Each year on Journalism Day the school confers awards on several top-performing students. Each prize winner will receive a certificate and some will receive additional cash prizes (this depends on how the awards were originally set up). Below you will find the descriptions of this year’s awards.
These awards are open to any M.S. students graduating in this cycle (May 2013, Feb. 2013 and Oct. 2012). Some awards are also open to M.A. students - noted in each award description.
There are two broad categories of awards: those for which students can submit entries that are judged by faculty juries and those decided by the professors teaching the course for which they are awarded - no submissions are accepted for these.
Please note: The Blood award is run by an alumni committee and has already accepted submissions.
Another prize, the Harron Award, is decided by a faculty committee from nominations provided by the J-school community - see separate announcement) All M.S., M.A., Knight Bagehot, and Ph.D. students are eligible.
For juried awards, you may submit applications for no more than two categories (the Blood Award is not part of the limit), and each application can contain only one story, or segment of a Master’s Project/Thesis. Submissions must conform to the parameters (word count; video length; type of work) listed in the award description below.
The decisions of the faculty judges are final, and their deliberations are confidential.
To submit, please complete this form. In addition, for audio & video submissions, please also bring five copies of a labeled disk to Lauren Mack in 207A by Tuesday, April 30, at noon. If you are coming after business hours, please drop off the entries through the slot of the gray box outside of the DOS offices (Huff/Sotomayor)
If you are entering more than one category, you must complete a separate form for each entry (note: no more than two categories per student, not including Blood).
You can also read about how students graduate with honors in this DOS Blog post about year-end awards and grading.
FAQs about all this at the end of this post.
If you have any questions, please address them to dos@jrn.columbia.edu.
Regards,
Dean Huff
AWARDS TAKING SUBMISSIONS (descriptions below):
Blood Award for reporting (closed)
duPont/Judy F. Crichton Award - (M.A. eligible)
Hechinger Education Journalism Award - (M.A. eligible)
Horgan Prizes (3) for science reporting
Journalism Editorial - (M.A. eligible)
Mencher Award for superior reporting
Wechsler for local reporting - (M.A. eligible)
Wechsler for national reporting - (M.A. eligible)
Wechsler for international reporting - (M.A. eligible)
AWARDS NOT TAKING SUBMISSIONS:
Best M.A. Thesis
Balakian Award for writing about literature - (M.A. eligible)
Baker Award for City Newsroom
Baker Award for CNS
Baker Award for New York World
Baker Award for Magazine Workshops
Greer Award for financial writing (one M.S. & one M.A.)
Peter Keller Award for Editing
Joan Konner Broadcast Journalism Award
Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing (All Book seminar students eligible)
Nelson Award for national affairs reporting
Digital Media Workshop Award
Nightly News Workshop Award
Photography Award
Radio Workshop Award
Best Performance in Law Class
Taylor Award for best international student (M.A. eligible)
Video Storytelling Workshop Award
Louis Winnick Prize for RWI Writing
AWARD WITH NOMINATIONS FROM J-SCHOOL COMMUNITY
Harron Award or excellence in reporting as well as exemplary kindness and courtesy to fellow students (see separate announcement) [Whole school eligible]
2013 STUDENT PRIZES IN DETAIL
AWARDS TAKING SUBMISSIONS
THE RICHARD BLOOD AWARD
The Richard Blood Award is given to the student–judged by a panel of the former professor’s students–to have written the best investigative, hard-news or news feature story (closed).
THE DUPONT/JUDY F. CRICHTON AWARD (M.A. eligible)
The duPont/Judy F. Crichton Award is named in commemoration of the former duPont-Columbia Awards juror, who during her career served as one of the first female documentary producers at CBS Reports; and who became the founding Executive Producer of PBS’ show, the American Experience. It honors student video work that most encapsulizes Judy’s ideals of hard-hitting journalism, long-form narrative storytelling, and historical perspective on issues of concern to American culture and history. Entries can be posted on Vimeo or Youtube, or on DVD’s There is no time limit on material. Questions? Contact Abi Wright, Director of the duPont Awards: awright@columbia.edu
THE FRED M. HECHINGER EDUCATION JOURNALISM AWARD (M.A. eligible)
This award is given to a student who produces outstanding work in education reporting. This award was established by the Hechinger Institute on Media and Education at Teachers College, in honor of New York Times education editor, Fred M. Hechinger. Stories are accepted in television, digital media, radio and print. There is no length restriction. Judges will be looking for insight and excellence in reporting and writing.
HORGAN PRIZES
There are three Horgan awards given to the students from the M.S. Science Writing seminar who have produced the best stories focused on science, health or the environment. No length restrictions.
JOURNALISM EDITORIAL
This award recognizes excellence in editorial writing. Opinion pieces such as editorials, commentaries, and essays with a strong point of view are eligible. Entries must not exceed 1,000 words.
MELVIN MENCHER REPORTING AWARD
The Melvin Mencher Award was established by the students, friends and associates of Professor Melvin Mencher, the man who wrote that text book, who retired in 1990. The award recognizes superior reporting on local government activity (including education, social services, politics, health, etc.). Only print entries of no more than 2,000 words will be considered. Print Master’s Projects are welcome but must be excerpted or condensed so that they fit the word limit.
THE JAMES A. WECHSLER MEMORIAL AWARDS (M.A. eligible)
The first James A. Wechsler Memorial Award is presented to the student who, in the judgment of the Faculty, submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant local issue. The awards were established by the Pisces Foundation in memory of the former editor and columnist at the New York Post. The second James A. Wechsler Memorial Award is presented to the student who submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant national issue. The final James A. Wechlser memorial Award is presented to the student who submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant international issue. Word counts are non-negotiable and submissions with a higher count will not be considered.
