Members present: (13) Joe Corrado (president), Pam Lannom, Roger Ruthhart, Sharon Boehlefeld, , Jim Killam (communications coordinator), Lois Self (executive secretary), Pete Nenni, Colin O'Donnell (first VP), Rich Rostron, Rick Nagel, Randy Swikle, Jim Slonoff, John Etheredge.
Members absent: (7), Greg Rivara (2nd VP), Tom Martin (past president), Jay Dickerson, Jeannine Otto, Penny Wiegert, Lonny Cain, Wally Haas.
Guest present: Steve Ralston, chair, NIU department of communication
Corrado called the meeting to order at 10 a.m.
Minutes of the Oct. 27 board meeting were approved, with minor revisions as now reflected on the Web site.
Treasurer's report:
Slonoff reported Oct. 31 balances of $4,662.74 (checking) and $5.94 (savings).
Another $575 in revenue has been added since then from old dues and spring
workshop fees.
The fall conference brought $2,610 in revenue so far, with $720 still out,
for a total anticipated revenue of $3,390. Conference expenses were $2,313,
for a profit of $1,076. Several minor, miscellaneous conference expenses
still need to be paid.
Report accepted (Ruthhart / O'Donnell)
Executive secretary's report:
Self said two searches are under way for journalism faculty members: one
for print and one for convergence/new media. She invited board members to
attend candidate presentations, and will alert them to those dates and times
as they approach.
This year's awards banquet had several mishaps involving audiovisual equipment and PowerPoint slides being out of order for the awards presentation. More seriously, the wrong Group 1 sweepstakes winner was announced and published in the Best of the Press tabloid. The correct winner was the Woodstock Independent. Self immediately called the papers that day to notify them of the error and to apologize. Both were gracious about that matter, she said.
Self asked if the idea of traveling trophies for sweepstakes and two other categories has outlived its usefulness. She suggested possibly retiring the traveling trophies and putting them on display in the Communication department, and then doing regular plaques or trophies for each year's winners. Several board members said they would not like to see that happen - that the traveling awards provide a sense of history and an identity with NIU. The idea was not pursued further.
Two other traveling trophies were discussed, because the newspapers that originally sponsored them have had no involvement with them in recent years. Star Newspapers has been the announced sponsor of the W.E. Williams Award for best single in-depth news story in group 2. The Rockford Register Star has been the announced sponsor of the Tom Reay Award for best single in-depth news story in group 3. Those papers will be contacted about having greater involvement in presenting the awards. At the banquet and/or in Best of the Press, background will be given about the awards.
This year's contest had 904 total entries, down a little from 951 in 2004. The new award for religion writing drew 32 entries. The most-entered category continues to be feature stories (74).
Self asked that ideas and comments about the contest be directed to her at lself@niu.edu.
President's Report
Corrado submitted the following slate of officers for 2006: President, Colin
O'Donnell; 1st Vice President, Greg Rivara; 2nd Vice President, Rich Rostron;
Past President, Joe Corrado; Treasurer, Jim Slonoff; Executive Secretary,
Lois Self (with possible handoff to another Communication department representative
at mid-year); Communications Coordinator, Jim Killam.
The officers were approved (Lannom, O'Donnell). The at-large member of the
executive board will be chosen in January.
Corrado thanked the board for its support and hard work in 2005, and then presented the highly coveted Rhino Award (of which no one seems to remember the exact origin) to incoming president O'Donnell. Self suggested a resolution thanking Corrado for his service this year. Approved (Nagel, O'Donnell).
At this point, O'Donnell took over as president and ran the rest of the meeting.
O'Donnell announced the following committee appointments for 2006:
The board voted to reappoint those members whose three-year terms expire Dec. 31, 2005. They are: Rostron, Etheredge, Killam, Martin, O'Donnell and Wiegert.
For board members' information, terms expiring in December 2006 are: Dickerson, Nenni, Nagel, Self, Corrado and Slonoff. Terms expiring in December 2007 are: Lannom, Cain, Haas, Otto, Swikle, Ruthhart, Rivara and Boehlefeld.
One board vacancy exists. O'Donnell suggested that the southwest suburbs need representation. Names should be submitted to him before the Jan. 20 board meeting. All board terms are for three years.
The 2006 board calendar was discussed. The next meeting is Jan. 20. After that, tentative dates are March 31, June 23, Sept. 8, Oct. 26 and Dec. 1. All meeting dates will be confirmed at the January meeting.
Program Committee Report:
O'Donnell said the spring conference will be something Internet-related
… something having to do with where things are headed with newspaper
Web sites. There is potential for this to be a joint program with the Illinois
Press Association and held at the Daily Herald offices.
Education Committee Report:
Rivara was absent, but the board discussed tentative plans for a series
of high-school advisers workshops in late September 2006. Killam is talking
with officers from the Kettle Moraine Press Association, and also the Wisconsin
Press Association, to develop plans.
Swikle encouraged individual newspapers to partner with scholastic journalism
in their communities, to encourage a free and responsible student press.
One effective method is to invite area student journalists and advisers
to your paper's news budget meeting.
Slonoff said the Doings took out a full-page ad in the biggest high-school
paper in their area.
There was some discussion about high-school journalism camps and dwindling
numbers of students attending these nationwide. Ideas for promoting NIU's
camp this summer included adding a page to the NINA scholarship mailing,
which goes out in January, or developing a press release to send to newspapers.
Rostron is coordinating a high school journalism conference March 17 at
McHenry County Community College.
Resource Committee / Communication Coordinator Report:
Killam asked if board members thought the newsletter should go all-electronic.
He would produce it as usual but then e-mail a pdf file to the entire e-mail
list, plus post it on the Web site as usual. NINA spends about $400 a year
to print the newsletter, not including mailing costs. Consensus was to keep
printing and mailing it, but to also e-mail the pdf to our entire e-mail
list, which should be expanded to include every paper in Northern Illinois.
The copy deadline for the winter newsletter is Monday, Dec. 12. Corrado and O'Donnell will write columns as outgoing/incoming presidents. Cain is doing a piece about the Readership Institute. Killam asked board members to gather testimonial comments from staffers who attended the October program, and to e-mail those to him before Dec. 12.
The Illinois College Press Association's annual job fair and convention is Friday, Feb. 17, at the Holiday Inn City Centre in Chicago. Killam encouraged editors to attend; more than 100 top college journalists from Illinois are available for interviews.
Killam also distributed copies of Owen Phelps' new book, "The Believer's Edge." Phelps send the books as a thank you for the board naming the new religion writing award after him.
Old Business
Buddy system: Boehlefeld said some papers appear to have two buddies. Lannom
and/or Corrado will check on this.
New Business
None.
Next board meeting: Friday, Jan. 20, 2006, at the Northern Star, NIU.
Meeting adjourned at 11:25 a.m.
Minutes submitted by Jim Killam,
communications coordinator, 12-5-05.
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