Samuel G. Freedman is an award-winning author, columnist, and educator. The author of eight books, he has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and has won the Helen M. Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism and the National Jewish Book Award. He recently concluded a 12-year stint as a columnist for The New York Times. A tenured professor of journalism at Columbia University, Freedman has been named the nation’s Outstanding Journalism Educator by Sigma Delta Chi and received Columbia’s Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching.

A 1977 graduate of UW with majors in history and journalism, Freedman wrote for the Daily Cardinal between 1973 and 1976. He also served on the Cardinal’s governing board for two years. As a senior in the 1976-77 academic year, he worked in the backshop with the legendary Phil and Orv, with duties that included sneaking six-packs of beer and airline bottles of vodka into the back room where the printing plates were stored. Perhaps most importantly, during his sophomore year, Freedman served as Pizza Commissioner for the Cardinal’s annual pizza contest.