Holmes Selected as the 2018 Johnson Fellow

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T.J. Holmes

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas alumnus T.J. Holmes will visit the university campus April 3-5 as the Arkansas Alumni Association’s 2018 Johnson Fellow.

The Johnson Fellows program is named for Dr. Jeff Johnson, B.A. ’70, and his wife, Marcia.  The Johnsons endowed the program in 2009 with the specific purpose of bringing esteemed alumni back to the University of Arkansas campus to engage and inspire students. 

Holmes will share his expertise in class rooms and other venues.  He will be delivering the Roy Reed Lecture during J-Days, an annual program of the U of A School of Journalism and Strategic Media. Holmes will speak in multiple journalism classes, including engaging with the TV 1 and TV 2 students. During his visit, he will participate in the U of A Birthday Celebration.

“As a student at the U of A, I never could have imagined that one day my university would invite me back to campus to be recognized for my career achievements,” said Holmes. “It’s one of the greatest compliments I could ever receive.”

Holmes, a native of West Memphis who now resides in New York, is an ABC News anchor and correspondent and a regular contributor to “Good Morning America”. During his 19-year journalism career, Holmes has reported around the country and the world  on major news events from presidential elections and the Olympics in Athens and Rio to natural and man-made disasters. Prior to joining ABC in 2014, Holmes worked as broadcast journalist and anchor in local stations in Missouri, Arkansas and California before joining CNN in 2006.  He spent five years as an anchor of CNN Saturday/Sunday Morning. He has also worked with BET and MSNBC.

“Marcia and I are honored and excited to welcome T.J. Holmes back to campus as this year’s Johnson Fellow”, said Jeff Johnson. “Students across the campus will benefit from the story of his career path after graduation from the university.”

Holmes graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism. In 2007, Holmes was named the Arkansas Alumni Association Young Alumni Award recipient. He currently serves as a member of the Campaign Arkansas Steering Committee. Holmes previously served for four years on the Chancellor’s Board of Advisors from 2008-2012. 

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.