Spring Gathering in New York

Ithacan alumni spanning the past decade got together with current students when we traveled to New York for the spring College Media Convention earlier this month. We gathered, as always, at the Heartland Brewery on W. 43rd St. for an evening of food and conversation.
Alumni in attendance included James Sigman ’98, Mike Cagnazzi ’98, Adam Ellick ’99, Cole Louison ’00, Lisa Boyars ’01, Sean Fennessey ’03, Kelli Grant ’04, Deepa Shah ’06, Vanessa Schneider ’07 and Nic Barajas ’08.
Current students included seniors Erin Geismar, editor in chief, and Andy Swift, online media editor; junior Michelle Barrie, assistant design editor; sophomore Jackie Palochko, assistant news editor, and freshman Allison Usavage, assistant photo editor.
Shown above, from left: Kelli Grant, Deepa Shah and Sean Fennessey.

Ithacan Wins Best in Show

After picking up two CSPA Crown Awards at the National College Media Convention in New York, The Ithacan was then presented with an Apple Award for Best in Show during the convention's closing session. This is the fourth consecutive year the paper has won the Apple Award in its category, and the sixth time it has won the award in the eight years it has been presented.
Above: Editor in Chief Erin Geismar with the Apple Award at the convention.

Ithacan Wins CSPA Crown Awards

The Ithacan Online, the Ithacan’s Web site, has been awarded a 2009 Gold Crown Award for overall excellence by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Crown Awards are the highest recognition given by the CSPA to a student print or online medium.
Following on the heels of the Ithacan’s third consecutive Online Pacemaker Award from the Associated Collegiate Press in November, CSPA’s newly created Online Crown Award solidifies The Ithacan Online’s standing as a leader in college multimedia journalism.
In addition, The Ithacan newspaper was awarded the organization’s Silver Crown Award for papers produced during the Spring 2008 semester.
The award was presented March 15 at the spring National College Media Convention in New York City. The CSPA has recognized excellence in journalism with Gold and Silver Crown Awards for student newspapers, magazines and yearbooks since the early 1980s. The award for online publications was added this year.
Shown above from left: Online Media Editor Andy Swift, holding the Gold Crown; Assistant Design Editor Michelle Barrie; Assistant Photo Editor Allison Usavage, holding the Silver Crown; and Assistant News Editor Jackie Palochko.

Hawver's Return

After graduating, Jim Hawver ’07 spent a year as a metro reporter with the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, his hometown. He left the paper last August to attend the Olympics in Beijing and to travel and freelance in China, Thailand and Nepal. Jim is now back in Rochester, hoping to land a newsroom job soon. He visited Ithaca recently and spent some time in the Ithacan office. Watch this space for a video conversation with Jim, to be posted soon (I hope).

Advice for Future Journalists

Chris Baxter ’08 recently returned to Ithaca and met with students to discuss changes in the journalism industry, as well as internships, jobs and how best to prepare to apply for them.
An Ithacan news reporter and special projects manager while at IC, Baxter also founded the online student magazine iMPrint and reported for the radio station. He interned at the Concord Monitor, Allentown Morning Call, Virginian-Pilot and, upon graduation, the Boston Globe. He is now back at the Morning Call as a reporter. You can find his samples of his work at his website.

Update on the Blue House

Last month the New York Times published 2000 grad Cole Louison's follow-up to "Tangled Up in Blue," his 2007 piece on a mysterious blue house in Ozone Park, Queens. The new story, "Her Blue Heaven," continues the story following the death of the home's owner.
Cole has been busy, as usual — working at GQ, freelancing for the Times, Outside Magazine and scribd.com, which sent him to Washington to cover the Inauguration.

Editor Erin Geismar Selected for New York Times Institute

Ithacan editor in chief Erin Geismar has been selected for this year’s New York Times Student Journalism Institute, to be held during winter break in Miami.
The institute offers student journalists an opportunity to work with prominent professionals in a newsroom environment. All expenses for students are paid, including transportation, and the students receive a stipend.
Nic Barajas ’08 attended last year’s institute. Now he’s designing pages for the Times.

Alumni Come to Town

Last weekend’s Park Scholar Alumni Board meeting brought a number of former Ithacan editors to town. We got to see Joe Geraghty ’04 and his wife Brenda (Ludwig) ’03; Katie Maslanka ’06, who is now doing campus ministry work in Denver; and Michelle (Theis) Cuthrell ’04.
Perhaps best of all, we finally got to meet Michelle’s 2-year-old son, Connor (shown with Michelle above), who was excited about his new baby brother or sister scheduled to arrive in April.
We also had dinner with Nic Barajas ’08, who happened to be in town as well. And they tell us the legendary Bill Earl ’08 was also around, but we didn’t get to see him.

Ithacan Ranked as Gold Medalist

The Ithacan has been named a gold medalist for the fall 2007 and spring 2008 semesters in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s annual college newspaper critique.
Each year the CSPA evaluates member papers on overall content, news, depth reporting, features, opinion/editorial, sports, arts/entertainment, editing/headline writing and design/graphics on the basis of more than 150 specific criteria.
This year the newspaper’s scores on the critique’s 1,000 point scale were 948 for fall and 948 for spring.
The CSPA consistently ranks The Ithacan as a gold medalist, its highest category.

Meeting the New President

On November 19, Washington, D.C. alumni gathered at the Willard InterContinental Hotel on Pennsylvania Ave. to meet new Ithaca College President Tom Rochon. The event attracted a number of former Ithacan editors and staff members. Above (left to right): Steve Chaggaris ’94, Kelly Rohrer ’94, Jeff Selingo ’94, Kristin Muenzen ’00, Tom Rochon, Rob Bluey ’01, Melissa Bluey ’00, Melissa Bloomrose ’02, Anna Uhls ’07, Michael Bloomrose ’02, Joe Geraghty ’04, Nate Weixel ’08, senior Tristan Fowler and Anne Walters Custer ’05. Photo courtesy of Rob Bluey ’01.

