By By Brendan O’Reilly

New York Daily News Columnist and Associate Professor at the University, E.R. Shipp has been installed as the Lawrence Stessin Distinguished Professor in Journalism in the University School of Communication.

This distinction is recognition of Shipp’s “outstanding work as a journalist,” Sybil DelGaudio, dean of the School of Communication, said. The honor is awarded to full time faculty members with a strong place in the field of journalism.

The distinction was awarded to Shipp on Monday during a convocation ceremony at the University Club. Former New York City Mayor David N. Dinkins, President Rabinowitz and Rev. Darren A. Ferguson were among the speakers.

Shipp is a wonderful voice for the New York City community who is “unpredictable in terms of her positions,” DelGaudio said.

Shipp was born in Coyners, Ga. and earned her bachelor of arts in journalism at Georgia State, but has lived in New York for more than three decades.

Shipp won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1996 for her column in the New York Daily News. She writes about various social issues including racism and welfare. Shipp has been a columnist for the Daily News since 1994. She was also a reporter and editor for The New York Times for 13 years.

Even though she left the Times in 1993, she wrote Rosa Parks’ obituary for the paper. The obituary appeared on the cover of the Times on Oct. 25.

Shipp started teaching at the University this fall and previously taught at Columbia University where she received three postgraduate degrees.

Since coming to the University, she has initiated a plan for a community newspaper for the areas around campus produced by students that will start online and move to print if it is successful.