The George T. Delacorte Center

2008 Delacorte Lectures on Magazine Journalism

The Delacorte Lectures examine various aspects of magazine journalism, presented each week by a leader in the field of magazine publishing. All lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. in the school's Lecture Hall. Attendance is required of students in the magazine concentration. The lectures are open to the public. This schedule is subject to change.

Listen to the Delacorte Lectures
Event Archive

Feb 7
Jon Meacham, editor, Newsweek

Feb 14
Ted Genoways , editor, Virginia Quarterly Review

Feb 21
Richard Stengel, editor, TIME

Feb 28
James F. Hoge, Jr, editor, Foreign Affairs

March 6
Jacob Weisberg, editor, Slate

March 13
Joanne Lipman, editor, Portfolio Magazine

March 27
Andi Zeisler, editor, Bitch Magazine

April 10
Susan Lyne, president & CEO, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.

April 17
Felix Dennis, chairman, The Week

April 24
Luke Hayman, art director, Pentagram

Director

The Director of the Delacorte Center is Victor S. Navasky, for many years the editor and publisher of The Nation. Mr. Navasky, also worked as an editor at The New York Times Magazine, and has contributed to, consulted with, and served on the editorial boards of scores of periodicals. He is a regular commentator on public radio's Marketplace and has served on the boards of P.E.N., the Author's Guild, and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Faculty

Magazine faculty at the school include Profs. Victor Navasky, Helen Benedict and Michael Shapiro, and many adjunct faculty drawn from the profession. In recent years these have included John Bennet, David Blum, Marie Brenner, Kevin Buckley, Jose Ferrer, Stephen Fried, Robert Love, Cathleen McGuigan, Bruce Porter, Amy Wilentz, Roger Youman and others. A board of editorial advisers, composed of industry leaders, helps guide the Center's programs and initiatives.

Founder

George T. Delacorte (Columbia College '13), the founder of Dell Publishing and one of Columbia's most devoted alumni, generously enabled the University to create the Delacorte Professorship in the Humanities and to enhance the campus physically. His greatest contribution, however, was the founding in 1984 of the George T. Delacorte Center for Magazine Journalism and the creation of the Delacorte Professorship in Magazine Journalism. Columbia recognized his devotion to the University by awarding him an honorary doctorate in 1982.

Mission

The mission of the Delacorte Center is:

1. to provide students a theoretical understanding of, and practical experience with, magazine writing, editing and publishing.
   
2. to generate a continuing exchange of ideas with the professional magazine community.
   
3. to provide students the technical skills and experience needed to function effectively in the computer-driven world of magazine publishing.
   
4. to introduce students to the special role journals of opinion and ideas can play in a democratic society.
   
5. to provide technical assistance to students interested in launching their own magazine ventures.

Activities

The George T. Delacorte Center promotes and coordinates all activities related to magazine study within the school. The Center offers a broad range of courses in magazine journalism; serves as the coordinating focus for master's projects in long-form journalism; operates the Delacorte Magazine Lab; presents the annual George T. Delacorte lecture series and other lectures, symposia and similar events for students, the industry and the public; organizes informal and regular meetings between students and professional magazine writers, editors and publishers; advises journalism students on academic and professional goals and provides workshops for those in the industry who seek to improve their skills and technical expertise.

Columbia Journalism Review

The Center also interacts with the Columbia Journalism Review, the nation's oldest and most respected journalism publication. CJR was founded in 1961 to assess the performance of journalism in all its forms, to call attention to its shortcomings and strengths; to help define and redefine the standards of honest, responsible service; to stimulate continuing improvement in the profession and to speak out for what is right, fair and decent. The magazine is published bimonthly and is edited by a professional staff with the advice of a board of editorial advisers. CJR offers a one-year staff position and fellowships to outstanding Journalism School students.