June 11, 2007
Former Baltimore Sun Managing Editor
Tony Barbieri Named Foster Professor

Tony Barbieri, a former managing editor of The Baltimore Sun who worked for more than three decades at the award-winning newspaper, has been named the Foster Professor of Writing and Editing at Penn State.

Barbieri succeeds Gene Foreman, the inaugural Foster Professor, who retired from full-time teaching last December.

“We are elated that Tony will be joining our faculty,” Dean Doug Anderson said. “His professional credentials are impressive. He will be a terrific role model, teacher and mentor for our students.”

Barbieri, who has taught since June 2005 in the College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, launched his daily journalism career at the Sun after his graduation from George Washington University in 1970.

“Tony brings a wealth of experience and know-how to the job, given his long and varied career at the Sun,” said John Curley, professor of journalism and distinguished professional in residence. The first editor of USA Today, Curley has served on the Penn State faculty since fall 2001. The College also is home to the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism.

Barbieri’s newsroom experience has impressive range. He worked for three years as a reporter on the metro desk; covered Maryland politics and government for three years; and served as Washington correspondent, where he covered the Congress and U.S. politics, for two years.

His career then took him overseas. He served as the Sun's Moscow correspondent from 1979 to 1983, covering the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Afghanistan and the former Soviet Bloc. He served as Tokyo correspondent from 1984 to 1988, covering Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

Barbieri returned to Baltimore in 1989 as city editor; in 1993, he was named assistant managing editor/news, where he supervised the news desk; in 1997 he became assistant managing editor/metro, where he supervised a 105-person news staff covering news of the Baltimore region and Maryland; and, in 2000, he was named managing editor.

“I’m enormously flattered to be asked to succeed Gene Foreman and I’m looking forward eagerly to joining a talented and highly regarded journalism faculty at Penn State,” Barbieri said. “I’m most impressed by the focus Penn State has on training students for jobs in the newsroom and I hope to be able to bring a little of my own practical experience to the classroom. I think the future for young journalists is as bright as it has ever been and I think it’s more important than ever that they get the kind of journalism education they’ll need to succeed.”

At the University of Maryland, Barbieri directed the journalism school’s Annapolis bureau of the Capital News Service, an intensive semester-long public affairs reporting program that serves some 40 small and medium sized newspapers, broadcast outlets and Web sites throughout the state.

“I’m delighted that Tony Barbieri will be my successor as Foster Professor. Our students will benefit immensely from his dedication, skill and experience as a journalist and a teacher,” Foreman said. “Over the last several years I’ve had the opportunity to work with Tony on professional projects, so I know first-hand just how good he is.”

Barbieri served from 2002-2005 on the board of directors of the Associated Press Managing Editors and he is a member of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

“Tony brings significant reporting and editing experience to the classroom,” said Ford Risley, associate professor of journalism and head of the Department of Journalism. “He is ideally suited to be the new Foster Professor and we are thrilled to have him joining our faculty.”

Penn State Distinguished Alumnus and Lion’s Paw Medal recipient Lawrence Foster (’48 Journ) and his wife, Ellen Miller Foster (’49 AL) endowed the Foster Professorship as part of an effort to serve journalism students and bring them together with some of the nation’s best reporters and writers.

Along with teaching courses in advanced reporting and ethics, the Foster Professor of Writing and Editing helps direct the Foster Conference of Distinguished Writers, which has attracted 18 Pulitzer Prize winners to campus in the past eight years.

Contact information:
Steve Sampsell
Coordinator of College Relations
Phone: (814) 865-8801
Email:sws102@psu.edu