Vanessa Schneider and Anna Uhls Visit Digital Journalism

It’s been a good semester for Digital Journalism. We brought in two alums — Vanessa Schneider and Anna Uhls, both class of 2007 — to share their experiences with our current students. Vanessa is working for newyorktimes.com, and Anna for washingtonpost.com.
Vanessa came October 7, and discussed her work with the Interactive unit at the Times. She supervises a staff of 13 comments moderators and works to develop new ways to involve readers with the Times site.
[Video courtesy of Erica Hendry. The volume is low, so turn it way up.]



She visited with Wes Siler, a blogger for jalopnik.com (his title is Road Test Editor, which has to be the coolest job ever — he road-tests cars and motorcycles and then reviews them) and creator/editor of hellforleathermagazine.com, a Web site for motorcycle enthusiasts. He talked about building a career as an online journalist and blogger. They both did double-duty in the class and as guest speakers for an evening SPJ evening meeting.

Anna Uhls (right in photo below) came to the class November 18 and talked about her work as a producer and video journalist at washingtonpost.com.


Part of her job was covering both national party conventions and other campaign events for the Post. She spoke in two sections of Wenmouth Williams’ Media and Society course, Jeff Cohen’s Covering the Election and then in Digital Journalism, as well as meeting with students in an SPJ evening session.
We’re fortunate to have alums like these willing to share their experience and stay involved with the program.

More Pacemakers for The Ithacan

The Ithacan’s status as one of the best college newspapers in the country was reaffirmed this weekend when the paper was awarded the 2008 Pacemaker and Online Pacemaker awards — widely regarded as “the Pulitzer Prize of collegiate journalism — by the Associated College Press. The 2008 award is for work published during the 2007–08 academic year (Erica R. Hendry, editor in chief).

The Pacemaker recognizes excellence in college and university print publications; the Online Pacemaker is awarded to outstanding collegiate Web sites. This is the third time The Ithacan has won the Pacemaker in the past four years, and the third year in a row it has won the Online Pacemaker.

The awards were presented at the 87th annual National College Media Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. The Associated Collegiate Press is the oldest and largest national membership organization for college journalists in the country. This year's competition was judged by the staff of the St. Petersburg Times.

Shown above (front to back): Editor in chief Erin Geismar, news editor Libby Sile and former editor in chief Erica Hendry.

Liz and Kelli Come to Town

Liz Crowley (left) and Kelli Grant, both class of 2004, came to town for the Apple Harvest Festival earlier this month. Stephanie and I, along with this year’s editor in chief Erin Geismar and last year’s EIC Erica Hendry joined them for lunch at the Lost Dog. Kelli is a former Ithacan news editor and special projects manager; Liz was chief copy editor and managing editor. Here’s what they’re up to:

Kelli celebrated her third year at SmartMoney.com in June, and was recently promoted to senior consumer reporter. Her “Deal of the Day” column continues to be the most-read column on the site. “Writing about personal finance in this crazy economy has been challenging (lots of late-night calls with my editors to dump the next day's story for one addressing breaking news), but it's nice to know that our advice on cutting grocery bills or finding the best bank deals is actually making a difference in readers' day-to-day finances.”
She’s also appearing frequently on television. In addition to her weekly SmartMoney TV “3 Tips” videos, she’s a regular guest on CNN Headline News, CBS Up to the Minute, NBC Weekend Today in New York and the local CBS weekend morning show. On the freelance side of things, she has regular gigs with Good Housekeeping and Family Circle, as well as a few trade magazines.
“The big news, though, is something I hope to have wrapped up soon. I've been working on a book proposal about personal finance for recent college grads. Several editors have already expressed interest, and I'm just tweaking the sample chapters before sending everything out the door. In other words, I'm still crazy-busy. Business as usual.”

As for Liz, she’s in her second year as a proofreader and copywriter for Facts On File, a reference publishing company in Midtown Manhattan.
“I’m happy to say that my nerdy grammar knowledge is appreciated. I moved to New York City after graduation to earn a master’s in world history from New York University (’06), and I hope to teach all subway conductors that ‘last and final stop’ is redundant. Kelli and I are slowly making our way to restaurants where former Top Chef contestants now cook.”

The Latest on Lovell

I asked Andrew Lovell what he's been up to since he graduate in May, and here's what he had to say:

"I am working as a sports writer/sports copy editor for the New Britain Herald in New Britain, Conn. When I'm not in the office laying out pages, editing stories, etc., I'm out covering local sports. New Britain is only 10-15 minutes from the Hartford area, so there is actually quite a bit going in our coverage area.
"I have covered everything from little league baseball games this summer, to high school football games, to a professional hockey camp run by a local physical trainer. I am working on a feature on a former local football player that is now in his fifth season in the NFL. They have also given me a weekly column of sorts, in that every week I report on a handful of kids playing college sports that used to play at high schools in our coverage area."
So there's hope, people: There are still jobs out there for those of you who have the talent and the drive. Andrew did a great job last year improving the writing and the overall quality of the sports section. The Herald is lucky to have him.

Margie is a Mom

Margie (Obreza) Chetney ’99, former Ithacan sports editor, and her husband Matt welcomed their first child, a daughter, on Sept. 7, 2008. Haylee Ann Chetney was 8 pounds, 10 ounces and 20.5 inches long. Matt and Margie live in Syracuse, where Margie has worked for The Post-Standard newspaper for 9 years, since graduating from IC. After 4 years as a sports copy editor, Margie was promoted to assistant features editor and now oversees the production duties and copy desk for the features/entertainment/CNY department. She can be reached at mobreza1@hotmail.com.

Ithacan Named Number Two in the Country by SPJ and Pacemaker Finalists by ACP

The Ithacan has been named the number two non-daily student newspaper in the country for 2007 by the Society of Professional Journalists.
The paper was presented with the Second Place National Mark of Excellence Award at SPJ’s 2008 National Convention and Journalism Conference on Sept. 5 in Atlanta. Erica R. Hendry ’09, the paper’s 2007-08 editor in chief and current special projects manager, accepted the award on behalf of the paper.
The Society of Professional Journalists is the largest organization of professional reporters and editors in the country. Each year SPJ presents the Mark of Excellence awards to recognize outstanding work among college and university newspapers. The Ithacan was awarded the First Place Mark of Excellence Award for Best Non-Daily Newspaper in the Northeast Region (SPJ Region 1) in April, and then went on to compete against the 11 other regional winners in the national competition. George Washington University’s GW Hatchet ended up taking the top prize.
In addition, the paper has been named a Pacemaker Finalist and The Ithacan Online has been named an Online Pacemaker Finalist for 2008 by the Associated Collegiate Press. The winners of the award — widely regarded as “the Pulitzer Prize of collegiate journalism” — will be announced at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in Kansas City on October 31.
The Associated Collegiate Press is the oldest and largest national membership organization for college journalists in the country. The Ithacan last won the Online Pacemaker Award in 2007, and won both the Pacemaker and the Online Pacemaker in 2006. This year’s competition was judged by the staff of the St. Petersburg Times.

