Journalism Professor Gary Hanson was honored with the prestigious Edward L. Bliss Award for Distinguished Broadcast Journalism Education on Aug. 5, 2016. The award is presented annually by the Electronic News Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) to recognize significant and lasting contributions to the field in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service.
Hanson, who retired in June 2016, taught in the areas of electronic journalism and mass communication at Kent State. His career spans more than 40 years as a broadcast professional and educator, beginning at a 1000 watt NPR affiliate in North Forks, N.D. Hanson spent more than 25 years in local news before moving full time to education at Kent State. He will receive emeritus professor status at the end of the month.
The Aug. 5 recognition ceremony took place during the annual AEJMC conference in Minneapolis, atop the WCCO (Channel 4, CBS, Minneapolis) roof. Faculty and administrators from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) and the College of Communication and Information (CCI) joined the celebration.
JMC Director Thor Wasbotten introduced Hanson at the ceremony, affirming his impact upon and service to JMC.
"We have learned so much from you Gary, from your teaching in the classroom to your mentoring of students, your ability to build consensus, and your collegiality with faculty, your service to the academy and your service to the university," he said.