A former editor of the Chicago Tribune and other journalists are on campus this week as part of the 50th anniversary of the School of Journalism, and the school’s director hopes students will seek career advice from the media professionals.

Throughout this week, distinguished professionals journalists will speak to journalism classes and participate in panel discussions regarding various topics in the field. Career counseling also will be available to students interested in journalism.

Donald Jugenheimer, director of the School of Journalism, said the school wants to recognize the contributions of alumni and former faculty of the school, as well as express its appreciation to the students and present faculty.

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“We are hoping to tap the expertise of our many successful alumni and provide this knowledge to our students,” Jugenheimer said.

Jim Squires, former editor of the Chicago Tribune and the Orlando Sentinel, will be the keynote speaker at the 7 p.m. banquet Thursday at the Carbondale Civic Center, 200 S. Illinois Ave. Squires plans to address the role of the press in the new millennium.

“The world of journalism today is much different than the one that I worked in it is more electronic, emotional and fast-paced,” Squires said. “However, the old values and ethics of journalism should not be abandoned.”

A panel discussion, titled “Pursuing Careers in Advertising:What Do I Do After Graduation?,” brings together distinguished individuals from the School of Journalism and abroad to provide information to students about advertising careers. This discussion will take place 3 to 4:30 p.m. today in room 1032 of the Communications Building.

Another panel discussion, “Newspaper and Readers in the ’90s,” is scheduled for 3 to 4:45 p.m. Wednesday in the Lesar Law School Auditorium. The panel is made up of members of the School of Journalism and journalism professionals. Cole Campbell, editor of St. Louis Post-Dispatch, will provide the opening remarks, and Carl Rexroad, editor of the Southern Illinoisan, will serve as moderator for the event.

The panel’s members include Squires; Paul Simon, former U.S. senator and director of Public Policy Institute; Michael Lawrence, associate director Public Policy Institute and former press secretary to Gov. Jim Edgar; Lenore Sobota, editorial page editor for the Bloomington Pantagraph; Lorraine Kee, public affairs reporter and former sports writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; and Jackie Koszczuk, editor of Congressional Quarterly.

An outstanding alumnus of the School of Journalism, Judith Roales, will be presented with The Best of 50 Award. Roales, a 1965 graduate of the SIUC School of Journalism, is the publisher and executive vice president of the St. Petersburg Times. Roales was awarded the SIUC Distinguished Alumni award this year.

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“Judith Roales is one of the most successful, top-ranking professionals in the country,” Jugenheimer said. “A vote was made for Roales by a committee in the School of Journalism and was unanimously held up by the faculty.”

Jugenheimer noted that two of the 10 recipients of the SIUC Distinguished Alumni honored this year are alumni of the School of Journalism.

The Department of Journalism was established at SIU on Oct. 15, 1947, with Robert Steffes as acting chairman. The department was headed by an acting chairman until Howard Rusk Long was named permanent chairman in 1953. Long served as chairman of the journalism unit for 19 years.

The department gained accreditation in 1961, one of 43 in the United States at that time. One year later, the Ph.D. degree in journalism was first offered.

Jugenheimer said he is not aware of any rankings of journalism programs across the country, but the school has received several letters from alumni who praised the school for its ability to prepare them for the professional field.

Robert Spellman, a professor of journalism and member of the journalism week committee, said the week offers students a chance to gain insight into the professional field ahead of them.

“We hope the students will take advantage of the visiting professionals some of whom have reached the apex in their field and try to learn from them,” Spellman said.

For reservations for Thursday’s banquet, call 536-3361.