The annual Mark Hellinger Award celebrates St. Bonaventure University graduates who have demonstrated excellence in the academic field of journalism, and who show potential to succeed in the field.
Each year, one student is honored with the award as Bonaventure students, alumni and faculty gather to watch the celebration, which took place in Hearst Tower in Manhattan on Tuesday.
According to Jandoli School Dean Aaron Chimbel, “the annual Hellinger Award honors top students in the Jandoli School of Communication,” since its establishment in 1960.
This year, the award was presented to Ethan Kibbe, who graduated in the class of 2018 as a journalism and mass communication major. Brenner Bachman, a class of 2017 strategic communication major, was named the Hellinger honorable mention this year.
While the award ceremony was certainly a celebration of Kibbe’s extraordinary accomplishments, it was also a celebration of the field of journalism and of Dr. Russell J. Jandoli, the founder of the Jandoli School of Communication.
In what would have been his 100th year of life, Jandoli’s legacy was remembered at this year’s Hellinger Awards with a touching video which commemorated his achievements, personal and professional, as well as the way he touched the lives of his students. The Jandoli School also gave out keychains engraved with Jandoli’s name, which were a nod to the keychains given out when the school was originally founded over 60 years ago.
The keynote address at the ceremony was delivered by Byron Pitts, the co-anchor of ABC’s “Nightline.” Pitts shared inspiring stories with a crowd of journalists, students, alumni and faculty, and described the nature of journalism, saying, “For me… journalism is most often not about those big stories, about the powerful people… For me, journalism lives in those small stories, those quiet people who have to endure indignity every day that we get to shine light on.”
After insightful remarks by Pitts, a panel, titled “Changing Attitudes Toward Gender in Today’s Media” was convened, made up of three well-respected journalists: Leah McGrath Goodman, class of 1998, author, investigative journalist and contributor to “Newsweek,” Ellen McCarthy, a feature writer for The Washington Post and David Crary, an Associated Press national writer.
The conversation was mediated by Jandoli School Dean Aaron Chimbel, who asked the panelists about the ways in which gender affects the conversation in journalism these days. Each of the panelists were able to offer their responses to the questions, and all answered with great thoughts and understandings of how gender affects both the stories that get told and how they are portrayed.
Chimbel then presented the 2018 Hellinger Award to Kibbe. Professors spoke highly of Kibbe, according to Chimbel, who said that one particular professor called him “an honest young man willing to do the hard work, put in the long hours and carry himself with pride and dignity.”
Kibbe gave an address to the crowd after receiving his award, speaking of those who helped him through his education. He praised his family and faculty inside of the Jandoli School, touching especially on Paul Wieland, a retired professor. Kibbe explained, “He did everything for us, especially for me.”
Kibbe noted, “It wasn’t just Paul, though.”
He said many other professors, among them Dr. Rich Lee and Professor Anne Lee, helped him inside and outside of class, saying, “There wasn’t a day that I couldn’t go up to second Murphy and talk to either one of them and not be better off for having bumped into them.”
He also thanked his sister, Amelia Kibbe, class of 2017, who helped him and pushed him to be better. Kibbe explained that his sister would tell him, “You can do better.” He then looked up with a chuckle and said, “The most annoying part… that is that she’s always right.”
Kibbe closed his acceptance speech with simple insight: “Find the best pals, the best coworkers, the best professors, the best bosses, the best teammates, the best people that you can. Because if you spend your days with people who inspire you, who care for you, who look out for you, no matter what awards or accolades you receive for the rest of your lives, you’re already [successful] and you always will be, because no man is a failure who has friends.”
Dr. Dennis DePerro, university president, praised Kibbe for his accomplishments and thanked all the guests for being at Tuesday’s awards.
The conversation on the 44th floor of the Hearst Tower on Tuesday reflected the viewpoints of current and budding professionals on the various reasons for celebration around the field of journalism.
Bonaventure’s program has a rich history, and its students have unique skills and ideas. Tuesday’s program reminded all attendees of that. As legacies boom, and new careers bud, the Jandoli School continues its tradition of excellence.
By Meghan Hall, Staff Writer
hallml18@bonaventure.edu
