Journalism Students: You could win a free international study tour of Japan.  Visit the home page of CMA's website at www.collegemedia.org to download the brochure and get more information.

Dear CMA members:

College Media Advisers has changed its name to College Media Association.

The change means that those who lack the title of adviser, but nevertheless advise student media, are welcomed into our organization of professionals who help students improve their media operations. It means that CMA has become more inclusive and could broaden its membership because of that inclusivity.

The name College Media Advisers implied that we might not offer services, information or importance to someone who was not an adviser. That’s simply not the case. CMA strives to serve all who work with college student media – professionals and faculty in advertising and business, broadcast, digital and editorial.

It also means CMA can keep its brand and will not have to change its logo.

For years, those who lacked the title of adviser have mentioned that they often felt as if they didn’t belong in CMA. CMA’s name change is similar to professional organizations that already have made such a change. The Radio Television News Directors Association last month became the Radio Television Digital News Association. The Associated Press Managing Editors earlier this year became the Associated Press Media Editors. Those groups changed their names to be more inclusive of members as well.

CMA’s board of directors decided, with the changing media landscape, that the time had come to make the change.

The new name will allow CMA to better define its role in the changing media world. Under the new name, we can become one voice for all college media professionals.

CMA didn’t make this move lightly. The board announced it was considering such a move and the CMA listserv was abuzz with comments about the proposed name change, the majority of them positive. At the National College Media Convention in Orlando, the CMA board took two straw polls – one at the Advisory Council meeting, the other at the membership meeting. In both cases, the votes overwhelmingly favored the name change.

The change also is not without precedent. The name College Media Advisers was adopted in the early 1980s. Before then, though, CMA was known as the National Council of College Publications Advisers.  

Our services remain the same. The focal point of those services is CMA’s new website. I invite you to visit collegemedia.org daily to find updated content, the CMA directory and even videos. By logging on, you can communicate with your peers easily and learn about upcoming conventions and events. It also contains CMA’s Code of Ethics that we all need to help us survive those tumultuous times that we face.

On the website, you can create a profile so that others will know how to contact you. You can even post a photo to allow members to see who you are. The details are available on the website’s home page.

While CMA has changed its name, its mission remains clear – to provide services to all who advise college media. Those services you know and have used in the past will not disappear. CMA hopes to offer more services to its members in the future. The board and I will listen to you and to what services you want.

We’ll just do so with a revitalized, inclusive vision – and a new name.

Thank you for your CMA membership. Let’s work together to make sure that college media continues to thrive on campuses throughout the United States and beyond.

Sincerely

David Swartzlander

CMA President

College Media Association announces its Hall of Fame award winners for 2011, Bill Neville, University of Alabama-Birmingham, and James Tidwell, Eastern Illinois University.

The two were inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Orlando, Fla., at the National College Media Convention.

The Hall of Fame is College Media Association's highest honor, recognizing longtime members whose dedication, commitment and sacrifice have contributed to the betterment and value of student media programs. It also recognizes members who have devoted extensive and varied service to CMA. Hall of Fame winners must have been active CMA members and contributors to college journalism education for at least 20 years.

Neville, production manager for UAB Student Media for the past four years, has served CMA as treasurer and as director of marketing and promotions, in addition to making extensive contributions to committees, publications, convention presentations and workshops. Prior to coming to UAB, he served as coordinator of student media at Georgia Southern University for more than 20 years. Georgia Southern selected him for an Outstanding Service Award.

Tidwell, chair of the department of journalism at EIU, also was given CMA's prestigious Louis E. Ingelhart First Amendment Award in 1998 for his work supporting the First Amendment. He has served the organization as editor of Keeping Free Presses Free and as committee chair, workshop and convention presenter, and contributor to publications. In addition, he has been director of Illinois Journalism Education Association for nearly 20 years.

CMA’s book auction at the national convention raised $900 for the Student Press Law Center while helping students and advisers find interesting reading material, sometimes at bargain prices.

