Minutes from Nov. 6, 2014, board of directors meeting

Minutes from Nov. 6, 2014, board of directors meeting

Official Minutes (approved 7-0 in Denver, April 16 2015)

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES Nov. 6, 2014, Washington, D.C.

The Journalism Education Association board of directors meeting was held at 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, at Wilson A-B, Marriott Wardman Park, the president in the chair.

I. President Mark Newton calls the meeting to order.

II. Appointment of secretary — Mark Newton

Moved: Carrie Faust. Second: Candace Bowen.
Motion to approve Connie Fulkerson’s appointment as secretary. (passed 7-0)

III. Roll call

(voting members)
Mark Newton, president; Sarah Nichols, vice president; Candace Perkins Bowen, past president; Stan Zoller, east regional director; Carrie Faust, west regional director; Megan Fromm, professional support director; John Bowen, scholastic press rights director.

(non-voting members)
Kelly Furnas, executive director; Connie Fulkerson, secretary; Kim Green, certification chair; Nancy Y. Smith, contest chair; Priscilla Frost, writing/design contest coordinator; Kris Doran, broadcast contest coordinator; Bradley Wilson, Communication: Journalism Education Today editor; Jonathan Rogers, professional outreach chair; Linda Barrington, mentoring program chair, Evelyn Lauer, publications/public relations chair; Valerie Kibler, Washington, D.C., convention local chair.

IV: Reading of notice of meeting — Mark Newton

V: Approval of minutes

Moved: Carrie Faust. Second: Sarah Nichols.
Motion to approve the minutes from April 10, 2014, board of directors meeting in San Diego. (passed 7-0)

VI: Affirmation of electronic votes

A. Endorse the joint statement supporting Neshaminy High School student publications (passed 7-0, May 4, 2014)
B. Endorse the New Voices Act proposed by North Dakota educators for the 2015 legislative session. (passed 7-0, May 4, 2014) C. Resolution to sign the July 7 letter advocating reporter access to federal staff. (passed 6-0, June 30, 2014)
D. Resolution endorsing the National News Engagement Day and encouraging JEA members to participate. (passed 6-0, Oct. 1, 2014)
E. Motion to sign on to inter-organizational letter to education leaders in regard to a freedom of the press issue involving the Neshaminy School District in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. (passed 7-0, Oct. 7, 2014)

VII: Approval of agenda

Approved with changes below:
1. Under IX. Reports: Remove XI. C. Approval of 990. (No report.) Add the following: F. Mentoring — Linda Barrington; G. Communication: Journalism Education Today — Bradley Wilson
2. Under XI. New business: Add the following: F. Principal outreach — Carrie Faust; G. Subcommittee for diversity — Stan Zoller; H. Subcommittee for junior high/middle school — Stan Zoller

VIII. Commendations

A. Connie Fulkerson, (1) magazine editing and (2) awards committee support. Bradley Wilson commended Fulkerson for her work with C:JET copy editing. Sarah Nichols praised her work with the awards committee.
B. Rebecca Pollard, Journalist of the Year work. Sarah Nichols commended Pollard for her work with updating the Journalist of the Year contest.

C. Priscilla Frost, Write-off efforts. Nancy Smith commended Frost for her work with the design contests and assistance with the overall contest. Mark Newton said he appreciated Smith and her committee’s development of the contest in the past five or so years.

IX. Reports
A. Conventions — Kelly Furnas
Valerie Kibler, Washington, D.C., local committee chair, welcomed the board to the city and reminded the board of the Friday auction and 40th anniversary celebration for the Student Press Law Center.

Furnas reported as of six days before the convention there were 6,118 registered delegates to the Washington, D.C., convention.

Furnas suggested tabling the discussion about hotel reservation policies. There were 75 rooms dropped at the Marriott for this convention. The one night’s deposit per room at the Omni helped prevent room cancellations.

