Baird Journalism Dinner Honors Rob Kyff

There are nights when a school gathers not just to celebrate a person, but to recognize an entire way of seeing the world. The Baird Journalism Dinner was one of those nights. Students, faculty, alumni, and generations of former editors filled the room to honor retiring faculty member Rob Kyff, whose influence on student journalism has spanned decades. Kyff didn’t just oversee a publication; he built a culture, grounded in curiosity, discipline, and the belief that student voices matter.

Framed on each table in the dining hall were quotes from former KO News students who paid tribute to the steady guidance and wise presence of Kyff, a very special touch. The quotes noted how Kyfff always gave them the room to express themselves. However, when the topic became too “heated”, Kyff would pose the question to his students: “Do you think there is another way to look at this?” Another table was lined with old KO News issues that were published during Kyff’s tenure, from the impact of 9/11 to the latest English Symposium author. Current KO News staffers gathered around the table, pointing at the subject matter, laughing, and discussing the changing times and coverage.

After introductions from current KO News advisor Cathy Scheiffelin and Editor in Chief Juliana Chipelo, Kyff rose to speak with characteristic humility and low-key humor. “After hearing all these wonderful words,” he began, “it seems like a different person to me than the one I know inside.” What a fitting opening for someone who spent a career elevating others, student writers, editors, and storytellers, while quietly shaping one of the school’s most enduring institutions.

He reminded students that what they produce each month is no small thing.“It’s a lively, informative paper,” he said. “It does truly reflect the life of the community.” That reflection—of student life, of issues that matter, of moments both big and small—has been the heartbeat of the publication under his leadership. And it’s why so many former editors returned for the evening, a testament to the lasting imprint of their experience.

Kyff shared his own story of becoming a journalist, starting when he was just eight years old, visiting a broadcast control room beneath a New York Yankees game with his father, who worked in advertising.

Watching a director calmly orchestrate multiple camera angles “like a symphony conductor,” he recalled, ignited a passion that never left him.  He was so inspired that, upon returning home, he fashioned a homemade “TV studio” in the basement and wrote about a neighbor changing the locks on a shed in the neighborhood newspaper. Later in his career, he worked in public relations/communication at Target and wrote multiple published essays

Beyond viewing journalism as a career, Kyff urged the students to think like journalists. He challenged students to become “lifelong journalists,” regardless of the path they choose. That means: Keep writing, no matter your profession. Be observant, noticing the details others miss. Listen deeply and ask thoughtful, open-ended questions. Take notes, showing respect for ideas and conversations. Persist, even in the face of rejection

In a moment that felt especially relevant, he addressed the role of technology in writing, offering a clear and thoughtful perspective. Writing, he said, is ultimately human. “It seems to me so generic… it takes the life out of writing,” he noted about AI-generated work, adding that “writing is an act of the heart.”