On Nov. 14, the School of Journalism and Mass Communications relaunched the Baldwin Business and Financial Journalism Lecture.
“Ken Baldwin was a fantastic friend to the college. We are so thankful for his support of this lecture series,” says CIC Dean Tom Reichert. “Our students benefit from his passion for journalism that examines important stories in finance and business.”
Pattie Sellers, co-CEO of SellersEaston Media and former assistant managing editor for Fortune magazine, spoke on the theme “Business, Media and Leadership” for 2024.
“We invited Pattie Sellers because of her extensive experience interviewing some of the most successful businesspeople in the world,” says SJMC Director Damion Waymer.
A few of those notable interviews include Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet, Martha Stewart and Darla Moore, the namesake of the Darla Moore School of Business.
Sellers was one of the decision makers who chose to feature Darla Moore on the cover of Fortune magazine in 1997. She was the first woman to ever appear there.
“That story did really well on the news stand,” says Sellers. “She wasn’t a famous person, but she was so funny in the story that people shared it with their friends.”
Nina Brook, the lead for the school’s journalism major, moderated the lecture. She asked Sellers to provide some advice to our current students.
“Think of your career as a jungle gym. You have to keep your peripheral vision sharp, look over here, look over here, and swing to your next opportunity,” says Sellers. “It may be horizontal or even below where you are now. Go where the smart people are.”
In addition to relaunching the lecture series, the SJMC is also in the process of searching for a new Baldwin Business and Financial Chair in Journalism. The chair will add to the college’s expertise in business and financial journalism and enhance student industry-immersion programs.
The Baldwin Lecture Series is funded by the Baldwin Business and Financial Journalism Endowment, given by the late Kenneth W. Baldwin Jr. A 1949 graduate of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Baldwin funded the endowment in 2009 to equip students with a depth of knowledge to investigate and report on the most significant and complex business and financial topics that affect consumers and taxpayers.