AWARDS NOT TAKING SUBMISSIONS:
BEST M.A. THESIS
This award honors the best M.A. thesis as determined by the deans.
THE NONA BALAKIAN AWARD (M.A. eligible)
The Nona Balakian Award was established in 1992 to honor the student who shows the most promise for achievement in writing about literature. Ms. Balakian, a 1943 graduate of the Journalism School, was an editor at the New York Times Book Review and had much influence on American arts and letters for more than four decades. Students are nominated by faculty and then the nominees will be asked to submit work samples. Book reviews, profiles and articles about the literary world are acceptable
THE RICHARD T. BAKER AWARDS
The Richard T. Baker Award for outstanding performance in the Newspaper workshops – City Newsroom, New York World, Columbia News Service - was established in honor of the late Dick Baker, a J-School graduate and long-time professor who also served as acting dean, associate dean, historian and administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes. The second Richard T. Baker Award is for outstanding performance in the Magazine workshops.
PHILIP GREER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND AWARD (one M.S. & one M.A.)The Philip Greer Memorial Scholarship Fund Award, presented for the first time in 1988, was established in honor of the late Mr. Greer, a financial correspondent and columnist for the New York Herald-Tribune and The Washington Post, to recognize the outstanding students in financial writing.
THE ROBERT HARRON AWARD
The Robert Harron Award is presented to the student who has demonstrated excellence in writing and reporting as well as exemplary kindness and courtesy to fellow students. The award was established in memory of Robert Harron, the former sportswriter and long-time assistant to the presidents of this university, through gifts from his many friends. (Call for nominations)
THE PETER KELLER PRIZE FOR EDITING
The Peter Keller Prize is presented to a student who shows great promise in editing. This award is made possible by a gift from Lisa Keller Yakas and Saky Yakas.
THE JOAN KONNER AWARD
This prize is presented to the student who has produced the most thought-provoking and original television and radio reporting.
THE LYNTON FELLOWSHIP IN BOOK WRITING (All students in the Book Writing Seminar are eligible)
Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing is given for outstanding work in the Book Writing seminar.
THE LARS-ERIK NELSON PRIZE
The Lars-Erik Nelson Prize was established by the New York Daily News, in honor of Lars-Erik Nelson, its distinguished Washington columnist, who died in 2000. It is presented to a student for best reporting or opinion piece in the National Affairs Reporting seminar.
THE DIGITAL MEDIA WORKSHOP AWARDS
This award is for outstanding performance in the Digita Media Workshops.
THE NIGHTLY NEWS AWARD
This award is given for outstanding performance in Nightly News Workshop.
THE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD
The Photography Award is given for outstanding performance in the photography courses.
THE RADIO WORKSHOP AWARD
This award is for outstanding performance in the Radio Workshop.
BEST PERFORMANCE IN THE LAW CLASS
This award is for outstanding performance in the Law Class.
THE HENRY N. TAYLOR AWARD
The Henry N. Taylor Award was established in 1962 by friends of Henry Taylor, a journalist who was killed on assignment in the Congo at the age of 31. The award is given at the end of each school year to that member of the International Division who has demonstrated the qualities of a superior journalist. The award includes a grant providing for travel in the United States before returning to his or her homeland.
THE VIDEO STORYTELLING WORKSHOP
This award is for outstanding performance in Video Storytelling Workshop.
THE LOUIS WINNICK PRIZE FOR RWI
This award in memory of Louis Winnick, is given to the best story done in RWI in the previous calendar year. The story must demonstrate outstanding reporting and writing, along with great precision and accuracy in grammar.
FAQs ABOUT AWARD SUBMISSIONS
Over the years, students have asked questions along these lines:
* Can I submit more than one entry per award?
THE ANSWER: No, you cannot. We want you to pick the best story and submit it, rather than send in more than one for any one award.
* Can I really only submit entries in two awards?
THE ANSWER: We want you to pick up to two awards and submit stories for those only. The Blood Award is not part of that quota.
* Can I submit same piece for two different awards?THE ANSWER: Yes, you may submit the same story for two different awards.
* Can I submit a double-bylined story or a team production in broadcast or digital media?THE ANSWER: Yes, you may. Each year, multi-person entries do win awards.
2010 Graduation Week
Congratulations to all our Columbia Journalism School graduates!
Please visit our graduation coverage page to read:
* Gail Collins’ commencement speech
* Dean Nicholas Lemann’s graduation address
* Pringle Lecture by Eugene Robinson
* Lemann’s university commencement remarks
* Remarks by Siddharth Philip, class president
Video of J-school graduation ceremony, Tuesday, May 18, 3-4:30 pm:
The sequence: Dean Nicholas Lemann (00:00-11:34)
Rebecca Castillo (11:47-14:04)
Siddharth Philip (14:06-17:00)
Gail Collins (17:29-34:31)
Dean Lemann reads the award winners’ names (34:45-41:44)
Dean Sree Sreenivasan reads the graduates’ names (41:50-1:32:45)
Also see video of main university-wide Commencement
Not our graduation, but Prof. Sig Gissler, in 2008, recommended this short AP story about Pulitzer Prize-winner David McCollough’s commencement address at Boston College:
“Please, please do what you can to cure the verbal virus that seems increasingly rampant among your generation.”He said he’s particularly troubled by the “relentless, wearisome use of words” such as like, awesome and actually.”
