News Story

On Nov. 15, the IU Media School celebrated seven alumni in the 13th annual Distinguished Alumni Awards: Elizabeth Bernstein, BA’87; Lillian R. Dunlap, MME’73, PhD’92; Fred Kalil, BA’04; Mike Kelley, BA’89; Holly Miller, BA’64; Derek Mobley, BA’91; and Matthew Tully, BA’92.

Media School junior Laynie Pitts kicked off the event.

“The student media organizations here at IU are some of the best in the country, and I am so honored to be a part of them,” said Pitts, who is majoring in media with a concentration in film/TV/digital production and is a member of the Academic Honors Program in The Media School.

“They have taught me that the quality of your content is really determined by the quality of the people that you make it with, and IU has some of the highest quality people around. Indiana might not be synonymous with the word media quite yet, but seeing all of you amazing alumni here tonight makes me believe that it will be one day.”

Dean David Tolchinsky then welcomed the audience before leading into dinner.

“In my second year as the Media School Dean, I continue to be impressed by the comprehensive nature of the school and the passion,” he said.

Jared Solow, BA’11, the president of the Media School Alumni Board, reconvened the ceremony with a brief introduction about the board.

“We launched the Distinguished Alumni Awards Program in conjunction with the School of Journalism’s Centennial Celebration in 2011. Our first class included legendary alumni, such as Ernie Pyle, Nelson Poynter, Will Counts, Paul Tash, Marge Blewett, and Jim Polk, among others,” Solow said.

“As we evolved into The Media School, our awards program evolved as well. And we now recognize individuals who graduated from former arrangements in public health communications and film studies programs.”

Bernstein — who has worked at The Wall Street Journal for 24 years as a columnist — was the first alumna honored during the ceremony. During Bernstein’s speech, she expressed gratitude for IU and The Media School.

“I loved every minute of being here, every minute of journalism, and every minute of coming here to this school. And I knew that the journalism school taught me how to think, they taught me how to write, they taught me how to get along with people, and they taught me how to persevere, and I loved that. It’s a huge honor to come back here, truly, and to feel like I’m still part of it. Hopefully I made you guys proud,” Bernstein said.

Dunlap is a strategic communications executive and diversity coach for Your Real Stories Inc. Throughout her career, Dunlap has emphasized the importance of storytelling in fostering organizational cultures of diversity and inclusion.

“I know that journalism is a dangerous profession. I want to encourage all of us who are in journalism to think about it seriously and to continue to do it because it is essential,” Dunlap said.

“We have to keep getting better at telling more stories every time. And it’s better listening to people and actually hearing what they’re saying. So we need to listen to voices traditionally left out and those we simply don’t like and work to tell stories free of euphemisms, flat-out lies, and stereotypes. We have to be precise about language, examine how we play the stories.”

Kalil is a retired television sports director and anchor who spent 31 years in the Atlanta area as a sports broadcaster.

“It’s been an unbelievable career,” Kalil said. “Doing local sports until you’re 64, it’s not happening every day. So I want to invite you to support your local sports coach. Because they need your help. We all need your help.”

Kelley is a television writer, producer, and creator writing and producing hundreds of episodes of TV since the late 90s.

“None of my success as a television creator and showrunner would have come to pass without the patience and encouragement of the faculty (of the Telecom School) at the time, the hands-on television and audio production courses, film appreciation, and creative writing electives,” Kelley said.

Miller was a writer and editor over her 50-year career, working as a reporter, managing editor, corporate speechwriter, textbook author, guest lecturer, college professor, and publications consultant.

“I really feel sorry when I hear people, my generation, express regrets when they say things like, ‘oh, if I had to do [it] over again, I would have attended a different university, or I would have chosen a different major, or I would have followed a different career path.’”

“Because when I look back, I wouldn’t change a thing. Seriously, I’m so grateful for what IU did for me, and I’m so grateful for tonight. A chance to say thank you for the things that IU Journalism School did for me back in 1964, and what The Media School is doing for current students in 2024,” Miller said.

Mobley is a director at ESPN and has worked there for 34 years after joining the network as a college student.

“I would be remiss without thanking all of the technicians and production personnel that I’ve worked with over the years. Television is a team sport, not an individual one, and without their guidance and partnership, I would not be where I am today,” Mobley said.

Tully was an award-winning reporter and columnist for The Indianapolis Star before his life was tragically cut short by cancer at the age of 49 in 2018. During his time at the Star, he wrote nearly 2,000 columns. Tully’s older brother, Jeff, accepted the award on his behalf.

“What struck me most about what [Matthew] learned from IU was his code of ethics that he got from journalism here,” Jeff said.

“He took the role of journalist very seriously, I mean, extremely. We shared an apartment, and our answering machine often had messages from pissed off politicians telling him to lay off. I’d be concerned. I’d be like, ‘The mayor is mad at me.’ [and] he’s just smiling like the Cheshire Cat because he was taught that a good journalist makes news, not friends. Like I said, the award would mean so much to him. He loved IU, he loved journalism.”