Veteran journalist, educator Charles Kaufman to address fall 2019 commencement

Charles Kaufman, veteran journalist and faculty member in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, will be the keynote speaker at one of six commencement ceremonies to be held at Texas State University on Dec. 13-14 in the University Events Center.

Kaufman will speak during the 2 p.m. ceremony Dec. 14, to be attended by degree candidates from the McCoy College of Business Administration and Graduate College.

Degree candidates from the College of Education and Graduate College will attend the 10 a.m. commencement ceremony Dec. 13.

Degree candidates from the College of Applied Arts, University College and Graduate College will attend the 2 p.m. commencement ceremony Dec. 13.

Degree candidates from the College of Liberal Arts and Graduate College will attend the 6 p.m. commencement ceremony Dec. 13.

Degree candidates from the College of Science and Engineering, and Graduate College will attend the 10 a.m. commencement ceremony Dec. 14.

Degree candidates from the College of Fine Arts and Communication, College of Health Professions and Graduate College will attend the 6 p.m. commencement ceremony Dec. 14.

More than 3,500 students are candidates for undergraduate and graduate degrees at Texas State this fall. 

The Sights and Sounds of Christmas festival will be ongoing Dec. 13-14, and the Jingle Bell Run will be held the morning of Dec. 14. Commencement attendees should allow extra time for traffic congestion and parking delays. Parking information for all commencement attendees is available at www.txstate.edu/commencement/faculty-and-staff.html.

Kaufman came to Texas State in January 2005. Previously, he was a columnist for the Pulitzer Prize-winning Arkansas Gazette and business editor for the Austin American-Statesman. He has also published articles through the Society for American Baseball Research and various newspapers.

In almost 15 years with Texas State as a senior lecturer, he has authored two textbooks related to the public relations industry, grown a student-run public relations firm and advised more than 2,500 students as the school's internship, scholarship and career development coordinator. In addition, he has coached eight public relations campaign case study competition teams to national honors.

For many years, he served on the Friends of Fine Arts and Communication board of directors and also served on the Athletic Advisory Council.

A Dallas native, Kaufman received degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. 

Outside of Texas State, he has served on numerous boards of directors and currently is utilizing his creative and strategic skills around the world as the elected president of B’nai B’rith International, a humanitarian and service organization that was founded in 1843, an organization with more than 150,000 members and supporters in more than 50 countries. It is one or the largest nonprofit sponsor of affordable, nonsectarian senior housing in the country. Kaufman has met with world leaders about peace in the Middle East and bias at the United Nations in New York, the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Paris. His leadership has fostered a variety of disaster relief efforts, including medical assistance to Syrian refugees who receive care at the Ziv Medical Center in Israel.