AWARDS: The following awards were presented on May 17 and the winners were acknowledged again at the main graduation ceremony on May 18, 2010.
PULITZER TRAVELING FELLOWSHIPS & EIBEL AWARD for the top six students in the Class of 2010
PULITZER FELLOWSHIP WINNERS:
Lauren Kirchner - class valedictorian
Sasha Chavkin
John Tucker
Rory Weisbrod
Katherine Clarke (specializing in criticism of the arts)
David Marcus Eibel Memorial Scholarship: Mara Zepeda
The M.A. Program Prize:
Arthur Harris Award for Best M.A. Thesis: Rohini Mohan
runner-up: Carrie Peyton Dahlberg
runner-up: David Zax
Henry Taylor award for outstanding international student: Frances McInnis
Award & Winner(s):
Baker for Bronx Ink: Sarah Butrymowicz
Baker prize for Brooklyn Ink: Mary Plummer
Baker prize for Columbia News Service: Megan Gibson
Baker prize for Literary Journalism: Lauren Kirchner
Baker prize for magazine production A: Joel Mears
Baker prize for magazine production B: Frances McInnis
Baker prize for magazine writing A: Lisa Held
Baker prize for magazine writing B: John Tucker
Balakian prize for literary criticism: David Kessel
Blood prize for reporting: Sam Fellman
Crichton award for documentary film: Pracheta Sharma & Jessica Hopper
Digital Media Workshop - Design - prize: Shane Snow
Digital Media Workshop - Interactive - prize: Lisa Waananen
Digital Media Workshop - Multimedia Storytelling - prize: Scott Sell and Andrew Keshner
Digital Media Workshop - Visual Storytelling - prize: Lim Wui Liang
Greer award for business reporting MA: Angus Loten
Greer award for business reporting MS: Lindsay Dunsmuir
Harron award for courtesy (”nice guy/nice gal): Shefali Kulkarni
Hechinger award for education journalism: Melissa Miley & Rob Sgobbo
Horgan award for science journalism #1: Sasha Chavkin
Horgan award for science journalism #2: Delphine Reuter
Horgan award for science journalism #3: Leonard F. Schoenberger
Journalism Editorial award: Joel Mears
Keller prize for editing: Althea Fung
Konner award for broadcast journalism: Sherisse Pham
Lynton Fellowship for book writing: Artis Herderson
Lynton Fellowship for book writing: Nathaniel Adams
Mencher prize for superior reporting: Chasen Marshall
Nelson award for national affairs reporting: Sam Fellman
Nightly News Workshop prize: Tammy Mutasa and Kelly Koopmans
Photography prize: Diana Markosian and Chris Geier
Radio Workshop prize: Katie Simon and Lindsay Dunsmuir
Sackett award for the law class: Maria Del Mar & Cabra Valero & Daniel Benjamin Roberts
Video Storytelling Workshop prize: Edward Chun
Weschler award for international reporting: Artis Herderson
Weschler award for national reporting: Katya Wachtel
Weschler award for local reporting: Sommer Saadi
Winnick award for RW1: Lauren Kirchner
The winners of the two awards presented by the students :
SPJ Teacher of the Year: Michael Shapiro
SPJ Student of the Year: Barry Whyte
List of Students Graduating with Honors
Sarah Butrymowicz
Yilun Chen
Frederick Dreier Frederick
Lindsay Dunsmuir
Sasha Freudenberg-Chavkin
Sara Hamdan
Artis Henderson
Andrew Keshner
Lauren Kirchner
Christopher Livesay
Frances McInnis
Joel Meares
Ada Muellner
Stephen Nessen
Sherisse Pham
Leslie Picker
Mary Plummer
Susanna Poppick
Scott Sell
Emma Silvers
Shreeya Sinha
John Tucker
Kim Velsey
Lisa Waananen
Rory Weisbrod
Mara Zepeda
Attn: Graduating Students From: Dean Huff Re: Year-end Awards for M.S. & M.A. Students
April 21, 2010
Each year on Journalism Day the school confers awards on several top-performing students. Each prize winner will receive a certificate and some will receive additional cash prizes (this depends on how the awards were originally set up). Below you will find the descriptions of this year’s awards.
These awards are open to any M.S. students graduating in this cycle (May 2010, Feb. 2010 and Oct. 2009). Some awards are also open to M.A. students - noted in each award description.
There are two broad categories of awards: those for which students can submit entries that are judged by faculty juries; and those decided by the professors teaching the course for which they are awarded - no submissions are accepted for these.
Please note: The Blood award is run by an alumni committee and has already accepted submissions.
Another prize, the Harron Award, is decided by a faculty committee from nominations provided by the J-school community - see separate announcement). All M.S., M.A., Knight Bagehot, and Ph.D. students are eligible.
For juried awards, you may submit applications for no more than two categories (the Blood and Hechinger are not part of the limit), and each application (unless otherwise specified in the award description) can contain only one story, or segment of a Master’s Project/Thesis no longer than 3,500 words (or 10-12 minutes of video or audio; for digital media projects, submit specific URLs in addition to an overall URL, and printouts of the relevant pages).
The decisions of the faculty judges are final, and their deliberations are confidential.
If you are submitting an application for one of the juried awards, you must submit clean, hard copy (or broadcast materials, if applicable, WITH SCRIPTS, or for digital media projects, submit specific URLs in addition to an overall URL, and printouts of the relevant pages) to the boxes in 2M07A (in the Career Services area) between Thursday, April 22, at 10 a.m. and Thursday, April 29 at 10 a.m. IN ADDITION, please e-mail copies of your submissions to ss3045@columbia.edu. If you are coming after business hours, please drop off the entries through the slot of the gray box outside of the DOS offices (Huff/Sreenivasan) PLEASE SUBMIT THREE COPIES OF EACH ITEM.
