BG News Alumni Society

AmyJo and Bridget are helping out

2009-08-12T07:10:00Z

Quick note here. AmyJo and Bridget are helping to get the new BGNAS site and Forum up and running. You can get to the forum from the right column. These will be launching very soon. If anyone is interested in blogging on the BGNAS site, please click Register in the upper right and I will give you access to the site to blog.

I don't want to blabber on here so I will just leave you with a link to the developer blog for the new BG News site, BG Views.

New BG News Alumni Site

2009-08-12T06:10:00Z

Hello all, welcome to the new BGNAS site. You will notice that things are not completely running yet. I am meeting with Bridget on Wednesday and hope to have more for you by then.

The site looks too much like the BG Views template for one, but I am working on changing that.

BG News Alumni Forums Ready

2009-08-12T04:10:00Z

Thanks to AmyJo, our BGNAS Forum is ready.

Now, I have the the forum closed to everyone but the people I add to it (Alumni). Right now that means AJ and Bridget can post and post and comment.

Sign up for an account and be sure to indicate that you are a BG News Alumni. I will then grant you posting privileges to the BGNAS site and BGNAS forum.

Society sponsors panel discussion at 2005 event

2009-08-11T22:57:32Z

BG News Alumni Society takes part in Communications Studies Week

From landing first internships to making a complete career change, BG News alumni shared their professional experiences with current journalism students during BGSU's Communication Studies Week April 15, 2005.

The newly formed BG News Alumni Society hosted a panel discussion titled "From Here to There: Career Paths for Journalism Students" on the final day of the week-long event sponsored by the School of Communication Studies, which includes the Journalism Department.

The panel discussion was designed to show students how a journalism degree can be leveraged into other professions.

"We wanted students to know that people can use journalism degrees beyond media-related jobs," said Jerry Masek, chair of the Student Development Committee for the BG News Alumni Society (BGNAS) and organizer of the event. "We also wanted students to start thinking about how to network professionally once they graduate."

The panel, moderated by BGNAS President Jim Tinker, included:

Rick Redman, vice president of corporate communications for Hillerich & Bradsby Co., parent company of Louisville Slugger.
Ben Marrison, editor of The Columbus Dispatch.
Jared Wadley, senior public relations specialist, University of Michigan.
Lynn Gagel, attorney for Roche Diagnostics in Indianapolis.
Masek, media relations manager for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.
Robert "Buz" Buzogny, owner of BUZ Communications, a public relations agency in Cleveland.

Panel members stressed the importance of being flexible as their careers evolve. Marrison offered the advice of creating a vision of the ultimate career goal and pursuing it passionately as a way to succeed.

Two fund-raising efforts reach $14,000 in contributions

2009-08-11T22:55:20Z

Nearly $14,000 has been raised to date in two fund-raising efforts benefiting The BG News. According to Michelle Banks, '92, BGNAS board member and BGSU's director of annual giving, $12,016 has been contributed to the Terry Goodman Memorial Journalism Scholarship fund and another $1,952 has been donated to the newly created BG News Fund.

The BG News Alumni Society, in cooperation with the Development Office, created the Goodman Memorial Journalism Scholarship effort in fall 2004 with the goal of raising $25,000 to endow two annual student scholarships that will benefit The BG News: a $500 scholarship for an incoming freshman and a $1,000 award for a rising junior or senior.

The criteria that candidates must be graduates of Lorain County, Ohio, high schools to be eligible for the Goodman scholarships has been eliminated. Now, applicants only need to be graduates of any Ohio high school.

Goodman was a 1978 BGSU graduate and former BG News sports editor who became an award-winning Northeast Ohio journalist. He died in 1996 of cancer.

BGSU's Development Office established The BG News Fund in fall 2005 to support leadership development and training for BG News staff members, student travel to professional conferences, and equipment needs.

The BG News Fund helped pay for the travel of 12 BG News staff members to the annual Society of Professional Journalists Region 4 Conference in April in Cincinnati. At the conference, The BG News was named the best student newspaper in the SPJ region.

