ECU Student Media director wins Distinguished Newspaper Advisor award
Student Media Director John Harvey (center) received one of the nation’s top awards for collegiate media advisers last month at the College Media Association Convention, where he was joined, from left, by TEC students Daniel Roberts, Trajan Warren, Jenna Price and Darby Hubbell. (Contributed photo)
East Carolina University Student Media director John Harvey received one of the nation’s top awards for collegiate media advisers at the annual College Media Association (CMA) Convention on Oct. 28 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Harvey, Student Media director at ECU, was one of four to receive the 2018 award for “Distinguished Newspaper Advisor at a Four-Year College.” Harvey attended the conference with four students from The East Carolinian: Darby Hubbell, Jenna Price, Daniel Roberts and Trajan Warren.
ECU student Gregory Arnold also picked up a CMA award, earning a Pinnacle Honorable Mention for “Best Feature Photo” that appeared in Expressions magazine.
“It was quite an honor to receive the award from my peers in the industry, and it was especially great to do it in front of my students,” Harvey said.
Since coming to ECU, Harvey has overseen an extensive remake of Student Media, instituting a training program called the Media Academy, restructuring the professional staff, forming the student executive committee, establishing the Student Media Advertising & Marketing Agency, and creating a magazine division that features The Hook, Rebel, Expressions and Anchors Away, a new graduation magazine.
Harvey’s most significant accomplishment at ECU is the development of the Media Academy, especially the Candidate Program for first-time reporters. The semester-long program provides instruction for students who wish to become reporters at The East Carolinian with classes on ethics, libel law, newswriting, feature writing and editing.
Cherie Speller, adviser of The East Carolinian, coordinates and teaches the Candidate Program, while radio adviser Shayna Johns runs a similar program for WZMB 91.3 FM called the Radio Corp, or Zombie Program.
Javeria Salman, former managing editor of The East Carolinian, applauded Harvey for the award.
“He has been a great source of knowledge over the years, from the candidate classes to my post-grad life,” Salman said. “John’s guidance during my college years pushed me to work harder and become a stronger journalist.”
Harvey spent nearly 20 years as a journalist in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, serving as editorial page editor, managing editor and executive editor. He shifted to education in 1998, becoming news adviser of The Daily Collegian at Penn State. He took an expanded role as Student Media director at Georgia Southern in 2010 before coming to Greenville in 2012.
For additional information, contact Harvey at harveyj@ecu.edu.
-Contact: John Harvey, director, ECU Student Media, harveyj@ecu.edu, 252-328-9234