A salute

A salute to an effective educator

By Will Norton Jr.
Dean, College of Journalism

Gerald M. (Jerry) Sass had a part in the lives of many graduates of the UNL College of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Most of them would not recognize his name.

I would identify Sass, executive vice president of The Freedom Forum, as the person who has done more than anyone to promote quality journalism education in the United States during the last two decades.

Because of his many contributions to journalism education and because he is retiring next summer, administrators of journalism and mass communications programs throughout the nation met in Atlanta during early December and scheduled a luncheon to honor Sass.

The first speaker was R. Neale Copple, dean emeritus of the college. In his inimitable energetic and entertaining way, Copple regaled the audience with details of Sass’s contributions to your college.

There were dozens of administrators at that luncheon who shared Copple’s sentiments.

Sass has been described by those who know him well as an elegant genius, a soft-spoken man whose characteristic sparse words carry great wisdom. A gentle man, he sees talent and ability in people that others miss or ignore.

Few of us know Sass as well as Copple does. Few of us interacted with him as much as Copple did. But all of us benefited from the Sass leadership in a generous foundation in which the advancement of freedom of expression and journalism is a priority.

Sass joined the Gannett Foundation in 1977 as director of education programs. In 1991, the foundation sold its stake — and stock — in Gannett Co. Inc. and became The Freedom Forum.

Before joining the Gannett Foundation, Sass was director of personnel for Gannett Co. Inc. for six years. He previously had served as personnel director for the Gannett Rochester Newspapers.

Sass was the first Gannett recruiter to come to Lincoln during the early 1970s. He did so after setting up a national recruiting program for Gannett where he and Gannett editors went to the major journalism programs to spot talented students for the nationwide company.

Sass started annual visits by Gannett — in good newspaper times and bad — that continue to this day. In fact, last October, the company sent two recruiters to Avery Hall, Jack Marsh, executive editor of the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, S.D., and Dennis Ryerson, editor of The Des Moines Register.

The news-editorial recruiting put in place by Sass has been so successful for Gannett that the company started sending advertising recruiters with its editors several years ago to several of the nation’s best journalism programs, including Nebraska.

I became acquainted with Sass in 1979 at a journalism administrators workshop at a dude ranch in Wagner, Okla.

It was a great week. I learned who the administrative leaders were at that time, and I learned my own strengths and weaknesses.

Through that program I became more aware of the Nebraska program, and we at the University of Mississippi emulated the UNL curriculum. Copple watched the developments of our program and praised it to Sass.

We received a $100,000 grant for minority scholarships and used it to recruit top African-American high school graduates.

“While I may have helped the University of Nebraska, I benefited equally,” Sass said.

“I learned from the tutelage of Neale Copple and a strong faculty. Nebraska graduates are known throughout the country for excellence and the highest ethical standards of the practice of journalism.”

I cannot tell you about all of the significant contributions Sass and the Gannett Foundation have made to UNL or to Ole Miss. From my perspective at two universities, I know the good things Sass has done.

The quiet Sass ranks with the gregarious Copple. Without them, neither Ole Miss nor UNL would have been programs of quality.

You have known Copple for years, and now you know about his good friend.

The next time you think about this college, I hope you remember Sass because he has played a significant role in many of your lives.