The Newsbeat Goes On

The latest issue of Fuse, the college's student-written admissions magazine, features a piece by last year's Ithacan editor in chief, Erica Hendry, recounting her experiences in the job. "The Newsbeat Goes On" can be found here.

Future Ithacan Editor in Chief Visits Office

Cate Cagnazzi, five-month-old daughter of Mike (’98) and Cristin Cagnazzi, stopped by Park for a visit last month. If she comes to Ithaca she'll be a freshman around 2026, which means she'd be editor in chief by 2029. It's nice to have that taken care of.
Cate was born April 4. Congratulations Mike and Cristin!

More Bluey, Now in the Washington Post

Rob Bluey ’01 was recently included among a group of conservatives featured in a Washington Post story on young Republicans' concerns about the future of the party. Bluey is director for the Center for Media and Public Policy at the Heritage Foundation.

More Louison in the Times

Cole Louison ’00 continues to freelance while working at GQ. His latest New York Times feature, "His Radio Days and Nights," ran July 20. It profiles an 80-year-old machinist who restores radios.

Bluey Featured in Fuse

Rob Bluey ’01 is featured in the latest issue of the college's student-produced admissions magazine, Fuse. You can find the story here.

News from England

This just in from former photo editor Meghan Mazella ’06:
I graduated in January with my master's in Literature, Film and Visual Culture from the University of Sussex and started a work experience position at the Victoria and Albert Museum in their picture library (check out their site: www.vandaimages.com). When that finished in May, I interviewed for a position at the British Museum's picture library and got the job. So I am back living in London and working at British Museum Images (www.bmimages.com). Basically I license images for use in publications both academic and commercial and get into museum exhibitions for free. :-
Hope everyone is well!

The D.C. Summer Event

Stephanie and I made our annual summer visit to Our Nation’s Capital last weekend and had dinner with Ithacan alumni and current students interning in D.C. Friday night. (Our thanks to Dean Lynch for picking up the tab and to Rob Bluey for making the arrangements at Clyde's at Gallery Place.) Four of the last five Ithacan editors in chief were in attendance.
Photo 1 (left to right): rising junior Lena Yue, Melissa Bluey ’00, Rob Bluey ’01 (EIC 2000–01), Anne Walters ’05 (EIC 2004–05), Roger Custer ’04 and rising junior Tricia Nadolny.
Photo 2: Vanessa Leong ’00, Nate Weixel ’08, Max Steinmetz ’08, rising senior Erica Hendry (EIC 2007–08), Brenda (Ludwig) Geraghty ’03, Joe Geraghty ’04 (EIC 2003–04), the horizontal head of Charlie Ellsworth ’04, and Beth Quill ’06 (EIC 2005–06).
Photo 3: Tori Fusaro, Caitlin Connolly ’05, Charlie Ellsworth ’04, Rachel (Berlin) Moir ’00, Michael Moir and Andrew Lovell ’08.
Stephanie and I stayed out of the pictures, because we’re shy that way.

Michelle Cuthrell on ‘Fox and Friends’

Check out our own Michelle (Theis) Cuthrell ’04’s July 4 appearance on the Fox News Program program “Fox and Friends” discussing her book, “Behind the Blue Star Banner.”

What a Face!

Sofia Maryee D'Agnes, daughter of Jennifer (Quinzi) D’Agnes ’00 and Chris D’Agnes couldn't wait to join us and entered the world at 7:50 p.m. on June 4 — more than three weeks early. She weighed in at 5 pounds, 11 ounces. Congratulations Jen and Chris!

Mission to Africa

Incoming Ithacan opinion editor Aaron King and Liz Getman, both rising seniors, are spending the summer interning with CORAfrica (Children of Rural Africa), a U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing quality education to children in rural Nigerian villages. Check out their blog about the experience. A journalism major, Aaron is also a boxer — a former Golden Gloves champ at that. Take a look at Anna Ghosin-Szeliga's profile of him — if for no other reason than to check out the photo of him teaching Mead Loop to box.

Bloomroses Across America

For the past three weeks, Mike and Melissa (Thornley) Bloomrose, both ’02, have been traveling across the country seeing the sights. Melissa, who just completed her student teaching semester at Essex Elementary School, has been documenting the trip for her class. Check out her blog about the trip — it's fun stuff.

Back from Iraq

Mike Bloomrose ’02 is back from Iraq. A lieutenant in the Navy JAG Corps, Mike just completed a six-month voluntary tour of duty with the Multi-National Force Iraq, Task Force 134 - Detainee Operations. There was a welcome-home party for him at his parents' house in West Suffield, Conn., on Saturday. We couldn't make it, but I talked to him on the phone, and he sounded well and happy to be home.

Some Alumni Come to Town

We’ve had a number of alumni stopping by the office in recent weeks, meeting and talking to the current staff. On March 28, Rob Bluey ’02, former Ithacan editor in chief and now director of media and politics at the Heritage Foundation, and his wife Missy (Bloomrose) Bluey ’01, assistant art director at The Atlantic, spent some time talking to Editor in Chief Erica Hendry, News Editors Tricia Nadolny and Kathy Laluk, Assistant News Editor Libbly Sile, Senior Writer Nathan Weixel, and Design Editor Lena Yue about their experiences at the paper and opportunities in Washington, D.C. Erica, Tricia and Lena will all be interning in D.C. this summer — Erica and Tricia at USA Today.
Caitlin Connelly ’05 came to town on April 11 and met some of the staff. Caitlin was chief copy editor and managing editor during her time at the paper. She’s still at the Center for Dispute Settlement in Washington, D.C.
Then Joe Geraghty ’04 and Michelle (Theis) Cuthrell (Dec.’04) stopped by the house after the Park Scholar Advisory Board dinner April 12 for a few hours of catching up. Good times. Joe is still working for Sen. Ben Nelson (D–Neb.), and Michelle is editor in chief of Good Catch Publishing and the mother of one of the cutest two-year-olds on the planet.