"The financial need of today's students is such that today's rising tuition costs has resulted in fewer students putting in time at The BG News," said Beth Thomas Hertz, '89, president of the BG News Alumni Society and former BG News editor. "And the valuable experience gained by attending conferences like the SPJ regional is out of reach for many BG News staffers who work more than 20 hours a week at another job to cover tuition costs."

Gifts for both BG News fund-raising efforts can be made online at the BGSU Development Office site and will count toward the University's $120 million campaign, Building Dreams: The Centennial Campaign for Bowling Green State University.

A pledge card also is available at this Web site at the Scholarships link and can be mailed to:

BGSU Foundation
Mileti Alumni Center
Bowling Green, OH 43403

Checks need made payable to the BGSU Foundation, Inc., and payment by credit card can be made by calling the BGSU Foundation Office at 1-800-236-3112 or 419-372-2551.

Make certain that you indicate that your gift is for either the Terry Goodman Memorial Journalism Scholarship or The BG News Fund. For more information, contact Banks in the BGSU Development Office at (419) 372-6389 or banksm@bgsu.edu.

Criteria for the Terry Goodman Scholarship

2009-08-11T22:53:36Z

These are the criteria for the Terry Goodman Memorial Journalism Scholarship. This scholarship is open to both incoming freshmen and enrolled students.

FOR INCOMING FRESHMEN

The $500 scholarship will be awarded to an incoming freshman who has graduated from an Ohio high school.
The scholarship applicant must have completed high school with a minimum GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale.
The applicant must demonstrate an interest in pursuing a career in newspaper journalism, and plans to major or minor in journalism at Bowling Green State University and eventually work at The BG News, the campus newspaper.
Applicants will submit an essay no longer than two pages single-spaced on why they are applying for the scholarship and what they hope to obtain from it, plus demonstrate an understanding of the life and career of Terry Goodman.

RENWABILITY

Awards are not renewable.

FOR ENROLLED STUDENTS

The $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to a rising BGSU junior of senior student who has graduated from an Ohio high school.
The scholarship applicant must have completed high school with a minimum GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale and currently maintain a 2.7 GPA as a BGSU student.
The applicant must currently be a print journalism major at BGSU and a staff member of the student newspaper, The BG News, and demonstrate an interest in pursuing a career in newspaper journalism.
Applicants will submit an essay no longer than two pages single-spaced on why they are applying for the scholarship and what they hope to obtain from it, plus demonstrate an understanding of the life and career of Terry Goodman.

RENWABILITY

A recipient may be awarded the Terry Goodman Memorial Journalism Scholarship a second time if the committee finds that the recipient is the most qualified and maintains an overall GPA of 2.7 as a BGSU student.

Why Support the Goodman Scholarship?

2009-08-11T22:51:20Z

By BOB BORTEL
BG News Adviser
BGSU '77, '83

It wasn't that long ago, at least not in our minds anyway. Those days in college -- the friends, the experiences, the late nights in the newsroom, or later on winding down after deadline at some favorite gathering place.

A lot hasn't changed. The BG News and the BGSU journalism department are still partnering to develop some of the best professional journalists today, or graduates choosing to make their mark in another career, using those skills they first found or developed at BGSU and maybe the student newspaper.

What has changed is the financial need. Many of us worked for little or no pay. A few hundred bucks were more than enough because we were there for the experience. But no more.

BGSU says that half of our students hold part-time jobs; average school debt per student is now more than $16,000. Nearly two-thirds of our students are receiving financial aid, and more than 40 percent are the first members of their families to attend college.

But let's bring it down to a personal level. The experience is still there at The BG News, and scores of students are doing what we did over the years and still have the same fun doing it. Yet fewer students can put in the time at The News, or other internships, because of financial need. Never have I seen the number of students minimized in their ability to develop because they are holding down more than one part-time job just to stay in school.

The editor of The News a couple of years ago was busing tables 20 hours a week to make her way through school. A recent News alumnus was working more than 20 hours a week as a campus dining services manager. Fewer reporters can put in the time to develop basic writing experience because of outside work and other obligations.

In a survey of The BG News staff in spring 2004, many student staff members said their amount of pay, companioned with financial need, was a barrier for greater involvement in working at The News or other internships.

So what it all means is support -- support for the Terry Goodman Memorial Journalism Scholarship and The BG News Fund, support to help give these students today the same opportunities we had in college.

