New Adviser Handbook is live!
CMA is excited to announce the updated New Adviser Handbook and Supplemental Resources are now live on our website! Log into your member profile to access the handbook on the member home page. Whether you are new to advising student media or just ready to sharpen your approach, this comprehensive guide is designed to help you get started or elevate your practice. Available at no charge for all CMA members, the handbook offers practical guidance, foundational strategies and real-world insights to support advisers at every stage.
Special thanks to these CMA members for revising, updating and formatting this invaluable resource for our organization: Katie Baxter, Georgia Highlands College; Matt Bird-Meyer, Monroe County Community College; Chris Delboni, Nova Southeastern University Florida; Bill DiNome, University of North Carolina Wilmington; and Holly Rusak, Texas Christian University.
The Spring National College Media Convention wrapped up last weekend in New York City, with more than 700 attending our last scheduled event in The Big Apple. It was an exciting few days of networking, hands-on training and inspiration, and we are already looking forward to more of the same at our fall national convention Nov. 4-7 in Kansas City to be co-hosted with Associated College Press. We hope to see you there!
In case you missed it, this list of David L. Adams Apple Awards recipients can be accessed here. First-place trophies are being mailed. Downloadable certificates are available here.
Lastly, here are the presentation slides from the CMA Membership Meeting held March 6 in New York City. (Minutes will be shared after board approval.)
Jamie Lynn Gilbert
“Digital Accessibility for Student Media”
5 p.m. ET Wednesday, March 18
Cost: FREE
Student media tends to be a very welcoming place that values diversity, but is the content you are creating accessible to people with disabilities? In this session, learn how to treat digital accessibility the same as physical accessibility to comply with the Department of Justice's new digital accessibility standards as they apply to websites, podcasts and social media. Specific topics include audio/video transcripts, descriptive link text, alt text, color contrast and color blindness.
Presented by Jamie Lynn Gilbert, Associate Director of Student Media, North Carolina State University
Register for the March Confab
Kat Medina
“Media Macro: Online Career Networking and More”
5 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 15
Cost: FREE
Journalism is starting to look very different as the world gets ever more connected. Media now expands beyond the newsroom into marketing, interactives, documentary and more. With the variety of career options for those who love journalism and broadcast, how do we prepare students to find a career they love using the skills they already get to perfect within student media?
Media Macro was developed to help showcase and expand what students see as a "journalism job," encompassing perspectives from freelance writers, short form filmmakers, interactive illustrators and more. This training will break down how to identify and collect student and alumni data to follow trends in career placements, establish connections with student media alumni mentors, and develop programming and resources that show the variety of media career options.
Presented by Kat Medina, Director of Student Media, Savannah College of Art and Design
Register for the April Confab
CMA Confabs are monthly virtual sessions open to all CMA members. Attendance is free, but registration is required. Confabs are held on the third Wednesday of each month (excluding convention months.) Speakers and topics are subject to change. Follow event links to sign up and access the latest details. You can renew your membership or join CMA as part of registering for confabs.
Next month, the CMA membership will be voting on candidates for board president-elect, secretary and treasurer, as well as on proposed changes to the organization’s bylaws. Voting will take place April 1-10, and the election will be certified April 11. Watch for an email from CMA with instructions and a link to cast your votes. An online candidate forum has been scheduled for 7 p.m. ET Thursday, March 26. The link to the Zoom session will be shared prior to the forum.
