The department’s Academic Awards of Excellence are funded through the generosity and support of our alumni and friends. Each year, Communication faculty and staff select undergraduate and graduate students to receive these honors. Each award has a story behind it – whether created by friends of the Department to celebrate a prestigious professor, recognize a prized alum, or remember a fallen journalist who left behind a legacy. To learn more about each award, click the (+) next to its name:
Fred Baker Ethics Awards
Frederick E. Baker was a successful advertising and public relations practitioner in Seattle and beyond, influencing political and civic affairs in the state and in the nation’s capital. The Fred Baker Ethics Award was established in recognition of his accomplishments and quality of caring, and is awarded to students who embody this long-time Seattle advertising executive’s commitment to ethical practice, leadership, and civic engagement.
Deborah Kaplan Awards for Narrative Journalism
The Deborah Kaplan Awards for Narrative Journalism were created to honor the work and legacy of Communication professor Deborah Kaplan, who passed unexpectedly in 2006. Kaplan was an innovative journalist and educator who had a long history of writing about social issues. In both of her careers, as a journalist and as a university professor, she used in-depth interviews, immersion reporting, and field work to document and detail the human condition. The Deborah Kaplan Awards are given annually to support outstanding undergraduate work in narrative journalism.
Jody Deering Nyquist Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Research
Jody Deering Nyquist is Associate Dean Emerita of the UW Graduate School and an emerita member of the graduate faculty of the UW Department of Communication. Having received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the UW, Nyquist has been a faculty member since 1969. In 2005, Nyquist was inducted into the inaugural class of the Department of Communication’s Alumni Hall of Fame, and in 2014 was selected the Department’s Distinguished Alumna. Nyquist and the University of Washington Department of Speech Communication (now part of the Department of Communication), established this annual award for undergraduate students who have demonstrated excellence in the study of communication and original research.
Pioneer News Group Awards for Excellence in Journalism
The Pioneer News Group is a multimedia company committed to advancing and empowering the communities it serves by providing essential information and services as a trusted and indispensable public resource. In partnership with the Pioneer News Group and the Hearst Endowment, Department faculty give annual awards in multiple journalism categories.