Brown named administrator of year by Freedom Forum

By Donna Fowler

‘With his vision, commitment and selfless involvement in all aspects of journalism education, he has made extraordinary contributions to the profession and to the field of higher education.’

—Charles Overby, chairman and chief executive officer of the Freedom Forum

The award recognizes outstanding leadership in the advancement of journalism education. The honoree is selected by a panel of educators and news professionals from among nominations submitted to the Freedom Forum.

Brown was recognized last Saturday in Mexico City at the winter meetings of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication (ASJMC) and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). He received a medal, a $10,000 award, and IU will be given an additional $10,000 institutional grant.

“Trevor Brown is a nationally recognized leader in journalism education,” said Charles Overby, chairman and chief executive officer of the Freedom Forum. “With his vision, commitment and selfless involvement in all aspects of journalism education, he has made extraordinary contributions to the profession and to the field of higher education. We’re delighted to recognize his many talents and achievements with this award.”

“Dr. Brown is one of the most thoughtful and challenging administrators in journalism education today,” said Charles C. Self, president of ASJMC and associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University. “Perhaps the strongest tribute to him comes from the intense loyalty of his own faculty and of former students of his program who are now in leadership positions all over the United States.”

Brown has served as dean since 1985, having begun work there as an assistant professor in 1972. Prior to that, he taught at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and worked as a reporter and columnist for South Africa’s Cape Times. He holds a Ph.D. in communications-public affairs from Stanford University, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Oxford University, where he also was a Rhodes scholar.

Brown was instrumental in making the school of journalism an independent unit within the university and in revamping the curriculum to ensure that graduates would be prepared for the technological demands of the 21st century. In 1995, he secured a six-year, $1.5 million grant from the Knight Foundation for an innovative program to bring professional journalists into a graduate program emphasizing “new media” technology. While helping Indiana faculty master the new technology, the graduate students learned to teach and do research, preparing them to be the next generation of journalism professors.

Brown’s influence on campus has been wide ranging. He has served as associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, on search committees for deans of other professional programs and on the selection committees for the Rhodes, Marshall and Churchill scholarships. In addition to teaching the introductory mass media course for undergraduates every semester, Brown also serves on the boards of the Center on Philanthropy and the Kinsey Institute at the university.

His contributions to the profession also are significant. Brown is chair of the accrediting committee for the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the body responsible for accrediting schools of journalism, and has chaired site-visit teams for 13 universities. He also is a member of the board of trustees of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Fla.

http://www.journalism.indiana.edu/

http://www.freedomforum.org/