Until their recent retirements, Candace Perkins Bowen and John Bowen, along with Mark Goodman, were the heart and soul of the Center for Scholastic Journalism. Combined, this trio has contributed more than 140 years of service to scholastic journalism. Each will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Journalism Education Association (JEA) at this fall’s National High School Journalism Convention in Philadelphia.
The Bowens began their high school teaching careers in the early 1970s, Candace in St. Charles, Illinois and John in Lakewood, Ohio. John, a Kent State graduate, also taught at Kent State as an adjunct instructor for nearly 40 years starting in 1984. In 1995, Candace became director of the Northeast Ohio Scholastic Press Association (NOSPA) and an instructor at Kent State.
When the Center for Scholastic Journalism launched in 2006, Candace became its inaugural director. Candace and John played key roles in establishing the MA concentration in journalism education, which began in 2007. They advised and taught in this program until last year. Also in 2007, they were instrumental in the consolidation of NOSPA and two other regional scholastic press associations in the statewide Ohio Scholastic Media Association (OSMA). Today, they continue serving on the OSMA board and on JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Committee. Candace also serves on JEA’s certification committee and authors a weekly news quiz on the JEA listserv.
Mark Goodman led the Student Press Law Center for more than 22 years, starting in 1985. During this time, he served as the SPLC’s legal director, chief educator, spokesperson, editor, fundraiser and personnel manager. He presented more than 30 seminars annually about media law and student free expression, served as primary author and editor of the Law of the Student Press (1994) and more than 25 other publications, and provided legal assistance to hundreds of student journalists and advisers.
In 2008, Mark became the inaugural Knight Chair in Scholastic Journalism at Kent State. He led two national studies that enumerated journalism-related activities in U.S. high schools. He also spearheaded a symposium on state legislation protecting high school student press freedom in support of New Voices legislation efforts in several states.
Join us as we celebrate Candace’s, John’s, and Mark’s contributions to scholastic journalism during this fall’s National High School Journalism Convention in Philadelphia.