Well, well, well… what a time to start a blog — right at the end of the semester when most of us are wrapping up our last issues. But maybe that’s the perfect time. After all, reflection always hits hardest when the newsroom finally quiets down.
What were your leadership lessons? Your editorial improvements? Your time management wins — or your adjustments to the unexpected?
What did we learn from these past issues? Maybe it was the challenge of hiring new writers. Or keeping returning staff motivated. Or the endless strategizing with your co-advisor on how to roll out new ideas — and convincing the editorial staff to get on board. Yours may look completely different from mine.
I realized something simple but hard to swallow: My action plans sound more like suggestions. And when plans are not concrete (written, taught, signed, and students can participate), students have already decided that those ideas won’t work, but I see that as a lack of self-motivation more than defiance. When it comes to implementing new habits, for instance, better time management or cleaner first drafts, those ideas often go in one ear and out the other. I’m not saying that all of my ideas are perfect, but I want to ask, why not at least try? Some students outline while others fly by the seat of their pants. How do we, as advisors, create a system to follow and not stifle writers’ creative process?
Students are busy with class, social life, and personal issues, so finding alternative routes that get the newspaper published is something to be celebrated and not over-censored by tradition.
What are the untold stories behind the newspaper?
Before Spring 2026, I want to implement more concrete (ink on paper) guidelines and strategies that will help them before the story budget goes out to writers. I’m putting together a simple guide for section editors — a checklist of what they should expect when reading a reporter’s first draft.
As this semester comes to a close, the newsroom has once again proven to be more than a workspace—it’s a classroom of collaboration, resilience, and creativity. Each story, layout, and late-night deadline carried lessons that stretched both advisors and students alike. What we learned this semester reminds us that progress doesn’t always look perfect—it looks like growth. And as we prepare for a new term, may we carry these lessons forward with renewed purpose, ready to guide, challenge, and inspire the next generation of storytellers.
