Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists Honors UCO Alumni and Faculty
Feb. 12, 2025
The Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists (OKSPJ) honored University of Central Oklahoma alumni and faculty with its highest honors for their services to the journalism profession. Joe Hight, Dylan Brown and Clytie Bunyan were honored at a reception that paid tribute to journalism professionals covering leading news stories in the state.
UCO alumnus and current faculty member Joe Hight was honored as OKSPJ’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. This award is given to an individual who educates, motivates and inspires students in the classroom. Hight is the Edith Kinney Gaylord Endowed Chair of Journalism Ethics at UCO.
As former editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette newspaper, he led its Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Co-founder of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, Hight has championed trauma-informed reporting and ethics, authoring resources still in use today. He owns Best of Books in Edmond and writes the “Oklahoma Joe” column for The Journal Record newspaper. Hight is an Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame inductee.
“Joe is a credit to both UCO and the journalism profession,” said Mike Breslin, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Mass Communication at UCO.
“His students benefit immensely from his guidance, teaching and industry contacts and the annual Media Ethics Conference that his classes stage is one of the best events held on campus each year.”
UCO alumna Clytie Bunyan was awarded the Frank Greer Lifetime Achievement Award. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism-newspaper from Central in 1989. Bunyan is managing editor for Opinion and Community Engagement at The Oklahoman newspaper.
UCO alumnus Dylan Brown received the Carter Bradley First Amendment Award. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication-professional media from Central in 2018. Brown is a KFOR Channel 4 (NBC) weekend anchor and reporter. Brown and KFOR photojournalists Kevin Josefy and Gage Shaw filed and won a federal lawsuit. The case sought equal press access and challenged alleged selective media exclusion based on viewpoint discrimination.
“This year’s award recipients are the best of the best in the state’s journalism profession,” said Jerry Goodwin, LP.D, president of OKSPJ.
“We celebrate the accomplishments and achievements of our colleagues – journalists, educators and students – who devote countless hours to producing news for the readers, viewers and listeners in Oklahoma and beyond every day. We believe that the results of their work contribute to a more informed electorate, a prerequisite of a democratic society.”
UCO’s Department of Mass Communication, housed in the College of Liberal Arts, provides students with a hands-on approach to learning that creates qualified graduates. The department offers five undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in Strategic Communications—Leadership in Communications that is offered fully online through UCO’s Connected Campus.
For more information about the UCO Department of Mass Communication, visit www.uco.edu/mcom.
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Cutline: The Oklahoma Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (OKSPJ) named three University of Central Oklahoma alumni and a current faculty member to receive its highest honors for their services to the journalism profession. Dylan Brown, Clytie Bunyan and Joe Hight (pictured) were honored at a reception that paid tribute to journalism professionals covering the leading news stories in the state.
