TCU names journalism program after CBS' Schieffer

FORT WORTH — Texas Christian University will name its journalism department, founded in 1927, the Schieffer School of Journalism in recognition of Bob Schieffer, internationally-known CBS newsman and 1959 TCU journalism graduate.

The new name will become official during a March 8 dedication ceremony that Schieffer, his wife Pat, and many notable guests from the field of journalism will attend.

Schieffer, most recognized for his position as moderator of the CBS News broadcast “Face the Nation” and as the network’s chief Washington correspondent, began his career as a student reporter for TCU’s The Daily Skiff. He worked as a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and then WBAP-TV (now KXAS - TV) before settling at CBS News in 1969.

“To have my name associated with TCU in this way is an honor far beyond anything I could have imagined,” said Schieffer.

“The technology of journalism has changed dramatically but its purpose and core values remain the same, to find the truth and report it. In an increasingly complicated world, the need for good journalism has never been greater. I look forward to playing an active role in helping TCU attract and develop the kind of young reporters who will be needed to meet the challenges of the coming years.”

Tommy Thomason, the current chair of the department of journalism, will become director of the Schieffer School.

“We are proud to take Bob Schieffer’s name for TCU’s journalism school because it associates us with Bob’s own high standards of journalism,” said Thomason.

“We’re doing more than merely honoring one of our outstanding graduates who happens to be one of the nation’s best-known journalists. We’re giving our students a role model of a journalist who has decades of commitment to the highest standards of ethics and excellence in his craft.”

Schieffer has covered Washington for CBS News for more than 30 years and is one of the few broadcast or print journalists to have worked all four major beats in the capital — the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department and Capitol Hill. He also recently served as moderator of the last televised presidential debate between President George W. Bush and U.S. Sen. John Kerry.

Schieffer has won six Emmy awards and, in 2002, was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and named Broadcaster of the Year by the National Press Foundation. He also has authored two best sellers, “This Just In: What I Couldn’t Tell You on TV” and “Face the Nation: My Favorite Stories from the First 50 Years of the Award-Winning News Broadcast.”

Schieffer’s extended involvement with TCU includes serving in 1999 as chairman of a yearlong planning process called The Commission on the Future of TCU, which laid the foundation for the university’s current strategic planning initiative, Vision in Action (VIA). He also speaks to and visits with various university advisory boards and student groups.

TCU offers undergraduate degrees in news-editorial and broadcast journalism, photojournalism, publication design, advertising and public relations and international communication; and master of science degrees in journalism and advertising and public relations. Student-managed media include the 103-year-old The Daily Skiff, Image Magazine, SkiffTV and a broadcast news show called TCU News Now.