(Editor's note: Bob Bortel is a former summer editor of The News who worked with Terry Goodman on the student newspaper in the 1970s. He has been The BG News adviser and business manager since 1982.)

Terry Goodman's legacy

2009-08-11T22:43:09Z

Award-winning journalist and family man

Ask Craig Goodman about his brother Terry and he doesn't hesitate: "He was about love of family, love of the journalism profession, and trying to help out someone who needed it."

Those values are at the core of the Terry Goodman Memorial Journalism Scholarship, a program begun in 2004 to honor the 1978 Bowling Green State University journalism graduate who became an award-winning journalist in Northeast Ohio.

The Goodman Scholarship eventually will support two annual awards at BGSU:

A $500 scholarship for an incoming freshman.
A $1,000 award for a rising BG junior or senior print journalism major and current staff member of the student newspaper, The BG News.

The scholarship effort was created and is being coordinated by the BG News Alumni Society.

"These scholarships will help students today have the same opportunities at Bowling Green that Terry Goodman enjoyed," says Bob Bortel, current BG News adviser and business manager and classmate of Terry.

Goodman's journalism career was cut short by cancer in 1996. He was sports editor of The Morning Journal in Lorain from 1980 to 1989, when he was promoted to associate managing editor in charge of daily layout and design. He held that position until his death.

Terry was a fixture in The BG News newsroom. He spent three years on the sports staff before becoming sports editor in 1977-78.

Soon after graduating from BGSU, Goodman became the first Sunday sports editor of the Sandusky Register. He eventually won 39 awards in state and national journalism competitions, including three Associated Press first-place awards.

Goodman began writing at 13 for a newspaper, The Rural Urban in LaGrange, Ohio, and was sports editor of his Midview High School newspaper in Lorain County. By the time he arrived at BGSU in 1974, Goodman had already been a part-time sports reporter for The Chronicle-Telegram in Elyria for three years.

A devoted family man, Goodman was a father of three and active in the community. He enjoyed teaching writing and journalism to area school children, and he umpired and coached his children's baseball, softball and basketball teams.

"I remember Terry always saying he was born with printer's ink in his blood. Being a journalist was so much of who he was," says Terry's wife, Nadine. "I think he would have been honored that this effort was being made in his name."

BG News Alumni Society Professional Networking Committee

2009-08-11T22:34:23Z

The Professional Networking Committee's goal is to inform BG News alumni of opportunities for advancement and employment in journalism and other fields.

Sharing knowledge about job openings can provide a recent graduate with an entry-level job, while those with experience can benefit from new opportunities or have a place to turn if they unexpectedly find themselves in the marketplace.

BG News alumni willing to share job tips can visit the Professional Networking portion of our message board.

Alumni willing to critique resumes or cover letters can do so in our Advise an Alum forum.

The Professional Networking Committee is trying to get a more comprehensive list of BG News alumni so we can more ably help one another with the above and, we hope, much more. Please register for a BG Views account so we can include you in future BG News Alumni Society events.

Once you have registered, please fill out your User Profile to help keep us keep in touch with you. This also keeps other alumns informed about you.

BG News alumni can also access job postings at the following sites:

For more information about professional networking and the BG News Alumni Society, contact Professional Networking Committee Chair Harold Brown at hbrown@sentinel-tribune.com.

NewsMakers: The Newsletter of The BG News Alumni Society

2009-08-11T22:31:04Z

NewsMakers is the newsletter of The BG News Alumni Society, which is dedicated to promoting scholarships and internships for current BG News staff and professional networking opportunities for alumni. The newsletter is co-sponsored by the Bowling Green State University Alumni Association, which pays for printing and mailing the publication to more than 1,500 alumni.

Issue	Size
Winter 2007	1.0 MB
Summer 2006	1.0 MB
Winter 2006	1.0 MB
Summer 2005	1.0 MB
Winter 2005	1.0 MB

We welcome story ideas, especially those featuring BG News alumni and what they're doing today. Contact NewsMakers Editor Bill Estep, '77, at estep.47@osu.edu or 614/292-8421 (o).

