Come to Indianapolis this spring for cutting-edge professional development for everyone in the journalism industry. The Region 5 Spring Conference (encompassing Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky) is April 13-14 in Indianapolis and will offer plenty of great programming for all journalists.

Spend the weekend with fellow journalists networking and learning from the industry’s best and brightest. Session topics will include social media ethics, freelancing, branding yourself and more. The Indianapolis Marriott Downtown will be the location for the Welcome Reception on Friday and Saturday’s professional development programming. Student journalists will be honored at the Mark of Excellence Luncheon on Saturday.

The conference is open to any and all, not just SPJ members. Please share this information with your friends and colleagues!

Read more about the schedule and accommodations and register online at http://spj.org/regionalconf-5.asp. Register by March 13 and save money! The registration fee for SPJ pro members before the March 13 early-bird deadline is $90. The fee then increases to $110; after April 2, the registration fee for pro members is $130. The fee includes conference sessions plus Friday night reception, continental breakfast and Mark of Excellence Luncheon on Saturday.

Take advantage of the early prices and register today! This is a conference you do not want to miss. Contact Heather Dunn at hdunn@spj.org if you have questions.

We hope to see you in Indianapolis!

The SPJ Region 5 Spring Conference will be held April 13-14, 2012, at the Marriott Indianapolis Downtown.  Room rate will be $99 per night plus tax. Details on how to reserve a room and register for the conference will be available in mid-December.

If you have program suggestions for the conference, please email them to Heather Dunn at hdunn@spj.org.

SPJ DePaul completed its professional development campus chapter requirement on Oct. 28 with a “10-Minute Mentors” event at its downtown Loop campus newsroom.

Student members brought their resumes and sought career advice from some of the leading journalists in the Chicago area. Details and photos are available at

http://spjdepaul.com/2011/11/01/spj-depaul-10-minute-mentors-program/

Region 5 campus chapter programming grants for 2011-2012 will help finance programs ranging from a symposium on the future of college radio news to a freedom of information forum.

Here are the chapters and programs that will be supported by $100 grants from Region 5 Director Liz Hansen:

Loyola University of Chicago–Future of College Radio News Symposium
DePaul University–Freedom of Information Forum
Eastern Kentucky University–Local Reporting Made Local
Northern Kentucky University–Lunch with the Pros
Western Kentucky University–First Amendment Free Food Festival

Arab studies media scholar Adel Iskandar and Louisville reporter Laura Ungar will discuss issues in international reporting, including how to connect the global to the local, during a program at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, in the Jaggers Room at Powell Student Center on the Eastern Kentucky University campus. The EKU SPJ chapter is sponsoring the event, which is free and open to the public.

Iskandar is a scholar of Arab studies whose research focuses on media and communication. He is the author and coauthor of several works including Al-Jazeera: The Story of the Network that is Rattling Governments and Redefining Modern Journalism (Basic Books). Iskandar’s work deals with media, identity and politics, and he has lectured extensively on these topics at universities worldwide. His latest publication is an edited volume entitled Edward Said: A Legacy of Emancipation and Representation (University of California Press). His two forthcoming works are books on the role of new media and dissidence in the Arab world. Iskandar teaches at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and the Communication, Culture and Technology program at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He is a frequent guest and commentator on U.S. and global media including CNN, NPR, CBS, ABC, NBC, Al-Jazeera, RT, BBC, Deutsche Welle and many others.

Ungar is the medical writer at The Courier-Journal in Louisville. She was born and raised in Connecticut and has been a journalist for 21 years, previously working as a reporter at The Hartford (Conn.) Courant and The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal. She has written major projects on cervical cancer in India, Kentucky’s poor health, the prescription drug abuse crisis and cancer in Delaware, and has won more than 20 national, regional and local awards for her work — as well the international Croly award for the India project. She also freelances and has been published in The Washington Post and The Boston Globe.

Journalists are doing a lot more in the field with tools designed for reporting and posting while on the go. Find out how on Monday, Nov. 14, when Chip Mahaney, Director of Digital Content for Scripps Media, Inc., speaks to the SPJ Louisville Pro Chapter on the topic of Mobile Journalism. He’ll be presenting at Interactive Media Lab, 124 N. First St., Louisville, beginning at 7 p.m. Chip is a nationally known speaker on this topic and we’re glad to have him in Louisville. The presentation is free and open to the public. Please mark your calendars and invite a friend.