The SPLC answers nearly 1,000 requests from college media for legal help annually, and the annual auction gives CMA members and budding journalists a chance to show their appreciation with their wallets.

“SPLC is our champion,” said Sally Renaud, CMA past president. “It has the ability to help CMA members and their staffs quickly navigate legal hurdles.”

While $900 is a tiny percentage of the SPLC budget, more than the money is at stake, said Frank LoMonte, SPLC executive director.

“Every dollar that a person spends on a book at the auction or puts into the bowl at the awards ceremony is a vote of confidence that helps us attract the five-figure institutional grants we depend on to keep the doors open,” LoMonte said.

Small donations also are important to the SPLC staff personally, LoMonte said.

“When you see people giving up their time to work that auction table out of the goodness of their hearts, it energizes you to keep doing this work that can be so exhausting,” he said.

In addition to books, this year’s auction featured a pencil box hand made by CMA member Nils Rosdahl from more than 20 pieces of printer’s type. Rosdahl displayed a model at the auction table and promised to customize one for the winning bidder.

Renaud said she hopes to see the book auction expanded next year to include more non-book items. For example, a recent auction to benefit SPLC at a high school journalism conference included signed Twins memorabilia, cameras, iTunes gift cards, local restaurant certificates, classroom books and more.

CMA members can help by collecting books and other items – starting right now. Put a box in your office, and when it’s full, send it to our fall 2012 collection point:

The Alestle/Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Morris University Center Room 2022

Edwardsville, IL  62026

Attn: Tammy Merrett-Murry

CMA members make auction a success

CMA members donated their books and their time to make the annual auction to benefit the Student Press Law Center a success.

Book donors included: Amanda Banner, James Niedbalski, Mike Grundmann, Michele Corriel, Frank LoMonte, Dan Reimold, Elena Jarvis, Judy Gibbs Robinson, Kelley Callaway, Debra Garfinkle, Susan Smith and Nils Rosdahl.

Volunteers included: Steve Wilkes, Nils Rosdahl, Nicole Hill, Peggy Elliott, Kelley Callaway, Stacy Sparks, Macon McGinley, Susan Smith, Elena Jarvis, Dana Peck, Kim Zarkin, Bob Adams, Julie Freeman, Alexa Capeloto, Tammy Merrett-Murry, Clay Scott, Mandi Bryson, Pat Winters Lauro, Judy Gibbs Robinson, Mike Trice, and Ron and Margie White.

Submit your research papers for AEJMC in Chicago

The college press will have a presence at the annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication convention in 2012 – with your help!

CMA is soliciting research papers on the topics of concern to media advisers, whether they be about their jobs or about the successes and challenges for college students as they produce their newspapers, magazines, yearbooks, television and radio programs and online sites

According to former CMA and AEJMC President Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver, for more than 10 years, CMA has had a research paper session at the convention dealing with issues facing college media. At the AEJMC convention in August 2012, this tradition will continue. 

 

While the papers should be about issues the college media face, that topic is wide open. For example, one topic of interest is getting students to embrace the culture and immediacy of multimedia: advisers can show them tools but students often don't see the urgency. Perhaps this is a cultural issue. What else? Perhaps some research on the job load/training of advisers?  Perhaps funding of student media? Perhaps millennial students and how newsroom dynamics have changed because of them? 

Other thoughts? All would make interesting research papers. 

Brian Steffen of Simpson College, who was panel's moderator last year, will repeat his performance in Chicago.

 

Based on the paper's topics and findings, selected panelists will make 10- or 12-minute presentations. In addition, because the papers will be relevant to members of CMA, it is hoped the papers might be selected for publication in future issues of "College Media Review." Selected papers will be chosen by early May.

Papers should be sent to Sally Renaud, CMA past president, by April 1: Department of Journalism, Eastern Illinois University, 600 Lincoln Ave., Charleston, IL 61920. For more information, contact her at serenaud@eiu.edu.

