Tyler Buchanan, Columbus newsletter reporter for the online news source Axios, was elected the new president of The BG News Alumni Society during the June 24 board meeting. Buchanan is a 2013 BGSU graduate who spent three years at The BG News as a special sections editor, reporter and columnist. Jared Wadley, lead public relations representative at the University of Michigan and a 1989 BG graduate, was re-elected vice president.
Freelance journalist Mary Beth Eastman (2001) was elected BGNAS’s new secretary and Karl Smith (1987) was elected treasurer. Smith is Falcon Media manager at the university. Elizabeth McIntyre (1989), executive editor of Crain’s Cleveland Business, was named chair of a new BGNAS communications committee. Departing BGNAS President Max Filby (2013), a reporter at the Columbus Dispatch who guided the group through the pandemic, remains on the board.
Other things we discussed:
- The Goodman Scholarship: This fund is in great shape and provided both an incoming freshman and a continuing student with a $1,000 scholarship for the coming year.
- Curriculum: The journalism faculty are working this summer to totally overhaul the core journalism curriculum. If all goes well, many of these changes will start showing up this Fall with full implementation by next Fall.
- Homecoming: In addition to the tent we share with the School of Media and Communication, we discussed possibly doing something the Friday before or the Sunday after. More planning needed (and quickly). In the meantime, make plans to attend.
- Spring awards/scholarship event: Next year’s event will be in-person, the first time since the pandemic. We talked about how we might create an alumni event around it. Years ago, we had Comms Week where a number of alumni would visit campus, talk to classes, etc. Great opportunity here.
- Mentorship program: Karl put forth the idea of connecting students with alumni on specific projects, creating both an opportunity for students to learn from professionals but also a chance to develop relationships in the industry. We hope to pilot this idea with stories in the Fall.
The BG News Alumni Society was founded in 2002 to provide an alumni support network for current BG Newsstaff and create a reconnecting point for alumni. The alumni society includes a 12-member board of directors, and the group is considered an alumni affinity group affiliated with the university’s Alumni Office.