Aug. 21, 2001

Freedom Forum Names Folkerts Teacher of the Year

By Greg Licamele

Jean Folkerts, interim dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and a professor of media and public affairs, was honored as one of the three Journalism Teachers of the Year by the Freedom Forum. Folkerts received a medal and $10,000 at the convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

“Jean Folkerts is a talented teacher whose concentration on historical events and the history of journalism gives students a great perspective on the profession,” says Charles Overby, chair and chief executive officer of the Freedom Forum.

Folkerts arrived at GW in 1990 after teaching at Washburn University in Topeka, the University of Texas in Austin, and Mount Vernon College in DC. Among many accomplishments, she has written two texts on journalism: “Media In Your Life,” with Stephen Lacy, and “Voices of a Nation,” with Dwight Teeter. She is also the editor of the respected journal, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.

“Students need solid knowledge of the history of the profession and an understanding that being a journalist in an open society is a great privilege,” Folkerts says. “This knowledge should guard against arrogance, a characteristic I warn students against because I consider it a great danger to the profession itself.”

The award recognizes excellence in teaching and leadership in the core areas of print and broadcast journalism: reporting, editing, journalism history, media law, and ethics. The awardees are selected from nominations submitted to the Freedom Forum by journalism
school administrators, alumni, and students.

“It is not often the case that recognition of teaching excellence extends outside of the classroom, so it is particularly meaningful to have a member of our faculty receive the prestigious Freedom Forum award,” says Donald R. Lehman, vice president for academic affairs. “Jean Folkerts is deeply committed to providing our students with an outstanding educational experience, and it gives us great pleasure to see her accomplishments publicly recognized.”

 

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu