OUR EVENTS
Student Awards Spring 2012 Outstanding Undergraduate Students Gardenia Lamadrid Coleman Jordan Moon Daniel Neligh Nathan O’Neal Salvador Rodriguez Jessica Testa Left: CBS News President David Rhodes speaks at the Cronkite School’s spring 2012 convocation ceremony. Right: Cronkite Dean Christopher Callahan congratulates B.A./M.M.C. graduate Salvador Rodriguez.
CBS News President Tells Graduates to Stay True to Cronkite’s Values Photos by Molly J. Smith The president of CBS News urged spring 2012 graduates of the Cronkite School to stay true to the values embodied by the school’s namesake as they embark on their careers. David Rhodes told the 196 Cronkite graduates and more than 1,600 guests at Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium on Arizona State University’s Tempe campus that Cronkite’s values are still highly relevant for today’s journalists. “Cronkite represented certainty in an uncertain world, trust in an untrusting world,” Rhodes said. “Tonight I want to tell you that those values, our values, aren’t antique. They’re timeless.” Rhodes said that a generation of journalists defined by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy Jr. is giving way to one defined by the events of Sept. 11, 2001. “All of us at CBS hope that Walter Cronkite’s memory will continue to inspire this new generation and generations of communicators to come,” he said. Rhodes also urged the graduates to
challenge themselves to make a significant impact as journalists. “(I) encourage you to follow what you’ve learned here, but get outside your comfort zone and do something really meaningful,” he said. “Get noticed. Be different.” Student speaker Isaac Easley encouraged his fellow graduates to “always remember to be the best you that you can be.” Easley also spoke about the special sense of community at the Cronkite School. “This school teaches us how to be good reporters, but more importantly, (it) teaches us how to be greater people,” he said. “It’s not about awards or recognition,” he added. “It’s the love we have for one another and for this business that makes us the best.” Cronkite Dean Christopher Callahan said that the graduates have succeeded in upholding the legacy of excellence established by the school’s namesake. “Walter would be incredibly proud of you,” Callahan said. o
Outstanding Graduate Student Brandon Quester Highest Grade Point Average, Undergraduate Kiali Wong ASU Alumni Association Outstanding Graduate Dustin Volz Moeur Award Students attained a 4.0 GPA in eight or fewer consecutive semesters. Krystal Klei Daniel Neligh Stephanie Russo Kappa Tau Alpha Honor Society Students represent the top 10 percent of graduating journalism students. Gardenia Lamadrid Coleman Morgan Cox Adriana DiMatteo Beth Easterbrook Jaclyn Gettinger Krystal Klei Shala Marks Meghann McKendry Daniel Neligh Christina O’Haver Brandon Quester Stephanie Russo Roshanak Safarmehdi Elias Small Jessica Testa Emily Timm Jessica Von Schell Kiali Wong Student Speaker Isaac Easley The Cronkite Journal
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