Board of Publications Selects 2008–09 Editor in Chief

The Ithaca College Board of Student Publications has selected junior Erin Geismar to be the editor in chief of the Ithacan for the 2008–09 academic year.
Erin, who is currently studying in Spain, has served as a staff writer, assistant news editor and news editor at the paper, and has been a staff writer and blogger for ImPrint, the college's online magazine, as well.
Her story "Living Below the Line" was recently named Best News Story for 2007 in the New York Press Association's annual Better College Newspaper Competition, and her stories "Life in the Jungle" and "What Lies Beneath" are finalists for Mark of Excellence Awards in the Society of Professional Journalists Region 1 competition in the In-Depth Reporting and Feature Writing categories, respectively.
A Park Scholar, Erin was selected to receive a prestigious American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) internship for summer 2008, which she will spend at Smart Money magazine.
She is a journalism major minoring in economics and Spanish.

The NYPA Loves the Ithacan

For the eighth time in nine years, The Ithacan has been named the Best Overall Student Newspaper in New York State by the New York Press Association. In addition to winning the organization’s top collegiate honor, the paper also took First Place for General Excellence, First Place for Overall Sports Coverage, Second Place for Best Editorial and Third Place for Best Design.
In individual honors, junior Erin Geismar’s story, “Living Below the Line,” won First Place for Best News Story, and Thomas Pardee, now a student at Columbia College in Chicago, won Second Place for Best Feature Story for “Snake Charmer.”
Shown above at the awards ceremony in Albany on April 5 are, left to right: News Editor Kathy Laluk, Assistant Sports Editor Corey Francer, Assistant News Editor Libby Sile and Managing Editor Tristan Fowler.

Awards from New York

The Ithacan won its third consecutive Apple Award for Best of Show at the National College Media Convention in New York City last month. The award was presented at the convention’s closing ceremony at the Marriott Marquis on March 17. The paper has won the award five times in the seven years it has been presented. The Ithacan also won first place Gold Circle Awards for Overall Tabloid Design and for Feature Writing (for Thomas Pardee's "Snake Charmer") from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
Editor in Chief Erica Hendry and Design Editor Lena Yue are shown here with the most recent additions to the office orchard.

Dinner with the New York Alumni

New York–based alumni from the past decade met with current students for dinner and conversation at the Heartland Brewery on 43rd Street on St. Patrick’s Day during the spring National College Media Convention at the Marriott Marquis on Times Square. The alums had the opportunity to catch up with each other and share experiences with the current generation of Ithacan editors.
Clockwise from left: internet journalist Wes Siler, Vanessa Schneider ’07, junior Erica Hendry, Emily Paulsen ’05, Jennifer (Hodess) Gonzalez ’02, Stephanie Serino (hiding behind Jen), Deepa Shah ’06, Jennifer (Quinzi) D’Agnes ’00, Chris D’Agnes, Cole Louison ’00, Lisa Boyars ’01, Mike Cagnazzi ’98, James Sigman ’98, freshman Alexis McNutt, Liz Crowley ’04, sophomore Kiersten Timpe, sophomore Nick Santos, sophomore Patrick Doyle and freshman Libby Sile.

Chuck Holliday Ties the Knot

Former Ithacan photo editor Chuck Holliday ’99 married Ashley Hendrix on December 1 in Memphis. The bride and groom met as law students at the Cecil C. Humpheys School of Law at the University of Memphis.
The couple now lives in Jackson, Tenn., about an hour east of Memphis. They work down the street from each other: Chuck is focusing on criminal defense and consumer law at the firm of Spragins, Barnett & Cobb; Ashley is building a practice in domestic relations and debtor bankruptcy.
“I think my journalism background has made me a better lawyer when it comes to doing research,” writes Chuck. “So many lawyers think that taking a deposition is a major ordeal, but I just see it as a long interview. In a sense, it’s even a little easier because the deponent is required to answer your questions and has sworn to tell the truth. Imagine writing an article and telling a source that he had to be at your office at a specific time and answer your questions under oath!”
Shown above at the wedding are Bonnie Flock ’01, Paul Colombo ’00, Ashley, Chuck, Jason Miller ’99, who served as best man, and Rachel (Berlin) Moir ’00.

An Update on Natalie and Steve

Natalie (Lyons) Silver, Dec. ’04, became managing editor at Templeton Foundation Press in West Conshohocken, Pa., earlier this month. At The Ithacan, she served as managing editor, opinion editor, and chief proofreader. Natalie has been at TFP since 2005, where she started as editorial assistant. In her new role, she manages all editorial and foreign-rights matters for the press. She also attends Villanova University part time, pursuing her master’s of public administration.
Her husband, Steve Silver ’04 works as the technical director for television programming at NFL Films in Mount Laurel, N.J., and as a freelance technician for Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia. They live just outside of the city.

Wilson on the Opera Circuit

Nathan Wilson B.M. '05, former chief proofreader, opinion editor, and distribution manager at The Ithacan, recently returned from Poland in January, where he sang the role of Figaro in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro at the Silesian State Opera House in Bytom. The production was part of a collaboration between the Karol Szymanowski Music Academy and the University of Louisville, where Nathan received his Master of Music degree in May 2007.
Nathan continues to reside in Louisville, Ky., teaches voice part-time at both Bellarmine University and the Louisville Academy of Music, and has recently sung professionally with Kentucky Opera, the Louisville Ballet, Musica Toscana, Amici Opera (Philadelphia), and the Concert Chorale of Nashville.
Nathan also continues to be involved in the newspaper business: his day job as a Field Verification Representative in the circulation department at the Louisville Courier-Journal keeps him busy four mornings a week. He hopes to give a recital this summer in his hometown of Corning, N.Y., about an hour from Ithaca. More about Nathan can be found at www.nathanwilsonbass.com

The Return of Beth Quill

After spending five months at Science magazine in Cambridge, England, Elizabeth Quill '06 (editor in chief 2005-06) has made her way back to Washington, D.C. She begins her new job as associate editor at Science News (www.sciencenews.org) this week. The magazine, now led by Tom Siegfried (former science editor at the Dallas Morning News), covers current science research and reaches more than a million readers. Though Quill was sad to leave Cambridge with its quaint charm, port and cheap flights to European cities, she is glad to be wielding a red pen again. Writers beware.

