Don Wycliff, public editor of the Chicago Tribune and an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, has been appointed associate vice president for news and information at the University, according to Hilary Crnkovich, vice president for public affairs and communication.
Wycliffs appointment is effective March 13. He succeeds Matthew V. Storin, who had served in the position since 2002 and stepped down in January to teach journalism full time in Notre Dames Department of American Studies.
Crnkovich also announced the promotion of Dennis K. Brown from associate director to assistant vice president for news and information.
Wycliff will serve as the Universitys chief spokesman, work with Crnkovich on communications issues and initiatives, and lead outreach efforts to the news media in all its forms – print, electronic and Web-based.
I am so pleased that Don is returning to his alma mater to work with the news and information staff and all of us in public affairs and communication to advance Notre Dames place as a national thought leader in higher education and the Catholic Church,Crnkovich said.He and Dennis have varied and complementary experiences that will help us leverage the Universitys message and reputation across all media channels.
A 1969 graduate of Notre Dame with a bachelors degree in government, Wycliff has been a member of the Tribunes editorial page staff since 1990 and has served as public editor since 2000. He was editor of the editorial page from 1991 to 2000.
Wycliff came to the Tribune after five years as a member of the editorial board of The New York Times, his second stint at the paper. He previously was a regional newseditor and assistant to the editor of the Week in Review section from 1979 to 1981.
Aside from one year as an admissions counselor at Notre Dame, Wycliff has spent his entire career in journalism. In addition to the Tribune and Times, he also worked as a reporter at the Houston Post, Dayton Daily News, Chicago Daily News, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Dallas Times-Herald, and Chicago Sun-Times.
Wycliff has been an active member of the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), for which he currently is a member of the board of directors and chair of the Ethics and Values Committee. He served for two years as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism and for four years led a seminar titledEthics and Editorial Writingat the American Press Institute.
Among his many professional honors, Wycliff won the ASNE Distinguished Writing Award for Editorials in 1997, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in editorial writing in 1996, was inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame in 1996, and received an honorary degree from theUniversityofPortlandin 1999.
Wycliff is in his second year teaching a journalism course in Notre Dames Gallivan Program in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy, for which he also serves as an advisory committee member. He has served on the advisory committee for theCollegeofArtsand Letters since 1989.
Wycliffs civic service includes participation in the American Catholics in the Public Square Project, membership on the parish pastoral council of St. Marys Catholic Church inEvanston,Ill., and participation in the first Cardinal Bernardin Conference of the Catholic Common Ground Initiative.
Brown, a member of the news and information staff since 1991, will direct the daily operation of the Universitys news office, which includes six writers and editors who produce more than 500 news releases annually. The staff assists with promoting University events, faculty research and accomplishments, student news, and otheractivities; compiles Agenda, the campusnew Web-based calendar; coordinates the news components of the Universitys Web site [http://www.nd.edu]; and responds to inquiries from the news media and general public.
After 15 years as a newspaper writer and editor, Brown joined the public relations staff at Notre Dame in June 1991 as an assistant director and was promoted to associate director five year later. He has reported on a wide array of academic achievements and activities at Notre Dame, primarily in theMendozaCollege of Business,Notre DameLawSchool,CollegeofArtsand Letters, and athletics. He serves as the primary editor in the department, coordinates coverage of Commencement and other campus events, and contributes to numerous University publications.
Brown was graduated fromWashingtonUniversityinSt. Louiswith a bachelor’s degree in political science. He began his career as a radio newscaster in his hometown ofColorado Springs,Colo., then moved into print journalism as a writer and editor at theColorado SpringsSun, Phoenix Gazette and San Diego Union-Tribune. He has shared in two regional writing awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, and as a journalist received both state and regional awards for writing and editing.
Brown teaches a senior marketing course in public relations at Notre Dame and previously was an adjunct professor of journalism atArizonaStateUniversity. He has written op-eds and freelance feature stories for numerous publications, including USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the NCAA News and Olympian Magazine.
Brown serves on the board of directors of the Literacy Council of St. Joseph County andHarrisTownshipbaseball league and the board of elders ofOak CreekCommunityChurch.
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