Current Students Meet NY Alums

New York Ithacan alumni met with current staff members Monday night at our annual dinner gathering, held in conjunction with the spring National College Media Convention. The evening always proves to be a great networking opportunity, and this year was no exception. Professional contacts and job referrals were made, and at least one internship offer came across the table. Current students Lindsey Hollenbaugh ’10 (Editor in Chief), Aaron Edwards ’12 (Assistant News Editor), Michelle Skowronek ’11 (Accent Editor), Whitney Faber ’12 (Assistant Accent Editor), Casey Musarra ’11 (Sports Editor) and Colleen Lowery ’12 (Assistant Design Editor), Melanie Breault ’11 (Staff Writer) shared a meal and conversation with alumni Paul Colombo ’00, James Sigman ’98, Emily Paulsen ’05, Laura Bauman Shalem ’06, Deepa Shah ’06, Vanessa Schneider ’07 and Andy Swift ’09 at the Heartland Chophouse on E. 43rd St.. We also had a chance to see former Editor in Chief Erin Geismar ’09 while we were in town.
Top photo: Andy Swift, Melanie Breault and Whitney Faber; bottom: Stacey Coburn and Emily Paulsen, with Vanessa Schneider in the background.

Libby Again!

This has been quite a year for junior Libby Sile. Last spring she received the Park Scholar Rising Junior Award. Last semester she served as Ithacan opinion editor before going off to study in Dublin this spring. Earlier this month she was awarded an ASME internship.
And now she has been selected as a winner of the Roy W. Howard National Collegiate Reporting Competition, which comes with a nine-day international study tour of Japan. This is the second consecutive year an Ithacan staffer has won: Last year Tricia Nadolny ”09 toured Korea and Japan as a competition winner.
Libby has an exciting summer ahead of her. We look forward to her return to The Ithacan in the fall.

Ithacan Wins Best in Show

The Ithacan finished the 2010 Spring National College Media Convention in New York March 16 by winning the Apple Award for Best in Show. This is the seventh time in the nine years the award has been presented, and the fifth consecutive year, that the paper has won the award in its category.
Shown above: 2009–10 editor in chief Linsdsey Hollenbaugh with the award at the convention.

Ithacan Wins Second CSPA Online Gold Crown

For the second consecutive year, The Ithacan Online, the Ithacan’s Web site, has been awarded an Online 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. 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 last year.
The award was presented March 14 at the spring National College Media Convention in New York City. Only five college newspaper Web sites in the country received 2010 Gold Crowns. The other four were the Indiana Daily Student (Indiana University), the Iowa State Daily (Iowa State University), OUDaily.com (University of Oklahoma) and The Daily Pennsylvanian (University of Pennsylvania).

Libby Sile Awarded ASME Internship

Libby Sile ’11 has been awarded an American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) internship for summer 2010. Libby has served as a reporter, assistant news editor, news editor and opinion editor at The Ithacan, and last spring was awarded the Park Scholar Rising Junior Award. This semester she is studying in Dublin.
ASME interns are placed at prestigious magazines in New York or Washington. Previous Ithacan editors to be awarded the internship include Kelli Grant ’04 (Smithsonian Air and Space Magazine), Michelle Theis Cuthrell ’04 (Smithsonian Magazine), Elizabeth Quill ’06 (National Geographic), Vanessa Schneider ’07 (InStyle) and Erin Geismar ’09 (Smart Money).

Where's Alex?

After graduating from Ithaca College in 2002, Alex Morrison spent three years in Hollywood working in the art department for "The Island," at a major advertising agency TBWA/Chiat/Day and as a salesman at Alan Gordon Enterprises. Since beginning graduate work at American University he has won awards for filmmaking including Best Documentary Storytelling, Best Environmental Film, a Gold Peer Award for Best Non-Dramatic Student Production, and is currently screening a film on public television called "Ecoviews: Reclaiming the Bay."
Currently Morrison is a Fellow at the Center for Teaching, Research and Learning, and has created a Social Networking site for environmentalists called "DIY: What Can I Do?" (www.diywcid.com) which encourages users to post videos and photos sharing the good news of environmental activism on popular media sharing sites.

Class of 2009 Update

Here's what some of last year's graduating class is up to:

Former editor in chief Erin Geismar writes, “After graduation I enjoyed a summer on Long Island with family and friends. In September, I was hired as a reporter by The East Hampton Press (www.27east.com) and in February will move to the swankiest small town in the world. One of two reporters, I'm constantly writing. I cover village government and the school board and am responsible for most of the paper's feature stories.

Former managing editor Joshua Mellman is writing web content and blogging for a law office, interning at a monthly magazine, and freelance writing for publications and companies — all in the South Jersey region.

Former online media editor Andy Swift is the weekend editor at Bonnie Fuller's new celebrity/entertainment news site HollywoodLife.com in New York. He has full control over the site on Saturdays and Sundays, and goes in during the week on scattered days for writing/reporting.

