Former CNN Anchor joins faculty as Rhodes Chair
Former CNN Anchor Aaron Brown will join ASU's faculty in the spring semester as the John J. Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and American Institutions at Barrett Honors College.
The Rhodes Chair was created in honor of the former Arizona congressman who served 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, including seven years as House minority leader.
Brown served as news anchor of CNN's flagship show, “NewsNight,” from 2001 – 2005, covering stories from the 9/11 attacks to the 2004 presidential elections and the Iraq War.
“We are delighted to have Aaron Brown accept our offer to come to ASU and interact with our faculty and students as the Rhodes Chair,” says Mark Jacobs, dean of the Barrett Honors College. “Print and broadcast media serve as an American institution that could not be more important to a democratic society, and we are privileged to have such a renowned and respected journalist on our campus for a semester.”
Brown will be the ninth Rhodes Chair, which is “dedicated to deepening theoretical and practical understanding of the nature and future of a democratic society.” Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was the first Rhodes Chair in 1998. Others include Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo., and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jonathan Weiner.
Brown will teach a course on news media issues, deliver a major speech on the Tempe campus and be part of the faculty at ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and the Barrett Honors College.
“This is a wonderful honor, and very exciting for me,” Brown says. “The Cronkite School and the Barrett Honors College are great places to exchange ideas about issues I deeply care about. I will have the opportunity to work with terrific faculty doing wonderful work, and I look forward to learning from them.”
The Barrett Honors College is home to more than 500 National Merit Scholars and was named the nation's top honors program last year by Reader's Digest.
The Cronkite School, named in honor of longtime CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite in 1984, this year finished second in the Hearst intercollegiate journalism competition – often referred to as the Pulitzers of college journalism – for the second consecutive year.
Speaking from his New York offices, Cronkite applauded the announcement.
“I am thrilled at the news that Aaron Brown, who distinguished himself as an able journalist in his four years on CNN, will be the John J. Rhodes Chair at ASU next year,” Cronkite says. “I've long admired Aaron's work.”
“Aaron Brown has been a news leader for many years, practicing the kind of high-quality, thoughtful and meaningful journalism that we want all of our students to learn,” says Christopher Callahan, dean of the Cronkite School. “Our students will benefit enormously from his teaching and mentoring.”
Leah Hardesty, leah.hardesty@asu.edu
(480) 727-3116
http://www.asu.edu/news/stories/200605/20060516_aaronbrown.htm
