John Freeman– bio

John G. Freeman is a tenured associate professor of journalism in the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida, where he has been the head of the photojournalism sequence since joining the faculty in fall 1991. Prior to that (1981-1991), he was instructor and assistant professor in the Elliott School of Communication at Wichita State University in Kansas.

Mr. Freeman holds a bachelor of journalism degree with an emphasis in photojournalism from the University of Missouri School of Journalism (1975), and a master's in communications from Wichita State University (1987). The son of a career Air Force sergeant, Mr. Freeman graduated from Berlin American High School in Germany (1971).

His professional newspaper experience includes six years as a staff photographer at the largest newspaper in Kansas, The Wichita Eagle, and internships at the Arizona Republic in Phoenix in 1974, and The Palm Beach Post in Florida in 1975.

During summer 1995, Mr. Freeman renewed his photographic skills by working as a staff photographer at the Los Angeles Times/Orange County Edition, supported in part by a competitive fellowship from the University of Florida. He was selected as "Summer Faculty Fellow" at National Geographic magazine during 1996, and worked in the Washington, D.C. offices for eight weeks.

While working as a journalism faculty member, Mr. Freeman has published freelance photographs in various newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Detroit Free-Press, Kansas City Star and Times, Christian Science Monitor, Boys' Life, Modern Maturity, Business Week, U.S. News and World Report and News Photographer. Mr. Freeman is a member of the Visual Communications division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Communications, and has served as coordinator and moderator for the creative projects juried competitions at the 1996 and 1997 national conventions. He presented two projects at previous conventions and a refereed research paper at the group's convention in 1995.

Mr. Freeman is also active in the National Press Photographers Association, serving as national chairman for the Student Chapters. He has been articles editor for the regional bi-monthly NPPA publication Six-Shooters, and is former editor of a similar magazine for the midwestern region of NPPA.

At the University of Florida, Mr. Freeman was selected by his college colleagues as "Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher 1993-94." In 1994, and again in 1998, he was one of six journalism faculty members chosen to receive a university "Teaching Improvement Program" award. During the seven years Mr. Freeman has selected student entries in the national Hearst Photojournalism competition, his students have placed in the "top five" places six times.