History of SCJ

• History of Pi Delta Epsilon
• History of Alpha Phi Gamma
• History of the Regalia

The Society for Collegiate Journalists was formed on June 1, 1975, when two Greek-letter journalism societies merged. The honorary organizations of Pi Delta Epsilon (PDE) and Alpha Phi Gamma (APG) joined to become the Society for Collegiate Journalists.

The impetus for merger began in 1956-1957 when Dr. Louis Ingelhart, APG President, contacted other collegiate journalism organizations throughout the country, suggesting that they merge to form a strong unified organization.

Alpha Delta, one of the other journalism groups, disbanded in 1957 and merged with APG, but no other merger activity took place. The desire for unification, however, did not die.

There were efforts throughout the 1960s to get PDE and APG together. Officers from APG attended several PDE National Conventions and the groups met frequently at the Associated Collegiate Press conventions.

In 1973, Daniel E. Thornburgh of Eastern Illinois University, PDE First Vice-President, pushed hard for merger talks again with APG but to no avail. The PDE National Convention of 1973 voted down a merger proposal, but Thornburgh continued his work and asked APG National President Glen A.W. Kleine and J. William Click, APG Executive Secretary, to attend the 1975 PDE National Convention and participate in renewed merger discussions.

John David Reed of Eastern Illinois University was adviser and coordinator of the PDE constitution committee assigned to handle the merger question, and through his efforts and those of many other PDE student members, a proposal was adopted. Kleine and Click took the proposal back to APG and its membership adopted the merger by mail ballot. Under the agreement, a former PDE officer was to be President, an APG officer would be First Vice-President, and Thornburgh, who was PDE President at the 1975 convention, became Immediate Past President, effecting an orderly transition.

A new constitution for the Society was written under Reed’s direction and another constitution committee at the 1977 SCJ National Convention, headed by Wilford Kale of the College of William and Mary, finalized the document. The constitution was formally adopted during the convention’s final hours. In 1981, the National Convention opened membership in the Society to two-year colleges, providing that they adhere to the constitutional requirements in the establishment and organization as any other four-year school chapter. The first two-year colleges to receive a charter were Cowley County Community College, Kansas City, Kans.; Kingsborough Community College, Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Ocean County Community College, Toms River, N.J. The basic tenets of PDE and APG continue to live and flourish in the reorganized SCJ organization.

More recently, SCJ formed an alliance with SPJ, the Society of Professional Journalists. Upon graduation, SCJ members pay only one-half the regular SPJ dues for the first two years as they launch their careers.