B. Write-offs — Nancy Smith

Smith reported there are 2,170 students registered for the Washington, D.C., Write-off contest.

Junior High/Middle School Mail-in Contest: Laura Zhu will be coordinating a pilot of an all-digital junior high/middle school journalism contest. More information about this contest will be available in January. The plan is to have registration and entries uploaded through the existing JEA Write-off system March 15 to April 15 so results can be posted and students awarded before the end of the school year. There will be four categories in photography, three in yearbook, four in newspaper and two in broadcast. All entries should be previously published.

Furnas said advisers will need to submit the student information since there is a legal restriction preventing JEA from collecting information from students 13 and younger. He also said this is a pilot contest to see the number of entries and what categories are popular.

Newton suggested adding a news literacy essay to the contest. Smith said the mail-in contest entries will be previously published work. Zoller suggested a separate middle school contest for news literacy since it doesn’t seem to fit the criteria for the online contest.

C. Headquarters — Kelly Furnas

Two new staff members were added within in the past six months: Kate Dubiel, a full-time Web/database developer, and Lisa Terhaar, a half-time bookkeeper. Furnas said headquarters staff is enjoying the new furniture and equipment in the office.

For the first time in JEA’s history, its investments surpassed $1 million. Furnas said this gives JEA a solid foundation that would help the organization survive a financial “disaster,” such as a canceled convention.

Paid membership is at the highest point JEA has ever seen. The curriculum initiative has been one driving force behind the increase.

Furnas is now a member of the Kansas State University graduate faculty so JEA may now start offering graduate credit for some programming. He said he appreciates the support from Birgit Wassmuth, director of K-State’s A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications. JEA is on the agenda at every faculty meeting now.

D. Curriculum — Sarah Nichols

The curriculum initiative now has 11 modules instead of the original 14. There are three new curriculum leaders: Michelle Balmeo, Renee Burke and Brenda Gorsuch.

The curriculum has been popular with more than 93,000 page views. The average viewer duration on the curriculum site was eight minutes, which shows people taking their time at the site.

There now is a professional advisory committee for the curriculum initiative. The committee’s role is to give general feedback. Committee members’ bios are listed at curriculum.jea.org/professional-advisory-committee/.

Nichols said attendance for montly curriculum chats has been low. The committee is looking for ways to increase participation.

Most board members hear positive feedback about the curriculum, which Nichols said is skills-based (writing, design, for instance), not focused on a particular product (print or broadcast). Suggestions were given on expansion: focus groups at convention, putting various pieces of the curriculum together to build a plan for a class; blogging on how curriculum has been used; more adviser sharing. Wilson suggested collecting data on what sections are getting the most hits.

Faust said she has been approved getting the design element of her yearbook program set up for International Baccalaureate credit. This will help retain staff members who might otherwise look to other electives.

The board encouraged the curriculum initiatives committee to work on community building and assessment.

E. Certification — Kim Green

Green reported the committee is now grading year-round, which doesn’t give much time to reflect on the program’s strengths and weaknesses. The committee is trying to align the test with the 11 curriculum modules. A new version of the test will be revealed at the Denver convention.

Green said the applications and tests were digitized this fall.
Bowen said state conventions have helped people take tests at sites other than at national conventions.

Nichols asked about the possibility of an MJE Option B for professionals. Wilson suggested naming it Professional Journalism Educator to distinguish it from the master classroom teachers. Green said the committee will discuss this at its Saturday meeting. It was suggested that a committtee to develop this option should contain former teachers with MJE status, who now are media professionals. Rigor must be a part of the MJE process no matter who is going for it.

Many CJE applicants are held back by the managing student publications course requirements. Taking the course at the graduate level is often cost prohibitive.

The board offered suggestions for acquiring this course was discussed: online courses, CEUs, specific sessions at conventions or
at Advisers Institute. Furnas thought assessment would be a problem with some of these ideas. There needs to be some way to acknowledge the quality of the courses and how the teacher did in those courses. Green and Furnas said the individuals without the course can still take the Option B test.

