Professor to receive Scripps award as national journalism teacher of the year
LAWRENCE – Doug Ward, associate professor at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, has been named the national journalism teacher of the year. Ward, Budig Professor of Writing, will receive the Charles E. Scripps Award.
“I’m stunned,” Ward said. “I’m doing what I love to do. I love working with students, and it is wonderful to be recognized for that. It is a tribute to the many students I’ve worked with.”
The annual Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Awards competition honors excellence in journalism education and administration. Ward will be recognized at an April 26 dinner in Detroit, and afterward a video featuring all 2011 winners and their work will be available online.
“This award is given for excellence in teaching,” said Ann M. Brill, dean of the school of journalism. “Doug Ward is certainly deserving, and we are proud of him. He is an innovative teacher, always willing to work with students to help them improve their journalism skills. He also is sought after to present national editing workshops.”
Ward has taught at the school since 2004, instructing courses in editing, reporting and journalism innovation. Before joining the faculty he was a copy editor at The New York Times. His career began as a high school student photographer at the Fairbury Journal-News in Fairbury, Neb. He worked as an editor at the Parsons Sun and Hutchinson News in Kansas before earning his master’s in journalism at KU. He later earned a doctorate from the University of Maryland.
The William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications is known for its leadership in providing a multidisciplinary cross-platform curriculum that reflects the realities of the 21st century workplace. The School has a national reputation for excellence, and its faculty members are engaged in innovative, multidisciplinary research. To learn more, visit online.
The Scripps Howard Foundation is the corporate foundation of The E. W. Scripps Company. Its mission is to advance the cause of a free press through support of excellence in journalism, quality journalism education and professional development. The Foundation helps build healthy communities and improve the quality of life through support of sound educational programs, strong families, vital social services, enriching arts and culture, and inclusive civic affairs, with a special commitment to the communities in which Scripps does business.