Columbia Scholastic Press Association

Site Map

CSPA is affiliated with the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University in the City of New York.

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) will present its Joseph M. Murphy Award to C. Bruce Watterson and its Charles R. O'Malley Award to Esther Wojcicki in 2011.

The awards will be presented during a special Advisers Awards Luncheon on Friday, March 18, 2011 in the Rotunda of Low Memorial Library on the Columbia University campus in New York City. The luncheon is presented as part of CSPA's 87th annual Convention, taking place from March 16-18, 2011 at Columbia University.

C. Bruce Watterson’s career in scholastic and collegiate journalism started in the most unassuming of places: a small town in the Delta region of eastern Arkansas. Under Watterson’s training in that journalism class, the first staff of eight on yearbook and ten on newspaper, proved student publications from Hazen High School could earn CSPA’s highest honor at the time: The Trendsetter Award.

From the beginning, Watterson worked with advisers and led the journalism adviser association in Arkansas and he trained dozens of practice teachers who are now publication advisers of distinction. Throughout his career as a high school and collegiate publications adviser and as a college administrator, he has maintained a loyalty to serving Columbia Scholastic Press Association, his staffs earning Gold and Silver Crown awards from 1983 to 1996.

The Joseph M. Murphy Award recognizes outstanding service to the Association over many years. It is intended as the ultimate distinction offered by the Association for service by a person.

Murphy was the founding director of the CSPA and the award honors his 45 years of distinguished service to the student press and to Columbia University.

Esther Wojcicki has been a journalism and English teacher at Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, Cailf., for the past 27 years, where she built the journalism program from a small group of 20 students in 1985 to the largest high school journalism program in the nation, winning major national and international recognition.

The publications have won Gold and Silver Crowns from Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the Pacemaker Award and Hall of Fame Award from National Scholastic Press Association, and best in nation from Time Magazine in 2003. The website was honored with two Webby Awards in 2005.

She is chairperson of the Board of Creative Commons and a strong advocate of Open Education Resources and Creative Commons licensing. She is a 2009 MacArthur Foundation Research Award recipient on the Student Journalism 2.0 project. She has won multiple awards, including California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2002 California Teacher of the Year and 2009 CSPA Gold Key Award.

The Charles R. O'Malley Award recognizes “a sustained record of outstanding teaching" in support of student journalism or student publishing. It is intended to be the CSPA’s highest accolade in support of the core function of teaching as related to student-practiced journalism.

O'Malley was the CSPA's second director and the award honors his generous service to the student press and to Columbia University, his alma mater.

A limited number of seats are still available for the Friday, March 18th luncheon. While the luncheon is free to attend for registered advisers, each person must reserve their seat in advance for the luncheon. Click here for more information on the Convention and registration details.

* Photos courtesy of the honorees.