Ithaca College

The Ithacan has once again been named the best non-daily student newspaper in the Northeast by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). The 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.

In addition, senior Jennifer Nevins's story, "That's How They Roll," about a local roller derby team, won the First Place Mark of Excellence Award in the feature writing category. 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.

As regional first-place winners, the paper and Nevins will go on to compete against the first-place winners in the other 11 regions in SPJ's national competition. The results will be announced at the SPJ national convention in Indianapolis, August 27-30. 

[Shown above: Incoming Ithacan news editor Jackie Palochko '11 and incoming Ithacan managing editor Allison Musante '10 at the convention with the awards.]