Mail correspondence and address changes to:

BGSU Alumni Association
Mileti Alumni Center
Bowling Green, OH 43403

Useful Links

2009-08-11T22:20:20Z

Journalism Job Listings:

Alumni recount lessons learned at The BG News during 85th anniversary reunion

2009-08-11T20:50:38Z

Different times. Different staffs. Common bonds. The top banner on the 85th anniversary tabloid insert to The BG News provided an accurate summary of reunion events held at BGSU over the Homecoming weekend of Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2005.

The shared experiences of working at The BG News created strong bonds between alumni, regardless of when they attended the University. Current News staffers mingled with predecessors from the 1950s through the early 2000s. Recent graduates gave layout tips to current editors. Editors from bygone eras compared notes on being summoned to the University president's offices -- decades apart.

The events, sponsored by the BG News Alumni Society, began Friday evening, Sept. 30, with an informal reception at The BG News offices in West Hall. Current News staff members snacked on pizza, subs, chips and soda as they chatted with 75 alumni. Notes were compared on campus events of the day, the evolution of computer, photographic and production technology, page design and student internship opportunities. Students asked the alumni about the twists and turns of their careers, with the alumni stressing the importance of networking and getting hands-on experience whenever and wherever possible.

Dick Rees, '77, brought along a scrapbook his wife made for his 50th birthday, featuring yellowed BG News clippings. Retired Photojournalism Professor Jim Gordon, '56, talked about his newest digital camera and its myriad features. Several alumni talked about taking road trips with former News Adviser and Journalism Professor Emil Dansker, who pioneered the University's national political convention internships with Political Science Professor Bill Spragens. Jeff Hindenach, '02, Mizell Stewart, '87, and Tom Walton, '65, all shared professional experiences with the current crop of News staffers.

The following morning, more than 100 people gathered for social time, then listened to speakers from each decade at a luncheon gathering in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. Bob Bortel. '77. '83, student publications director, recognized the 1988-89 staff, whose paper was selected best student newspaper in the nation by the Society of Professional Journalists, and retired journalism professors Gordon and Ray Laakaniemi. Later, BG News Alumni Society President Jim Tinker, '91, honored Bortel for his 20-plus years of service as the BG News' adviser.

Before Saturday's victorious Homecoming football game against Temple University, more than 150 alumni and current News staffers enjoyed a tent party outside Doyt Perry Stadium. The warm, sunny afternoon struck many alumni as a welcome contrast to the blustery, cold weather the previous year when many gathered for a similar tailgate party.

At the News' 85th anniversary luncheon, speakers from the 1950s to the early 2000s related the vital role the paper played in their formation as journalists and adults.

"We ate, worked and slept at the News," said Amy Burkett, '90, senior vice president at WLVT-TV, the PBS affiliate in Bethlehem, Pa., and luncheon moderator. "It was our life at that time. It helped us all form our careers."

Stewart, former editor and vice president of the Tallahassee Democrat, said he regularly recalled what he learned at The BG News while writing for newspapers in Dayton and Tallahassee, including how to lay out pages, to deal with disappointment and to get along with peers in a competitive newsgathering environment. Helping out at the Biloxi Sun-Herald after Hurricane Katrina, Stewart said, he was still applying what he learned at The BG News in his daily work. He also said he is thrilled to find a strong student press on the Bowling Green campus today.

While she was a student journalist, Kim Larson Pupillo, '93, recalled seeing an interesting man walking down the street. Breaking away from a party she was attending, Pupillo interviewed the man and subsequently wrote a story about him.

"I learned two valuable lessons at The BG News," Pupillo said. "First, the news never stops, and second, we were like mailmen -- just not as well compensated."

Dallas Brim, '55, said he grew up with the University and The BG News. It was an age of growth for the University, he said, with new buildings going up all over campus, including a Swiss chalet-style Falcon's Nest.

It was also a time of innocence on campus, Brim said, citing as an example restrictions on when women had to be in their dormitories. Students found ways to circumvent regulations by hiding in bushes for their liaisons. Quoting the late comedian Bob Hope, Brim said, "I remember Bowling Green. That's where when you kick a bush, it kicks back!"

Janet Romaker, '74, a staff writer at The Blade in Toledo, recounted a much more serious episode in The BG News' history. In the post-Watergate era, she said, "We trusted no one."

