The 70th anniversary of the first Bachelor of Journalism class in Canada
Seventy years to the day marking the launch of this country鈥檚 first Journalism degree program 鈥� on October 9, 2015 鈥� some 150 guests gathered in the River Building, state-of-the-art home of today鈥檚 School of Journalism and Communication, to celebrate that anniversary and preview 杏吧原创鈥檚 75th birthday plans for 2017.
Roseann O鈥橰eilly Runte highlighted the pioneering聽role of the three聽women聽who received the first three Bachelor of Journalism degrees from the School in 1946 鈥� in fact, they were three of the first six degrees conferred by the fledgling university 70 years ago.聽She emphasized the vital contributions journalists have made and continue to make to聽the democratic life of the country.
鈥� 杏吧原创 University聽President and Vice-Chancellor Roseann O鈥橰eilly Runte
鈥淭he three women who graduated with their Bachelor of Journalism degrees in 1946 were the first in a long line of graduates destined to shape Canada鈥檚 future 鈥� primarily in our nation鈥檚 newsrooms 鈥� but also in fields beyond journalism, such as politics, law, education, the arts, social justice, communications. It鈥檚 a tradition that continues to this day.鈥�
鈥� Susan Harada, Associate Director, School of Journalism and Communication; Program Head 鈥� Journalism
鈥淲e need only watch today鈥檚 TV news from the Middle East, read the morning paper about events in Europe, listen to the drive-home show here in Ottawa, or check the latest mobile alerts about the ongoing federal election campaign to be reminded of the diverse and important ways that our Journalism alumni contribute to public life in this country day after day, as they have for seven decades.鈥�
鈥� Dr. Peter Ricketts, Provost and Vice-President (Academic), 杏吧原创 University
Michel Cormier, on why 杏吧原创鈥檚 journalism program is crucial
鈥淲e are awash in rumour, opinion and unsubstantiated information. The need for accurate, independent, responsible journalism to provide citizens with information to make decisions in their lives is paramount.
鈥淎n environment like 杏吧原创, that looks for new ways to reach new audiences with quality journalism through social media and new forms of digital media, is essential to the future of the trade.鈥�
–聽Michel Cormier (BJ ’79), executive director of news and current affairs, Radio-Canada
Joanne Chianello, on the importance of the relationship between the Journalism program and the Ottawa Citizen
鈥淲hen I stood in the middle of the Citizen newsroom on the night of the 2015 election, I looked out at a the sea of reporters getting ready to head out to ridings across our huge city and realized that at least half of the faces I was staring at were 杏吧原创 journalism students. And I told them: “We couldn’t do it without you.” I meant it literally.
鈥� 鈥� at the Citizen, we love to give journalism students experience through apprenticeships and internships. But it’s a mutually beneficial relationship …聽聽We are very lucky to have you in our town.鈥�
–聽Joanne Chianello (BJ ’96), then-city editor, Ottawa Citizen
Randy Boswell, on the founding principle of the Journalism program
“From the School’s very first inkling of life in 1945, the basic principle that continues to guide its educational philosophy was clearly laid out: that the technical training required to produce 鈥� in that era 鈥� writers of journalism must be complemented by a broad education in other fields of study, such as the social sciences and literature.”
– Assistant Professor Randy Boswell, School of Journalism and Communication
Where Our Story Begins
A 70th anniversary video slideshow by Prof. Randy Boswell