F. Mentoring — Linda Barrington

Barrington distributed the latest issue of Mentoring Matters, a publication of the Mentoring Program. She said the center spread features a former mentee of Patty Turley’s in Oregon who is now teaching journalism in Kazakhstan and will be bringing students to the D.C. convention. Nichols asked for the link to the publication so other JEA members can see what the mentors and mentees are doing.

There are 33 active mentors. There are six new ones. Of the 33, 27 have mentees and five are still looking for someone to mentor. There are 84 current mentees of which 52 are new and 32 continuing with their second or third year.

Several states have asked for flexibility in the stipend they pay — from $1,000 to $2,500 per year. Three states changed the stipend amount.

Barrington said the move to JEA Headquarters for the Mentor Program’s financial reporting and invoicing has worked well. The Memorandum of Understanding between JEA and the state organizations has help clarify the responsibilities of each.

Mentor training at the summer Advisers Institute ran smoothly. Barrington said it was good to have solid blocks of time during multiple days, and it enabled board members to interact with the mentors. Zoller, as a new mentor, suggested the materials for the training be provided earlier for study so more hand-on activities can happen at the Institute.

Newton suggested to expand the reach of mentoring to include professionals as resources for teaching and curriculum.

G. Communication: Journalism Education Today — Bradley Wilson

With the change and eventual elimination of the regional meet-and-greet meetings, Wilson said it has been difficult for the editor and assistant editor to talk with people at conventions about writing for the magazine.

Wilson questioned whether the MJE projects should be publishable. That would be one source of articles for the magazine. Board discussion ranged from having the MJE project proposal include elements of reflection, such as a publication of a blog or or short article that would be published in C:JET; sharing about the projects at convention, and reaching out to CJEs to guide them through the publishing process.

Wilson asked board members if C:JET should have a separate website or be a part of jea.org. Would it be worthwhile to have a section of articles in PDF form from 17 years of back issues? Lauer suggested a more “community-based” site, not just a Facebook page. Newton want to see more “community,” a place where people would feel comfortable. The current JEA website is a bit formal. Wilson said JEA could use the existing site and build it up — not only to put C:JET online but to improve community.

Newton would like the advisory community to include Furnas and Lauer to discuss branding, social media and structure in the C:JET website/pages.

Wilson said he is testing a Survey Monkey application to reach out to AEJMC members to get research for a special issue.

X. Old business

A. Certification Poynter project — Kim Green
Sarah Nichols moved; Carrie Faust seconded.
Motion to table indefinitely the Certification Poynter project. (passed 7-0)

B. Convention hotel options — Kelly Furnas

Furnas said email communication has helped with people booking too many rooms and releasing them late. One night’s deposit per room seemed to reduce the problem at the Omni.
Megan Fromm moved; Carrie Faust seconded.
Motion to table indefinitely the convention hotel registration options. (passed 7-0)

XI. New business.
A. Mentoring proposal — Linda Barrington
Moved: Stan Zoller. Seconded: Candace Bowen
Motion to change the mentor convention travel allowance policy, allowing the mentors to use the allowance of $350 intended for each convention and forum and combine them for attending one convention and forum a year. (passed 6-1)

This would not affect the budget. Mentors who serve as JEA state directors also may earn the $350 per convention state director stipend, effective immediately.

B. Bylaw proposal — Megan Fromm

Because of a similarity of titles (professional support director and professional outreach chair) and to reflect changing job descriptions and getting away from a regional approach to communication, the following motions were brought forth to the board.

Moved: Megan Fromm. Seconded: Carrie Faust.

Motion:
Article IV, which currently reads: “Voting members of the board of directors shall consist of the president, vice president, immediate past president, scholastic press rights director, professional support director and two regional directors,” would now read: “Voting members of the board of directors shall consist of the president, vice president, immediate past president, scholastic press rights director, educational initiatives director and two directors-at-large.”

