Award Winners

Each year the School honors outstanding alumni; faculty select award winners based on their achievements in all fields of journalism and mass communication.

2024: Bob Donegan, Yasmin Farooq, Patty Loew

2023: Coburn Dukehart, Gary Mueller, Phil Rosenthal

2022: Tom Bernthal, Phil Haslanger, Cindy Mori

2021: Deborah Blum, Meg Jones, Mary Annette Pember

2020: Pete Marino, Karen Walsh, Ali Zelenko

2019: John Baumann, Ted Perry, Allee Willis

2018: Ben Deutsch, Bunny Raasch-Hooten, Myra Sanchick

2017: Bill Dallman, Anne Morgan Giroux, Richard Satran

2016: Ray Allen, Dave Chapman, Abigail Goldman, Mike Gousha

2015: Mike McCabe, Naomi Patton

2014: Mark Pocan, George Stanley, Christopher Peacock, Lori Swanson

2013: Frederica Freyberg, Carrie Johnson, Philip Johnston, Ginnie Roeglin

2012: Steve Paulson, Greg Hughes, Jack Harned

2011: Rick Fetherston, Neil Heinen, Charlotte Feldman-Jacobs

2010: Teresa Alpert, Richard Bachhuber, Jr., Sue Steinberg

2009: Dave Umhoefer, Patricia D. Wright

2008: Mary Conway, Peter D. Fox, Chris Rose

2007: Herman Baumann, Cliff Behnke, Robert Miller

2006: Marj Charlier, Bill Mullen, Steve Pogorzelski

2005: Joy Amundson, Scott Cohn, Scott Farrell

2004: Ed Bark, Ellen Foley, Jill Geisler

2003: Laura Miller, Eric Newhouse, Dave Zweifel

2002: Daniel Baumann, Anja M. Carroll, Leonard Shapiro

2001: Jack Hart, Steven J. Smith, Carol Toussaint

2000: Marsha Lindsay, Larry Wert, Jonathan Wolman

1999: David Maraniss, Jim Mott, Owen Ullmann, J. Paul Van Nevel

1998: Chris Bury, John M. Geddes, Bud Lea

1997: Julie Ann Miller, Patrick Cunningham, M.W. Newman

1996: Joseph C. Lonsdorf, Bruce L. Martzke, Robert R. Williams, Gloria Brown Anderson

1995: William J. Broad, Paul J. Ingrassia, Neil H. Shively

1994: Bruce Bendinger, Steven M. Bornstein, Rita Braver, Kristine Kurey

1993: Donald C. Bauder, Robert I. Friedman, Peter S. Greenberg

1992: Nora Boustany, Robert L. Klein, Roger E. Axtell

1991: William F. Huffman, Helen Firstbrook Franklin, Robert B. Sims

1990: James E. Burgess, Paul S. Counsell, Susan A. Davis

1989: Warren J. Heyse, Lynn Giordano, Jeff Greenfield

1988: Patricia Wells, Pongsak Payakvichien, Jules K. Joseph

1987: Douglas C. Jones, Robert McFadden, A. A. Wolf

1986: Jane E. Brody, Robert S. Zigman, Avram Butensky

1985: John Patrick Hunter, Karl E. Meyer, Lea H. Thompson

1984: John B. Adams, Dion Henderson, Gene F. Soldatos, James G. Wieghart

1983: Eileen Alt Powell, Bill Stokes, Esther Van Wagoner Tufty

1978: Bradley S. Greenberg, Graham Hovey, Morris and Mary Rubin

1977: Gretchen A. Kemp, Robert Shaplen, Guido H. Stempell III

1976: Robert A. Haeger, Hillier Krieghbaum, Mitchel L. Milvaetz

1973: Charles L. Fleming, William G. Harley, Richard H. Leonard

1971: Florence (Jerry) Allen, Lionel C. Barrow, Jr., Curtis D. MacDougall, Raymond B. Nixon

