As the 2023-2024 academic year comes to an end, we have a lot to brag about here in the School of Media and Journalism. We’ve highlighted some of these points of pride here in Jargon since last August, but it’s worth repeating some of our favorite talking points and adding a few more to the list. Here are five categories of accomplishments we’re especially proud of:
Recognition for Student Media. Entering the contest for the first time in recent memory, The Stater earned two statewide awards from the Ohio News Media Association (ONMA): 2nd place in news coverage and 2nd place in opinion writing. Student Media work also earned recognition in the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Region 4 Mark of Excellence competition winning Best Ongoing Student Magazine, Radio News Reporting, Radio In-Depth Reporting, Television In-Depth Reporting and Best All-Around Television Newscast.
NewsLab’s Upward Trajectory. It was also a banner year for the School of Media and Journalism’s NewsLab producing 35 original stories that have been published or aired dozens of times across Ohio and beyond, some of these stories reaching audiences in the hundreds of thousands. Of special note, NewsLab produced five stories by four students in a partnership with Ideastream, using a small grant from Grist.org and the Center for Rural Strategies, focused on the aftermath of the train derailment in East Palestine. Three of those stories earned either a top-20 Hearst or SPJ Region 4 first place award.
Digital Media Production Accomplishments. We’re delighted that students and alumni in the School of Media and Journalism’s Digital Media Production major are increasingly recognized regionally, nationally and beyond. Three student short films were screened at the Oscars-qualifying Cleveland International Film Festival; five student films appeared at Cleveland’s Short. Sweet. Film Festival; and two students have won spots with The Beat Goes On Impact Campaign, a documentary effort focused on amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities and promoting active citizenship in these communities during the 2024 election season. Meanwhile, alumni can now be found working in Northeast Ohio, Atlanta, Chicago, Nashville, Los Angeles, New York, London and elsewhere.
Public Relations Students Continue to Shine. Meanwhile, Kent State’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) earned National PRSSA Star Chapter honors, the gold standard for chapters that recognizes excellence in programming and relationship-building opportunities for students. This award continues a years-long record of strong performance by this dynamic student group at the heart of MDJ’s Public Relations major.
External Validation of Our Accomplishments. The School of Media and Journalism earned full reaccreditation from the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. This addressed MDJ’s earlier provisional status awarded in 2021-2022. The evaluators’ report referred to “stop-you-in-your-tracks progress” on the curricular front and said “the revisit team found a transformed and energized unit…” We were glad to have the opportunity to share updates on the work we’ve been doing here at the school since the initial site team visit in Fall 2021, with particular attention to ensuring that everyone feels welcome in MDJ; to dedicating extensive additional resources to the Digital Media Production major; and to revitalizing our internal assessment process. We’re pleased our efforts have been recognized by ACEJMC and we’re proud to be one of only two fully accredited programs in Ohio.
As we look toward the coming academic year, we know there are many uncertainties ahead as the university navigates changing demographic trends, budget challenges and an evolving political landscape. But we remain confident in the strength of our programs, the skills of our students and the commitment of our faculty to providing the best education possible to every student who walks through the doors of Franklin Hall. Congratulations to all of us as we tally our successes and plan to catch up on our rest in anticipation of the academic year ahead.