Article V, Section 1, Part a, which currently reads: “The general membership shall elect the president, vice president, scholastic press rights director and professional support director” would read: “The general membership shall elect the president, vice president, scholastic press rights director and educational initiatives director.” (passed 7-0)

Moved: Megan Fromm. Seconded: Stan Zoller.
Newton: Suggested adding a friendly amendment clarifying where each director-at-large should live.
Motion:
Article V, Section 1, Part b, which now reads: “The east region director shall be elected by members with mailing addresses in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia and Wisconsin. The west region director shall be elected by members with mailing addresses in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming” would read

One director-at-large shall be elected by members with mailing addresses in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia and Wisconsin, and reside in one of those states. One director-at-large shall be elected by members with mailing addresses in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, and reside in one of those states.” (passed 7-0)

(C. Approval of 990. This item was removed from agenda.)

D. Convention proposal, fall 2018 — Kelly Furnas

Executive directors from both JEA and NSPA recommended approval of a contract proposal from the Hyatt Regency, Chicago, to host the 2018 JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention, Nov. 1-4, 2018. Rate: $219 single/double; $229 triple/quad

Moved: Stan Zoller. Seconded: John Bowen
Motion to have the 2018 fall convention at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago. (passed 7-0)

E. JEA/NSPA joint operating agreement — Kelly Furnas

Moved; Carrie Faust. Seconded: John Bowen
Motion that JEA approve the amended extension of the JEA/NSPA joint operating agreement for the National High School Journalism Convention and instruct the president and executive director to address the details of the JEA/NSPA joint operating agreement as needed. (passed 7-0)

The amended JOA modifies the following principles:
• JEA retains 60 percent of the shared revenue from the fall conventions, with 40 percent going to NSPA, with this exception: Net revenue from sponsorships, exhibits and advertising from fall conventions remain at a 50-50 split.
• JEA retains noncash items and rewards for the fall convention, except for staff rate rooms and suites, which are split 50-50 with NSPA.
• Annual aggregate insurance requirements are lowered to $2 million per organization.
• The state of Kansas is now included in the jurisdiction of governing law section, and Minnesota has been stricken as the default location for any court action.
• NSPA is now responsible for on-site critiques, which were originally a function of the local team.
• NSPA is now responsible for award student scholarships, which was originally a function of the local team.

The new JOA would go into effect for the conventiosn beginning in fall 2018, although the organizations might begin implementing the non-revenue changes sooner. The agreement must also be approved by the NSPA board of directors.

F. Principal outreach — Carrie Faust

Faust discussed updating her master’s project — a website to help train principals and administrators in working with the student media. She envisions training administrators to be advocates rather than adversaries.

Newton appointed Faust to chair a committee to explore the feasibility of this initiative, budget implications and what already has been done in this area. Deadline to establish committee is Dec. 1.

G. Diversity — Stan Zoller

Zoller proposed a subcommittee to develop a blueprint for how to infuse diversity in all of JEA’s programs. Newton suggested reaching out to other professional organizations that have had experience with this.

Newton appointed Zoller as committee chair and asked him to select committee members and send him the list of committee members by Dec. 1.

H: Middle school/junior high — Stan Zoller

Zoller proposed a subcommittee to look into involving middle school student in news literacy. He said research has shown stressing news literacy in grades 6-8 is a key to civic involvement. Fromm said in her experience some news literacy projects are anti-journalism, and JEA needs to make sure they are related to our mission.

Newton suggested not going forward with a committee at this time but asked Zoller to work with Fromm and Furnas to see what a news literacy project for junior high/middle school students might look like — perhaps an essay contest.

XII: Adjournment

Moved: Sarah Nichols. Seconded: Carrie Faust. Meeting was adjourned at 3:19 p.m.

The next board of directors meeting will be 8 a.m. Thursday, April 16, 2015, at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel.

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