Junior Erin Geismar Awarded ASME Internship

Erin Geismar ’09 has been awarded an American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) internship for summer 2008. This highly competitive and prestigious program will place her at a prominent magazine in New York or Washington this summer.
Erin, a Park Scholar, has served as a reporter, assistant news editor and news editor at the Ithacan. She is studying in Spain this semester, but will be returning to work at the paper in the fall.
Erin is in good company. We’ve had a strong track record with ASME since our students started applying for the internship five years ago. Past Ithacan staffers who have received the award include:
2003: Kelli B. Grant ’04
2004: Michelle Theis Cuthrell, Dec. ’04
2005: Beth Quill ’06
2006: Vanessa Schneider ’07
Congratulations Erin!

Vanessa Schneider Goes Full Time at the New York Times

Vanessa Schneider was recently hired by The New York Times in New York as a news assistant for its Community division. Vanessa has been freelancing as a discussion moderator for the past several months, and she will be stepping up as a full-time member of the team, helping to develop new and engaging ways to build a reader community on nytimes.com.
Vanessa worked at The Ithacan throughout her four years at IC, beginning as an Accent staff writer freshman year, and eventually serving as editor in chief senior year. After graduating in May, Vanessa moved to Brooklyn and worked as a researcher at In Style and Real Simple magazines. She is also copy chief for a motorcycle culture and design site, HellForLeatherMagazine.com.

Cuthrell Memoir to Be Published

"Behind the Blue-Star Banner," Michelle (Theis) Cuthrell's memoir of her life on the home front during her husband Matt's deployment in Iraq, will be published next month. Michelle, a December ’04 grad, was 23 years old, nine months out of college and 11 weeks pregnant with her first child when Matt deployed to Iraq in August 2005. The book tells the story of the trials and triumphs in her life, living alone at an army base in Fairbanks, Alaska, and "the lessons she learned about true service and sacrifice along the way."
More information on the book is available at www.behindthebluestarbanner.com

Sheppard Moves to Washington and The American Prospect

In September, former Ithacan columnist and Buzzsaw editor Kate Sheppard (journalism and politics, '06) moved to Washington, D.C., to take a writing fellowship at The American Prospect, where so far she has reported on climate and energy policy, immigration, the labor movement, and the 2008 election. In addition to writing for the print publication, she also writes for the magazine's website and award-winning blog, TAPPED. Before coming to the Prospect, Kate spent a year working at Grist magazine in Seattle, blogging and reporting for MSN's climate and energy site, and freelancing for various publications. She is currently preparing to head to Florida to cover the Republican primaries, where she's hoping to spend some quality time with Rudy Giuliani.

The Latest on Bloomrose

Lt. Mike Bloomrose, JAGC, USN '02 has been working for the Multi-National Force Iraq, Task Force 134 - Detainee Operations since mid-October. Mike is the Special Release Attorney for TF-134 Legal. As the Special Release Attorney, Mike reviews requests to specially release Coalition Forces security detainees. Mike works at Camp Victory just outside of Baghdad, Iraq. He will return to the United States at the end of the Spring.

Star Tribune Hires Quintanilla

After two consecutive internships, Matt Quintanilla was recently hired by the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as a news designer.
He's already in the rotation of A1 designers but has done plenty of work in the local section, business, features and even a few stints at Vita.mn, a free entertainment weekly produced by the Star Tribune.
This is Matt's first job and he looks forward to being part of the coverage of the Republican National Convention in September. Matt worked at The Ithacan for four years in a number of positions — design editor, editor of The Ithacan Online, editor/lead designer of Year In Review and opinion editor.

Louison in the Times

Cole Louison ’00, who has been working for GQ in New York for quite a while now (he recently interviewed Ted Nugent for them) has just had his first story published in the New York Times. "Tangled Up in Blue" ran in the Times on December 2. Check it out.

Familiar Faces

The fall semester meeting of the Park Scholar Alumni Advisory Board brought a bunch of recent alums to town this weekend. In addition to being able to spend some time with Joe and Brenda (Ludwig) Geraghty (class of ’04 and ”03, respectively) and Michelle (Theis) Cuthrell ’05, I was also able to say hello to Kate Sheppard ’06, Katie Borges Farnham ’03, Brad Bisbing ’01 and Brian Dashew ’06.
Then when I was at Mass on Sunday morning, who turns up but James Sigman’98, who was in town with Anthony Iaffaldano ’99, Mike Cagnazzi ’98 and others celebrating Anthony’s 30th birthday at Maxie’s. Happy Birthday, Anthony!

Barajas Accepted by Times Journalism Institute

Many of our alumni have had the opportunity to meet current senior Nic Barajas at events in New York and Washington over the past year. Nic has been the paper's assistant design editor, design editor and managing editor, and is currently serving as online editor.
Well here's some exciting news: Nic has just been accepted into this year's The New York Times Journalism Institute, which will take place January 2–13 at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
The Institute brings students together with writers, editors and designers and photographers from The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Times Company Regional papers for 11 days of reporting, editing, designing and taking photographs as they cover real news events. Throughout the program, students have opportunities for intense discussions with award-winning journalists on everything from the nuts and bolts of the everyday life of journalists to the larger issues of the profession. Students selected to attend have all their expenses paid, including transportation, and also receive a stipend. The Institute is offered in collaboration with the Black College Communications Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Congratulations, Nic!

Fennessey Returns!

Sean Fennessey ’03 was in town last weekend for the Cortaca game and took time to stop by the Ithacan office to meet with some of our current students. After stints at Complex and Stuff magazines in New York, he is currently the associate music editor at Vibe, where he runs two sections of the magazine and assigns reviews. He shared his experience in magazine journalism and offered the students advice on preparing for the professional world. This was his first visit to campus since graduating.