The Crimson newspaper at Florida Institute of Technology has been awarded $500 by College Media Advisers to underwrite its “Free Speech, Free Press, Free Dessert Day” on campus.

The event will feature lectures, a free speech zone and food to highlight the First Amendment and its freedoms. The event on Jan. 22, 2012, is being coordinated by the staff of the Crimson and its adviser, Ted Petersen.

CMA established the Ingelhart First Amendment Fund in October 2001 to educate college students about freedoms protected by the First Amendment. The fund is named in honor of retired Ball State University journalism professor and foremost First Amendment scholar Louis E. Ingelhart who has dedicated much of his life to studying, writing about and teaching the First Amendment.

The Ingelhart Fund will be used to underwrite innovative free expression education programs on the campuses of CMA members. All active CMA members will be eligible to apply for an annual grant from the fund. Through programs conceived and executed by advisers and students and funded by the Ingelhart endowment, CMA can do its part to protect the First Amendment, one campus at a time.

In light of recent developments in the realm of student media and the courts in which students’ First Amendment rights have been further eroded, this year might be a most appropriate time to consider mounting a program designed to educate your campus and community about the First Amendment.

Requests for Ingelhart First Amendment grants are accepted through Sept. 30 each year. The grants are awarded to CMA members to underwrite programs designed to elevate awareness of First Amendment freedoms on an individual campus. Grant amounts awarded can range from $250 to $1,000 for the winning applicants.

For more information and an application go to:

http://www.cma.cloverpad.org/Default.aspx?pageId=1111881

As the conference wraps up in Orlando, please remember to evaluate the sessions you attended. With your feedback, the board and convention planners can do a better job of serving you next year.

Please go to http://www.cma.cloverpad.org/Default.aspx?pageId=1114499 to provide your online opinions on the sessions.

Thanks to all the advisers who presented sessions at this year's conference. Your contribution is appreciated.

Congratulations to David Swartzlander who was sworn in as our new president and Rachele Kanigel who was sworn in as vice president at the conference.

Some updates on the College Media Conference starting Oct. 26 in Orlando, Fla.

From CMA President Sally Renaud:

At its meeting in August, the CMA Board voted on recommending several changes to the current CMA bylaws based on requests from our membership, as well as some financial considerations. Two of these changes (Articles I and XII) will be voted on at the CMA members meeting from 10-11:20 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, in the Oceans Ballroom 10.

An overview:

The first is to allow Lifetime Members the right to vote. Since 1990, 40 retired members have been awarded this status. In Orlando, four more will be added to this list: Steve Ames, Pat Parish, Linda Puntney and Ron Spielberger. We know that many from that list of 40 will choose not to vote in CMA elections. However, Lifetime Members who remain active, continue to present sessions and attend conventions have asked for the change, as recently expressed on the listserv by Lesley Marcello. We think she's right.

The second is to allow provisions for electronic notification of bylaw changes, etc. As you know, our CMA newsletter is not only posted on the website, but it has been produced by editor Sacha DeVroomen Bellman as an e-newsletter with continuous updates, providing members with current information. With this bylaw change, our website, listserv, email blasts and newsletter can now serve as notification sites for our membership. Thirty days notice still will be required. Hundreds of dollars will be saved in mailing costs by this change.

I have attached the bylaw changes, which are in bold. This will also be in our newsletter, posted on the CMA website.

A special thanks to Vice President for Member Services Chris Poore for drafting the changes on behalf of the board. Our bylaws can be found at www.cma.cloverpad.org/Default.aspx?pageId=1111723.

Feel free to contact me or any of the CMA officers if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing all of you at the members meeting in October!

Early-bird registration for the 2011 College Media Convention Oct. 26-30 in Orlando is fast approaching, so if you're still on the fence of whether to spend that travel money, a few reminders for you about what's in store.