Notes from the director

I want to share with you three important themes that have been part of nearly every discussion I have had with alumni, friends, students and faculty over the past two years.

Community: The Philip D. Adler Journalism and Mass Communication Building will provide the School with an opportunity to re-establish a sense of community and shared goals. This theme has dominated student discussions about our move into the Adler Building. For the first time in many, many years, we are asking J-MC majors to have senior pictures taken so we can put together a composite of the graduating class. It is part of our attempt to establish and renew traditions in the School. We also will be placing a time capsule in the Adler Building. In another part of this issue, we seek your ideas for what to put into the receptacle for our special “moment in history.” ( I want to especially thank alumnus Ben Bankson (B.A. 1954) of Brooklyn, Iowa, for planting the idea of a time capsule in my mind! )

Contributions: Many of you and many of our faculty members have made contributions to the School and to Adler. The Honor Roll of donors in this issue is just a small way to say thanks. Even so, we still need to reach our goal so that we can permanently endow the $3 million Lloyd and Betty Schermer gift. The campaign ends on Dec. 31, 2005, and we need to do everything we can to ensure the School’s future. Please contact me if you need information, have ideas, or are willing to contact someone on behalf of the School. More than anything, I want to ensure a sound financial future for our students and our program. If you haven’t already, please consider a gift or an enhanced gift to the School to help us reach our goal.

Commitment: During a meeting I attended this week on campus, someone said, “Grade inflation is a problem because of media coverage.” I couldn’t believe what I heard. Pointing out ethical lapses or journalistic bias has become increasingly commonplace of late—but blaming journalism for grade inflation was a new one on me! I spoke up at the meeting, and the statement was amended, but the underlying issue remains. Since 1924, we have been teaching journalism and awarding journalism degrees at Iowa. Eighty years later, as we enter what I believe is one of the most critical periods in American history for a free and responsible press, we need to do all we can to instill in our students a sense of pride and duty. We need them to clearly understand why the First Amendment makes them the most privileged journalists in the world. Personally, I want to thank Gannett Senior Vice President—News Phil Currie (B.A. 1962) and his wife, Joan, who have made a gift to the Adler Building for a First Amendment Seminar Room. We—who are educating the next generation of journalists—owe all of you—our alumni and friends—our commitment to the future of journalism. On behalf of our faculty and without hesitation, I pledge that you can count on us to continue the tradition of educating great journalists at Iowa.