"The only things not being covered up were the white fannies of the streakers on campus," Romaker said. She and three other BG News staffers uncovered voting fraud during student government elections, she said. They saw a good story and investigated it, but became part of the story in the process.

Borrowing identification cards from other students, the "Gang of Four" cast multiple ballots -- being careful to stamp the ballots as being from The BG News -- then wrote a front-page story detailing how easy it would be to throw an election. For their actions, the students were charged and found guilty of committing election fraud. Threatened with expulsion, they were eventually cleared of charges by the dean of students, ending a 43-day ordeal.

It didn't occur to the student journalists immediately, Romaker said, but they quickly realized they had the backing of The Blade, the Associated Press and other professional media as news broke that the ballots were impounded. The students exposed problems with the election process and changes were made as a result of their actions, Romaker said, a powerful lesson on the impact of the press.

The BG News of the 1960s was a mirror of its day, said Walton, now editor of The Blade, from protests on Wooster Street to civil rights marches. The biggest story, though, was President John F. Kennedy's assassination, which Walton said occurred while his journalism class was visiting the Northwest Signal newspaper in Napoleon.

Walton said he's been working in newspapers for 40 years, but the most important things he learned were at The BG News.

International recognition came to The BG News for its design, said Hindenach, former BG News editor-in-chief and now front-page designer for the San Jose Mercury News. Hindenach shared with luncheon attendees slides of award-winning BG News page designs.

Bob Moser, 2005-06 BG News editor-in-chief, closed the luncheon by explaining the challenges facing current student journalists. With rising tuition costs, he said, students can earn more money by working in fast-food restaurants than at The BG News. Still, his staff members choose to work at The News, their incredible commitment giving him much comfort.

Moser said alumni attending the 85th reunion all have a debt of gratitude to mentors. He encouraged them to help current BG News staffers, whether through a contribution to the Terry Goodman Memorial Journalism Scholarship fund, an internship opportunity or becoming a mentor to a student.

Different times. Different staffs. Common bonds.

Homecoming celebration planned to commemorate 85th anniversary of BG News

2009-08-11T20:48:56Z

Circle your calendar for Sept. 30-Oct. 1 and plan on returning to campus to join in celebrating The BG News' 85th anniversary. If you haven't been to campus for a while or kept in contact with old college friends, this is your chance.

The newly formed BG News Alumni Society is sponsoring multiple reunion events during Homecoming weekend to honor the campus newspaper and those who have captured a first draft of BGSU history, and student life, since 1920.

This reunion will celebrate milestones in the newspaper's history; recognize staff members of 1988-89 who won a best-in-the-nation award; and we will also compile a book of favorite alumni memories as a keepsake.

The weekend lineup for the 85th anniversary reunion includes:

BG News Open House/Reception, 7-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, at 210 West Hall. Tour the BG News newsroom and share stories with current staff. West Hall is located near the corner of Thurstin and Wooster streets, next to the Administration Building.
Pre-luncheon Reception, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at 228 Bowen-Thompson Student Union. We've invited your former journalism profs back for a special event at BG's new student union.
Anniversary Luncheon: "The Campus Voice for 85 Years," 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, at 228 Bowen-Thompson Student Union. Enjoy lunch and conversation during a program featuring speakers and images that capture BG News milestones and voices of the campus for more than eight decades.
BG News Alumni Society Tent Party, 2-4 p.m. Saturday, at Meijer Tailgate Park on the east side of Doyt Perry Stadium. A child-friendly tent party for BG News alumni, families and guests.
Homecoming football game between the Falcons and Temple University, 4 p.m., at Doyt Perry Stadium.

To register for the weekend's events, alumni can mail in this registration flyer or alumni can register and pay online with a Visa card here. There are several price and ordering options, including one that combines all Saturday events. The Society has also reserved a block of 100 seats for alumni at the football game.

BG News alumni are encouraged to quickly make their hotel reservations in Bowling Green. A hotel listing is available at the Bowling Green Convention and Visitors Bureau Web site.

This year's Homecoming celebration has been building for more than three years, following a successful 2002 reunion and a popular Homecoming tailgate party last year.