Ms. Hendry Goes to Washington

Also while we were in Washington at the conference, my friend John Gizzi, political editor at Human Events, invited me and Ithacan editor in chief Erica Hendry to accompany him to the Oct. 26 White House press briefing. He introduced us to members of the White House press corps, and Erica had the opportunity to meet White House Press Secretary Dana Perino (shown above, right, with Erica).

Dinner with D.C. Alumni

The fall conference in Washington last month (see previous post) was a good opportunity to hook up with D.C.–area Ithacan alumni. Dean Lynch was kind enough to pick up the tab for dinner at the historic Old Ebbit Grill near the White House. Current editor in chief Erica Hendry was introduced to a group of her predecessors that included four former editors in chief, two former managing editors and three former news editors.
Shown above, left to right: David Wilkinson, Vanessa Leong ’00, Anna Uhls ’07, junior Erica Hendry, Melissa Bluey ’00, Rob Bluey ’01, Charlie Ellsworth ’04, Caitlin Connelly ’05, Joe Geraghty ’04, Brenda (Ludwig) Geraghty ’03, Anne (Walters) Custer ’05 and Roger Custer ’04.

Another Online Pacemaker!

It's fall conference season again. This year the National College Media Convention was held in Washington, D.C., Oct. 24–28, and for the second consecutive year The Ithacan was awarded the Online Pacemaker Award by the Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Advisers. The award recognizes overall excellence and is generally considered "the Pulitzer Prize of collegiate journalism."
This is important recognition for our Web site which, if you read it you'll know, has become a major focus of our journalistic efforts in recent years. Gone are the days when we simply shoveled the print edition onto the Web. The Ithacan Online still has everything the print edition has, but also has breaking news, daily sports coverage and plenty of online-only features and multimedia content.
But that wasn't the only recognition the paper received at the conference. Our own Evan Falk, a junior TV-R major, took first place in the convention's "D.C. Portrait" competition, an on-site photo shoot-out that challenged the participants to capture aspects of life in the city. Evan's prize-winning photograph was of a Viet Nam vet visiting the grave of another vet who had saved his life during the war. You can check out the winning photo here. He also received honorable mention for a second photo he submitted.
The Ithacan was also recognized at the convention's Design Showcase, which identified the best work from among the papers participating in the conference. Our "Model Behavior" Accent front from October 11 was cited as an example of dynamic design, and our Accentuate and Buzzer pages were identified as the judges' favorite examples of creative presentation.
More to come on the Washington trip.
(Left to right in photo above: Assistant Sports Editor Cory Francer, Online Sports Editor Brendan O'Keefe, News writer Tristan Fowler, Editor in Chief Erica Hendry, Design Editor Lena Yue, News Editor Erin Geismar, Assistant News Editor Tricia Nadolny, and photographer Evan Falk.)

Beth Quill Goes to England

Elizabeth Quill ’06 (editor in chief 2005-06) began an internship at Science magazine in this month after completing her master’s degree in science writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She will be writing daily news stories for Science’s Web site and also contributing front matter to the weekly magazine. (Here’s the address for the dailies in case you want to indulge in your geekier side (http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/.) Aside from a summer internship at The Chronicle of Higher Education in Washington D.C., Quill moves from Cambridge, Massachusetts to Cambridge, England for this six-month gig. Perks of living and working abroad include exploring lovely Cambridge, taking occasional business trips to London, and having the freedom to rattle on about everything from cell biology to particle physics without puzzling her colleagues. Though she still gets funny looks for other reasons.

Keeping Busy, As Usual

Three years after graduating from Ithaca College, Michelle Cuthrell (December ’04) spends her days with her Army husband in the rainy suburbs of Seattle, Washington, where she works as a personal chef, chauffer, nurse, nanny, maid, tutor, playmate, teacher and professional motivator — and that's just for her 18-month-old son, Connor. Outside of life as a mother and military wife, Michelle works from her home office as the editor in chief of Good Catch Publishing, a Portland-based Christian publishing company, and volunteers her services at Fort Lewis Army post and Capital Christian Center. Between toddler gym classes and military functions, Michelle has also completed her first book, a memoir about dealing on the home front with the unprecedented 16-month-long deployment of her husband to Iraq.

Schultz Becomes a Navy Lawyer

Matt Schultz ’00 (assistant sports editor, Spring 1998) is a United States Navy Officer in the JAG Corps. He is currently at Naval Justice School in Newport, R.I. and will graduate in mid-December. Following graduation he will head west to Naval Legal Service Office Northwest in Bremerton, Wash. After graduating from IC, Matt lived in London and traveled through Southeast Africa before returning to Minnesota and going to law school at the University of St. Thomas. He practiced law for two years before joining the Navy, focusing mostly on large civil litigation and anti-trust issues.

Helping Children in Need

Ellen (Stapleton) Hale ’03 (editor in chief 2002-03) started work in August as the communications assistant for Sunrise Children’s Services, a faith-based nonprofit in Louisville, Ky. Sunrise provides care for hurting children and families across Kentucky through seven residential treatment programs for teenagers in state custody, foster care services, adoption services and outpatient counseling centers.
Ellen’s duties on the three-person communications team vary from writing and sending news releases to preparing for special events to monitoring news clippings. She also is the go-to proofreader for agency publications and finds topics for the president’s blog.
In addition, Ellen was hired as a freelance writer for Good Catch Publishing, where her former Ithacan opinion editor Michelle Cuthrell ’05 is editor in chief. Ellen can be reached at ellenrhale@gmail.com.

Ithacan Ranked as Gold Medalist

The Ithacan was recently named a gold medalist for the fall 2006 and spring 2007 semesters in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's annual college newspaper critique.
Each year the CSPA evaluates member papers on overall content, news, depth reporting, features, opinion/editorial, sports, arts/entertainment, editing/headline writing, and design/graphics on the basis of more than 150 specific criteria.
This year the paper's scores on the critique's 1,000-point scale was a near-perfect 994 for fall and 994 for spring.
The judge commented: "Clearly you are producing a top-notch paper. For me, the most appealing part of your product is the variety of topics being covered. They vary from serious topics to amusing and inventive ones."
The Ithacan is consistently ranked as a gold medalist in the CSPA critique.

