Ithacan a Crown Award Finalist

The Ithacan has been named a Crown Award finalist for both the Fall 2005 and Spring 2006 semesters by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Being named a finalist means the paper has won either a Gold or a Silver Crown. The awards will be announced at the CSPA conference in New York on March 17.
Beth Quill ’06 was editor in chief for 2005-06. The papers from that year have already received the Pacemaker Award from the Associated Collegiate Press.
Crown Awards are the highest recognition given by the CSPA. The Ithacan last won a Silver Crown in 2004.

Kelli Grant in the Times

Kelli B. Grant ’04, now a reporter at SmartMoney.com in New York, made her first appearance as a writer in the New York Times this week with a freelance piece on community investing called “Putting Your Money Where Your Heart Lies.”
While this was Kelli's first appearance in the Times as a writer, she has been featured there before. Last November the Times ran a story on her search for an apartment in Manhattan, “Shooting the Moon, on a Budget.”
While at IC, Kelli worked at The Ithacan as a news reporter, news editor and special projects manager.

Headed for the Foreign Service

Megan Tetrick ’03, one of our former opinion editors, has been awarded a prestigious Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship to pursue her graduate education at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. She is studying for a master's degree in international affairs.
The fellowship, which is funded by the State Department, attracts and prepares recipients for the U.S. foreign service.
After graduation from IC, Megan spent nearly three years in the Peace Corps teaching English in the Ukraine. While there she learned Ukrainian and Russian.
After she completes her degree at Columbia, she will intern at an embassy abroad as part of the fellowship; she will then train at the Foreign Service Institute in Washington, D.C., and receive an assignment as a foreign service officer.

The Ithacan Wins a Pacemaker, an Online Pacemaker and More

In a clean sweep of major awards at the 85th annual National College Media Convention in St. Louis, October 25–29, The Ithacan came home with a Pacemaker Award, an Online Pacemaker Award and a First Place, Best of Show Award.
This is the first time a paper has won all three awards in the history of the convention.
The Pacemakers were for work produced during the 2005-06 academic year (Elizabeth Quill ’06, editor in chief). The October 12, 2006, issue captured the Best in Show award. Current editor in chief Vanessa Schneider (shown here with the plaques) accepted the awards on behalf of the paper.
The Pacemaker, presented each year by the Associated Collegiate Press and the Newspaper Association of America Foundation, is widely regarded as "the Pulitzer Prize of collegiate journalism," and is one of the most prestigious student journalism awards in the country. This is the fourth time, and the second consecutive year, that The Ithacan has won the Pacemaker; the paper has been a finalist four times in the past five years.

Another Alum Ties the Knot

Jen Quinzi ’00 married Chris D'Agnes in St. Mary's Church in Auburn on October 28. Shown here at the reception are, left to right, Jen and Chris; Suzie O'Rourke ’00, who served as one of the wedding photographers; Melissa Bloomrose Bluey ’00 and Rob Bluey ’01. Jen and Melissa were layout co-editors at the Ithacan. Jen went on to edit the Cayugan during her senior year at IC. Since then she has earned a master's degree from the Pratt Institute; she is currently working as a graphic artist at PBS in New York.

Eat Your Heart Out, ICQ

The Ithaca College Quarterly may not publish wedding photos anymore, but that needn't stop us. Here's a shot from the October 14 wedding of former Ithacan editor in chief Ellen Stapleton ’03 and Ben Hale in Reading, Pa. In attendance were such Ithacan luminaries as Anne Walters Custer, Liz Crowley, Megan Tetrick and "Receptionist of the Year" Julie Scott.

We're Pacemaker Finalists Again

The Ithacan has once again been named a finalist for one of the top journalism awards in the country. This week the Associated Collegiate Press named the paper a finalist for its Pacemaker Award — an honor widely regarded as "the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism."
The nomination is for papers produced during the 2005–06 academic year. The editor in chief during that period was Elizabeth Quill ’06.
The paper’s website is also a finalist for the Online Pacemaker award. Winners will be announced during the 85th annual National College Media Convention October 25-29 in St. Louis.
The paper won the Pacemaker for the third time last year, and has been a finalist four times in the last five years.

