Journalism School honors alumni achievements

Four School of Journalism and Mass Communications graduates were recognized at a dinner November 2, for their achievements in journalism and mass communications.

Distinguished Alumni Award recipients were: Van King, former president and publisher of The News & Record in Greensboro, N.C., and Jennifer McGill, executive director of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication. The award is for graduates who have been out of school for more than 10 years and whose careers represent significant professional achievement.

Receiving the Outstanding Young Alumni Award were: Jim Knotts, director of corporate and community affairs at Lockheed Martin in Bethesda, Md., and Joshua Penrod, lead sports designer at The New York Times. The award is for graduates who have been out of school 10 years or less but who already have demonstrated significant professional accomplishments.

“We are pleased to recognize the contributions of our outstanding alumni who have distinguished themselves in careers ranging from president and publisher of a major news organization, to executive director of the nation’s two leading professional associations in journalism and mass communications, to an international leader in corporate communications, to sports design expert at a major newspaper,” said Dr. Shirley S. Carter, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “Their success stories are a remarkable tribute to the faculty and our tradition of teaching excellence in the school.”

The award winners represent different disciplines in the communications field and have rich professional backgrounds.

King retired in August 2004 as president and publisher of The News & Record in Greensboro, N.C., after a 31-year career with Landmark Communications. During his tenure at The News & Record he served in various news positions, including copy editor, reporter, columnist, city editor and associate managing editor. King graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1972.

McGill has led the AEJMC and the ASJMC since September 1985. Under her leadership, the organizations have developed an international focus and increased membership to become the largest organizations for journalism and mass communication educators and administrators, respectively. More than 3,500 educators are members of AEJMC, and ASJMC has 187 institutional members. McGill graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1980.

Knotts joined Lockheed Martin in 2002 and is now responsible for outreach, philanthropy and volunteer activities for the corporation. A former Air Force officer, Knotts served as the Web master for the Department of Defense. He earned a master’s degree in mass communications from the University of South Carolina in 1996.

Penrod designs and oversees design of daily inside sports pages at The New York Times. He joined The Times in 2005 after serving as a lead sports designer at The San Diego Union-Tribune. Penrod also has worked as a sports designer at The State in Columbia, a features designer at The Herald-Journal in Spartanburg and a news designer at The Aiken Standard. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2000.

Faculty or alumni of the school nominate alumni selected for the awards. A two-thirds vote of the faculty is required for a nominee to be named an award recipient. The Journalism School in the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies has presented the Distinguished Alumni Award since 1984. The School started the Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 1993.