CRAWFORDSVILLE, IN — A couple of years ago, Wabash student journalists formed a partnership with the Journal Review. It was the brainchild of publisher Ron Dietz and then-editor Howard Hewitt to begin to form a relationship with Wabash students who write for the weekly student paper, The Bachelor.
Even in my advisory capacity with the students, I always wondered why they chose to have the school paper printed in Greencastle. It just didn't make sense. First, it was taking business out of this community. Second, our students were at risk when they would drive the paper out of town to be printed at dawn's first light—after pulling an all-nighter to get it done on deadline!
Did someone say class? Yes, and the guys would occasionally sleep through classes on those sleep-deprived Thursday mornings.
The Bachelor is now printed in downtown Crawfordsville by Journal Review press operators. It just makes good sense to do it this way.
But there were other partnerships being formed at that time that continue to this day under editor Tina McGrady and her staff.
The Journal Review has graciously shared its facilities and resources to help educate our students, who otherwise get no journalism training here at Wabash. Allen Santy has helped our very fine photographers grasp and master digital photography. The night desk guys work with our students on the desktop layout and the output of our paper, which is all done on computer these days.
Our students have received help with their writing skills from Journal Review writing coach Ray Moscowitz. And the Journal Review has, in turn, hired our students as interns and stringers over the last few years.
It's a remarkable town-gown partnership of which I'm really quite proud. And the results of the relationship continue to be impressive.
A couple of weeks ago, Wabash's student journalists trotted up to Ball State for the Indiana Collegiate Press Association annual conference. The Bachelor left the weekend with an unprecedented haul of awards: 13 total awards for excellence in student journalism and the state's top collegiate journalist award.
Adam Christensen, who is studying abroad this term, spent last summer working for Hewitt and McGrady as an intern. His work for the Journal Review earned praise from the Hoosier State Press Association. Better still, when he returned to Wabash last fall, he had been inspired and motivated by JR staffers to take his journalism more seriously.
Christensen won the ICPA's Brook Baker Award as the top collegiate journalist in the state two weekends ago. The portfolio of his writing which garnered the award included a wide range of stories, but he was especially saluted for his comprehensive package of features entitled "Gay Today at Wabash;" for his coverage of the September 11 terrorist attacks; and for his coverage of the arts at Wabash.
Jacob Pactor, our editor in chief, in collaboration with Christensen, earned the ICPA award for Best Single Issue, again for his thoughtful and broad coverage of the September 11 attacks. Pactor also won a first place award for Best Column.
And Todd Vogel, whose photographs have been featured in this newspaper, The Bachelor, and the College's alumni magazine, won a host of awards, including Best News Photo and Best Sports Photo.
In all, The Bachelor brought home 13 ICPA print awards. And the best part is that I think the staff put its two best issues of the year together AFTER the ICPA conference.
I'm proud of the students, but I'm also proud of the new partnership we have with the Journal Review. What started out as a smart business decision has reaped benefits far beyond what we ever imagined three years ago.
And we've only scratched the surface.
Jim Amidon is director of public affairs at Wabash and advisor to the Wabash Board of Publications.