ACP Pacemaker recognizes
business excellence

10 collegiate student media operations recognized

Feb. 1, 2024

MINNEAPOLIS — Associated College Press has named 10 collegiate media operations as finalists in its Student Media Business Pacemaker competition.

The Student Media Business Pacemaker was established in 2020 to recognize outstanding student media business and operations teams that work hard to ensure student journalism is supported financially so that it may thrive. The competition was suspended for two years because of the pandemic and to streamline the application process.

The finalists will be honored and the Pacemaker winners announced during Saturday’s awards ceremony at the ACP Spring National College Media Conference, March 7-9, 2024, in San Diego, at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine.

Of the 10 finalists, four will receive Pacemaker honors.

Gary Lundgren, ACP associate director and coordinator of the Pacemaker competition, was pleased with the renewed enthusiasm for the Student Media Business Pacemaker competition.

“The business and marketing side of student media is critical in today’s media world — it is very important for ACP to recognize this important aspect of journalism,” Lundgren said.

“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” Laura Widmer, executive director, said. “ACP is honored to recognize the best of the best with Pacemaker honors.”

The ACP Pacemaker Award, one of the oldest awards for collegiate journalism, has a rich tradition. The association began presenting the prestigious award to collegiate newspapers soon after the organization was founded in 1921. Through the years, yearbooks, magazines and online sites were added to the competition.

In addition to submitting a three-page overall narrative and a media kit, applicants shared examples of print, digital, video and audio advertisements designed for clients, a newspaper special section, audience engagement event and social media campaign.

Main Hill Media
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Student leaders: Riley Atkinson, Lauren Beavers
Adviser: Teresa Tackett

Mustang Media Group
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California
Student leaders: Matthew Ho, Sam Hubbard, Cindy Nguyen,
Ashley Pagsibigan, Madison Piedrahita, Yuka Shindo
Adviser: Jon Schlitt

The McKinley Avenue Agency
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana
Student leaders: Jacksen Cole, Katie Harp, Camryn Ryan, Edna Zheng
Adviser: Betsy Meyer

WKU Student Publications
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Student leaders: JT Steele, Emma Bayens, Cristina Betz, Bailey Brush, Abby Loftus
Advisers: Sam Oldenburg, Wes Orange

The Harvard Crimson
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Student leaders: Cara Chang, Cynthia Lu

Central Michigan Life
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Student leaders: Olivia Garcia, Rachel Kidder, Mason Turner
Advisers: Regan Foster, Kathleen Simon

Northwest Missourian
Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, Missouri
Student leaders: Sydney Cook, Maddie Mosbauer, Vanessa Weiler
Adviser: Steven Chappell

The Appalachian
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina
Student leaders: Ethan Batchelor, Julia Woodring
Adviser: Allison Bennett Dyche

The Daily Tar Heel Media Corp.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Student leaders: Courtland Bartosik, Connelly Miller
Advisers: Courtney Mitchell, Collin Pruitt

Texas A&M Student Media
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas
Student leaders: Hayden Arevalo, Dan Hung, Emma Moser
Adviser: Spencer O’Daniel