Make sure everything is clearly labeled with your name, the class and professor for whom you did the story and the exact award category you are entering.
If you are entering more than one category, you must have a separate, labeled envelope for each entry (note: no more than two categories per student, not including Blood, and Hechinger). We will not be returning entries.
You can also read about how students graduate with honors in this previous DOS Blog post about year-end awards and grading.
FAQs about all this at the end of this post.
If you have any questions, please address them to dos@jrn.columbia.edu.
Regards,
Dean Huff
AWARDS TAKING SUBMISSIONS (descriptions below):
Balakian Award for writing about literature (M.A. eligible)
Wechsler for international reporting(M.A. eligible)
AWARDS NOT TAKING SUBMISSIONS:
M.A. Thesis Prize
Baker Award for City Newsroom
Baker Award for CNS
Baker Award for Magazine Workshops
The Judy F. Crichton Award
Paul Rykoff Coleman Memorial Scholarship Award
Greer Award for financial writing (one M.S. & one M.A.)
Peter Keller Award for Editing
Joan Konner Broadcast Journalism Award
Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing (All Book seminar students eligible)
Nelson Award for national affairs reporting
Digital Media Workshop Award
Nightly News Workshop Award
Photography Award
Radio Workshop Award
Sackett Award for Law Class
Taylor Award for best international student (M.A. eligible)
Video Storytelling Workshop Award
Louis Winnick Prize for RWI Writing
AWARD WITH NOMINATIONS FROM J-SCHOOL COMMUNITY
Harron Award for excellence in reporting as well as exemplary kindness and courtesy to fellow students (see separate announcement) [Whole school eligible]
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2010 STUDENT PRIZES IN DETAIL
AWARDS TAKING SUBMISSIONS
THE NONA BALAKIAN AWARD (M.A. eligible)
The Nona Balakian Award was established in 1992 to honor the student who shows the most promise for achievement in writing about literature. Ms. Balakian, a 1943 graduate of the Journalism School, was an editor at the New York Times Book Review and had much influence on American arts and letters for more than four decades. Book reviews, profiles and articles about the literary world are acceptable.
THE RICHARD BLOOD AWARD
The Richard Blood Award is given to the student–judged by a panel of the former professor’s students–to have written the best investigative, hard-news or news feature story.
THE FRED M. HECHINGER EDUCATION JOURNALISM AWARD (M.A. eligible)
This award is given to a student who produces outstanding work in education reporting. This award was established by the Hechinger Institute on Media and Education at Teachers College, in honor of New York Times education editor, Fred M. Hechinger. See separate entry information, deadline and process here: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2010/04/21/graduation-fred-m-hechinger-journalism-education-award/
HORGAN PRIZES
There are three Horgan awards given to the students who have produced the best stories focused on science, health or the environment. All media welcome.
MELVIN MENCHER REPORTING AWARD
The Melvin Mencher Award was established by the students, friends and associates of Professor Melvin Mencher, the man who wrote that text book, who retired in 1990. The award recognizes superior reporting on local government activity (including education, social services, politics, health, etc.). Only print entries of no more than 2,000 words will be considered. Print Master’s Projects are welcome but must be excerpted or condensed so that they fit the word limit.
THE JAMES A. WECHSLER MEMORIAL AWARDS (M.A. eligible)
The first James A. Wechsler Memorial Award is presented to the student who, in the judgment of the Faculty, submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant local issue. The awards were established by the Pisces Foundation in memory of the former editor and columnist at the New York Post. The second James A. Wechsler Memorial Award is presented to the student who submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant national issue. The final James A. Wechlser memorial Award is presented to the student who submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant international issue. Word counts are non-negotiable and submissions with a higher count will not be considered.
AWARDS NOT TAKING SUBMISSIONS:
M.A. THESIS AWARD
This award honors the best M.A. thesis as determined by the deans.
THE RICHARD T. BAKER AWARDS
The Richard T. Baker Award for outstanding performance in the Newspaper workshops – Brooklyn Ink, Bronx Ink, and Columbia News Service - was established in honor of the late Dick Baker, a J-School graduate and long-time professor who also served as acting dean, associate dean, historian and administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes. The second Richard T. Baker Award is for outstanding performance in the Magazine workshops.
PAUL RYKOFF COLEMAN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
The Paul Rykoff Coleman Memorial Scholarship Award is awarded to a student dedicated to reporting about health and sciences, especially infectious diseases
THE JUDY F. CRICHTON AWARD
The Judy F. Crichton Award is named in commemoration of the former duPont-Columbia Awards juror, who during her career served as one of the first female documentary producers at CBS Reports; and who became the founding Executive Producer of PBS’ show, the American Experience. It honors the student documentary work that most encapsulizes Judy’s ideals of hard-hitting journalism, long-form narrative storytelling, and historical perspective on issues of concern to American culture and history.
PHILIP GREER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND AWARD (one M.S. & one M.A.)
The Philip Greer Memorial Scholarship Fund Award, presented for the first time in 1988, was established in honor of the late Mr. Greer, a financial correspondent and columnist for the New York Herald-Tribune and The Washington Post, to recognize the outstanding student in financial writing.
