University Press
SACS accreditation information 2008-2009
The University Press, Lamar’s official twice-a-week student newspaper, keeps the student body and the faculty and staff of Lamar University and the Lamar Institute of Technology informed of the news events that happen on campus and in the area. It also covers state, national, and international news as space allows, particularly those stories that pertain to curricula taught on these campuses. It serves as the major advertising medium for area and national advertisers wishing to reach the Lamar and Institute campus audiences. The newspaper acts as a major laboratory experience for students working in communications, business, English, art, and other fields, as well as preparing students for the workplace.
1. Provides strong occupational training environment for the student staff.
a. Students earn credit based on job performance. Students are required to take
three one-hour practicum courses to satisfy their communication degree
requirements.
b. The editor earns credit as an intern for his or her work in the position.
b. University Press staffers average higher than 3.0 GPA in coursework related to
the field of journalism, reflecting the benefit of the hands-on experience they
receive at the newspaper.
c. Graduating students are regularly hired in media positions based on work
experience.
d. The University Press has consistently been honored for journalistic excellence,
winning 816 awards over 31 years in competition against other universities, for
an average of 27.2 awards a year. In 2007, the University Press won 31 awards
in all competitions. The University Press has won eight Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Best Non-Daily College Newspaper awards since 1989, the year AP allowed university newspapers to compete. The University Press has won Texas APME awards in five of the past eight years. The University Press also places well in professional contests, winning 10 awards in 2007 at The Press Club of Southeast Texas Excellence in Media Awards, competing
against professionals. The UP is the only student newspaper in the organization
and there are no separate categories for students. UP staffers also placed in two
of the three eligible categories at the Houston Press Club Lone Star awards, the first year we were invited to enter. For the first time, the University Press has been able to enter the competition of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), winning two awards.
2. Provides up-to-date computer facilities that serve as the latest training devices.
a. Acquired sufficient funds to maintain the UP computer system and to add
technological improvements to the system that aid in the production of the newspaper and serve as state-of-the-art training facilities for students.
b. Provided professional quality digital cameras for staff use.
c. Provided the largest Apple professional computer system for producing
newspapers in Southeast Texas.
3. The University Press has a high rate of students who go on to graduate school, including
some of the top graduate journalism programs in the country.
a. Two former editors have attended the journalism program at the University of
Missouri-Columbia. Ben DuBose, 2005-2006 editor recently graduated from the
University of Missouri after spending his final semester as an intern for the Los Angeles Times in their Washington, D.C. bureau. DuBose spent the summer of 2007, working as an intern for Major League Baseball, covering the Houston Astros for MLB.com. Josh Cobb, 2000-2001 editor, also attended UM, has graduated and works professionally. Other students have attended UT-Austin, LSU, Tulane, Northwestern University, Columbia, Eastern Illinois, and other institutions.
b. Multiple students have attended or are attending other institutions of higher learning, studying law, education, and medicine among other curricula.
4. Prepares students for work place.
a. A very high percentage of local media, including newspaper, television news, public relations and advertising consists of former students who were active staff members of the University Press.
b. Many former students are active in all areas of journalism both nationally and abroad. Former UP staffers have held management positions at the Associated Press in foreign and domestic bureaus, and have been editors at numerous publications and television programming nationwide.
c. Former students are also well represented in the teaching field, at both school and university levels. The teachers of journalism programs in local high schools who worked for the University Press include West Brook, Port Neches-Groves, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, Silsbee, Orangefield, Vidor, West Orange-Stark, Beaumont Central, Nederland, Beaumont Ozen, and Memorial High School in Port Arthur.
5. Providing fiscal integrity through effective planning.
a. Student management must work within a strict budget for student payroll.
b. Editorial content decisions are made in conjunction with advertising revenues, just as professional newspapers.
6. Encourages diversity in the workplace.
a. The University Press has employed students from 37 countries.
b. The University Press has had a strong record of minority hiring.
