Where to go for inspiration

The best college media website out there is fun, relevant and free!

The Center for Innovations in College Media is a warehouse of ideas and content. http://www.collegemediainnovation.org/blog/

This is the starting place for those looking forward in design and content.

Some highlights:

A collection of college newspaper multimedia projects, like the University of North Carolina's Hurricane Katrina project:

http://files.dailytarheel.com/multimedia/2007-2008/hurricane_07/final/site2.html

…this outstanding piece on how war has affected students, faculty, staff and the community by Cabrini College:

http://pages.cabrini.edu/convergence07/

… or this town/campus map of Lansing, Michigan, which allows students and citizens to update information they think other would like to know

http://www.spartylive.com/main.php

Resources, like this explanation of online components

http://www.macloo.com/journalism/media.htm

And these "cheat sheets":

http://mindymcadams.com/tojou/2008/cheat-sheet-for-multimedia-story-decisions/

and

http://reportr.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/tips-on-how-to-successfully-produce-a-multimedia-story.pdf

And frequent blog posts from online college media guru and founder Bryan Murley.

A quick read gives us:

The ultimate list of what your college media site should include:

http://www.collegemediainnovation.org/blog/2009/02/17/an-ultimate-online-journalism-list/

Its "Nationwide Classroom" series, like this one that teaches writing for the web:

http://www.collegemediainnovation.org/blog/2009/02/12/nationwide-classroom-no-1-writing-for-the-web/#more-1919

And this great "College Journalism Chat" series, where the site hosts a national live chat of student journalists (and sometimes their professors):

http://www.collegemediainnovation.org/blog/2009/02/02/wrap-up-of-last-nights-collegejourn-chat/

The site has a wealth of information, links and resources, all for free. It's a great compilation of all things college media.

Cool opportunities

Our students should be learning in lots of places -- in the classroom, in the newsroom, in the field and off campus.
Here are just a few cool sesions/classes/experiences that maybe they could check out ... there are tons out there. Here are a few.

NAA Foundation News Challenge
... a cutting-edge training session for college students that will harness their creativity to create new content and business models for the news industry.

The one-week program will take place at the campus of the University of Nevada/Reno from May 31 to June 6, 2009. The 15 participating students will be divided into teams to develop real-world prototypes for the newspaper industry. They will interact with digital news executives, advertising and marketing directors, educators and more over the course of the week.

This program will give students a sense of the digital opportunities in the newspaper industry. The NAA Foundation will pay for participants’ travel, housing and meals.

ASNE Reporter
The American Society of Newspaper Editors is looking for juniors, seniors and graduate journalism students to write and copy edit stories, shoot photographs, design web pages and produce an online edition of The ASNE Reporter.

Eighteen students will work side by side with professional newspaper journalists as reporters, copy editors, photographers, page designers and online producers on The ASNE Reporter.

Read by the nation's top editors, The ASNE Reporter showcases the work of talented students, most of whom are minorities. Asian, African American, Hispanic and Native American students are particularly encouraged to apply. The ASNE Reporter will operate from Friday, April 24 through Wednesday April 29, 2009 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago, Ill. Application deadline is March 1, 2009.


The New York Media Experience Program
"NYMEP offers competitive students an exciting and challenging opportunity to live and work in New York for either a Fall or Spring semester. Students are placed with leading television networks, top public relations firms, national magazines, famous sports teams and more.

Housing is safe, comfortable and affordable. The program is full-time - all successful students earn 15 college credits while gaining valuable career contacts and experience and taking online Communication courses, too!"

Contests

I think one of the ways the college paper can maintain prominence is through winning awards. Here is a site that has gathered information on several.

The awards and information on how to enter them on this page include Associated Collegiate Press, College Photographer of the Year, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the Hearst awards, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Society for Collegiate Journalists, the Society for News Design, the Society of Professional Journalists and many others.

I would also seek to get students and the paper entered into state contests, like AP-One and SPJ Oklahoma.

Additionally, there are tons of niche contests. I once entered a $1,000 media contest sponsored by the (I swear I am not making this up) American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. I got beat by Dave Barry. True story! But you never know when a story will fit the very narrow criteria of certain organizations, and many of them have a student division.

Like the Society of Environmental Journalists' $1,000 award for Outstanding Student Reporting
or the Religion Newswriters Association's $600 Chandler Award for college media.

I think the adviser can boost the students individually and the paper as a whole by being the awards go-to guy. Or gal, as the case may be.

Where to start

It seems like this would be a good place to go ....

From the College Media Adviser's site:

Start with CMA's Digital CAMPUS initiative. For the first time, "CMA will sponsor an advisers' workshop on New Media Essentials to better equip advisers on how to provide leadership and training for the newsroom of the future."

http://www.collegemedia.org/nyc2009#MediaPro

Next session is March 14 in New York City, $79 (plus conference registration) the day before the spring CMA convention.

Description: It can be overwhelming or advisers to understand multimedia demands on student media today. This workshop will discuss and examine what advisers need to know, New Media 101. Instructors and advisers will discuss content management systems, equipment and software needs and training essentials. This is an opportunity for advisers to fell less intimidated by new media and learn how to talk the talk, and walk the walk of the future of journalism story telling.

Next session would be in the fall ...