Jerome Aumente	Philip S. Balboni

Four prominent alumni of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism will receive the school's highest alumni honor on Friday, April 27, during the Journalism Alumni Association's spring meeting. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Faculty Room of Low Memorial Library on the Columbia campus, Broadway and West 116th Street.

On Saturday, April 28 at 4 p.m., fellow alumni and friends will pay tribute to the late John Hohenberg ('27), who devoted nearly a quarter-century to Columbia, as professor and administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes. Author of the classic The Professional Journalist, which has been translated into ten languages, Hohenberg worked for newspapers in New York, Washington and abroad for more than twenty years. Journalists from CNN, The New York Times, and Newsday will join educators and others in sharing their reminiscences of one of journalism's most accomplished and inspiring professionals.

The Alumni Award winners are:

Jerome Aumente ('60), journalism professor, Rutgers University,
Philip S. Balboni ('71 CFT) president, New England Cable News,
Ralph Blumenthal ('64), reporter, The New York Times, and
Richard Smith ('70) chairman & editor-in-chief, Newsweek.

Jerome Aumente is distinguished professor emeritus of journalism at Rutgers University, founding director of the university's Journalism Resources Institute, and special counsel to the dean of the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies. He has made more than 60 trips to Central and Eastern Europe in his effort to revitalize journalism and train journalists in former Soviet-bloc countries.

Philip S. Balboni is president and general manager of New England Cable News, which serves 2.5 million homes in the six-state region. His innovations in local television news and now in 24-hour regional cable news programming have set the standard for news organizations across the country. Balboni received a certificate in what was at the time the School's Advanced International Reporting program.

Ralph Blumenthal	Richard Smith

Ralph Blumenthal is a reporter for The New York Times, and, in a career dedicated to the practice of journalism at its best, has served as foreign corespondent, led investigations on a wide array of major projects, and crafted memorable features and profiles. He is the author of several books, including last year's acclaimed Stork Club: America's Most Famous Nightspot and the Lost World of Café Society.

Richard M. Smith, Newsweek's chief executive officer for both editorial and business operations, began his more than 30-year career with Newsweek as foreign affairs writer, Asia regional editor and Hong Kong bureau chief before climbing Newsweek's editorial ranks to attain the pinnacle posts of editor-in-chief (1984), president (1991) and chairman (1998).

Previous recipients of the Alumni Award include Bennett Cerf ('20), Molly Ivins ('67), CNN's Myron Kandel ('53), The Washington Post's Dorothy Gilliam ('61), CBS News' Steve Kroft ('75), and the Associated Press' Lou Boccardi ('59).