The Phillipian

Gully will no longer visit the newsroom on Mondays and Wednesdays. (Y. Watanabe/ The Phillipian)

Andrew Gully, Faculty Advisor to The Phillipian and Former Managing Editor of the Boston Herald, will step down after six years of dedicated service to PA.

Gully will continue serving as the Senior Vice President of Communications and External Affairs at Brandeis University.

Gully has had a passion for journalism since childhood.

He said, “My father read five papers a day, three from Boston and two from Worcester, so I grew up awash in newsprint.”

Gully entered journalism in 1976 through the Lawrence-Eagle Tribune.

“Through the cooperative education program at Northeastern University, I [became] the night reporter, chasing car crashes, crime and fires. I [also] covered some municipal meetings and did the church page listings,” Gully said.

Over 11 years, Gully ascended through the ranks at the Boston Herald.

He said, “I worked my way up to city editor, political editor, head of the news department, then managing editor. Like most newsrooms, in the Herald you were judged story-by-story, edition-by-edition, and your bosses looked at you with pretty hard eyes, so you learned painful lessons.”

Gully assumed the role of advisor to The Phillipian after meeting with Nina Scott, Instructor in English and Faculty Advisor to The Phillipian and Barbara Chase, Head of School.

He said, “I ended up volunteering to assist Mrs. Scott. When she went on sabbatical a few years ago, I took over and remained as a formal co-advisor when she returned.”

“Both Mrs. Scott and I have tried to share all aspects of our reporting and editing experience with every Phillipian staff member we’ve worked with. It ranges from broad concepts like fairness, accuracy and balance, to basics like clean, concise writing and the difference between news and commentary,” Gully continued.

While working with The Phillipian, Gully advised the Senior Board and provided a redline, or constructive criticism, for each issue.

He said, “In the end, the most important lessons are understanding that the paper is part of a community, and it should reflect the shared values of that community.”

As an advisor, Gully constantly critiqued mistakes and pushed editors to strive for perfection.

“Many of my gray hairs are due to The Phillipian. I was once forced to tell an editor I’d tie him to the rear bumper of my car and drag him down Route 495 if he kept personally fouling up. He took it pretty well. In any event, he graduated,” said Gully.

“There were many highs,” said Gully. “[I’ve enjoyed] watching the editors, reporters, photographers, cartoonists, webmasters and business managers grow, work together and reach levels they never thought they could reach.”

Gully believes The Phillipian is a “unique and incredible institution” and urged editors to never take their independence for granted.

“[The Phillipian] is excellent and at the top of its peer group. Like every newspaper in America, no edition is perfect, but the editors are consistently aspiring to be the best they can, even when they falter. And some weeks, it’s magic [because] it’s so good,” he said.

Gully said, “It’s been a great and challenging time, and I will miss seeing each board come in, a bit frightened and in awe, and watch them develop into very good journalists during their tenure.

“The effort, determination and pure endurance of the staffs, along with their ability to work in squalor and through a haze of fatigue, all while doing homework and completing college applications, has been incredible,” Gully added.