He’s typically the one teaching how to write the story, but at the University of Kentucky Professor Buck Ryan is the story.
Ryan is a tenured associate professor of journalism at UK’s School of Journalism and Telecommunications and resident instructor for JOU 101, the first class prospective journalism students take for the major.
In the School of Journalism’s 80-year history, Ryan served as its eighth director from 1994 to 2002, resigning to become the first executive director of UK’s Scripps Howard First Amendment Center. As director of the First Amendment Center he launched the Citizen Kentucky Project to increase civic literacy and engagement among young people.
Ryan received UK’s Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2003 and was a national runner-up for a 2011 Inspire Integrity Award from the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, Ryan has worked at several newspapers across the country. He was also a professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism from 1981 until 1994, where he was voted one of the top 10 professors by the student newspaper.
Ryan has developed his own concepts and ideas in the field of journalism. One of his most widely recognized contributions is the Maestro Concept, an innovative approach to story planning, writing and newsroom organization for newspapers. To date the concept has impacted 48 states and Washington, D.C., as well as 16 other countries. Ryan has presented and explained his concept at conferences across the nation and around the world.
In 2010 Ryan became the first journalism professor from UK in residence at Shanghai University in China, teaching journalism students the Maestro Concept. He also conducted a workshop about the Maestro Concept in Hanoi, Vietnam and has discussed the concept in Russia at seminars in three different cities.
However, Ryan’s accomplishments don’t end there. His work with the First Amendment Center has had a significant impact on civic education and he has been honored twice as a Kentucky Colonel, the highest civilian honor in the Commonwealth.
Ryan’s knowledge and expertise is evident in the classroom. He has written three books, including Writing Baby, Editing Dog & You: A Friendly Place to Begin Improving Your Writing, which is actively used in the JOU 101 class.
He has also produced four Kentucky Educational Television programs including “Citizen Kentucky/Citizen China: Hope for a New Century,” which aired in July and August 2008 as a lead-in to the Olympics in Beijing. His other KET programs are “Beyond O.J.: A Public Journalism Forum on Domestic Violence,” “More Than Free Speech” and “Citizen Kentucky: Democracy and the Media.”
While Ryan has a long list of accomplishments and awards for his work in journalism and civic education, he remains a professor who cares about his students. He combines his work with civic education and journalism to further expand the horizon for his students.
“I have learned that a good journalist must be a good person and a good citizen. Professor Buck is engaged with his students and knows us by name,” said Arion Wright, freshman journalism major. “Although there is a big lecture hall, he ensures everyone pursues academic excellence.”