"We've hosted a couple of events since 2002 that have drawn really good crowds, with everyone having a great time," says BG News Alumni Society President Jim Tinker, '91. "What's really fun is to see people reconnect with each other. Relationships seem to pick up right where they left off. And it's also neat to meet staff from different eras and hear their stories, too."

For more information on The BG News' 85th anniversary reunion, contact BG News Adviser Bob Bortel, '77, '83, at 419/372-2607 (o) or rbortel@bgsu.edu. To volunteer to help with the reunion event, contact Tinker at jtinker2@bex.net.

BGNAS event attracts a crowd during Communication Studies Week

2009-08-11T20:47:32Z

More than 100 students, faculty/staff and alumni packed into a room in BGSU's Bowen-Thompson Student Union March 28 to hear Akron Beacon Journal Managing Editor and former BG News Editor Mizell Stewart, '87, address the changing demographics of news consumers. The event was sponsored by the BG News Alumni Society as part of the School of Communication Studies' annual Communication Studies Week.

In an era of instantaneous communications, newspapers and other forms of media must continually strive to make meaningful connections with their readers, Stewart said. Technology, while intended to make our lives easier, has had unintended consequences, including increasing fragmentation of society and less personalized communication among individuals, he said.

Stewart admitted that newspapers are becoming "increasingly irrelevant" in our society and offered a specific reason: They require the undivided attention of the reader.

He stressed the only way newspapers can remain relevant is by having talented people create meaningful connections with their readers. "People want to find information that reflects their lives in meaningful ways, and they utilize technology to do this," Stewart said.

But despite the many changes in the media industry, Stewart said one aspect remains the same: the foundation of good print journalism.

"The future of the field is rooted in the traditions of the past -- fairness, accuracy and the pursuit of truth," said Stewart, former editor and vice president of the Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat.

Stewart's appearance marked the second consecutive year that the BG News Alumni Society sponsored an event during Communication Studies Week.

Homecoming tent party launches BG News Alumni Society

2009-08-11T20:43:51Z

There was Dallas Brim, BGSU Class of 1955, swapping stories and enjoying the moment. A former BG Newser, he was a long-time BGSU Bookstore employee whose late wife, Delores, was business manager of The News in the 1970s.

There was the husband-and-wife team of Dan and Cindy (Smercina) Bomeli. Dan was a photographer at The News and Cindy a reporter in the mid-1970s. They now live in suburban Cleveland.

There was Dan Feicht, 1976 BG News photo editor and veteran photographer for Cedar Point and its affiliated amusement parks, catching up on old news with retired photography professor Jim Gordon and his wife, Joan.

Outside, the wind was blowing and it was raining sideways, but the BG News Alumni Society (BGNAS) Tent Party was a popular place at BGSU's Homecoming Oct. 16, 2004. More than 100 former and current Newers, family and friends gathered for the official kickoff event of BGNAS.

The tent party and creation of the Alumni Society follows the successful BG News reunion in 2002 that attracted 200 people to campus, considered one of the university's best first-time reunions.

"The Homecoming event this year was a good start for the group," said Jim Tinker, 1991 BG News editor and the Society's founding president. "It was a fun time and gave us an opportunity to discuss what we're attempting to do with the Alumni Society."

Tinker and a planning committee created a slate of officers, committees and goals for the organization, the most important of which is to provide ongoing support for The BG News and its staff.

The Alumni Society's goals are to create scholarships and internships that benefit BG News staff members, and provide professional networking for BG News alums working both in journalism and other fields.

The BG News Alumni Society, in cooperation with the BGSU Development Office and Major Gifts Officer Michelle Banks, a former BG News staffer and 1992 graduate, have created the Terry Goodman Memorial Scholarship. The goal is to raise $25,000 by next fall's reunion to help endow $500 and $1,000 scholarships.

"The Goodman Scholarship effort is the Alumni Society's first major initiative and will hopefully be the springboard to accomplishing this organization's goal of supporting BG News student journalists," Tinker said.

The BG News Alumni Society also is seeking volunteers to help with committee work. Anyone interested in volunteering or with questions/comments about the Society should contact President Beth Hertz at hertz23@aol.com.