THE ROBERT HARRON AWARD
The Robert Harron Award is presented to the student who has demonstrated excellence in writing and reporting as well as exemplary kindness and courtesy to fellow students. The award was established in memory of Robert Harron, the former sportswriter and long-time assistant to the presidents of this university, through gifts from his many friends. (Call for nominations)
THE PETER KELLER PRIZE FOR EDITING
The Peter Keller Prize is presented to a student who shows great promise in editing. This award is made possible by a gift from Lisa Keller Yakas and Saky Yakas.
THE JOAN KONNER AWARD
This prize is presented to the student who has produced the most thought-provoking and original television and radio reporting.
THE LYNTON FELLOWSHIP IN BOOK WRITING (All students in the Book Writing Seminar are eligible)
Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing is given for outstanding work in the Book Writing seminar.
THE LARS-ERIK NELSON PRIZE
The Lars-Erik Nelson Prize was established by the New York Daily News, in honor of Lars-Erik Nelson, its distinguished Washington columnist, who died in 2000. It is presented to a student for best reporting or opinion piece in one of the National Affairs Reporting seminars.
THE DIGITAL MEDIA WORKSHOP AWARDS
This award is for outstanding performance in the Digita Media Workshops.
THE NIGHTLY NEWS AWARD
This award is given for outstanding performance in Nightly News Workshop.
THE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD
The Photography Award is given for outstanding performance in the photography courses.
THE RADIO WORKSHOP AWARD
This award is for outstanding performance in the Radio Workshop.
THE HENRY SACKETT AWARD
The Sackett Award is given to two outstanding journalists who, in the judgment of the Faculty, did the best work in the course on the law of journalism. The award is part of the fund established in the will of Colonel Henry Woodward Sackett.
THE HENRY N. TAYLOR AWARD
The Henry N. Taylor Award was established in 1962 by friends of Henry Taylor, a journalist who was killed on assignment in the Congo at the age of 31. The award is given at the end of each school year to that member of the International Division who has demonstrated the qualities of a superior journalist. The award includes a grant providing for travel in the United States before returning to his or her homeland.
THE VIDEO STORYTELLING WORKSHOP
This award is for outstanding performance in Video Storytelling Workshop.
THE LOUIS WINNICK PRIZE FOR RWI
This award in memory of Louis Winnick, is given to the best story done in RWI in the previous calendar year. The story must demonstrate outstanding reporting and writing, along with great precision and accuracy in grammar. This year’s winner has already been selected.
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FAQs ABOUT AWARD SUBMISSIONS
Over the years, students have asked questions along these lines:
* Can I submit more than one entry per award?
THE ANSWER: No, you cannot. We want you to pick the best story and submit it, rather than send in more than one for any one award.
* Can I really only submit entries in two awards?
THE ANSWER: We want you to pick up to two awards and submit stories for those only. The Blood and Hechinger awards aren’t part of that quota.
* Can I submit same piece for two different awards?
THE ANSWER: Yes, you may submit the same story for two different awards.
* Can I submit a double-bylined story or a team production in broadcast or digital media?
THE ANSWER: Yes, you may. Each year, multi-person entries do win awards.
* Does the limit of 3,500 words apply to ANY story or only to Master’s Projects/Theses (my story is currently around 4,600 words, so I need to know whether to cut it down in size or not.)
THE ANSWER: The reason we say only 3,500 words is to make the judging process more streamlined. If you can trim your piece, please do. If, however, every word is uncuttable, attach a note explaining your reasons for turning it in a little longer. Please note that the Wechsler submissions cannot exceed 750 words.
Not our graduation, but Prof. Sig Gissler recommends this short AP story about Pulitzer Prize-winner David McCollough’s commencement address at Boston College:
“Please, please do what you can to cure the verbal virus that seems increasingly rampant among your generation.”He said he’s particularly troubled by the “relentless, wearisome use of words” such as like, awesome and actually.”
Photo on right: Wednesday, May 21, 12:10 pm - J-schoolers at the main university ceremony, complete with Reuters-branded beach ball. PHOTO: Craig Hettich. See a year’s worth of Student Affairs photos.
The following awards were presented on May 20 and the winners were acknowledged again at the main graduation ceremony on May 21. Here’s an explanation of how the awards are selected.
PULITZER TRAVELING FELLOWSHIPS & EIBEL AWARD for the top six students in the Class of 2008 (another slideshow below):
PULITZER FELLOWSHIP WINNERS:
Eliza Browning - class valedictorian
Lam Thuy Vo
Robert Jacob Corey-Boulet
Ailsa Wei-tan Chang
Molly Anne Birnbaum
David Marcus Eibel Memorial Scholarship: Srividya Rao
The M.A. Program Prize:
Arthur Harris Award for Best M.A. Thesis: Dorian Sanae Merina
runner-up: Don James Duncan
runner-up: Jacques Solomon Menasche
Award & Winner(s):
Baker Award for Bronx Beat: Katherine Santiago & Stephen Beardsley
Baker Award for CNS: Srividya Rao
Baker Award for Magazine Workshops: Alexa Taylor Schirtzinger
Balakian Award for writing about literature: Adam Weinstein
Blood Award for reporting: Carolina Joan Astigarraga
Brown Award for history of journalism: Rachel Clare Rosenthal
runner-up: Robert Jacob Corey-Boulet
runner-up: Daniel Luzer
Criticism Prize: Ronni J. Reich
Documentary Workshop Award: Aleksandra Halina Michalska
Editing Award: Thomas Arthur McCarthy
Greer Award for financial writing: Richard John McRoskey
Hechinger Education Journalism Award : Elizabeth Cristina Berry
Hechinger Education Journalism: Sarah N. Lynch
Horgan Science 1st prize: Daye Kim
Horgan Science 2st prize: Euna Lhee
Horgan Science 3rd prize: Erin M. Carlyle
Horgan Science 3rd prize: Olga Marie Pierce
Joan Konner Award for Best Broadcast Student: Megan Courtney Chuchmach
Louis Winnick Prize for RWI Writing: Anup Kaphle & Sarah Lynch
Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing: Garin K. Hovannisian
Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing: Jennifer Miller
Mencher Award for superior reporting: Stokely Baksh & Renee Feltz
Lars Erik Nelson Award for national affairs: Ailsa Chang
Lars Erik Nelson Award for national affairs: Eliza Cooke Browning
New Media Workshop Award: Lisa M. Biagiotti
New Media Workshop Award: Anup Kaphle
Nightly News Workshop Award: Eliza Cooke Browning & Megan Chuchmach
Radio Workshop Award: Margaret Julia Messick & Ailsa Chang
Robert Harron Award (”nice guy/nice gal” prize): Alexander James Sundby
Sackett Award for Law Class: Adam Edmund Hirsch
Sander Award for social justice reporting: Alexandra Louise Haugen Horowitz
Taylor Award for best international student: Anup Kaphle
TV Magazine Workshop Award: Sharona Sarah Coutts
Weschler for international reporting: Nadja Drost
Weschler for local reporting: Casey O’Connor Lyons
Weschler for national reporting: Renee Kathrine Feltz & Stokely Baksh NOTE: Part-time students Sumi Aggarwal and Margaret Ballantyne, who are graduating this year, won awards last year.
