Columbia Scholastic Press Association

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Conventions and Workshops

Overview

Spring National Convention

The 85th annual national CSPA convention will take place at Columbia University from Wednesday, March 18 through Friday, March 20, 2009.

Attendance is open to student editors and faculty advisers to newspapers, yearbooks, magazines, video productions and online media from schools throughout the United States and Canada, as well as overseas schools following an American plan of education.

Convention delegates can choose from 350 or more sessions organized in seven sequences: newspaper, yearbook, magazine, photography, broadcasting, advisers and law and ethics. All seven sequences will run simultaneously throughout the three days of the convention.

The winners of the Crown Awards for top publications will be presented at the Awards Convocation on Friday afternoon.

The Gold Circle Awards for top student individual awards will be available on Friday morning at the registration desk beginning at 9:45 a.m.

Tentative information on registration, sessions and including travel directions, are available here.

The 2010 dates are March 17, 18 & 19.

Summer Journalism Workshop

The CSPA invites newspaper and yearbook staffs to its 28th annual summer event for student journalists: its Summer Journalism Workshop, to be held at Columbia University from June 21-26, 2009.

Registration for this five-day intensive program will be limited to 350 participants, with no more than 30 from each school.

Registration and other information, including travel directions, are available here.

Fall Regional Conference

CSPA's 69th annual Fall Conference will take place on Monday, November 3, 2008 on Columbia University's historic Morningside Heights campus in New York City. The conference is open to student editors and faculty advisers to student newspapers, yearbooks and magazines. All types of secondary schools are eligible to participate: public, private and parochial.

The Fall Conference will offer about 80 classroom sessions during the day. Session topics will include: writing and editing; staff organization and motivation; design and layout; suggestions for special areas of coverage; and legal and ethical concerns for advisers and editors.

Advisers are welcome to attend sessions with students; in addition, some sessions will be organized for advisers only.

The Conference takes place during a short academic holiday for Columbia University and usually occurs the day after the New York City Marathon. Since hotel rooms are hard to reserve because of the Marathon, this conference is primarily advertised in the Northeastern states, although student and teachers from other states may also attend.

Registration and other information, including travel directions, are available here.

Latest SPR articles

A round-up of sessions presented at our 2008 Annual Convention, including: the ethics of political reporting, blogs that matter, and press freedom versus press responsibility. Also, recaps of our Crown and Gold Circle Awards winners for 2008.

In Memorium

Headshot of Charles R. O'Malley
Charles R. O'Malley

CSPA's second director, died March 19, 2008 in New York City. He was 93.