Emma Strachman, who was an assistant photo editor and online media editor, writes, “I'm currently working as a makeup artist for Bobbi Brown. I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, but I love it! I'm being creative in a very different light. I'm also co-producing an independent film that is projected to start shooting in February. We'll be entering the film into festivals and screening it in the greater Albany area.”

Former chief proofreader Tahleen Ovian is starting graduate school at Simmons College. She'll be working toward a master's degree in library and information science, with a concentration in Youth Services. She’s also still working at Barnes & Noble part time.

Farewell to Erica Hendry

Got together with Aaron Munzer ’08, Kara Cusolito ’08 and Byard Duncan ’09 over break to say goodbye to Erica Hendry, who, having completed her journalism degree in May, has just completed her music degree. She leaves Ithaca with those degrees, extensive experience in both print and multimedia journalism, a couple of great internships under her belt (USA Today, Chronicle of Higher Education), and experience as one of the best editors in chief (2007–08) the Ithacan has seen. In short, she leaves well prepared for the world of journalism. Her first step is to Washington, D.C., where she'll spend the next six months writing for Smithsonian magazine. We'll miss her.

The Party's Over Once Again

The Ithacan wrapped up another academic year with the traditional Ithacan Banquet. About 75 staffers attended the April 30 event, along with guests Dean Dianne Lynch, Associate Dean Virginia Mansfield-Richardson, faculty members Vadim Isakov, Matt Mogekwu, Adam “Iron Man” Peruta and Todd Schack, as well as Associate Director of Media Relations Dave Maley.
There was plenty to celebrate this year, including being named the #2 weekly in the country by SPJ, winning the ACP Pacemaker and Online Pacemaker, the CSPA Silver Crown and Online Gold Crown, and numerous other honors.
In an updating of a decades-old Ithacan tradition, instead of producing an end-of-banquet slideshow, Online Media Editor Andy Swift ’09 produced a video of interviews with graduating seniors. It’s called “Senior Moments,” appropriately enough, and you can watch it on YouTube. It’s a nice way to get a look at some of the people who made the paper so great over the past four years.
And last but not least, we actually had entertainment at this year’s event. Aaron Edwards, our incoming assistant Accent editor, and Casey Musarra, our incoming sports editor (shown in photo above), performed “Anyone Else But the Ithacan,” with lyrics by Casey written to the tune of “Anyone
Else But You” from the film “Juno,” accompanied by former editor in chief Erica R. Hendry on the tuba. (No, I’m not kidding. You had to see it to believe it. It was hilarious.) Sadly, there’s no video record of the performance, but we may get them to recreate it someday.
In any case, we had a great year and are saying goodbye to an incredibly talented group of seniors, who now become part of our vast network of Ithacan alumni.

Nevins Wins National SPJ Award for Feature Writing

Senior journalism major Jen Nevins' story "That's How They Roll" has been awarded third place in the country for feature writing in the Society of Professional Journalists' annual Mark of Excellence competition.
The story, which profiled The SufferJets, an area women's roller derby team, appeared in the October 23, 2008, issue of The Ithacan.

Diane Gayeski Named Interim Park School Dean

Diane Gayeski has been named interim dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications, succeeding Dianne Lynch, who leaves at the end of May to take over the presidency at Stephens College. Gayeski will serve in the position for the 2009–10 academic year while a search is conducted for a permanent dean. An excellent choice by the provost, and good news for Park.
You can read the official college announcement here.

A New Daughter for the Loops

Journalism professor Mead Loop and his wife Jill became the proud parents of a baby girl last Friday morning. Cassandra Anne arrived four weeks early at 6 lbs., 7 oz. This is the third daughter for Mead. Congratulations to Mead and Jill.

Ithacan Wins SPJ Best in Northeast Region

The Ithacan has once again been named the best non-daily student newspaper in the Northeast by the Society of Professional Journalist. SPJ, the largest professional organization of reporters and editors in the country, presented the paper with the First Place Mark of Excellence Award at its Region 1 conference on April 25 in Philadelphia.
The paper now goes on to compete against the first-place winners in the other 11 regions in SPJ’s national competition, the results of which will be announced at the SPJ national convention in Indianapolis, August 27–30. The Ithacan placed second nationally in last year’s competition.
In addition, senior Jennifer Nevins’ story, “That’s How They Roll,” on a local roller derby team, won the First Place Mark of Excellence Award in the Feature Writing category, and will go on to compete in the national competition as well. Senior Erica R. Hendry’s “Jazz Man,” a profile of recently retired music professor Steve Brown, took second place in the Feature Writing category. The stories appeared in the October 23, 2008, and April 24, 2008, issues of The Ithacan, respectively.
Above: Jackie Palochko ’11, next year's Ithacan news editor, and Allison Musante ’10, next year's Ithacan managing editor, with the awards at the convention.

