Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication will honor Debra Adams Simmons, editor of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and 2012 winner of the Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity, at an awards luncheon and lecture on Monday, March 26, on the Kent Campus. The award, from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, recognizes the accomplishments of media professionals who encourage diversity in the field of journalism.
Lydia Esparra, an Emmy-winning anchor with WOIO 19 Action News, will also be recognized at the annual McGruder luncheon as the 2012 Diversity in Media Distinguished Leadership Award winner.
The lecture and luncheon is co-sponsored by Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Event Schedule:
McGruder Lecture
11 a.m., Monday, March 26
Kent Student Center Kiva
(Free and open to the public)
Awards Luncheon
12:15 p.m., Monday, March 26
Kent Student Center, Rm. 306
Featuring Kent State President Lester A. Lefton; Alfreda Brown, Ph.D., vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion; and Stan Wearden, Ph.D., dean of the College of Communication and Information
(By invitation only)
The late Robert G. McGruder was a 1963 graduate of Kent State and a foundational local figure for diversity in journalism. He was the first black editor of the Daily Kent Stater and first black reporter at The Plain Dealer. McGruder marked several other firsts in his career, becoming the first black president of the Associated Press Managing Editors group and the first black editor of the Detroit Free Press, in 1995 and 1996. McGruder was a strong proponent for diversity in and out of the newsroom.
For more information about the Robert G. McGruder Award or event, contact Eugene Shelton, assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, at eshelto1@kent.edu. To RSVP for the event, contact Darlene Contrucci at 330-672-2623. For more information about Kent State's School of Journalism and Mass Communication, visit http://jmc.kent.edu.