I hope you are settling into a new semester and new calendar year. Here are some updates, dates and details on the contest and conference. More to come in the coming weeks from Brad (contest) and Denise (conference), but I want to make sure the key dates are on your calendars.
Membership
At the Fall Retreat, we decided to increase the membership fee to $130. That now covers all your publications (a savings for schools with multiple publications) and it INCLUDES conference registration for one adviser and one student per membership/school (hoping this helps small schools with conference).
Here’s the membership form for this academic year. (Butler, Hutchinson, KSU, Johnson County, McPherson and WSU have completed so far.)
Nick Jungman, treasurer, will be getting invoices out to everyone who has filled out the membership form.
Contest
Jan. 30: The contest portal (Better BNC) for individual entries should be live.
We’ll update the Google form online for overall entries.
Feb. 23: Deadline to enter both individual and overall contests. (This must be done by 11 p.m. BetterBNC operates on Eastern time, so we don’t have until midnight.)
Work published between Jan. 1, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2025 is eligible.
Please watch for an email from Brad Hallier before Jan. 30 with log-in information and more details.
The categories are not changing for this year. Contest categories will be a priority discussion item this fall.
You can find the categories here. Have your students start gathering their files and links!
Spring Conference
April 12-13 (Last year we started Sunday around 12:30 p.m. and finished Monday by 2:30 p.m.)
Wichita State University Campus (Rhatigan Student Center)
We hope to have a block at the Hyatt on Campus. Details and a link coming soon.
Watch for more information from Denise Neil and me coming in February.
Scholarship Opportunity
The Kansas Pro Chapter of Society of Professional Journalists gives away some nice scholarships to students who plan to work in journalism. Applications are due Feb. 9. Here’s the form. Please share with students!
A Couple Shoutouts
Julia Kuttler at McPherson College won a grant from College Media Association for a First Amendment project!
Spencer O’Daniel at K-State planned a training (happening today) and invited all our students. Thank you!
Have a great week, and please let me know if you have any questions.
Amy DeVault
Senior Educator & Undergraduate Coordinator
Faculty Advisor, The Sunflower
Elliott School of Communication
Wichita State University
President, Kansas Collegiate Media
President-elect, National Scholastic Press Association