Dedication of New Cronkite Home Set

A week of special events Nov. 17-21 will mark 25 years of the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism and the dedication of the school’s new building in downtown Phoenix.

The week includes a dedication ceremony with Arizona State University President Michael Crow, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and Walter Cronkite, guided tours of the building for the public, and a series of speakers and panel discussions on issues facing journalists. It will culminate in the 25th annual Walter Cronkite Award Luncheon honoring long-time PBS television journalists Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil.

The Cronkite School’s new $71 million building in the heart of downtown Phoenix opened for classes Aug. 25 following a breakneck 18-month construction project that was launched after Phoenix voters overwhelmingly approved a bond issue that included the Cronkite project.

The building, which also will house one of the country’s largest PBS stations, KAET/Eight, is an ultra-modern structure of glass, steel and concrete built by Sundt Construction Inc. and designed by Steven Ehrlich Associates in partnership with HDR Architecture. It rises six stories along North Central Avenue, two blocks north of Van Buren Street.

The building and its technology are considered unmatched in journalism education. Students have access to state-of-the-art technology, including seven professional newsrooms and media incubators, seven other digital computer labs, 17 fully mediated classrooms, nearly 1,000 classroom seats and 280 digital workstations.

The space is about five times the size of the school’s previous home, Stauffer Hall, on the Tempe campus.

The Cronkite Week celebration will feature nationally and locally known journalists who will lead discussions on topics ranging from journalism ethics and diversity to the press and politics and challenges facing journalists in a digital media age.

Visitors will be able to view a National Press Club documentary and a PBS documentary on Walter Cronkite as well as an Associated Press photo exhibit of U.S. Presidents. They may listen to the building’s architects and artists talk about their work and attend dedication ceremonies for the Sony Television Studio and the Marguerite and Jack Clifford Gallery, which features artifacts from journalism history and items from Walter Cronkite.

All events are open to the public. Tickets are required for selected events. Following is a full schedule of events:

Cronkite Week 2008

Celebrating Our New Home, New Era

& 25 Years of Excellence

Monday, Nov. 17 – A Look Back: Journalism History and Traditions

100 Years of Journalism: A National Press Club Documentary

1:30-3:30 p.m. | Cronkite Theater

Followed by a conversation with Gil Klein, former Washington correspondent and National Press Club president

U.S. Presidents through the Photojournalist’s Lens: An Associated Press Exhibit

4-5:15 p.m. | The First Amendment Forum

Featuring J. David Ake, Washington photo editor, The Associated Press

Reception

5:30-6:15 p.m. | The First Amendment Forum

Reception honoring the Cronkite Endowment Board, Cronkite faculty and Cronkite staff

Cronkite School in Year 25: A Conversation with

Dean Christopher Callahan on the Past, Present and Future of Our School

6:15-7 p.m. | The First Amendment Forum

Airing of “American Masters: Walter Cronkite”

7-8:30 p.m. | Cronkite Theater

A PBS documentary on the career of our namesake

Tuesday, Nov. 18 – Journalism Values in Today’s Changing Media Landscape

Latinos and the News: Covering a Rapidly Changing America

9-10:15 a.m. | Cronkite Theater

Richard Ruelas, reporter for The Arizona Republic, moderates a panel featuring Rick Rodriguez, Carnegie Professor of Journalism and former Sacramento Bee executive editor; Syleste Rodriguez, reporter for 12 News Up Front; and Catherine Anaya, a CBS 5 News anchor.

Diversity: The UNITY Research Projects

10:15-11:30 a.m. | Cronkite Theater

Stephen Doig, Knight Chair in Journalism, and Assistant Dean Kristin Gilger present findings from two major research projects conducted by the Cronkite School for UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc.

Ethics: New Challenges in a Digital Age

2-3:15 p.m. | Cronkite Theater

Tim McGuire, Frank Russell Chair and former editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, moderates a panel featuring Chris Anderson, Edith Gaylord Visiting Professor in Journalism Ethics and former publisher of the Orange County Register; Dan Gillmor, director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship and Kauffman Professor of Journalism; and Retha Hill, director of the New Media Innovation Lab and former vice president for content at BET Interactive.

Free Press: The First Amendment in the Digital Age

3:30-4:45 p.m. | Cronkite Theater

Professor Joseph Russomanno and media attorney David Bodney of Steptoe & Johnson LLP discuss the latest challenges in First Amendment law.

The Press and Politics in America: Dissecting Coverage of the 2008 Election

7-8:30 p.m. | The First Amendment Forum

Steve Elliott, director of the print division of Cronkite News Service and former AP Phoenix bureau chief moderates a panel featuring Susan Green, director of the broadcast division of Cronkite News Service and former managing editor of KNXV-TV; Jason Manning, director of ASU Student Media and former political editor of washingtonpost.com; Tim McGuire, Frank Russell Chair and former editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune; and Rick Rodriguez, Carnegie Professor of Journalism and former Sacramento Bee executive editor.

Wednesday, Nov. 19 – Our New Home

Dedication of the Marguerite and Jack Clifford Gallery

11:30 a.m. | Marguerite and Jack Clifford Gallery

Dedication of the Sony Television Studio

1:30 p.m. | Sony TV Studio

Interview with the Artists

2:15-3:30 p.m. | Cronkite Theater

Dean Kwang-Wu Kim of the Herberger College of the Arts interviews artists Janet Echelman, designer of Sky Bloom, the public art for the Downtown Civic Space Park, and Paul Deeb, whose work with use of light as material is featured in the building.

Interview with the Architects

3:45-4:30 p.m. | Cronkite Theater

Dean Wellington Reiter of the College of Design interviews building architects Steven Ehrlich and Mathew Chaney

Thursday, Nov. 20 – The Future of News

Grand Opening Celebration

9-10 a.m. | The First Amendment Forum

Grand opening with ASU President Michael Crow, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and Walter Cronkite

Guided Tours of New Building

10:15-11 a.m. | Student Resource Center

Tour begins at the second floor elevator bank.

Business Journalism in the 21st Century

1-2:30 p.m. | Cronkite Theater

Andrew Leckey, director of the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, moderates a panel featuring the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporting team of Donald Barlett and James Steele, plus the winners of the 2008 Barlett and Steele Award in Investigative Business Journalism.

Digital Media and the Future of Journalism

2:45-4 p.m. | Cronkite Theater

Dan Gillmor, director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship, moderates a panel that includes Lisa Stone, co-founder of BlogHer.com, and Gary Kebbel, Journalism Program Director for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. 

Sponsored by Sue Clark-Johnson

Tackling the Digital Media Challenges

4-5 p.m. | Cronkite Theater

Dean Christopher Callahan of the Cronkite School moderates a panel featuring Jody Brannon, News21 national coordinator and former senior editor at MSN.com; Retha Hill, director of the New Media Innovation Lab and former vice president for content at BET Interactive; and Dan Gillmor, director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship,

Friday, Nov. 21 – The Cronkite Award

Reception

10:30-11:15 a.m. | Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa

Tickets required

The 25th Walter Cronkite Award Luncheon

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. | Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa

2008 Cronkite Award recipients Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil

Tickets required

The Future of TV Journalism in Our Democracy

4-5:15 p.m. | Cronkite Theater

Aaron Brown, Walter Cronkite Professor of Journalism and former lead anchor for CNN, hosts a conversation with 2008 Cronkite Award recipients Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil.