For years, this university has been rightfully known for its technical accomplishments, namely the fields of biomedical engineering, nanotechnology and esteemed sports programs.

Now it is the journalism department’s turn to step up from the shadows cast by the other, far larger programs.

A Tech journalism alumnus in Biloxi, Miss., did something no Tech graduate has done before. Stan Tiner, of The Sun Herald, accepted a Pulitzer Prize for his paper’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina in Southern Mississippi.

“We are incredibly honored that our paper would be recognized like that,” Tiner said.

Though staff members lost their homes along side their neighbors, the staff remained dedicated to their paper, and the  coverage of the destruction continued.

Tech President Dan Reneau called Tiner’s achievement “a milestone.” The winning of this award has pushed the university nearer to the center stage it is steadily earning.

“I think it’s a very big deal for this department and the university. We want to show off our great achievements,” Reneau said.

The department of journalism is one of the smallest programs on campus, with only four professors and fewer than 20 graduates per year.

As with most small departments, however, we are fiercely proud of the achievements of our undergraduates, faculty and alumni.

Journalism has always felt confident in its university role. This newspaper is advised by the department, and The Tech Talk and Tech  journalism are almost synonymous. Now there is campus-wide, recognizable proof of what we have always known.

Our undergraduates have interned from the local Ruston Daily Leader to Seventeen magazine in New York City. Our alumni are scattered from Florida to Wyoming, and most places in between. Though the average student may not recognize this, media outlets around the nation request Tech graduates when filling new positions.

We at The Tech Talk realize that students attending this university are attending the best school possible. Excellence begets excellence; our graduates are not merely riding on the coattails of their predecessors, they are picking up where the alumni have left off and blazing trails of their own.

We extend our congratulations to Tiner for the Pulitzer Prize, and other journalism alumni for their many achievements. We congratulate our peers in the fields of biomedical engineering, nanotechnology, esteemed sports programs and others who are good at what they do.

We stand with you in pride of our university and alumni.

Keep up the good work.