The winners of the two awards presented by the students:
SPJ Teacher of the Year: Bruce Porter
SPJ Student of the Year: Lam Thuy Vo
List of Students Graduating with Honors
Margaret “Coco” Ballantyne
Elizabeth Berry
Molly Birnbaum
Eliza Browning
Erin Carlyle
Ailsa Chang
Megan Chuchmach
Robert Corey-Boulet
Sharona Coutts
Lawrence Delevingne
Michael Gadd
Garin Hovannisian
Jessica Leber
Thomas McCarthy
Margaret Messick
Jennifer Miller
Neilesh Munshi
Alexis Nunes
Nicholas Phillips
Benjamin Protess
Srividya Rao
Linzi Sheldon
Gregory Simmons
Susan Sipprelle
Lam Vo
More photos of our top six students. PHOTOS: Rebecca Castillo
TRANSCRIPT Commencement 2008
Remarks by Dean Nicholas Lemann
Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
There are two things everybody knows about what they teach in journalism school. One is the five W’s—who, what, where, when, why—that every story must address, and the other is that if a dog bites a man, that’s not news, but if a man bites a dog, that is news. What we teach at Columbia Journalism School sometimes gets a little more complicated than that, but, nonetheless, the old bromides have a certain timeless appeal.
The graduation-speech version of the dog bites man story is telling students who are about to receive degrees that they represent the future. In deference to journalistic standards, I shouldn’t do it here. But I can’t help myself.
This is my fifth Commencement as dean. In that short time, the mood of our profession has changed profoundly. There are a number of reasons why, but the main one is the manifold effects of the Internet. The Internet has a nearly miraculous power to put the ability to publish, and to receive, journalism into the hands of untold millions of people all over the world. For more sophisticated practitioners like many of the people in this auditorium, it gives journalists a greater variety of means of conveying information than we have ever had before. But at the same time, the Internet has clearly eroded the economic basis of at least the corner of journalism into which this school has traditionally sent the plurality of its graduates, the American big-city daily newspaper.
When Columbia Journalism School opened in 1912, most American cities had several daily papers—certainly New York did—and there was no radio or television journalism. Through the twentieth century the newspapers died one by one, casualties of competition or suburbanization or the arrival of new-media competition, but the net result in most cities was a small number of papers that looked quite secure.
The big American newspaper of the late twentieth century was, it seems now, an odd institution, a kind of museum of all the historical phases of journalism, from partisanship (on the editorial page) to pure entertainment (in the comics and horoscopes) to serious political reporting. It was the most efficient way for people to get a big packet of information in one place. Even today’s graduates will remember the days when, if you wanted to find out who had won a ball game, or when a movie was playing, or by how much someone had won an election, you naturally picked up the newspaper. And, in the realm of business, if you were an auto dealer or a department store owner, or an individual engaged in small-scale commerce, the newspaper was the best means of getting people to buy what you were selling. Remember? And, because of the immense plant, equipment, paper, printing, and delivery costs that publishing a newspaper entailed, people who were already in the business were well protected from new competition.
Well, none of that is true any more. Most of the individual aspects of a traditional newspaper are available on the Internet, for free. Newspapers are still producing great quantities of original information, thanks to the hard work of people like you, but they no longer have local quasi-monopolies as sources of information. Their audiences are now primarily on the Internet—that wasn’t the case just a few years ago. And, even more recently, on the Web the lines between the various originating media have started seriously blurring. On the front pages of newspaper Web sites, you’re starting to find what we would recently have taught as television stories—video and audio presentations a few minutes long. Television sites publish what we teach as newspaper stories—stories made up only of printed words, without images. Magazine sites publish animated cartoons. And so on. The tectonic plates underlying our profession—those traditional categorical divisions by type of news, by news medium, by geography—are palpably, and rapidly, rearranging themselves.
Today, more of you have definite plans that entail paid employment in journalism than had such plans when I first stood at this podium five years ago. How can that be? Much of the credit is due to the great work our Career Services office does, but it’s also that employers want you because you’re energetic, because you have skills that people already in newsrooms don’t have, and perhaps also because you aren’t so wedded to doing things the way they’ve always been done in journalism.
