With Reed Sarratt as president, the school formed the Journalism Alumni and Friends Association (JAFA) on Jan. 26, 1980. The group continues to keep alumni connected to the school. The N.C. Journalism Hall of Fame was created in 1981 to honor individuals who have made outstanding and career-long contributions to journalism. Honorees have to have been born in or become distinctly identified with North Carolina. Dean Cole and Gene Robert of the Philadelphia Inquirer created the school's Board of Visitors – now the Board of Advisers – during the 1988-89 academic year. The board is a vehicle to involve a variety of alumni and other media professionals more closely in the school.