The Greenlee School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Iowa State University has named Steve Coon as the recipient of the 2024 James W. Schwartz Award. The annual award recognizes distinguished service to journalism and communication and is the highest honor conferred by the school.
Coon has extensive experience as a radio and television writer, reporter and anchor in various markets, including Ames, Des Moines and Washington, DC, during the 1970s. He taught a wide range of media-related topics, such as social media, investigative reporting, and broadcast production, and has been involved in international communication projects.
“Steve Coon has advanced journalism here and around the globe. His decades of work as a broadcast journalist, a university journalism instructor and an international media trainer and consultant has impacted an incredible range of journalism professionals, students and audiences. I congratulate him on this well-earned award,” said Michael Dahlstrom, Greenlee director and director of graduate education and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s professor.
Coon graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor’s in political science before he went on to earn his master’s in journalism and mass communication at Iowa State University. He began his professional career as an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln before working his way up to be an emeritus associate professor and an international communications trainer and consultant in Ames.
When he worked at Nebraska-Lincoln, he got a call that there was a faculty opening in journalism at Iowa State. This offer was something he could not turn down, he said.
“I was teaching at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln when Jack Shelley called, said there was a faculty opening in journalism and asked if I were interested. Of course I was. The opportunity to work with legendary Jack Shelley and return to Ames was too great an opportunity to pass up,” Coon said.
Coon and his wife, Beth, met at a graduate class at Iowa State in 1968, married in 1969 and returned to Iowa State in 1981 to help further the education of students attending the Greenlee School.
He conducted programs across Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America, promoting ethical journalism and broadcast skills globally. His dedication to enhancing media professionalism worldwide has left a lasting impact on international journalism communities.
From 1981 to 1988, Coon served as the executive secretary of the Iowa Broadcast News Association, a state-wide organization representing over 200 radio and television news professionals, including news directors, reporters, anchors and students. The IBNA includes 14 Iowa TV stations and more than 200 radio stations across Iowa and bordering states, fostering collaboration and professional development in broadcast journalism.
Coon also served as Iowa’s representative of the Northwest Broadcast News Association and actively contributed to a six-state regional broadcast association based in Minneapolis serving as a panelist, moderator, and judge for various workshops and broadcast competitions, promoting excellence and professional growth in the field of broadcast journalism.
“I was blessed to work with wonderful Iowa State students, an extremely collegial faculty as well as dedicated, courageous journalists in my international workshops abroad. Every ISU journalism professor was a mentor and friend during my years at ISU and after I retired in 2004. I am blessed to receive this award in the name of James W. Schwartz, whom we all admired for his leadership and friendship,” Coon said.
Coon will be recognized at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Alumni Honors and Awards Ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 31, at the ISU Alumni Center.