Recent News
Mustang News Enters Collegiate Journalism Hall of Fame
Mar 10, 2025
Mustang News has earned its place in the
Associate Collegiate Press' Hall of Fame
Cal Poly’s Mustang News was recently inducted into the Associated Collegiate Press Hall of Fame, a national organization that recognizes and promotes excellence in student media. The honor comes after Mustang News earned 15 national Pacemaker and Pacemaker finalist awards since 1970. The Pacemakers are known as the Pulitzer Prizes of student journalism.
“To be inducted into the ACP Hall of Fame is an incredible honor that encompasses years of work from different staffs at Mustang Media Group in all different fields — newspaper, online, multiplatform and business,” Mustang Media Group general manager Jon Schlitt said. “I congratulate all of them for their work spanning decades that made this honor possible.”
Mustang News joins a group of 57 student newspapers, 10 yearbooks and four magazines to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Associated Collegiate Press has more than 570 collegiate media group members. “What I appreciate most about this incredible milestone is that it reflects the collective efforts of our amazing students, faculty, staff and advisers who work tirelessly to support the high-quality student journalism being provided to the campus and community,” said Brady Teufel, chair of the Cal Poly Journalism Department.
Save the Date!
Feb 19, 2025
The journalism department is working with students in the capstone public relations courses to plan, organize and run this fall’s Jim Hayes Symposium and its associated programming. Tentatively scheduled for October 24, 2025!
Journalism Students Shine at Hackathon
Feb 19, 2025
Professor Bisheff and a team of journalism
students listen to guidance from
one of the hackathon mentors.
Camp PolyHacks, an interdisciplinary hackathon focused on social entrepreneurship, took place Jan. 24-26 at the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) HotHouse in downtown San Luis Obispo. Over 100 students from 35 majors participated, forming 12 teams to develop creative solutions for local issues. Journalism students were part of both teams that received top honors at the event.
Students pitched their ideas in a competition on the final day, with prizes totaling $2,500. Winning projects included The Scoop, a mobile app centralizing campus news with an AI-powered podcast summary; SLO Informed, an AI tool summarizing local government meetings; EcoSort, a smart trash can using AI for waste sorting; and FoodFlow, a web app enhancing access to the Cal Poly food pantry.
The event, organized by journalism students as a senior project, was supported by the CIE, Cal Poly’s Digital Transformation Hub, multiple Cal Poly colleges and Dignity Health. Community mentors and industry experts led workshops, including a session from New York Times Senior Software Engineer Annie Daniel on web development for major events.
“Just listening to the students think about the problem spaces and think about how to make a real impact in our community makes me feel hopeful that we’re all going to be okay despite everything that’s happening in the world right now. The future is in good hands,” said Kim Bisheff, Camp PolyHacks advisor and journalism professor.
Camp PolyHacks continues to showcase Cal Poly’s learn-by-doing ethos, empowering students to drive innovation and tackle real-world challenges.
2024 Mustang Media Group Awards
Feb 19, 2025
Mustang Media Group (MMG) staff
display their awards at last spring’s
student media conference in San Diego.
Mustang Media Group achieved some amazing milestones over the past year, including winning its sixth National Pacemaker Award. Akin to the Pulitzer Prize, the Pacemaker is the highest honor in American student journalism, given annually since 1927.
In addition to the Pacemaker, the organization won 33 other awards for consistently delivering timely news to Cal Poly and the greater San Luis Obispo communities. Also central to the organization's brand awareness and financial success are innovative sales, advertisement and design strategies, which earned the organization first place for Best Online Advertisement and second place for Best Social Media Strategy. We are especially proud of the fact that the work of our public relations, television broadcasting, radio broadcasting and media innovation students is being highlighted alongside that of our traditional reporting and writing students.
“A decade ago, all of the entities within Mustang Media Group were working mostly in isolation, with very little communication and collaboration. Now, it's being recognized as one of the pillars of collaboration and integration,” journalism professor and department chair Brady Teufel said. “In a department that teaches students to be adaptable and versatile, these awards reflect that mindset and reinforce the idea that student media organizations can be at the forefront of industry change.”
Earning the top ranking in ACP Organizational Pacemakers puts Mustang Media Group among top competitors such as UCLA's Daily Bruin and Harvard’s The Harvard Crimson. “Being one of only four schools in the nation to earn a Business Pacemaker is an absolutely tremendous honor,” general manager Jonathan Schlitt said. “The business and marketing staff members of Mustang Media Group have worked tirelessly over these past few years to maintain and grow revenues while also finding innovative solutions for audience engagement. They've thoroughly earned this recognition and I couldn't be prouder of them.”
