FAMU Journalism Professor Gerald Grow Named “Educator of the Year” by AEJMC

Gerald Grow, Ph.D., a Florida A&M University (FAMU) journalism professor, has been named the “Educator of the Year” by the magazine division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). Grow will receive the award during the AEJMC Convention on August 7, in Boston.

“We congratulate Dr. Grow for this recognition,” said James Hawkins, Ph.D., dean of FAMU’s School of Journalism and Graphic Communication (SJGC). “It reflects the high regard with which he held at the university and the broader academic community.”

Grow has served as a journalism professor and adviser to Journey magazine, FAMU’s student magazine, for nearly a quarter of the century. During his tenure, Journey won various national awards including the “Best of the South” campus magazine during the 2008-2009 academic year. Grow has served as editor for ENFO, a leading environment publication in Florida from 1980-1990. He is the author of Florida Parks: A Guide to Camping in Nature.

“Gerald Grow is very deserving of this honor,” said Ted Spiker, vice head of the Magazine Division and associate professor of journalism at the University of Florida. “Over the years, he has proven to be an educator who cares about his students, as well as his colleagues. He’s always been willing to share ideas and be a leader in thinking about magazine journalism and how we teach it.”

Grow is a 1960 graduate of Leon High School. He has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and holds a doctorate from Yale University. Prior to joining FAMU in 1985, he taught “Writing for the Media” at Florida State University. He is the creator of Newsroom101.com, a Web site designed to help journalism students improve grammar, usage, spelling and Associated Press writing style.

According to the AEJMC Magazine Division Web site, outstanding professionals and educators in magazine journalism are recognized each year. Joe Treen, a former member of the SJGC Board of Visitors won the “Professional of the Year” award in 2006.

About SJGC
The School of Journalism and Graphic Communication was founded in 1982. Its Division of Journalism was the first journalism program at a historically black university to be nationally accredited by the ACEJMC. It offers four journalism sequences: newspaper, magazine production, broadcast (radio and television) and public relations.