Anniversary Cruise a Success

The Ithacan editors in chief for the last seven years were among the 45 guests aboard the Ithacan 75th Anniversary Cocktail Cruise on Cayuga Lake June 3 during Reunion Weekend. Shown here are (from left) Anne Walters Custer (editor in chief 2004-05), Joe Geraghty (2003-04), Kylie Yerka (2001-02), Michael Bloomrose (2000-01), Elizabeth Quill (2005-06), Robert B. Bluey (1999–2000), and Ellen Stapleton (2002-03). Photo by Melissa Thornley Bloomrose.

Last Day to Register

Today is the last day to register for the Ithacan's 75th anniversary cocktail cruise at Reunion, June 3. A lot of your former Ithacan colleagues will be there, and it should be a great time. You can register by following the link in the right-hand column, or by going to the IC Alumni Relations web site.
Hope to see you all there.

New Ithacan Editor

Vanessa Schneider ’07 has been selected as editor in chief of The Ithacan for the 2006-07 academic year. The Ithaca College Board of Student Publications interviewed three candidates for the position last night and made its recommendation to Park School Dean Dianne Lynch, who announced the appointment this morning.

Vanessa is a journalism/culture and communication double-major. She has worked on The Ithacan as an Accent section writer, assistant Accent editor and Accent editor. She has also served as Arts and Entertainment editor for Buzzsaw Haircut. As an intern, she has worked as a fact-checker/researcher at the Philadelphia Weekly and was recently awarded a prestigious American Society of Magazine Editors internship for summer 2006. She will be working at In Style magazine in New York this summer.

An Ithacan Retrospective

Check out "The Ithacan Looks Back," the paper's recently published historical retrospective. The package also contains anecdotes from earlier decades, and the editors are still eager to add your reminiscences to the page. Contact editor in chief Beth Quill at equill1@ithaca.edu with your memories to become part of The Ithacan's story.

75th Anniversary Cocktail Cruise

The Ithacan will be celebrating its 75th anniversary with a Cocktail Cruise on Cayuga Lake during Alumni Weekend on Saturday, June 3, from 9 to 11 p.m. Come reunite with old friends and meet several generations of Ithacan students.

You can now register at http://www.ithaca.edu/alumni/weekend_register.php
via the Office of Alumni Relations website.

Registration includes the cost of attending other Alumni Weekend events, such as Saturday’s popular picnic on the quad, a happy hour afterward and many other events that appeal to alumni young and old.

If you have any questions about registration, please contact Sean Vormwald (svormwald@ithaca.edu) in the Office of Alumni Relations.

Journalism Editorial

Editor Beth Quill asked me to draw your attention to this week's Ithacan editorial, which addresses some concerns with the current state of the journalism department.

Tell Us Your Stories

Remember those big stories? Those exciting interviews? Those crazy nights in the office?
Current Ithacan editor in chief Beth Quill is compiling historical and anecdotal information about the Ithacan's past for a story celebrating the paper's 75th anniversary. Drop her an e-mail at:
equill1@ithaca.edu (that's equill with the numeral 1 after it)
and share your memories of your time at The Ithacan. She'd like to hear from everyone, and especially from alums who worked on the paper before 1989. If you don't like e-mail, you can write to her at:

Elizabeth Quill
The Ithacan
Ithaca College
269 Park Hall,
Ithaca, NY 14850

Come on, we know you're out there.

Welcome to the Ithacan Alumni Blog

Through the years I've received many e-mails and phone calls from former Ithacan staffers who wanted to find out what had been going on at the paper since they'd been gone. Some were hoping to learn what had become of their former classmates. Some offered to provide current students with job or internship assistance. Others just wanted to say hello. So we've created this blog to help you keep in touch with the paper — and with each other.
This is a very special year for The Ithacan. 2006 marks the 75th anniversary of the paper, and we're planning events to celebrate throughout the year. The first will be a special Ithacan reunion at Alumni Weekend, June 2-4. We're hoping to get as many Ithacan people as possible back to campus that weekend for our anniversary celebration. Watch this space for details.