You soon-to-be graduates are a diverse lot. You come from all over the world, work in every news medium, and cover the whole range of complicated subjects–but every one of you is a reporter: You know how to gather information, primarily through in-person interviewing, and to present it accurately, fairly, and engagingly. I would urge you, however, not to take it for granted that the best way to present information is an 800-word, all-text, pyramid-style news story—a method of presentation that grew up in the nineteenth century and dominated our profession for most of the twentieth, but may not in the twenty-first. And, as you’re well advised to be creative about how to present each individual story, the news organizations you work for are going to have to be similarly creative about figuring out, in the aggregate, what package of material they are presenting. It is going to have to be something unobtainable elsewhere—a rich mix of information about a community or a subject that the news organization’s Web site puts together more powerfully and efficiently than anybody else. It is not going to look just like the package of material that populates a newspaper now.
Inventing this is your task. You can’t avoid it—the old way doesn’t work any more—but it’s a far more creative, challenging assignment than what was handed to my generation when we went to journalism. Our job was to improve on the old model. Your job is to create a new model. You shouldn’t be daunted by this: newspapers in particular, and news in general, have been changing in non-incremental ways for three centuries. Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette and Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World (the profits from which endowed this school) had almost nothing in common except that they were printed on cheap paper and distributed in cities, and neither had much in common with a big-city newspaper today. On your watch, newspapers will be primarily digital, but the primary task for you is not to switch delivery media, it’s to invent a new social compact with a community around the gathering and presentation of information.
I suppose that qualifies as a man bites dog story—but it’s still contained within a dog bites man story, which is that you are leaders who hold the future of journalism in your hands. Sorry, it’s unavoidable. Have fun with it.
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And here are the remarks Dean Lemann made when he introduced the Journalism students at the main university commencement in front of all the other schools, recipients of honorary degrees, etc - the tradition is to have some fun with this introduction (over the top is the norm from the various deans):
Mr. President, surely you must wish sometimes that everybody believed in free speech as completely as you do.
Well, sir, there is an easy way to achieve that happy state of affairs: Just make sure that the entire public discourse is based on the rock-solid reporting produced by the magnificently well-trained, hard-working, brilliant company of women and men I have the honor to present to you today.
Candidates of the Faculty of Journalism.
They are global. They are Webby. They are intellectually confident. Most, or possibly all, of the world’s problems would disappear overnight if only people would give full attention to their hard-earned facts and well-reasoned interpretations.
And they have completed the nearly insuperable requirements for the degrees of Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy.
I humbly beg you, sir, to grant them this degree along with the rights and privileges thereto attached.
o o o o o
TRANSCRIPT
Remarks by Yian Huang, J2008 Class President
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Dean Lemann, distinguished faculty, treasured guests, … and FELLOW GRADUATES OF THE CLASS OF 2008.
Graduates … Graduates … What an exciting world we are being launched into! There are so many great subjects for us to cover: Painful ones, joyful ones. There are disasters, human stories, war, peace and … perhaps even a scandal or two waiting to be discovered.
We are now a part of the best profession in the world—the one that gives us an excuse to ask people to let us into their lives and their homes; to tell us their intimate stories. And if we ask with “Joyful Entitlement,” as Professor Gissler taught us, people say yes.
We are the next generation of leaders of journalists. Right now, we look at journalists who inspire us, and we think we are merely students, or interns. But you know what, they all look at us, and they expect us to lead.
We have been so honored to have spent the last year at Columbia—the best journalism school in the world. We have reported on the diversity of New York City, a place that many say is the center of the universe.
Ok, that’s the fun bit. Now we’re going to discuss the serious part, which is about WORKING TOGETHER.
Our profession gives us a real opportunity—and thus an obligation—to change the world, by deciding what’s news, as Herbert Gans wrote.
So what do we want to change? What are our big dreams? What if we were the heads of the NY Times or CNN, or what if we had a couple of Pulitzers under our belt? What would we use our voice to say then? Look around this room. Look at the person in the seat next to you, the one in front of you blocking your view. In 20, 30 years, we as a class, we’ll have those things. What then? And then the obvious question is, why wait till then? Use our voices now. Yes, we might have to cover community board meetings starting out, but never lose sight of why we got into this in the first place.
For me, as a conflict photographer I’ve found that documenting—and almost glorifying—violence with my photos might not lead to peace, as I wish it might. News is not just about the conventional “If it bleeds, it leads.” We should strive to uncover the greater complexity of the stories we cover and challenge the established view.
So here’s the “nut” of this speech: To accomplish anything great, we need to harvest the power of the group. As individuals, we can only do so much.
So, stick together. Being unstoppable in the face of the adversities we are certain to face is so much easier with the help of our friends. We are our own best resources:
— We have:… the largest ever PhD graduating class of 6 students, who are our resources in macro trends in media.
— We have Knight Bagehot fellows who have enriched our conversations with their experience, and showed us that learning never stops.
— We have M.A. students who have given up established careers to study with us and cover Arts, Business, Politics.
— And we have the diverse and international M.S. class, who are already trailblazing new ways of telling stories.
Find a collaborator from this group. We can’t do everything ourselves. It’s more effective to work together than be the jack-of-all-trades one-man/woman-mobile-journalist/video/photographer/blogger that the industry seems to want.
Look at how the class came together when Ahmadinejad spoke on this stage last September. We got 30 reporters together to create a blog. We had print pieces, we had video, we had audio slideshows. We killed this story. And we got 165,000 visits in 48 hours.
