JEM Alumni

Acclaimed Journalist John Wilford Receives UT Alumni Award

John Noble Wilford, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and noted science writer for The New York Times, has received the 2008 Donald G. Hileman Distinguished Alumni Award.

"John Noble Wilford is a living legend who has had a remarkable journalistic career. We are very excited to present this award to him for his remarkable contributions to science journalism and in recognition of everything he has done through his work to inform the public about the scientific world," said College of Communication Dean, Mike Wirth.

John Wilford's Background

Wilford received his bachelor's degree in journalism from UT Knoxville in 1955 and his master's degree in political science from Syracuse University.

He worked as a general assignment reporter and medical reporter for the Wall Street Journal. After a yearlong fellowship at Columbia University in 1961-1962, he became a contributing science editor at Time magazine. Then, in 1965, he became a science reporter at The New York Times. He also has been the paper's assistant national news editor and director of science news.

Today, Wilford is probably the best-known science reporter at The New York Times, and he has been called the country's preeminent space reporter. His beat is "the solar system," and he has covered all the major explorations of space. He also has flown through the eye of a hurricane to report on cloud seeding, has submerged in a submarine, has searched for the Loch Ness monster in Scotland, and has flown with the International Ice Patrol in Newfoundland and Greenland.

Additional Awards

In addition to the Pulitzer Prizes, Wilford has been honored with two awards from the Aviation-Space Writers Association, the G.M. Loeb Achievement Award of the University of Connecticut, the National Space Club Press Award and the Westinghouse Science Writing Award. In 1987, he received an honorary Litt.D. degree from Rhode Island College. Wilford has been a visiting professor and lecturer at Princeton, Syracuse, Duke, Yale and UT Knoxville.

School of Journalism and Electronic Media 60th Anniversary Alumni Celebration

This fall, the School of Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is celebrating a very special milestone: its 60th anniversary.

All alumni of the school are invited to attend an anniversary celebration, 3-5 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 31, in the third-floor lobby of the Communications Building.

Journalism and Electronic Media is one of four schools in the College of Communication and Information.

"The School of Journalism and Electronic Media has a long and illustrious history. We are very proud of the accomplishments of our outstanding alumni and faculty, and we look forward to celebrating the past while looking toward an even brighter future," said Mike Wirth, dean of the College of Communication and Information.

Guests will be treated to door prizes, guest speakers and demonstrations of current students' work, both online and in print. Faculty members also will be on hand to greet their former students. Refreshments and birthday cake will be served.

"This is a perfect opportunity to reflect on the success of our program and of our alums, and to come together and support the school in its education of the next generations of print, broadcast and Web journalists," said Peter Gross, director of the school.

Alumni planning to attend should RSVP to (865) 974-5155 by Friday, Oct. 26.

In addition to the alumni event, the school is hosting a variety of industry speakers, many of whom are alumni. The speakers are visiting classes throughout the semester. Another celebration, a symposium for doctoral program alumni who specialized in journalism and electronic media, will be held this spring.

The school's roots date to 1947, when the late Professor Willis C. Tucker was picked to organize a school of journalism for the university. The first classes were conducted in the Glocker Business Building and students graduated as business majors.

Less than a decade later, in 1953, students gained the option of participating in a radio-TV sequence.

In 1969, the department moved to UT's Circle Park, where it joined the Department of Advertising to form the College of Communications, the forerunner to today's College of Communication and Information.

Just three years later, in 1971, the radio-TV sequence split from journalism to form the Department of Broadcasting. In 2002, Broadcasting and the School of Journalism rejoined to form the School of Journalism and Electronic Media.

Today, the School of Journalism and Electronic Media is one of four schools that make up the College of Communication and Information. The other three schools are the School of Advertising and Public Relations, the School of Communication Studies, and the School of Information Sciences. The college offers four undergraduate majors, two master's degrees, and is home to one of the oldest doctoral programs in communication and information in the southeastern United States