Oct. 18, 2025

WASHINGTON — The Los Angeles Loyolan, the Loyola University student-run news organization, was inducted into the Associated Collegiate Press Hall of Fame at the MediaFest25 convention in Washington, D.C.

The Los Angeles Loyolan joins the nation’s most honored collegiate student publications by earning a combination of more than 15 national Pacemaker and Pacemaker finalist awards since 1970. 

To earn Hall of Fame status, a combination of 15 national Pacemaker and Pacemaker finalists awards since 1970 is required. The Los Angeles Loyolan exceeded the requirement with 20 Pacemaker and Pacemaker finalist awards.

Founded more than 100 years ago as a newspaper, the Loyolan continues to publish a weekly digital newsletter and award-winning online content about the LMU community multiple times a week, covering news, sports, life/arts and social justice, as well as providing opinion and satire. The Loyolan also distributes its award-winning weekly digital newsletter, Loyolan Wrapped, alongside other specialty newsletters.

With video and audio content flourishing at the Los Angeles Loyolan, during the 2024-25 academic year, LMU Student Media relaunched ROAR Studios in conjunction with the Loyolan as a hub of premium documentary filmmaking and podcasting.

“Witnessing the diligence and care of the work done by fellow student journalists at the Loyolan has crafted my understanding of responsibility and impact,” editor-in-chief Olivia Silvester said. “Seeing the trust that our community has in our publication after more than 100 years of student leadership is a pleasure and it is an honor to be one of the students to have had the role of editor-in-chief.”

Apart from producing content, the Loyolan sponsors 60 Second Lectures (an annual event during which speakers give minute-long lectures, followed by a Q&A) and First Amendment Week (an Innovation Pacemaker-winning annual event that has hosted speakers such as Monica Lewinsky, Jesse Williams and America Ferrera).

Laura Widmer, ACP executive director, said the ACP Hall of Fame honors sustained excellence by student media. The Los Angeles Loyolan joins 58 newspapers, 10 yearbooks and four magazines inducted during the past 36 years.

“This is a very significant achievement reflecting a campus that values and supports student media, with talented and dedicated student journalists guided by faculty advisers who empower students,” Widmer said.

Tom Nelson, director of student media and Kevin O’Keeffe, assistant director serve as advisers to the student-run organization.

“For more than 100 years, the Los Angeles Loyolan has served its audience with aplomb by producing accurate, relevant and responsible journalism,” O’Keeffe said. “The myriad of student journalists who have dedicated themselves to this cause across the past century are the reason why the Loyolan still stands as a pillar of the Loyola Marymount University community.”

O’Keeffe has a unique perspective having served as both the assistant student media director and the 2013-14 editor-in-chief.

“As someone who served as one of those student journalists once upon a time and now advises many more, I couldn’t be prouder to be part of the Loyolan’s Hall of Fame-worthy legacy.”

ACP, with more than 570 student media outlets as members, is a national community of collegiate journalists and collegiate-journalism advisers.

The national press association advances journalism and media as a vital cultural force by connecting advisers, students and professionals through national conventions, workshops and competitions.