Look at what we’ve survived together this year: the freezing basement and the horrible experience of the toilets there. We survived not having coffee for an unconscionable amount of time. And don’t get us started on the mythical Argentinean glass that’s being flown in from Paris by way of China. Last I heard, the cafe will be ready in Aug. but that’s what they told us last spring too.
PARENTS IN THE AUDIENCE, so sorry to tell you, that while it is true that this has been a tough year for us, WE ARE NOT DETERRED from this profession. Not in the slightest.
As president of the class, I have the privilege of speaking on behalf of all the students. Dean Lemann, a heartfelt Thank You to you, your faculty and staff, for all your time and teachings that you have imparted to us so very generously. May we be as generous to those coming after us.
Ms. Gross, thank you for coming. It’s a wonderful privilege for us. Since 1973, All You Did Was Ask Questions, if I may paraphrase the title of your book. We would like to ask: If you had only one person left to interview and only one question, who would it be and what would you ask?
A special shout out to adviser Rebecca Castillo and the SPJ Board, the tireless students who labored on behalf of all of us to make it a great experience for one and all. Please stand up and be recognized. Thank you.
Last, and certainly not least, we should all acknowledge our parents. I’m going to ask everyone to stand up, turn around, and show them our appreciation.
When you leave today, find something nice to say to your own parents;
(for me): Dad, for pushing me to do my best always;
and Mum, for teaching me the true meaning of love;
I am only here today because of both of you, so thank you.
2007 Graduation Awards
The following awards were presented on May 15 and the winners will be acknowledged again on May 16.
PULITZER TRAVELING FELLOWSHIPS & EIBEL for the top six students in the Class of 2007:
PULITZER FELLOWSHIP: Vidya Ram (designated as the top student in the class)
PULITZER FELLOWSHIP: Daniel Louis Charnas
PULITZER FELLOWSHIP: Susan Donaldson James
PULITZER FELLOWSHIP: Dorian Sanae Merina
PULITZER FELLOWSHIP: Emily Elizabeth Voigt
David Marcus Eibel Memoria Scholarship: Karen Christie Nicholson
AWARDS & WINNER
Literary Criticism Award: Megan Maria Garber
Richard Blood Scholarship Award: Lisa Marie Desai & Andrea De Marco
Leslie Rachel Sander Social Justice Award: Lily Roxanna Jamali, Mary Catherine Brouder & Kate Elizabeth McCarthy
James A. Wechsler Memorial Awards
International: Clinton Martin Hendler
National: Daniel Weiss
Local: Betty Yu
Richard T. Baker Bronx Beat Award: Charis Hagyard Anderson
Richard T. Baker Magazine Award: Ayub Nuri
Richard T. Baker Columbia News Service Award: Christopher Jude Twarowski
Nona Balakian Award in Literary Criticism: Rafael Enrique Valero
Photojournalism Award: Amanda Katharine Rivkin
Philip Greer Business Writing Award: Jason Anthony Del Rey
Robert Harron Award (nice guy/nice gal prize): David Lee Ressel
Fred M. Hechinger Education Journalism Award: Angela Renee Hokanson & Justin David Nobel
Horgan Prizes for Excellence in Science Writing:
Emily Elizabeth Voigt
Margaret Ballantyne
Domenico Montanaro
Ann Marie Venesky
Horgan Prize for Excellence in Science Writing: Lora Kristina Wallace
Lars Erik Nelson for national reporting: Christine Cecile Brouwer
Christopher Light Editing Prize: Annie Correal
Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing: Lauren Marie McSherry & Daniel Louis Charnas
Melvin Mencher Reporting Award: Sarah Selene Brown
New Media Workshop Award: Ahmed Rakan Shihab-Eldin & Paul Saksith Suwan
Nightly News Workshop Award: Mary Catherine Brouder
Nightly News Workshop Award: Nicholas Emmanuel Meidanis
Radio Workshop Award: Jennifer Carissa Collins
Television News Magazine Award: Kate Elizabeth McCarthy
Sackett Graduate Award: Daniel Louis Charnas
Henry N. Taylor Award for international students: Archie Bland & Lorenzo Morales
Louis Winnick Prize for RWI: Gregory Steven Beyer
Sevellon Brown Award: Julia Charlotte Mead
Documentary Television Workshop Award: Smriti Aggarwal & Shahar Smooha
Master of Arts Award for Best Thesis: Julia Charlotte Mead
MA Thesis Finalists: Thomas Scott Dodd & Justine Juliet Sharrock
STUDENTS GRADUATING WITH HONORS
(see explanation of how these are determined)
Andres Amerikaner
Archie Bland
Dorian Emily Block
Christine Cecile Brouwer
Daniel Louis Charnas
Jennifer Carissa Collins
Coleman MacDonalson Cowan
Jason Anthony Del Rey
Brett Taylor Elliott
Paige Ferrari
Anne Gehris
Jessica Joy Heasley
Susan Donaldson James
Laura Shannon Legere
Aimee Anne Levitt
Kevin Joseph Livelli
Aili Mary McConnon
Dorian Sanae Merina
Karen Christie Nicholson
Vidya Ram
Courtney Christine Reimer
Beth Anne Rotatori
Ahmed Rakan Shihab-Eldin
Samuel Irving Stein
Emily Elizabeth Voigt
Robert Thomas Wagner
Daniel Weiss
Joshua Marc Yaffa
Congratulations to all our graduates!
Below: One of the photos by Amanda Rivkin (it’s of a woman having her eyebrows threaded), winner of the 2007 Photojournalism Award:
See 2008 Graduation Awards.
