2022 Journalism Days features Roy Reed Lecturer Professor Gerald Jordan

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The School of Journalism and Strategic Media, in partnership with the Lemke Journalism Alumni Society, is hosting its annual Journalism Days (J-Days) celebration April 12-14. 

The J-Days featured event, the Roy Reed Lecture, will celebrate the accomplishments of retiring journalism professor Gerald Jordan on Wednesday, April 13 at 7 p.m. at the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House. Other J-Days’ activities feature alumni and other journalism professionals who are invited to campus to share their experiences with current students. 

Tuesday, April 12

• 12:30 p.m. — Kimpel Hall 407 — Professor Stockdell’s Ethics in Journalism class will feature Kevin Trainor, president of the local chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and associate athletic director at the U of A. Trainor obtained his bachelor's degree in 1994 and his master's degree in 2005, both from the U of A.
• 12:30 p.m. — Kimpel Hall 146 in professor Lucy Brown’s Account Planning Class featuring Roy Phillips, associate merchant at Walmart will be speaking on merchandizing. Phillips has earned two degrees from the university, a Bachelor of Arts in journalism in 2018 and Master of Science in operations management in 2020.

Wednesday, April 13

• 10:45 a.m. — UATV Studio in professor Foley’s Advanced TV News Production welcomes Chuck Maulden, news director, and Brian Smallwood, executive producer, of The News on Six, Tulsa. Smallwood graduated from the university in 2014, double-majoring in journalism and African and African American Studies.
• 12:55 p.m. — Kimpel Hall 147 in professor Bret Schulte's Feature Writing class featuring April Wallace, profiles editor at the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Wallace graduated from the university in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in English Literature and Journalism and in 2016 with a Master of Arts in Journalism.
• 3 p.m. — Scholarship Reception — Students receiving scholarships will be honored in the presence of their professors, parents and peers.
• 7 p.m. — Roy Reed Lecture — Honoring professor Gerald Jordan; open to the public.

Thursday, April 14

• Noon — 2022 Student Media Lunch and Learn – The event will include both in-person and remote participants. While the event is open to the public, RSVP is strongly encouraged. The in-person gathering will be in the Sue Walk Burnett Center for Journalism and Student Media, Kimpel Hall Room 203.  Remote Zoom link information is available on the event page, www.arkansasalumni.org/22STUM.
• 2 p.m. — Kimpel Hall 146 in professor Lucy Brown’s Account Planning Class will entertain a presentation on influencer marketing by Lauren Scott, senior client service manager, and Natalia Reneaum Tello, project specialist from Soapbox. Tello graduated from the U of A in 2021.
• 2 p.m. — J.B. Hunt Center 148 in professor Chung’s PR Principles class will feature Eric Howerton, founder and chief growth officer at WhyteSpyder, discussing content and digital marketing. 
• 3:30 p.m. — Kimpel Hall 146 in professor Lucy Brown’s Account Planning Class will be joined by Lauren Scott, senior client service manager, and Natalia Reneau Tello, project specialist, of Soap Box as they discuss influencer marketing.

ROY REED LECTURE

The School of Journalism and Strategic Media will celebrate accomplishments of retiring Professor Gerald Jordan at the Roy Reed Lecture.

Former colleagues and friends will share stories from Jordan’s three decades on campus and from his distinguished journalism career.

"After two years of virtual Roy Reed Lectures, we are excited to welcome alumni and supporters back to campus and to honor beloved professor Jordan," said Larry Foley, chair of the School of Journalism and Strategic Media. "Gerald does not want a fancy celebration, but we insist on recognizing his contributions."

"It wouldn’t be springtime at the University of Arkansas without the Roy Reed Lecture honoring Roy’s accomplishments as a reporter and professor. Once again, we pay tribute to Roy’s legacy, but this year it’s fitting that we also celebrate the career of one of his closest friends," said Gene Foreman, a retired journalist and former distinguished visiting professor at the University of Arkansas.

Jordan, a graduate of the University of Arkansas, joined the faculty in 1995 as Reed was leaving the classroom to become an emeritus professor. They remained friends until Reed’s death in 2017.

In addition to their friendship, they shared similar career tracks. They are both Arkansas natives who worked in journalism in Little Rock and Washington, D.C., and other cities. Both studied at Harvard as Nieman Fellows — Reed in 1964 and Jordan in 1982. Both received the Arkansas Press Association’s Distinguished Service Award.

They brought professional expertise to their journalism classes. Reed taught from 1979 to 1995, Jordan from 1995 to 2022. Jordan’s final semester, which ends in May, includes classes of History of the Black Press, News Reporting I and Editing.

A focus of Jordan’s campus work has involved recruiting and supporting talented African American and other minority students, staff and faculty. He is the first African American to serve as president of the Arkansas Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Jordan co-founded the Lemke Journalism Project, which over the past 21 years has brought hundreds of students from underrepresented communities to campus for journalism training.

He is the U of A faculty athletics representative to the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference.

"Gerald Jordan was a respected writer and editor at the Kansas City Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer before coming home in 1995 to teach at his alma mater," Foreman said. "For years, Gerald has drawn on his deep connections in the industry to recruit speakers for the Reed Lecture series. And now we recognize his selfless service as a mentor to a generation."

The lecture is free and open to the public.

About the Roy Reed Lecture Series: The Roy Reed Lecture Series is the featured event for the school's annual Journalism Days events. The series was created by the friends of Reed on the occasion of his retirement from the journalism faculty. Reed was a reporter from 1965-1978 for the New York Times, where he wrote more than 1,300 bylined articles. He also taught journalism for 16 years at the U of A. Learn more about Roy Reed.

More about J-Days: For updates, news and reminders about all J-Days events, visit the Lemke Journalism Alumni Society website at www.arkansasalumni.org/lemkesociety.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.