Hello and welcome. I am honored to have become president of The BG News Alumni Society, taking over from Jim Tinker. Jim was a great founding leader who put all of his unique charm and energy into getting the organization started and putting together our great Homecoming event this past fall. Although we understand the increased personal responsibilities that led to his departure, we miss his enthusiasm and thank him for all his contributions.
The goals of the BG News Alumni Society are to create scholarships and internships that benefit staff members of The BG News, the campus newspaper at Bowling Green State University, and provide professional networking opportunities for BG News alumni working both in journalism and other fields.
The organization was officially launched at a Homecoming reunion event on Oct. 16, 2004, at BGSU, and its first board meeting was held on Feb. 13, 2005.
The BG News Alumni Society (BGNAS) is governed by a board that currently includes five officers -- including the current editor-in-chief of The BG News -- and 11 others who work on the following five committees: Communications, Events, Professional Networking, Scholarships and Student Development.
The Society publishes a twice-a-year print newsletter, NewsMakers, maintains this Web site and sponsors events at Homecoming and during BGSU's Communication Studies Week each spring. Activities have included the following since fall 2004:
- In cooperation with the BGSU Development Office, the BG News Alumni Society established the Terry Goodman Memorial Journalism Scholarship in honor of the 1978 BG News sports editor who died of cancer in 1996. Goodman went on to experience a distinguished journalism career in Northeast Ohio. Nearly $12,000 has been donated to date. The goal is to raise $25,000 to help endow two scholarships -- one for $500 and the other for $1,000 annually -- for students working at The BG News.
- BGNAS and its Student Development Committee hosted a panel discussion titled "From Here to There: Career Paths for Journalism Students" in April 2005 during BGSU's annual Communication Studies Week, and an appearance by Akron Beacon Journal Managing Editor and former BG News Editor Mizell Stewart in March 2006.
- The Society sponsored an 85th anniversary reunion for The BG News during Homecoming weekend, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2005, that attracted more than 75 alumni to an open house at the current News offices in West Hall, and more than 100 to a Saturday luncheon and pre-game tailgate party. A BG News reunion in 2002 drew more than 200 people to campus, considered one of the university's best first-time reunions.
For information on volunteer opportunities with the BG News Alumni Society, contact President Beth Hertz at hertz23@aol.com or 216/444-8561 (o).
