Contacts:
Abbi Martzall, SPJ Awards Coordinator, (317) 920-4791, amartzall@spj.org
Rachel Semple, SPJ Communications Coordinator, (317) 920-4785, rsemple@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS — The Society of Professional Journalists has chosen Jeff South, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, as the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching in Journalism Award.

Each year, SPJ honors an outstanding journalism educator who has made an exceptional contribution to the profession and/or journalism education. South won this year with passionate letters of support from faculty of the Robertson School of Media and Culture.

“Along the way, Mr. South has inspired many students and other faculty with his knowledge of the industry and his dedication to helping students develop skills and establish a portfolio of work with which they are able to gain a leg up when seeking that challenging first job,” said William G. Oglesby, J.D., assistant professor and journalism sequence coordinator at VCU.

He graduated from University of Texas at Austin with high honors in 1974 and pursued print journalism before arriving to teach at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1997. He has taught a variety of mass communications subjects from introductory to Ph.D. courses.

Outside the classroom, South is active in SPJ among other professional organizations, serving as secretary and on the board of the Virginia Pro chapter, faculty adviser to the VCU campus chapter and former chair of SPJ’s Journalism Education Committee. To further provide students experience, he also directs the Capital News Service, which covers state government across the commonwealth of Virginia.

South has a wealth of experience abroad, including volunteering for the Peace Corps, teaching in Vietnam and Ukraine and serving as a Fulbright Scholar in China.

South will be honored at the Excellence in Journalism 2016 conference in New Orleans, Sept. 18-20.

SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to informing citizens; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and fights to protect First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. Support excellent journalism and fight for your right to know. Become a member, give to the Legal Defense Fund, or give to the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation.

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