William Allen White Foundation
In 1944 the Kansas Board of Regents established the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas. The following year, a group of William Allen White’s friends established the William Allen White Foundation in his honor. The founders envisioned the Foundation as a complement to the School of Journalism.
Original members were: Steerman R.A. Clymer, Dean W. Malott, Roy Bailey, Milton Tabor, Henry J. Allen, Will T. Beck, Fay N. Seaton, John Redmond, Ora G. Rindom, Henry Haskell, Roy Roberts, F.B. Ross, and W.C. Simons.
At the time of its inception, the foundation had three primary goals: to encourage better journalism in Kansas; to extend White’s principles into the future; and to strengthen freedom of speech, press and communication. To accomplish these goals, the foundation planned to sponsor lectures, awards and institutes.
Today the William Allen White Foundation continues to contribute to KU as well as promote White’s journalistic ideas.
Current Mission Statement:
The William Allen White Foundation mission is threefold: to preserve the name of William Allen White, to support journalism education at the University of Kansas, and to promote excellence in national and regional journalism activities.
Core Activities:
- Honor William Allen White’s stature as a national figure in journalism history.
- Support journalism education at the University of Kansas.
- Recognize news enterprise annually in Kansas.
- Award an annual citation to an American journalist who exemplifies William Allen White ideals in service to his profession and his community.