1969: William E. Branen, Conrad C. Fink, Bernice Fitz-Gibbon, Robert Teague

1968: Donald W. Anderson, William T. Evjue, William E. Walton

1967: William F. Canfield, Edwin Newman, Max F. Ninman

1966: Leo V. Gannon, George H. Gribbin, William Moss Pinkerton

1965: Seymour Korman, Jack E. Krueger, Ruben Levin

1964: Nat Hiken, George V. Underwood, Jr., Fred Wittner

1963: Carson F. Lyman, Karl M. Mann, Austin C. Wehrwein

1962: Chester V. Clifton, Herbert C. Kubly, Fred S. Siebert

1961: Chilton Rowlette Bush, Wallace Meyer, Miriam Ottenberg

1960: Eugene S. Duffield, William H. McCall, Jr., Carlos R. Quirino

1959: Robert H. Fleming, Walter G. Hornaday, Howard M. Teichmann

1958: Ralph D. Casey, Anthony G. DeLorenzo, Daniel D. Mich, Carl A. Zielke

1957: Courtland R. Conlee, William H. Metcalfe, Kenneth Olson, Walter A. O’Meara

1956: Elizabeth Farrington, Randall G. Gould, Owen L. Scott, James S. Thompson

1955: Marquis W. Childs, Lloyd A. Lehrbas, Louis P. Lochner, Irwin Maier, Kenneth N. Payne, A. Walter Seiler

Named for the late Ralph O. Nafziger, who was director of the school from 1949 until his retirement in 1966. Nafziger built an international reputation as a leader in journalism education. The honorees receive recognition for showing remarkable professional initiative and promise within 10 years of graduation.

2024: Cara Lombardo, Alexandria Mack

2023: Pam Goldstein

2022: Jeremy Vuernick

2021: Rachel Dickens

2020: Jacob Kushner

2019: Zachary Zaban

2018: Nick Penzenstadler

2017: Bassey Etim

2016: Haley Van Dyck

2015: Cristina Daglas

2014: Jessica Arp

2013: Daniel O’Brien

2012: Katie Harbath

2011: Colin Benedict

2010: Justine Nagan

2009: Elizabeth Medhin

2008: Janel Klein

2007: Adam Albrecht

2006: Scott Anderson

2005: Aaron Popkey

2004: Stephen Thompson

2003: Ali Weisberg Zelenko

2002: Anthony Shadid

2001: Jason Cohen

2000: Roger Maes

1999: Cynthia Goldberg

1998: John Keefe

1997: Gregory Hughes

1996: Peter Annin

1995: Phil Rosenthal

1994: Joan Gilbertson

1993: Deborah Blum

1992: Mary Annette Pember

1991: Joel Dresang

1990: Heidi Kempf

1989: Dale D. Buss

1988: Scott J. Farrell

1987: Pam McAllister Johnson

1986: Craig Wirth

1985: Owen Ullmann

1984: Abigail J. Nash

1983: Jill Geisler

1981: Neal Ulevich

1980: Terri Brooks

1978: Steven L. Raymer

1976: William C. Mullen

1973: Jane E. Brody

1971: David H. Nimmer

This award is given for distinguished contributions to journalism and mass communication education. The award is named for Harold L. Nelson, director of the School of Journalism from 1966 to 1975. Recipients have taught in some of the most distinguished journalism programs in the nation.

2023: R. Lance Holbert

2022: Carolyn Bronstein

2021: Annie Lang

2020: William “Chip” Eveland

2019: Patricia Moy

2018: Zhongdang Pan

2017: Pamela Shoemaker

2016: Bruce Evensen

2015: Stephen Reese

2014: Charles Salmon

2012: Sun Yuel Choe

2011: Esther Thorson

2010: Paul Voakes

2009: Garrett O’Keefe

2008: Byron Reeves

2007: Donald Shaw

2006: Jane Brown

2005: David Nord

2004: Guido H. Stempel III

2001: Daniel Wackman

1999: Terry Hynes

1998: Wilmott Ragsdale

1993: MaryAnn Yodelis Smith

1992: Richard F. Carter

1991: Jay Blumler

1990: Steven H. Chaffee

1989: Lee B. Becker

1985: Dwight L. Teeter

1981: Bruce H. Westley

The Sharon Dunwoody Early Career Award recognizes distinguished achievement in teaching and research within 5-10 years of graduation from the PhD program.

2024: Manisha Pathak-Shelat, Woohyun Yoo

2023: Matthew Barnidge, Erica Salkin

2022: Anthony Dudo, Melissa Tully

2021: Namjin Lee, Kjerstin Thorson

2020: Lucy Atkinson, Emily Vraga

2019: Stephanie Edgerly, Jason Shepard