David McRaney  |  Journalist

Printz holds reuinion Saturday

The Student Printz and the school of mass communication and journalism at USM will hold the first reunion of Printz editors and staffers on Nov. 19.

According to David R. Davies, associate professor of journalism and associate director of the school, as many as 70 former staff members of the student-run campus newspaper will meet in room 215 of Southern Hall at 12:30 p.m., some returning after serving the Printz as long ago as the '50s

The focal point of the event will be a presentation titled "The Student Printz Through the Decades," but the purpose of the event, according to Maggie Williams, publications manager and adviser to The Student Printz since 1998, is to try and bring back as many alumni as possible to establish ties and take advantage of their expertise.

"One of the things that all professors at USM try to do is stay on top of industry trends," said Williams. "This is one way to do that."

She added she believes students often appreciate information about their chosen career fields when it comes straight from someone who has received a similar degree and made his or her way in the job market. According to Williams, an alumnus who has succeeded is the sort of thing that validates hard work at a university.

Two of the alumni expected to attend are Rachel Quinlivan, former executive editor of the Printz who is currently interning with Oxmoor House, who Williams said many people remember as a capable leader during a period of instability at the University when president Shelby Thames fired two tenured professors, and Mart Martin, a former staffer, who is now head of public relations for the Coca-Cola company.

The idea for the event came when the new director of the school, Dr. Chris Campbell, told Williams and Davies about a similar reunion that he was part of at the University of Idaho.

Since then, the two have worked diligently through emails and phone calls to assemble as many former editors and staff members as possible.

USM has had an official campus newspaper since 1918 when it was known as The State Teacher's College News, according to USM Archive Specialist Yvonne Arnold. She added the current moniker came about as the result of an editor named Olen Brewer changing the name to that of a pipe he was smoking from in late 1926. To avoid conflicts with the Dorothy Donnelly musical, "The Student Prince," he changed the name to its German spelling, and the title has stuck with the paper since it was officially changed in 1927.

Originally published in The Student Printz on November 19, 2005