Submitted by Robyn Davis Sekula

Region 5 chapters and leaders received numerous awards at the Excellence in Journalism 2011 Conference in New Orleans.

Al Cross, former Region 5 Director and SPJ national president in 2001-2002, received the Wells Key, the Society’s highest honor.

Tara Puckey, founding president of the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis SPJ chapter who also served two years as a student representative on the national board, received the Julie Galvan Outstanding Graduate in Journalism Award. The award is based on character, service to the community, scholarship, proficiency in practical journalism and contributions to the student’s SPJ chapter.

The Chicago Headline Club was named the national large chapter of the year and the DePaul University chapter was named the national student chapter of the year.

The Chicago Headline Club also took home three Circle of Excellence awards in the FOI, diversity and professional development categories.

Region 5 four-year universities won first place in three categories of the national Mark of Excellence contest:

Best Affiliated Website–wkuherald.com, Herald Staff, College Heights Herald, Western Kentucky University

Best Independent Online Student Publication–North by Northwestern, North by Northwestern Staff, Northwestern University

Online News Reporting–“CampusCrime.net,” CampusCrime.net Staff, CampusCrime.net, University of Illinois

One more distinction for Region 5: Three of the 12 student staff members selected for The Working Press, the conference’s daily newspaper, attend universities in Region 5. The are Mary Barczak, Eastern Kentucky University; Corinne Chin, Northwestern University; and Olivia Ingle, Butler University.

Congratulations to all!

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Congratulations to Mike Reilley, a member of the Chicago Headline Club and adviser to the DePaul University Chapter, who was named the first natuional SPJ Volunteer of the Month. SPJ President John Ensslin awarded the honor to Reilley for his work with the Digital Media Committee as well as his role as adviser to the student chapter at DePaul University.

“Volunteers are the backbone of our Society, and Mike is an excellent example of someone who has put his full talents to use in the service of SPJ,” Ensslin said.

Here’s what I wrote when I nominated Mike for this new award:

“He did a phenomenal job in creating and advising the DePaul University chapter of SPJ, which was named national Campus Chapter of the Year for 2010-11 in only its second year of existence.

“Second, as creator of The Journalists’ Toolbox and through #SPJChat (@spjchat) on Twitter, he has enhanced professional development for both professional and student members of SPJ.”

If you know of an SPJ volunteer worthy of being nominated for this honor, email John Ensslin at jensslin@spj.org with the name of your nominee and why that person should be considered.

Region 5 again has money available to fund up to five $100 grants to campus chapters in the region to be used for programming during the 2011-12 academic year. The grants can be used to support any type of programming your chapter holds before May 1, 2012.

Proposals should include:

— The chapter name and region number
— A contact person and his/her complete contact information including mailing, e-mail and telephone number. (If your chapter receives grant funds, this person will receive all communication concerning the grant).
— The name of the proposed program
— Date the program will be held
— A description of the program, including objectives.
— How the program will benefit the chapter’s members
— Any relevant details of the program, such as speakers and format
— The requested grant amount, not to exceed $100
— A preliminary budget on how the grant funds will be spent

Proposals must be submitted by midnight, EST, on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011. Only electronic submissions will be accepted.

Additional Details

— Grant recipients will be notified by Friday, Nov. 11, 2011.
— If your chapter is selected to receive a grant, the funds will be distributed AFTER your chapter submits the required grant program recap. To receive the grant funds, awarded chapters must file this report within one month of the completion of their program. Receipts for program related expenses should be submitted with the report. After the report/receipts are reviewed, your chapter will be reimbursed the amount of your grant (not to exceed $100) for expenses incurred for the program. The program must take place by May 1, 2011.
— Grant funds may cover travel expenses for speakers, but funds will not be awarded to cover speaker fees or honorariums.

Send your proposal to: Liz Hansen, SPJ Region 5 Director, at spjliz@gmail.com

DEADLINE: Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011

The Region 5 meeting at the SPJ national conference in New Orleans is scheduled for 2:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, in Napoleon D1 on the third floor of the conference hotel.  Among other things, we will be discussing plans for the 2012 Region 5 spring conference. If you have agenda items, please send them to me via email: spjliz@gmail.com

I hope to see you in New Orleans!