Anna Uhls at the Post

Anna Uhls ’07 began working at washingtonpost.com in August. First hired as an editor in the Interactivity section, she worked with reader involvement and contribution to the site, including commenting, discussions, blogging, and new applications. This also allowed her to work on future innovative and exciting projects for the booming section on the site.
About a month after she began, a position in the Politics section opened at washingtonpost.com. After interviewing, she got the job, and now splits her hours between Interactivity and Politics. She is thrilled with the opportunity to work with the editors and reporters on the politics team at the WashPost during such an exciting time in Washington.
But more importantly, last week at the WaPo T-shirt Contest, she got the honorary award (it didn't exist until she got there) of "Nerdiest" for her X-Files “Trust No One” shirt. She thinks she should have won “Sweetest.”

Bloomrose to Head for Iraq

Lieutenant Mike Bloomrose ’02 (editor in chief 2000–01), Judge Advocate General's Corps, United States Navy, has volunteered for a six-month deployment as an individual augmentee to Iraq. Bloomrose will be working at Task Force 134, which acts as a liaison with the Iraqi criminal court system. Bloomrose will be deployed from mid-September 2007 to late April 2008, including training time. His wife, Melissa (Thornley) Bloomrose ’02, continues to live in Groton, Conn., where she is working on her master's degree in elementary education at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Another Year Begins

The new year at The Ithacan started strong with a package reporting on the announced departures of the president and three deans in the first issue and a second issue full of solid writing. The multi-media components of the Web site are growing in quality and quantity every week. And the entire paper is now available in PDF form each week.
Shown above (left to right), Managing Editor Tahleen Ovian ’09, Editor in Chief Erica Hendry ’09, News Editor Erin Geismar ’09 and Assistant News Editor Kathy Laluk ’10 discuss one of the pages for this Thursday's issue.

Selingo Named Editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education

We learned today that Jeff Selingo ’95 (Ithacan editor in chief 1994) has been named editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education, the premier publication covering higher education. Jeff has been working there in a number of positions, most recently as an assistant managing editor. He is a consistent supporter of The Ithacan and was the prime mover behind the creation of the Ithacan Scholarhip. He is also a model of how far talent and hard work can get you. Congratulations, Jeff.

Another Former EIC Ties the Knot

Joe Geraghty ’04 (editor in chief 2003–04) and Brenda Ludwig ’03 were married June 2 in Latrobe, Pa., and the event attracted a considerable crowd of former Ithacan staffers. It was a beautiful ceremony and one of the livliest receptions I've attended in quite some time. The couple promptly moved from Bristol, Tenn., to Washington, D.C., where Joe is now a Deputy Legislative Aide for Senator Ben Nelson, the Nebraska Democrat who also employs Charlie Ellsworth ’04 in the same capacity.

Our Best Year Ever

As earlier postings indicate, the paper had a very good year as far as external recognition was concerned. When all was said and done, 2006–07 turned out to be the best awards year for the paper ever. Between recognition for The Ithacan as a whole and recognition of individuals for work publsihed in the paper, we brought home 28 awards this year. Here's the final list:

ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS:
• 2006 Newspaper Pacemaker Award (for 2005–06 academic year)
• 2006 Online Pacemaker Award
• First Place Best of Show Award at the Fall National Student Media Conference, St. Louis, Missouri
(This was the first time a paper has won all three awards at one convention)

COLUMBIA SCHOLASTIC PRESS ASSOCIATION:
• 2007 Silver Crown Award (for Fall 2005 semester)
• 2007 Silver Crown Award (for Spring 2006 semester)
• "Apple Award" for Best of Show at the Spring 2007 Student Media Convention, New York City (4th time The Ithacan has won in the 6 years the award has been presented)
• Certificate of Merit, News Writing, Christopher Baxter ’08
• Certificate of Merit, Sports Column Writing, Alejandro de los Rios ’07
• Gold Medalist Certificate for Fall 2005 in CSPA's Annual Newspaper Critique
• Gold Medalist Certificate for Spring 2006 in CSPA's Annual Newspaper Critique

NEW YORK PRESS ASSOCIATION:
• Best Overall Newspaper (category includes weeklies and dailies; this is the 7th time in 8 years The Ithacan has won)
• First Place, General Excellence
• First Place, Best College Newspaper Website
• First Place, Editorial
• Second Place, Design
• First Place, News Story, Christopher Baxter ’08, "Who's Looking?" February 9, 2006.
• Second Place, News Story, William Earl ’08, "Unlocked: Room Security Not Enforced," March 2, 2006.
• Third Place, News Story, Mallory Diamond ’09, "Ithaca College's Black Market," November 9, 2006.
• First Place, Feature Story, Vanessa Schneider ’07, "Living a Second Life," December 7, 2006.
• Second Place, Feature Story, Tricia Nadolny ’10, "Ghost Hunter," November 2, 2006.
• Third Place, Feature Story, Jim Hawver ’07, "Against the Pain," September 21, 2006.
• Second Place, Column, Kim Gillman ’07, "Wanted: Leader for Generation Y," January 19, 2006, and ""Haitian Workers Sweat for Sweets," February 16, 2006.
• First Place, Photography, Evan Falk ’09, "This I See: From the Field," November 16, 2006.
• Third Place, Photography, Chris White ’06, "Two-Year-Old Luna Payne of Varna Helps Her Mom..." April 13, 2006.

SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS, REGION 1:
• Mark of Excellence Award, Second Place, Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
• Mark of Excellence Award, Second Place, General News Reporting, Mallory Diamond ’09, "Ithaca College's Black Market," November 9, 2006.
• Mark of Excellence Award, In-Depth Reporting, Second Place, Christopher Baxter ’08, "Screenings on Standby," September 21, 2006.
• Mark of Excellence Award, Third Place, Feature Writing, Vanessa Schneider ’07, "Living a Second Life," December 7, 2006.

None of this would have been possible without the foundation and high standards set by alumni. Congratulations to everyone involved with the paper.

