An association for alumni and supporters of The Daily Texan, student newspaper at the University of Texas at Austin

Moody College of communication

Grants for Texan staffers to honor 2 former UT Journalism photo professors

Two annual awards for Daily Texan staff members have been created in honor of journalism professors at the University of Texas at Austin. The Faculty Recognition Award is a cash award designed to honor the extraordinary efforts of outstanding faculty, and the awards go to Texan staffers who have made significant contributions working for The Daily Texan in spite of financial hardship. This is made possible by award-winning photojournalists John McConnico of Texas and Jean-Marc Bouju of France, both former Daily Texan staffers and both Pulitzer Prize winners and members of The Daily Texan Hall of Fame, sponsored by Friends […]

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Two recent Daily Texan alums to receive Rising Star Awards

Two recent alums of The Daily Texan will be honored as Rising Stars at the March 22 Friends of the Daily Texan Hall of Fame gathering on the UT campus. The Rising Star Award, which is given to recent graduates who have already made a significant contribution in their field, will be given to Ellie Breed, Chief Press Officer at the Public Utility Commission of Texas, and Eleanor Dearman, a Texas politics and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. In addition, 9 honorees will  be named to The Daily Texan Hall of Fame at the 11th annual gathering of […]

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New Moody Dean to speak at Friends of Daily Texan March 22 event

Dr. Rachel Davis Mersey, recently appointed Dean of Moody College of Communication, will be the featured speaker at the 11th annual Friends of The Daily Texan Hall of Fame gathering on the University of Texas campus on March 22. Mersey served as Interim Dean for 7 months and was appointed Dean in January 2024. The March 22 gathering will begin at 5 p.m. with an outdoor reception on the Walter Cronkite Plaza,  located between the Texas Student Media building and the Moody College of Communication complex. There will be a variety of food and beverage stations. Also beginning at 5 […]

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Rachel Davis Mersey named 7th Dean of Moody College of Communication

Rachel Davis Mersey has been appointed dean of Moody College of Communication, replacing Dr. Jay Bernhardt who resigned to become president of Emerson College. Mersey has served as Interim Dean since Bernhardt’s departure 7 months ago. “The Moody College of Communication is in the strongest place it has been in its history, and I am honored to be selected to serve as the next dean, charged with leading us to new heights,” Mersey said.  “I want to thank President Jay Hartzell and Provost Sharon Wood for their confidence in me. Thank you, too, to the search committee, led by Senior […]

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Scholarship to honor A.R. ‘Dick’ Elam

The Friends of The Daily Texan is creating a scholarship to honor the memory of A.R. “Dick” Elam, who passed away in 2023 after a long career in journalism and journalism education. Elam served as editor of The Daily Texan, was a small-town newspaper owner in Texas, and taught journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a member of the inaugural class of The Daily Texan Hall of Fame. The initial goal for the Elam Scholarship Fund is an endowment of $75,000. A total of $37,500 has already […]

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Daily Texan supporters: extend a helping hand to Texan student journalists

Last call for 2023 donations to the Friends of The Daily Texan  Endowment campaign to fund scholarships for Texan student journalists. The campaign to raise  $300,000 for permanent funding for 13 annual scholarships is nearing its goal, and every donation – $25, $250 or more – is important in reaching that goal. The Friends of The Daily Texan is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and your donation may be tax deductible. If the goal is met, all 13 grants to be awarded next year will be guaranteed permanent funding via the Friends of The Daily Texan endowment, plus other endowment partners and […]

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Two Austin philanthropists/former journalists donate $1.5 million to boost Austin news coverage and music services at KUT and KUTX

  From KUT and KUTX Two Austin philanthropists and former journalists are pledging $1.5 million over three years to KUT and KUTX to improve and sustain news and music services, and to honor the legendary host John Aielli. The gift from Lynne Dobson and Greg Wooldridge is the largest outright gift the station has ever received. It will support Texas Capitol beat reporting and expand the staff of the station’s daily news magazine, Texas Standard. More than 40 journalists currently work in the newsroom on the local news, Texas Standard, and on digital and multimedia teams. Their gift, via The Tejemos Foundation, will […]

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Daily Texan suppporters: pay it forward, for student journalists

  The campaign to raise $300,000 for permanent funding for 13 annual scholarships for Daily Texan staff members has passed the halfway mark, with three months left in the 2023 effort. If the goal is met, all 13 grants to be awarded next year will be guaranteed permanent funding via the Friends of The Daily Texan endowment, plus other endowment partners and supporters of student journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. Donations in support of the Friends group to support The Daily Texan can be made at: https://friendsofthedailytexan.com/donations/ Or by mail: Friends of The Daily Texan, P.O. Box […]

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Two new honors for Griff Singer: boost to student scholarship in his name, and first Friends of Daily Texan Lifetime Achievement Award

Two new honors have been added to the portfolio of S. Griffin Singer, respected Texas journalist and beloved former UT journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin. At the recent Friends of The Daily Texan, Inc. annual Hall of Fame dinner, Singer was presented the first Friends of The Daily Texan Lifetime Achievement Award by the Friends group. There were multiple reasons for Singer’s selection for the award: his outstanding career as a journalist, his journalism instruction and support to thousands of students at UT-Austin, his strong support for The Daily Texan student newspaper at UT, his continuing […]

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Bill Little: ‘If you can write something that can make a difference to somebody, it can change a life’

A Celebration of Life service for Bill Little –  the face and the voice of the Texas Longhorns for more than 50 years – was held October 1, 2023  at the Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium in the LBJ Library on The University of Texas campus. For those wishing to honor and remember Bill, the family encourages contributions to three of Bill’s favorite organizations, including Friends of the Daily Texan, https://friendsofthedailytexan.com/donations/, which ensures long-term funding of scholarships for staff members of The Daily Texan, or by mail: Friends of The Daily Texan, P.O. Box 8383, Austin, Texas 78713 Little worked with five football coaches, […]

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