MU Ag Journalism partners with Vance

Andrea Flynn, Corner Post Managing Editor

August 8, 2002 - The MU Agricultural Journalism program has entered into a partnership with Vance Publishing Corp. that is intended to benefit both the company and ag journalism students.

"The Vance Publishing Corporation Partnership for Excellence in Agricultural Journalism" will enable the partners to work together to support and sustain the Ag J program's curriculum, recruitment and retention efforts, while improving the skills of MU ag journalism students. Vance, which publishes 25 magazines covering a variety of agricultural industries, will begin by donating a financial gift, pledged over a five-year period, to the program.

"We're pleased that our student numbers have grown by 90 percent in the past two years, and this gift from Vance will help us fortify and enhance our program to meet this growing need in a time of tight budgets," Marilyn Cummins, coordinator of the Ag J program, said.

Another component of the partnership will bring Vance professionals to campus as in-class guest lecturers and speakers at student organization meetings, like Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow and National Agri-Marketing Association. This will not only allow ag journalism students to learn first-hand about the industry they intend to enter after graduating but also gives the company an opportunity to increase awareness of its publications and careers.

"Speaking to students and sharing what we're doing is going to help build a stronger relationship and awareness of Vance publishing," Bill Newham, vice president/publishing director of Vance's Food Systems Group, said in a story published in Momentum. "We need an opportunity to tap into the best and brightest to enhance our publications."

During the summer, Vance will select one intern from the Ag Journalism program to work in the agriculture and food-related publication groups. This will provide extra help for the corporation and real-life experience for the student intern.

"The internships will be real-world," Newham said. "They won't
be here doing dirty work. They'll be thrown in as peer editors, traveling, writing features, attending conventions, just as our editors do."

The final element of the partnership involves research and data analysis by both parties. They will begin by monitoring and analyzing data about Vance Food Systems Group's electronic media offerings.

Editor's note: Kristal Guier, Ag J '01, contributed to this story.

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