New Scholarship Fund Honors Student Media Director Steve Buttry

LSU Student Media director Steve Buttry with wife Mimi.

Friends of Steve Buttry, a journalism educator and one of the most important thinkers about social media and journalism, have started a scholarship fund in his name.

Buttry, director of Student Media at the Manship School of Mass Communication at LSU, is suffering from pancreatic cancer that has spread to the liver. His cancer is untreatable, so his doctors are working on reducing pain—and he continues to coach young journalists at LSU every day.

In addition to his contributions to journalism, Buttry will be remembered for his openness and honesty about his health, said Jerry Ceppos, dean of the Manship School. Columnist Dan Finney wrote about Steve’s attitude in the Des Moines Register last month.

Four of Buttry’s colleagues and friends—Jeff Jarvis, Jim Brady, John Paton and Ceppos—would like to honor his work with journalism students and his pioneering thinking about journalism and social media. They have begun the Stephen Buttry Scholarship Fund for students majoring in mass communication at the Manship School. Appropriately, preference will be given to students working in Student Media and to students with a special interest in new media. The scholarship will be available to sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Tax-deductible gifts to the fund can be made two ways:

Visit at www.lsufoundation.org/buttryscholarship
Mail a check to the LSU Foundation, 3796 Nicholson Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70802. Write “Stephen Buttry Scholarship Fund” on the memo line.

Buttry’s friends hope to raise at least $20,000, which would endow the fund, providing perpetual support.

Buttry has spent more than 40 years in writing, editing and coaching. Next month he will receive the Chairman’s Citation from the National Press Foundation. Last year the Online News Association surprised him with its Rich Jaroslovsky Founder Award to honor his long service to online journalism. While editor of the Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Buttry was named editor of the year by Editor & Publisher magazine.