Campbell wins Journalism Educator of the Year award

Submitted by: Alex Loveland

The Rubicon and RubicOnline adviser Kathryn Campbell receives the Journalism Educator of the Year award. “Journalism is so exciting and it is constantly changing. I feel very fortunate as a teacher that I chose a discipline where I’m never bored,” Campbell said.

Lauren Boettcher, News Editor
November 4, 2015

The Rubicon and RubicOnline adviser Kathryn Campbell’s voice reached out across a sea of journalism students assembled at the Minnesota State Journalism Convention. “Publications are all about collaboration, and your fellow journalists are your team, your tribe, your family,” she said. “I know that the hours you put into your publications provide lifelong skills and memories.”

The Journalism Educator of the Year Award is awarded by the Minnesota State Press Association and the Journalism Educator’s Association to recognize a journalism advisor for his or her contributions to the field, and excellence. This year, the honor was given to Kathryn Campbell.

To receive the JEY award, the educator must first be nominated. This is followed by the submission of a portfolio containing letters of recommendation. and a teaching statement from the nominee.

“There were letters from journalism colleagues that I’d known for a long time and also people that I’d mentored in journalism,” Campbell said.

“There were letters from colleagues here at [St. Paul Academy and Summit School] who see me in a very different role—as the newspaper adviser on campus, but also see me as an English teacher. And then there were letters of students, past and present,” Campbell said.

Besides advising The Rubicon, Campbell is part of a task force that works to connect journalism staffs from across the state at events such as the Minnesota State Journalism Convention. “Minnesota is such a big state, and so, you know, when you think about the southern Minnesota schools, and the Duluth area schools and our reservation schools, and the schools up in lake country…unifying those teachers and making them feel connected to a larger network is really a challenge,” Campbell said.

“Journalism is so exciting and it is constantly changing. I feel very fortunate as a teacher that I chose a discipline where I’m never bored,” Campbell said. “It’s a constant roller coaster ride of adventure that I don’t really want to get off anytime soon.”