Pulitzer Prize

Photo courtesy Columbia University Pulitzer Prizes

Joseph Pulitzer was the personification of American journalism. The Hungarian-born Pulitzer was a skillful visionary whose passion for truth and accuracy gained the respect of his peers for hard-hitting investigative journalism, and for public service through a variety of public campaigns. Pulitzer established an endowment at Columbia University. One year after Pulitzer's death in 1911, the Columbia University School of Journalism was founded, and in 1917, the first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded.

Annually, 21 Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: one in music, six in literature, and 14 in journalism. The Pulitzer Prize is recognized as one of the top honors that journalists receive for their work. Pulitzer once said that he was deeply interested in the progress and elevation of journalism, regarding the field as a noble profession and one of unequaled importance for its influence upon the minds and morals of the people.

The College of Media & Communication at Texas Tech University is honored to recognize four of its alumni who have received Pulitzer Prizes for their work in journalism. The accomplishments of these alumni reflect the pride of the college's faculty and staff in preparing graduates for the competitive and complex world of journalism.

Our Pulitzer Pride

• Frank Bass
  Alabama Journal, 1988 Pulitzer Prize, General News Reporting
• Dennis Copeland
  Orange County Register, 1985 Pulitzer Prize, Spot News Photography
  Miami Herald, 1993 Pulitzer Prize, Public Service Award
• Robert Montemayor
  Los Angeles Times,1984 Pulitzer Prize, Meritorious Public Service
• Tod Robberson
  Dallas Morning News, 2010 Pulitzer Prize, Editorial Writing