The First Park Student Media Alumni Reception

When we were in New York for the Columbia Scholastic Press Association conference in March (see March 23 blog entry) we held the first-ever Park Student Media alumni reception at the Roosevelt Hotel, inviting New York–area alums from the Ithacan, WICB and the radio stations to join us for a few hours of (free) food, drink and company. Eloise Greene M.S. ’90 (TV), Chris Wheatley ’81, M.S. ’98 (radio) and I hosted the event.
We were expecting close to 100 people, but a nasty St. Patrick's Eve snowstorm kept many of them away. Still, we had around 50 there, including quite a few Ithacan alums. The met some of our current students attending the conference and reconnected with each other.
Here (finally) is a photo of current and former Ithacan students from the event. Front row (left to right, of course): Vanessa Schneider ’07, Andy Swift ’09, Kristen Sammpiere ’03, James Sigman ’98, and Mike Cagnazzi ’98. Middle row: Nic Barajas ’08, Jamie Saine ’08, and Deepa Shah ’06. Back row: Brendan O'Keefe ’10, Lena Yue ’10, Erica Hendry ’09, Olivia Rebert ’10, Kelli B. Grant ’04, Liz Crowley ’04 and Adam Ellick ’99. Former Ithacan photo editor Scott McDermott ’97 got there too, but, ironically, too late for the photo.
Everyone had a terrific time, so we may do somethng like this again before long.

Meanwhile, at the New York Press Association

The New York Press Association once again has named The Ithacan the best college newspaper in New York state — for the seventh time in the past eight years. The award was presented at the NYPA conference in Saratoga Springs on April 7. The award was for the 2006 calendar year: spring editor: Beth Quill ’06; fall editor: Vanessa Schneider ’07.
In addition to taking the competition's top honor, the paper won the following awards in its strongest showing to date:
First Place, General Excellence
First Place, Best College Newpaper Website
First Place, Editoral
Second Place, Design
First Place, News Story, Christopher Baxter ’08, "Who's Looking?" February 9, 2006.
Second Place, News Story, William Earl ’08, "Unlocked: Room Security Not Enforced," March 2, 2006.
Third Place, News Story, Mallory Diamond ’09, "Ithaca College's Black Market," November 9, 2006.
First Place, Feature Story, Vanessa Schneider ’07, "Living a Second Life," December 7, 2006.
Second Place, Feature Story, Tricia Nadolny ’10, "Ghost Hunter," November 2, 2006.
Third Place, Feature Story, Jim Hawver ’07, "Against the Pain," September 21, 2006.
Second Place, Column, Kim Gillman ’07, "Wanted: Leader for Generation Y," January 19, 2006, and ""Haitian Workers Sweat for Sweets," February 16, 2006.
First Place, Photography, Evan Falk ’09, "This I See: From the Field," November 16, 2006.
Third Place, Photography, Chris White ’06, "Two-Year-Old Luna Payne of Varna Helps Her Mom..." April 13, 2006.

Crown and Best of Show Awards for The Ithacan

The Ithacan was presented with two Silver Crown Awards by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and an "Apple Award" for Best of Show at the Spring College Media Convention in New York City on March 17.

The Gold and Silver Crowns are the top honors awarded to college newspapers by the CSPA. The awards were for issues produced during the fall 2005 and spring 2006 semesters; Elizabeth Quill ’06 was the paper's editor in chief during that period.

The "Apple Award" is the convention's Best of Show award, presented in various categories for newspapers, magazines and yearbooks. The Ithacan has won this award four times in the six years it has been offered. This year's winning entry was produced during the fall semester under the editorship of Vanessa Schneider ’07.

In addition, Chris Baxter ’07 won a Certificate of Merit for News Feature Writing for Newspapers and Alejandro de los Rios ’07 won a Certificate of Merit for Sports Column Writing for Newspapers in CSPA's Gold Circle Awards.

More Alumni Updates

Joe Geraghty '04 (editor in chief, 2003-04) has been a city government reporter at the Bristol Herald Courier on the border of Virginia and Tennessee for the last two and a half years. After a June wedding to Brenda Ludwig '03, Geraghty will begin looking for his next job in journalism. Email him at joegeraghty1@gmail.com

Ellen Stapleton Hale ’03 (editor in chief, 2002–03) is doing development work for the Presbyterian Homes for Children in Louisville, Kentucky, putting her journalism education to work to help children in need. She’s still at elrose43@aol.com

Chris White ’06 (assistant news editor, 2004–05) is leaving his job producing the evening news at WVII-TV/WFVX-TV in Bangor, Maine, to produce a 30 -minute news show and 30-minute politics show weekdays at RNN-TV in Rye Brook, N.Y., just north of New York City. You can contact him at cwmusic@nycap.rr.com

Alumni Updates from Our Washington Bureau

Melissa Bloomrose Bluey ’00 (managing editor, 1999-2000) is the assistant art director of The Atlantic Monthly in Washington, D.C. She says she relies on skills learned in 269 Park Hall on a regular basis when designing at The Atlantic. E-mail her at mbluey@alumni.ithaca.edu

Rob Bluey ’01 (editor in chief, 1999–2000) has left his job as editor at Human Events Online in Washington, D.C., to move to the Heritage Foundation as director of their Center for Media and Public Policy. He recently contributed a guest commentary on political blogging to the Ithacan and has a blog of his own. You can reach him at rbluey@gmail.com

Caitlin Connelly ’05 (managing editor, 2003–04) is working as a program coordinator at the Center for Dispute Settlement, a nonprofit organization in Washington, DC, where she works with local government agencies and schools to provide mediation/conflict resolution services and trainings to the community. “I'm definitely putting to work the conflict management and project management skills I learned to employ as managing editor!” she writes. She's at caitlinrconnelly@yahoo.com

Anne Walters Custer ’05 (editor in chief, 2004–05) is putting her dual Journalism/German majors to use as an editor and correspondent at the Deutsche Presse-Agentur wire service in Washington. E-mail her at walters.anne@dpa.com

Charlie Ellsworth ’04 (sports editor, 2003–04), is also in Washington, employed as a deputy legislative assistant for Senator Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), working primarily in communications and transportation policy issues. He hasn’t abandoned his interest in sports writing, though — he’s also working part-time for The Washington Post on the sports desk. E-mail address: cellswo1@yahoo.com

After leaving her job at Ratheon in Boston, living in Bolivia for a month and spending the summer working with the Center for Corporate Citizenship, Vanessa Leong ’00 (opinion editor, fall 2000) moved to Washington, D.C., to pursue an M.B.A. and Master’s in International Affairs at George Washington University. You can e-mail her at vanessaleong@gmail.com

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.