Tarrant County College’s student newspaper, The Collegian, received top honors during the National College Media Convention, held October 29 – November 2 in Philadelphia.
The Collegian won “Weekly Newspaper of the Year” and “Website of the Year” among two-year colleges at the Pinnacle Awards, sponsored by the College Media Association. The Associated Collegiate Press recognized The Collegian as a finalist for the print category of its most prestigious honor, The Pacemaker Award, considered the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism. TCC was among only a handful of the nation’s two-year colleges to receive the recognition.
“This was The Collegian’s fifth time as a Pacemaker finalist, but the thrill doesn’t go away,” says Eddye Gallagher, director of student publications. “It was so exciting and fun to watch the students as our name was called in both the Pacemaker and Pinnacle awards. All of the students worked hard last year.”
The College Media Association honored Gallagher as the “Distinguished Two-Year Adviser” of the Year. Gallagher has taught at TCC for 44 years and has directed student publications since 1999. This is the second time TCC has taken home the honor, with Gallagher’s predecessor receiving the “Adviser of the Year” award in 1975.
The Collegian placed second in its category in the convention’s Best of Show contest. The awards also recognized Kenney Kost, The Collegian’s former editor-in-chief. Kost received:
• 2nd place, two-year college “Reporter of the Year,” Associated College Press
• 2nd place, “Best Profile,” College Media Association’s Pinnacle Awards
• 5th place, “Best Diversity Story,” Associated College Press
Kost, now a student at the University of Texas at Arlington, was the only two-year-college journalist recognized in the diversity competition.
The Collegian won the Pacemaker Award in 1996 and 1999; in addition to its five print Pacemaker finalist recognitions, The Collegian has twice been a finalist in the online category.
Read The Collegian’s current edition at collegian.tccd.edu.