WHO WE ARE!
We are BSU Journalism Workshops! This is what we do!
Yeah, we love the exclamation mark! After all, it’s our brand. It exemplifies our passion for and commitment to scholastic journalism.
We are here for you and your students —
• at the tip of your fingers at www.bsujournalismworkshops.com for all things Workshops,
including Blend, our scholastic journalism blog
• on the line at 765-285-8900
• at your school with our “BSU on the Road “ service
• as a complement to your instruction and media program with our
Journalism Day and Summer Media Academy
• via social media: Twitter (@bsujw), Instagram (@_bsujw), and Facebook (BSU Journalism Workshops!)
• via email (Be sure to volunteer to speak at Journalism Day when we email the call-out in January)!
We are excited to work with and for you!
OUR HISTORY
Dr. Louis Ingelhart, former chair of the Ball State University Department of Journalism, brought the summer workshops to life in 1966. After sending a survey to high school newspaper advisers and journalism teachers, Ingelhart was moved to create the workshops as a unique experience for high school students.
One hundred and fifty-nine students from across Indiana and Kentucky attended the first workshops. Eighty-nine students participated in the yearbook workshop, which were held from July 17-30. The newspaper workshop followed, running from July 31-August 13, with 60 students in attendance.
Word of the workshops’ high quality educational opportunities spread and in 1969 students traveled from as far as New York and Nebraska to attend.
Attendance continued to grow, surpassing 1,000 students in 1978. This led to an attendance cap for future sessions, ensuring students would continue to receive close attention from their instructors.
Classes moved into the West Quadrangle Building, the new home of the Department of Journalism. An adviser workshop was created so high school instructors could stay atop their changing profession.
Dr. Ingelhart retired in 1983, but the summer workshops continued to grow through the ’90s and into the new millennium under the guidance of Marilyn Weaver, who became the workshops director in the mid-seventies and oversaw the program for more than 20 years. In 1996, Weaver became the Department of Journalism chair. She co-wrote a proposal for the workshops that brought in $150,000 in funding. Weaver retired as chair of the Department of Journalism in 2010.
After students settled into the dorms in the summer of 1966, student staff members gave a tour of Ball State’s campus.
The journalism landscape has changed drastically since Ball State began offering journalism workshops, but the Ball State summer workshops still prepare students to thrive while teaching classic skills everyone needs.
Now housed in the Art and Journalism building, attendees have access to state-of-the-art technology. Classes such as editing, design and layout, magazine journalism, sports writing and editing, digital photography and television journalism help students take their skills to the next level.
Currently, Kim Green coordinates the summer workshops. Green brings to the program extensive journalism and yearbook advising experience, professional journalism experience and a drive to maintain the high standards for which the Ball State summer workshops are known.
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Workshops Office Staff
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Chester Bryant
Program Director
Chester Bryant is a second year Journalism Workshops employee who is currently enrolled in his sophomore year at Ball State to pursue a Journalism Education degree. From the south side of Indianapolis, Chester graduated from Perry Meridian High School in 2017. Chester is passionate about student journalism and cannot wait to share that passion with his future students. Fun Fact: J-Day is on his birthday this year!
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Kim Green
Director of Journalism Workshops
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Abby Hines
Creative Director
Abby Hines is a second year Journalism Workshops employee and has been attending Workshops events since 2016. Abby is a sophomore Advertising major with a minor in Strategic Communication here at Ball State and graduated from Lake Central High School in 2017 in her hometown of Saint John, IN. Abby spends her time in the office on graphic design, advertising, marketing, and positive vibes along side of her amazing workmates. When she’s not in the office, Abby enjoys listening to the latest bands, working on social media and thrift shopping.
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Jordan MacMillan
Media Director
Jordan MacMillan is a returning member of the Journalism Workshops team and is a junior studying journalism education with a minor in Autism Spectrum Disorders. She graduated from Pike High School from the Northwest side of Indianapolis in 2016. She has a passion for learning new things and meeting new people! She recently worked as a photojournalist for a summer school program in Massachusetts where she expanded her experience in writing, interviewing, photography, videography, and advertising. Fun fact: In high school, she started and played for the women’s rugby team which made it to semi-state their second year!
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Sammi Whitwell
Assistant to the Director/Office Manager
Sammi Whitwell is a first-year graduate student studying to get her master’s degree in Public Relations. She recently moved here from Denton, TX where she received her bachelor’s degree in Radio, Television, and Film from the University of North Texas. This is her first year with Journalism Workshops! She directed and edited several short documentaries in her undergraduate career and loves the experience of learning more about people through filmmaking. Fun fact: In between her undergraduate and graduate studies, she worked full time at a veterinary clinic!
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