Dean Earl English

• Associate Professor/Professor, 1945-1949
• Associate Dean, 1949-1951
• Dean, 1951-1970

By Paul Hagey

Dr. Earl English succeeded Dean Frank L. Mott in July of 1951 to become the fourth dean of the Missouri School of Journalism. In the process he began the longest tenure for a dean since founder Walter Williams' 27 years of service from 1908-1935. English managed the School during a time of tremendous growth and development, and the modern structure of the School is his legacy. When he retired in 1970, English had spent 25 years associated with School in various positions, including associate professor, professor, associate dean, dean and dean emeritus.

Dean Earl English. Photo: University Archives, C:11/13/3.

In 1945, Mott brought his former colleague English to the School to teach typography, in which he was an expert; that year he also taught law of the press, psychology and general semantics in journalism. English taught the semantics course for 30 years, which in the beginning was one of the only courses of its kind in the country. Mott knew English from the University of Iowa, where Mott was director of the journalism school and English was an instructor. While teaching at the university, English earned a master's degree in journalism in 1937 and a doctorate in psychology in 1945. English's master's thesis was published as Exercises in High School Journalism, a journalism textbook for high school students. Later, with Clarence W. Hach, English reworked his thesis into the book Scholastic Journalism.

English was born in 1905 in Lapeer, Mich. He received a Certificate of Teaching in 1928 from Western Michigan College, where he also received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1932. English had the unique mix of practical journalism experience and higher education that served him well in his career. By 1928, he had been a printer for three years at the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Gazette. For part of the next year he worked as a feature/police reporter for the Gazette, but he then took a position with the Newark (N.J.) Ledger. English then decided to go into education. He taught high school journalism for the next seven years in Peoria, Ill., where he coached track and field as well. During that time, he completed some graduate work in the summers at Purdue University. In 1935, he took a teaching position at the University of Iowa, where he would make the connection with Mott that would eventually lead him to the University of Missouri. Always one to stay close to hands-on journalism work, English also served as editor of the Iowa Publisher from 1940-1942.

In his first two and a half years on the faculty at the Missouri School of Journalism, English served as the executive secretary of the American Council on Education for Journalism, a position in which he played a significant role in the development of a nationwide accreditation program for United States journalism schools. In the position, he developed skills and knowledge of journalism education that would serve him and the School well during his deanship. Mott appointed English associate dean in 1949.

English was not only known for typography; he also was regarded as a great administrator, a skill he used to manage the tremendous growth that occurred in the School during his tenure. This growth occurred in multiple areas, particularly in the graduate school. In 1951, the School employed 25 faculty members and offered 50 courses; by 1971, those numbers had grown to 55 faculty and 75 courses. English attributed most of that growth to the development of the graduate program, which he said was largely due to the strong foundation established by the previous deans.

He used his administrative skills as well in the management of the School's 50th Anniversary celebration (1958-1959), which spanned one year and involved events from San Diego to Washington D.C. and New York. With leftover funds from fundraising for the celebration, English helped direct the formation of the Freedom of Information Center at the School.

English oversaw many changes in his tenure as dean: the addition of KOMU-TV in 1953, the establishment of the Sunday Missourian in 1958, the founding of the Freedom of Information Center in 1959, the building of the Missourian's new home, Neff Annex, in 1961, and the switch to the morning edition of the Missourian in 1968, just to name a few.

Dean Earl English presided over a joint 50th anniversary celebration with the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., in 1959. Photo: Bob Hubbard, University Archives, C:11/15/1.

The establishment of KOMU-TV took some vision and energy on English's part. In 1950, he made an early push for the founding of television channel associated with the School, which would provide broadcast students training opportunities similar to those at the Missourian. During one of English's attempts to persuade University administrators about the benefits of a television station in 1950, Leslie Cowan, the University's business manager, responded: "TV is so far in the future - maybe 10 years before much coverage and costly - as to make it impractical for general University use. Perhaps could be useful in resident teaching program." English, with faculty member Edward C. Lambert leading the charge towards television, persevered. The next year the University applied to the Federal Communications Commission for a license to operate a TV station, and in late in 1953 KOMU-TV went on air.

Part of English's philosophy as dean included maintaining contact with students, which compelled him to teach throughout his deanship. "I believe an administrator should teach in the classroom, if at all possible, in order to keep in touch with faculty-student problems," English wrote.

One of English's pet projects late in his deanship involved the development of what he called the "B Plan" for graduate students, which offered master's students the option of completing a professional project in lieu of a thesis. He helped set up professional programs in St. Louis, Washington D.C., New York, and Brussels, Belgium, for the B Plan, which became placement options for graduate students in 1970. English championed the program because of its hands-on philosophy. "It seems to me that [the students] are learning a great deal in projects like these. And, in fact, the job situation as a result has been marvelous," English said. "Give a student a chance to build his own kind of program, and if it is good, let him go. The enthusiasm that a student can engender on something like this is remarkable."

Dean Emeritus Earl English attended the dedication of the Earl F. English Graduate Studies Center at the School in November 1999.

English retired in 1970 at the age of 65 when Roy M. Fisher, editor of the Chicago Daily News, took over as dean. English and his wife then set off on a two-month world tour, in which they visited alumni around the globe. Upon return, English continued as dean emeritus at the School as a part-time professor. In 1973, he administered a new graduate student exchange program with two universities, one in Taiwan and the other in Hong Kong. He also used time in retirement to write the School's first general history, Journalism Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia (1988), which provides an insider's glimpse into the School through a year-by-year history with photographs and anecdotes. In commemoration of a lifetime of service to the School and journalism education, English was awarded the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism in 1970. In November 1999, the School dedicated the Earl F. English Graduate Studies Center in his honor. He died in 2000 in Columbia, Mo.

Career Timeline

• 1905 Born in Lapeer, Mich.
• 1926-1928 Worked as printer at Kalamazoo (Mich.) Gazette
• 1928 Earned Certificate of Teaching, Western Michigan College
• 1928–1935 Taught high school journalism in Peoria, Ill.
• 1932 Earned Bachelor of Science, Western Michigan College
• 1935 Joined faculty at the University of Iowa as an instructor
• 1937 Earned Master of Arts in Journalism from the University of Iowa
• 1940–1942 Served as editor of the Iowa Publisher
• 1944 Earned Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Iowa
• 1945 Awarded Sigma Delta Chi national research award for his study on the readability of newspaper types
• 1945 Named associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism
• 1945-1946 Served as executive secretary of the American Council on Education for Journalism
• 1949 Named associate dean at the Missouri School of Journalism
• 1951–1970 Served as dean and professor of the Missouri School of Journalism
• 1970 Retired to dean emeritus
• 1970 Awarded the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism
• 1988 Published Journalism Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia
• 1991 Inducted into the Missouri Press Association Newspaper Hall of Fame
• 1999 Honored as namesake of the Earl F. English Graduate Studies Center at the School
• 2000 Died in Columbia, Mo.