The following is a news release from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) about Silcock’s achievement
BYU alum and former faculty member Bill Silcock.
B. William Silcock, Ph.D., of Arizona State University is the winner of the 2019 Larry Burkum Service Award given by the Electronic News Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Silcock is assistant dean for research and international programs at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU.
Four faculty judges, each a former division head and/or Burkum winner, selected Silcock for his outstanding service in electronic journalism.
In her nomination letter, Nancy Dupont, professor of journalism at the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi, said, “Dr. Bill Silcock is one of those rare people whom everyone respects. He has been elected to head the News Division of the Broadcast Education Association and the Electronic News Division of AEJMC.” She cites his training of news directors and his frequent appearance on panels at BEA and AEJMC as further proof of his remarkable service.
“His leadership style attracts people to service and points the path of success. His multiple leadership roles in both BEA and AEJMC have made an incalculable contribution to electronic journalism education,” said Mary T. Rogus, associate professor at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. “All you have to do is look at Bill’s CV to see he’s been called upon and answered the call multiple times.”
Heather Birks, executive director of BEA, points to his service to the international community. “The Cronkite Global Initiatives includes over a million dollars in State Department grants and funds the Humphrey Fellows program, organized and managed by Bill. Through the program, Bill has coached and mentored 80 mid-career international professors in leadership, innovation and public relations, and helped them secure positions in media and government organizations.”
Silcock has had an almost 30 year academic career with such accomplishments as two coauthored textbooks and 25 refereed journal articles. He has redesigned masters and Ph.D. programs and led more than two dozen international seminars. Silcock’s record of service is more remarkable considering his accomplishments in teaching and research.
All letters of support point to Silcock’s unique dedication for service. “Throughout your life you meet people who energize you. Their ideas are exciting and their passion is infectious,” Birks said of Silcock.
“His work exemplifies what outstanding service means, and what this award was designed to recognize,” Rogus said.
“When I asked for his permission to nominate him for the Burkum, he balked. He said there are so many more deserving that he. I disagree in the strongest terms. He richly deserves this award,” Dupont said.
The Larry Burkum Service Award will be giving during the AEJMC convention in Toronto, August 7-10, 2019.