Congratulations to Candace Perkins Bowen, John Bowen and Mark Goodman who were three of the nine recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Journalism Education Association. They will be honored at the Spring JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Kansas City.
All three were very active in the Scholastic Journalism Division of AEJMC.
From the article by Louisa Avery, MJE, JEA awards chair —
Candace Perkins Bowen, MJE
Candace Perkins Bowen, MJE, has spent more than 50 years as a scholastic journalism educator and college professor, director of scholastic journalism organizations and a national leader serving on the board of JEA for many years, including two terms as president and finishing another term for a president who resigned.
“She’s the Godmother of the JEA Listserv and the Tuesday JEA news quiz,” nominator Susan Hathaway Tantillo, MJE, said. “Her non-stop dedication over the years has strengthened every aspect of JEA.”
Linda Puntney, MJE, retired JEA executive director, worked with Bowen through JEA and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.
“She is a visionary, but more importantly she is a passionate doer,” Puntney said. “If Candace is involved the job will get done and the work will be exceptional. Without Candace, and the contributions she has made, JEA and scholastic journalism simply would not be the same.”
Bowen created the online master’s program at Kent State University tailored to high school journalism teachers who wanted more knowledge about their chosen or assigned field. Marina Hendricks, CJE, South Dakota state director was the program’s first graduate.
“I am one of countless former students who will say that you never stop being one of Candace’s “kids,” long after you leave her classroom,” Hendricks said. “By text, Zoom, social media post, phone, snail mail or in person, Candace continues to offer us guidance, wit, wisdom, consolation and even reality checks if necessary. She is our champion — and a most deserving recipient of the JEA Lifetime Achievement Award.”
John Bowen, MJE
Despite advising publications and teaching media law and ethics at Kent (Ohio) State University for many years, Bowen is best known for leading the Scholastic Press Rights Committee (formally Commission) from 1979 until 2017.
“His passion and commitment goes well beyond the knowledge-based teaching of the First Amendment specifically and media law in general,” C:JET Editor Bradley Wilson, MJE, said. “He works with teachers and students to apply that knowledge.”
Current Scholastic Press Rights Director Kristin Taylor, MJE, said that Bowen’s impact on scholastic journalism is profound.
“His tireless efforts to support New Voices efforts, contributions to pedagogical strategies and lessons in JEA’s curriculum and on SPRC’s site, commitment to supporting individual advisers in their fights against censorship, and decades of service as both a high school and collegiate educator make him an ideal candidate for JEA’s Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Lori Keekley, MJE, who worked with Bowen on the committee for many years, said Bowen doesn’t need the spotlight; he is fine just plugging away at whatever needs done.
“While SPRC director, he empowered those he worked with while allowing them to question and learn,” Keekley said. “He often asked questions instead of giving answers — and he knew the answers. Other times he would pose a question to the group about a new topic of interest to gauge what we thought about it. This was never a judgment. He wanted to see what we thought. Because of this approach, I’ve learned more about law and ethics from John Bowen than anyone else — and I know I’m not alone.”
Mark Goodman
Mark Goodman, is an emeritus professor at Kent State University, where he was the first Knight Chair in Scholastic Journalism from 2008 to 2021. Prior to joining the Kent State faculty, he was executive director of the Student Press Law Center from 1985 to 2007.
“Mark is passionate about the First Amendment,” Bradley Wilson, MJE, said. “And he’s passionate about making people understand the First Amendment and how chipping away on the freedoms guaranteed in those 45 words can hurt students and their entire community.”
South Dakota State Director Marina Hendricks, CJE, worked with Goodman on the Scholastic Press Rights Committee, Quill and Scroll’s “Principal’s Guide to Scholastic Journalism” project, and the AEJMC Scholastic Journalism Division.
“Along with the countless lessons Mark has taught on student press law, he has provided us with a sterling example of how to handle complex and sometimes contentious topics with grace, humor and well-researched, well-prepared insights.” Hendricks said. “Most of all, he has set the standard we strive to emulate for First Amendment awareness, advocacy and defense.”
Frank LaMonte, senior legal adviser to CNN, and former SPLC executive director said the student press freedom movement is strong and growing now that 17 states have laws protecting the autonomy of student newsrooms, and that there is an annual Student Press Freedom Day calling attention to the need for independent student journalistic voices.
“None of this would exist without the vision, dedication and diligence of Mark Goodman,” LaMonte said. “There is no Student Press Law Center without Mark, who is the living embodiment of advocacy for student and adviser rights.”