Strong receives prestigious educators award from National Press Photographers Association

Bruce Strong, associate professor in the Department of Visual and Interactive Communications at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, received the Robin F. Garland Educator Award from the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA). The award is given for outstanding service as a photojournalism educator.

NPPA presented the organization’s top honors and awards for the year during the Sprague Awards Dinner this June in Charleston, S.C., and winners included industry leaders who are changing the face of photojournalism in the new era of multimedia, as well as educators who are preparing college students for journalism’s constantly changing future.

Strong, who has shot assignments as a photojournalist in more than 50 countries, was recognized for his outstanding service as an educator. One former student wrote in his nomination, “Bruce is a life changer.” In addition to his teaching, Strong serves as a mentor and coach to photography students to help them take their work to extraordinary levels of professionalism, most notably working with students in the international Alexia Competition. He is also a leader in Newhouse’s News 21 project, guiding students to successful projects for this prestigious Carnegie-sponsored program.

Strong received a bachelor’s degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a master’s degree from Ohio University.

The Robin F. Garland Educator Award honors Garland, who was a picture editor and war correspondent for the Saturday Evening Post until he joined Graflex Inc. as press technical representative after World War II. Later he became a press photography products specialist for Eastman Kodak Co. He died in December 1972.