Dave Nimmer honored by ThreeSixty -- formerly Urban Journalism -- workshop
Dave Nimmer, professor emeritus of journalism at St. Thomas, received an award Nov. 10 for his work with high school students of color who are interested in pursuing a career in journalism.
Nimmer received the first Widening the Circle Award from ThreeSixty, an organization formerly known as the Urban Journalism Workshop, during a reception at the Binz Rectory.
More than 150 friends, students and former colleagues showed up to heap praise on Nimmer, calling his efforts "extraordinary" and a "selfless" example of the many ways he contributes to the community. Among the speakers were Don Shelby, news anchor for WCCO-TV, and Ifrah Jimale, a St. Thomas journalism major from Somalia.
Nimmer taught at St. Thomas from 1989 to 2000, when he "retired." The Urban Journalism Workshop became affiliated with St. Thomas the following year, and Nimmer since has worked closely with executive director Lynda McDonnell to expand programs beyond a two-week summer camp to include weekend workshops, career fairs and regular mentoring of high school students who want to learn and practice journalism. For more information about ThreeSixty, see www.threesixtyjournalism.org.
Nimmer began his career in 1963 as a general assignment reporter for the Minneapolis Star and worked his way up to become managing editor in 1974. He moved to WCCO-TV in 1979 as a reporter and later served as an associate news director and news talk show co-host.
He continues to work on a part-time basis at St. Thomas, writing and narrating a wide range of videos about St. Thomas people and programs.
Nimmer won a Minnesota Book Award in 1993 for The Journey Goes On, a series of essays. He also published Lessons on the Journey, a collection of short fiction, in 1997.