1. Ensures student involvement in decision-making concerning the operation of the newspaper.
a. Provided training sessions for the student staff and conducted approximately eight tours through the UP facilities for various groups from the community, including area public school classes.
b. Editors are solely responsible for story selection and assignment with minimal input from advisory staff.
2. Encourages student participation in professional and civic groups.
a. The current staff have served on numerous professional boards and are active in multiple community organizations. The professional staff fosters a spirit of activism within students to actively participate in these professional and local organizations, as well as taking their place as leaders in the community.
3. Increasing the visibility of students’ work through the UP web site.
a. The University Press web site allows citizens, students and alumni across the
area, the United States and the world to stay in touch with Lamar University and Lamar Institute of Technology, thereby increasing the staffers’ profiles. The University Press is available for download in its entirety as a PDF file. The web site, though in its infancy, receives more than 100 hits each publication day.
4. Encourages student travel
a. Former staffers have traveled abroad, both to study and to visit. Locations include, Spain, El Salvador, England, Czech Republic, Cuba and many other countries. Many times, their travels have resulted in award-winning articles.
b. Former editor Daniel Chand currently works in the Peace Corps in Zambia. Former editor Jenny Achilles has recently returned from a year working and studying in El Salvador. Former editor Kasey Jordan spent eight months working in England. Former managing editor Frank Conde worked for The Associated Press in Spain.
5. Encourages exchange of ideas with other programs.
a. Encourages participation to journalism conventions where students participate in
workshops and live competition, as well as interacting with students from different colleges, universities and programs.
The University Press operates by the rules and regulations of the journalism congresses such as Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, Southwestern Journalism Congress, Society of Professional Journalists and The Associated Press. These rules are established to assure quality publications and to ensure student journalists conform to high professional and ethical standards.
The University Press and its UPbeat magazine won 24 awards from TIPA, two awards from SPJ, and 12 awards from the Press Club of Southeast Texas. These awards represented all areas of the newspaper, including advertising, layout, writing, graphics and photography for both newspaper and magazine.
Assessment
In the Fall of 2007 a Student Satisfaction Survey was sent to all students through the university web portal my.lamar.edu. With 1994 responses that surveyed where and if students were involved on campus, if they were satisfied with various areas of student affairs. With 39.6% of the students survey saying that they were very satisfied or satisfied with the University Press and only 3.5% saying that they were on satisfied it can be assumed that the product we are putting out is of high quality. Of concern is the 20.6% of the students who were neutral regarding their satisfaction and the 36.3% of the students who said they had no experience with the University Press. In anticipation of such concerns an on-line paper was launched during the Fall of 2006. Future endeavors will be initiated to make students and alumni aware of the on-line version.
Recommendations
1. The University Press web site is a work in progress and a major aim is to promote
it through a variety of media and web-based outlets.
2. The University Press will seek to recruit student staffers from all disciplines on campus.
3. The University Press will post employment criteria and office policy online on its web site.
4. The University Press will seek to increase awareness of employment and educational
opportunities among incoming high school students.
Also, the following Assessment measures will be implemented to increase effectiveness.
Assessment measure: The number of awards entered and received give us a good guide to how we measure up to local, state and national criteria.
Desired Criteria: The University Press will enter 100% of the applicable award categories
Desired Criteria: The University Press will win 10% of the awards in which it entered.
Assessment measure: The student workers will feel that their experience working at the University Press is worthwhile.
Desired Criteria: Using an internal survey, 75% of the student workers will agree or strongly agree that their experience working for the University Press has been helpful to related coursework.
Desired Criteria: Using an internal survey, 75% of the student workers will agree or strongly agree that their experience working for the University Press has prepared them for a job working in Journalism or post graduate endeavors.
Assessment measure: The number of advertiser relates directly to income and the ability of the University Press to provide updated equipment.
Desired Criteria: Increase the number of advertisers 5% from the 2007-2008 academic year.