La Salle to Award Honorary Doctoral Degree to Alumnus
Tom Curley, President of the Associated Press

La Salle University has announced that alumnus Tom Curley, President and C.E.O. of The Associated Press (AP), will receive an honorary doctoral degree at the University’s Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 13.

Since being named President and C.E.O. of the AP in 2003, Curley is leading the news organization’s evolution from a wire service to a more interactive global news network. “We intend for The Associated Press to be the first words people say when they think of news,” said Curley. During his tenure, the AP became the first western news agency to open a bureau in Pyongang, North Korea, and added staff in Latin America, Asia, and the Mideast, including Iraq, where the AP has more than 100 staff members.

University President, Brother Michael J. McGinniss, F.S.C., Ph.D., said of Curley, “Since graduating, Tom has accomplished so much in his career and still managed to remain involved with La Salle in many ways. He has been a major supporter of the University, including service on the Board of Trustees, and of the Communication Department in particular.”

Curley’s career in journalism began at the age of 15 covering high school basketball for his hometown newspaper Easton Express, now The Express Times (Pa.). While a student at La Salle, Curley served as the editor of the student newspaper, The Collegian. Curley remembers his time at La Salle during the late 1960’s fondly. “In a time of upheaval in the world—civil rights, the Vietnam War—the Christian Brothers never shut down conversations,” said Curley. “They were very adamant about allowing students to speak their minds. They showed leadership and courage when other schools may not have encouraged students to speak up.”

Learning the value of speaking up from the Christian Brothers, Curley has gone a long way. During his tenure at the AP, Curley is known for speaking out in support of a more open government, particularly a citizen’s right to access public information.

Under Curley’s leadership, the AP played a critical role in the establishment of a coalition of news organizations and journalism-related groups to promote an accessible, accountable, and open government. The coalition, Sunshine in Government Initiative, seeks to combat what is seen as increased government secrecy since the 2001 terrorist attacks. For his efforts, Curley was inducted into the National Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame, and presented with the National Press Club’s John Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award in 2006.

Prior to joining the AP, Curley was President and C.E.O. of USA Today, the nation’s largest-selling daily newspaper. He was the original news staffer on the project that led to the creation of USA Today. During his career, he has reported from Europe, Central America, and Asia.

Curley served on the University’s Board of Trustees from 1992 to 2005. Last year, Brother Gerard Molyneaux, F.S.C., Ph.D., professor of communication, and Lynne Texter, Ph.D., chair of the Communication Department, took a group of Communication students to New York to visit several media outlets, including The Associated Press offices. “He is such a classy, kind gentleman” said Texter. “He really took the time to talk with the students, and answer their questions.”

In response to learning he would be the recipient of a La Salle honorary doctoral degree, Curley said, “It’s very, very special to me. I feel very strongly about the work La Salle and Brother Michael McGinniss have done. It feels very special to me to come back 40 years later.”