Our Mission
Jordan Hall (former home of School of Journalism)
Winter Scene, 1929
The Eugene S. Pulliam School of Journalism is committed to
providing the highest quality of liberal arts study and
professional training in a broad range of knowledge, skills,
concepts, and experiential learning to prepare students to adapt to
a dynamic journalism and strategic communication environment for
both careers and post-graduate studies.
School of Journalism: Then and Now
The School of Journalism was established in 1924 as a "program"
in the Department of English. Strong support from Hilton U. Brown,
president of Butler's Board of Directors and an executive with
The Indianapolis News, facilitated the formation of the
School. The School was set up to meet two general needs of
undergraduates at Butler: "1) to equip as completely as possible
for later practice those students who intend to pursue journalism
as a career; and 2) to afford opportunity for students taking a
general liberal arts course or other major subjects to gain a
practical insight into the history, the purpose, the workings, and
the ideals of the press, and to acquire facility and precision in
writing-no matter in what field."
Increasing enrollments in journalism led to the separation of
the School from the Department of English in 1925. In 1937, the
School (renamed Department) became a division of the College of
Business and introduced the first public relations courses titled
"publicity." In 1982, the College of Business returned the
Department to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. A decade
after its return to LAS, the leadership of the University in
collaboration with the faculty of the Department made curricular
and personnel changes which led to increased enrollment and
excellence in education and training of students.
In 2000, the Pulliam family, who are synonymous with journalism
and The Indianapolis Star, presented Butler University
with a $5 million endowment to fund the Eugene S. Pulliam School of
Journalism. The School was officially dedicated on October 27,
2000, and is housed in the Fairbanks Center for Communication and
Technology.
In 2010, the University created the College of
Communication. The School of Journalism is now housed in the
College of Communication and includes the programs formally known
as journalism:news editorial and electronic journalism. The
public relations and integrated communication: public relations and
advertising programs split from the School in 2010 and are now a
part of the strategic communication program in the College of
Communication.