News Releases

     Kristin Finan, managing editor, The Daily Texan, University of Texas, Austin.

     Ryan Clark, editor, College Heights Herald, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green.

     Kamahria Hopkins, advertising manager, Creightonian, Creighton University, Omaha, Neb.

     Jessica Stuart, photographer, Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University, Bloomington.

     Ryan Chittum, reporter and section editor, The Oklahoma Daily, The University of Oklahoma, Norman.

Each of the winners will receive a $5,000 scholarship and an all-expenses paid trip to New York for the National College Media Convention, co-sponsored by the Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Advisers. The college newspapers where the students work also will receive a $5,000 grant.

The competition is sponsored by the Scripps Howard Foundation in cooperation with College Media Advisers.

"Scripps Howard Foundation established this competition to reward college newspaper staffers who have distinguished themselves through their hard work and extraordinary efforts," said Judith G. Clabes, president and CEO of the Foundation. "These five individuals have won the respect and high praise of their colleagues and college advisers and have earned recognition as ‘Most Valuable Staffers.’"

Jenny Tenpenny Crouch, president of College Media Advisers and publications adviser at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., said, "The annual ‘Most Valuable Staffer’ award provides an excellent opportunity to recognize the achievements of some of the country’s most promising journalism students. As always, this year’s recipients are among the best of the best."

The competition was open to staffers of any college newspaper in the U.S. that publishes at least weekly during the regular school year. Nominees had to be enrolled as full-time students in the college or university. They were not required to be journalism or communications majors, and could work in any department of the newspaper. The competition was judged by Fran Kentling, administrative editor of The Wichita Eagle; Jack Willis, student awards committee chairman for College Media Advisers; and Dan K. Thomasson, retired vice president/news for Scripps Howard newspapers and retired editor of Scripps Howard News Service.

College Media Advisers, with more than 700 members coast to coast, represents the people who advise the nation’s collegiate newspapers, yearbooks, magazines and electronic media.

Dedicated to excellence in journalism, the Scripps Howard Foundation is a leader in industry efforts in journalism education, scholarships, internships, literacy, minority recruitment/development and First Amendment causes.