For Immediate Release:
7/28/2009

Contact:
Lauren Rochester, SPJ Awards Coordinator, (317) 927-8000, ext. 210, lrochester@spj.org
Karen Grabowski, SPJ Communications Coordinator, (317) 927-8000, ext. 215, kgrabowski@spj.org

SPJ honors Beth Konrad with David L. Eshelman Outstanding Campus Adviser Award

INDIANAPOLIS – The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to honor Professor Beth Konrad of Loyola University Chicago with the David L. Eshelman Outstanding Campus Adviser Award.

Konrad has inspired journalism students to pursue their academic and career aspirations, taking an active role in their lives as a mentor and as a colleague. An SPJ member since 2002, Konrad advises the SPJ student chapter at Loyola. Prior to her days as an educator at Loyola, where she is currently the Broadcast Professional in Residence, she held a variety of positions in media, corporate, academic, and civic and community organizations. She now uses her professional experiences to teach broadcast courses and to enrich her students’ lives in and out of the classroom.

“Through working with Professor Konrad for three years, I’ve become extremely close to a woman who not only lives and breathes journalism, but she conveys this passion so thoroughly to students that it is contagious,” Vice President of the Loyola University Chicago SPJ student chapter Laura Burns wrote.

Konrad opened doors for her students, introducing them to established journalists and the issues that face the journalism industry today. She facilitated different educational panels including a panel discussion with Bob Steele and Al Tompkins of the Poynter Institute where ethical cases and dilemmas were debated with Loyola students, professionals and Chicago-area journalists.

“Beth Konrad helps her students find their voice in journalism,” Loyola SPJ chapter president William M.R. Barrett wrote.

In addition to helping students with networking, education, and self and career development, Konrad encouraged the chapter members to be involved in the community. Loyola SPJ chapter members helped to develop and enact a project where they tutor Benito Juarez High School students. Each week, three to five SPJ student members help to teach a newspaper journalism class.

“In my four years at Loyola, I can honestly say that no professor has come anywhere near to doing as much for me as she has,” Loyola student Melissa Benson wrote. “Her perseverance, drive and commitment to her students really go above and beyond the regular call of a professor and adviser.”

Konrad will be recognized Aug. 28 at the Mark of Excellence Awards Luncheon held during the 2009 SPJ Convention and National Journalism Conference in Indianapolis.

The award honors individuals who have done an outstanding job serving as an SPJ campus adviser and contributed to their chapters and the national organization over an extended period of time. Candidates are nominated by their chapter, and applications are reviewed by the vice president for campus chapter affairs before the national honoree is selected. Click here for more information on the award, including a list of past honorees.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information about SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.

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