Department History

112 Years of Baylor Journalism

1900 Baylor Lariat created

1913 First journalism course offered in English Department (also first in Texas); News writing course taught by Dorothy Scarborough (1914-1917)

1919 News writing course was resumed

1920 Number of courses was increased to three

1927 Department of Journalism was created ; Dr. Charles Johnson was the first chair (1927-1929)

1927 Founding of the Journalism Club and Journalism Library

1927 Journalism week (April) - guests included William Allen White, Dean Walter Williams, and Professor M.G. Osborn

1928-1929 20 courses in journalism offered

1929 Baylor Journalism Club petitions Sigma Delta Chi for a charter

1929 Dr. Frank E. Burkhalter served as chair (1929-1946, 1947-1948)

1933 First course on religious journalism was introduced

1935 Journalism department was moved to School of Business

1947 Professor E.L. Callihan served as chair (1946-1947)

1962 -1970 David Cheavens served as chair

1962 Lariat staff members Henry Holcomb and Paul Currier covered the civil rights protests at Ole Miss; Lariat Editor Ella Wall (now Prichard) then in an editorial courageously calls for Baylor to integrate

1963 Lariat wins top national award for the extra edition it published the afternoon of the John F. Kennedy assassination

1972-1973 Adrian Vaughan served as chair

1974-1992 Dr. Loyal Gould served as chair

1992-1996 Dr. Michael Bishop served as chair

1997 Department became ACEJMC-nationally-accredited journalism program

1996-2006 Dr. Doug Ferdon served as chair

2007-2011 Dr. Clark Baker served as chair

2010 Departmental Student PR Agency revitalized

2010 Baylor PR teams sweep first and second places at Texas Public Relations Association Student Competition

2010 Texas APME names The Lariat the Collegiate Newspaper of the Year

2010 College Media Advisers Apple Award presented to Focus Magazine for third place nationwide

2008, 2010, 2011 Houston Press Club names The Lariat best student newspaper in Texas

2011 Taylor Publishing Co. names The Round Up the Yearbook of the Year

2011 Associated Collegiate Press names The Lariat On-line as a Pacemaker Finalist