Byard Duncan's Ithacan Story on CommonDreams.org

Senior Byard Duncan's front-page story on gas drilling from this week's paper was picked up by CommonDreams.org. That's the second Ithacan story they've picked up this semester.

Dianne Lynch Leaving Ithaca College

In case you haven't heard yet, Dean Dianne Lynch is leaving the Park School — for real this time — to be president of Stephens College in Columbia, Mo. Read the Ithacan story.

New Ithacan Editor

Lindsey Hollenbaugh, a junior journalism major and politics minor, has been selected as the 2009–10 Ithacan editor in chief. A Downsville, N.Y., native (the name should be familiar to those of you who make the NYC-to-Ithaca trip on Route 17), she is currently the paper's opinion editor.

Baby Bluey Arrives

Benjamin Thomas Bluey, son of Melissa (Bloomrose) Bluey ’00 and Rob Bluey ’01,was born at 5:39 a.m. this morning, weighing 8 lbs. 9 oz., and 21 inches long. Mother and son are resting comfortably.
Congratulations to Rob and Missy and the extended Bluey family!

Ithacan: The Next Generation

Michelle (Theis) Cuthrell ’04 and her husband Matt are now the proud parents of a second son, Joel Joseph Cuthrell, born the 4th of April — 9 days early, on his older brother Connor’s third birthday. Talk about sibling rivalry! If J.J. is half as much fun as C.J., the Cuthrell home is going to be a lively place for the next couple of decades.
It’s definitely baby season. Rob (’01) and Missy (’00) Bluey’s forthcoming child is due April 11. And IC President Tom Rochon and his wife Amber have a baby coming next month as well.
(Photo above: Michelle holding J.J. for the first time.)

More Awards

The Ithacan has won first place for Design and second place for Sports Coverage in this year's New York Press Association Better College Newspaper Competition. In addition, Jen Nevins, Tom Eschen, Connor Gleason and Diana Cowdery have won individual awards in their respective categories.
The awards are for work published during the 2008 calendar year. Both winning feature stories were sports fronts from the same month — pretty impressive. The list of winners is below. Congratulations to everyone involved.

First Place, Design
(Spring 2008 Editor: Lena Yue ’10; Fall 2008 Editor: Alexis McNutt ’11)

Second Place, Best Sports Coverage
(Spring 2008 Editor: Andrew Lovell ’08; Fall 2008 Editor: Cory Francer ’10)

Second Place, Feature Story
Jen Nevins ’09, "That's How They Roll," roller derby feature (Sports, Oct. 23, 2008)

Third Place, Feature Story
Tom Eschen ’11, "Built on Determination," a profile of Jared Azuma (Sports, Oct. 9, 2008)

Second Place, Photography
Connor Gleason ’08, lead photo for "Rise in the East, Response in the West," (News, March 27, 2008)

Third Place, Photography
Diana Cowdery ’09, photo of didgeridoo player in "Fun Down Under" (This I See, Aug. 29, 2008)

Ithacan's Izzy Awards Story Gets National Attention

Our coverage of the first annual Izzy Awards, presented by the Park School's Center for Independent Media to Amy Goodman and Glenn Greenwald Tuesday night, has been bringing a lot of readers to our site. In addition, the story (by Assistant News Editor Becca Burns) has been picked up by Michael Moore and commondreams.org, among others.

We're on Twitter

You can now follow The Ithacan on Twitter. To sign up, click here.

Informal Alumni Weekend

Maybe it's the fact that it's (kind of) spring, or maybe it's just a coincidence, but there were a lot of alumni around this weekend.
On Friday afternoon, former Accent editor James Sigman ’98 and former news editor Brian Chambala dropped by the office. They were getting ready to go to the 10th anniversary party for Buzzsaw (originally Buzzsaw Haircut), which they help create a decade ago.
Also around this weekend were 2008 grads Nic Barajas, Lydia Dimitriadis, Bill Earl, Connor Gleason and Andrew Lovell, who were back in town to visit friends.

More Ithacan News

A number of our alumni have expressed a desire to hear more about what's going on here at the paper, so in addition to posting updates about alumni activities I'm going to be posting more news about what's going on at The Ithacan these days. I hope you find it interesting.

On the Road

March 20 was a big travel day for Ithacan writers and editors. Editor in Chief Erin Geismar, Senior Writer Jen Nevins, Special Projects Manager Tricia Nadolny (shown above, left to right) and I traveled to Boston for the annual Nieman Narrative Journalism conference. We attended three days of workshops and talks by prominent narrative journalists and editors, including the New Yorker’s Jon Lee Anderson, Washington Post multimedia journalist Jennifer Crandall (who produces their “onBeing” video project) and PBS journalist Gwen Ifill.


The same day, News Editor Libby Sile and Opinion Editor Lindsey Hollenbaugh went to New York for the New York Times Student News Editors Workshop, where they met with Times reporters and editors and discussed developments in the profession. The workshop is organized by the Council of Independent Colleges.

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!