Distinguished Alumni Luncheon Honors Holly Rowe and Student Scholars

The College of Humanities hosted the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Luncheon on Thursday, May 1st at the Ken Garff University Club. The spacious venue overlooking the field at Rice-Eccles Stadium filled with energetic discussion and laughter as students and their families, alumni, faculty, and staff gathered to celebrate.

Wanda Pillow, dean of the College of Humanities, welcomed the audience with a brief foray into the joys found in living a life rich with the humanities. “Those of us who pursue the humanities choose pathways to fulfillment, leadership, and lifelong skills to address our world’s most complex problems,” said Pillow. “As you step into the world as graduates, remember that your education has prepared you to think creatively and critically.  To ask questions about our world and your place within it.”

This year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipient was Holly Rowe, Emmy Award-winning ESPN sports reporter and alumna of the Department of Communication. Introducing Rowe, Pillow listed just a few of Holly’s professional “firsts” as a sports journalist, which include “covering the first Utah women’s basketball game ever aired on the radio in the early ’90s, and with that Humanities tenacity and her own fearless grit, she made history in 2021 as the first female commentator to cover a Utah Jazz game.”

Rowe, who graduated with a BA in Journalism in 1991, has dedicated much of her career to telling the stories of women’s sports. She has covered the College Football National Championships, the Women’s Final Four, WNBA Championships, the Softball World Series and much more, including covering every step of Caitlyn Clark’s record-breaking basketball career at the University of Iowa and entry into the WNBA.  As a lead sideline reporter for the WNBA, Rowe’s passionate and insightful voice showcases players’ talent and athleticism and elevates the visibility of women's sports to a broader audience.

Rowe took the podium for an emotional acceptance of the Distinguished Alumni Award, talking about her inspirations and career mentors as well as her experiences as a student in the Department of Communication working for the student paper and anchoring the campus TV station news. She drew a laugh from the crowd with her admission that she was a “really not a very good student, but what I was, was a really hard worker.”

To honor Rowe’s connections to the College of Humanities, Marcie Young Cancio, clinical associate professor of communication and faculty adviser to the student newspaper the Daily Utah Chronicle, presented Rowe with a gift. The student staff specially designed a framed newspaper cover to commemorate her return to campus and celebrate Rowe, who was herself a student reporter at the Chrony.

After Rowe’s speech, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Mike Middleton, professor of communication, took the stage to announce the College’s student awards. From the Exemplary Undergraduate and Convocation Speaker to the members of the John R. Park Debate Society (the most winning team on campus!), Humanities students were recognized for making a difference in their academic work, on campus, and in the broader community.

Dean Pillow concluded the event by sharing her continued gratitude for the donors, alumni, faculty, staff, and students who make up the College of Humanities, saying “I am so honored and proud to be your Dean, and I am excited to continue celebrating each of your many accomplishments this week and for years to come!”