The awards won by Mustang Media Group spanned topics from the coverage of Cal Poly food insecurity to the Turning Point USA counter-protest. “It was an honor to work with a team so dedicated to making our stories accessible and engaging across our various platforms, and I couldn't be prouder of everyone who helped make these awards possible,” editor-in-chief Chloe Lovejoy said. “I feel so grateful for our advisers in the Cal Poly Journalism Department — the innovative, impactful storytelling we're doing wouldn't be possible without their support.”
Message From the Chair
Feb 19, 2025
Brady Teufel
Department Chair
Seventy-five years ago, Cal Poly introduced its first journalism degree in agricultural journalism, led by then-chair Robert Kennedy, who recognized the need for stronger writing, reporting and critical thinking in the curriculum. Since then, the Journalism Department has evolved to offer three concentrations—news, public relations and media innovation—while serving as the home of Mustang Media Group, one of the nation’s most prestigious student media organizations.
While our curriculum and student media continue to adapt to the rapidly changing media landscape, our commitment to the core principles of journalism—accuracy, ethics, First Amendment rights and a dedication to serving the greater good—remains stronger than ever.
In this newsletter, I’ll share the department’s latest accomplishments, celebrate the achievements of our faculty and students and invite you to stay engaged with our growing alumni community. Whether through mentorship, events or financial support, your connection enhances our ability to prepare graduates to be successful with hands-on skills and a strong academic foundation. We deeply appreciate our alumni’s contributions and the lasting impact you continue to make!
Warm regards,
Brady Teufel
Faculty and staff celebrated the department’s new status with sparkling apple juice during a department meeting.
May 23, 2024
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Mustang Media Group won a total of 37 national and state awards between the 2021 virtual ceremonies of the College Media Business and Advertising Managers (CMBAM) and the California College Media Association (CCMA). The Cal Poly Journalism Department’s student-run integrated media organization proved that despite the challenges of a virtual year, the organization continues to find innovative, creative ways to tell the stories of the community and rise to every occasion.
Student award winners (left to right):
Brynna Barton, Clare Giatzis,
Justin Vermeltfoort and Von Balanon
Mustang Media Group took home a total of 18 individual awards, ranging from advertising to video, digital, print and broadcast journalism. They won eight first-place awards, two second-place, five third-place and three honorable mentions from CMBAM. Meanwhile, from CCMA, they took home 13 first-place and six third-place awards.
“The business and marketing staff of Mustang Media Group had to find a way to sell products, market to students and connect with an audience under the most extreme conditions. I am thrilled to see their hard work all year long with the awards won at CMBAM,” Mustang Media Group General Manager Jon Schlitt said. “The editorial staff of Mustang Media Group did a fantastic job covering the outbreak of COVID-19, the return of students to Cal Poly’s campus and the Black Lives Matter movement. They did an extraordinary job in print and digital journalism all year long and their efforts were reflected as some of the best in California and even in the nation.”
CMBAM is a national organization run by a volunteer board of students and advisers from member newspapers. The organization focuses on bringing student journalists together to learn and share industry best practices with one another. The awards that
Mustang Media Group received from CMBAM are listed below.
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Best COVID-19 Response Plan in the Nation - First Place
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Best PR and Marketing Manager in the Nation - First Place, Justin Vermeltfoort
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Best Designer in the Nation - First Place, Von Balanon
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Best Sales Operation Manager in the Nation - Second Place, Claire Giatzis
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Best Sales Representative in the Nation - Third Place - Brynna Barton
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Best College Media Sales and Marketing Program – First Place
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Best Sales Strategy for a Special Section – First Place
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Best Self Promo Website – First Place
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Best Single Digital Sales Promotion – First Place + Second Place
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Best Social Media Strategy – First Place
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Best Sales Incentive – Second place
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Best Hiring/Recruitment Strategy – Third Place
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Best Native Ad – Third Place
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Best Special Event – Third Place
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College Media Company of the Year - Third Place
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Best Marketing Plan - Honorable Mention
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Best Self Promotion Ad - Honorable Mention
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Best New Idea - Honorable Mention
CCMA is a state-wide organization that offers support for student journalists across California. The media association, founded in 2003, just hosted its 19th annual Best of College Media competition. In addition to the competition, CCMA offers trainings and workshops, covering the most relevant topics for journalists today. The awards that Mustang Media Group received from CCMA are listed below.
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Best Print Advertisement – First place, Elaine Do
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Best Social Justice Coverage – First place, Aidan McGloin, Austin Linthicum, Diego Rivera, Kailey O'Connell
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Best Non-News Video – First place Brady Caskey
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Best News Video – First place, Samantha Spitz
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Best Interactive Graphic – First place, Mustang News, Lauren Walike
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Best Special Issue/Section – First Place, Mustang News Staff
2023 Hall of Fame Honorees Announced!
May 23, 2024
The Journalism Department & Mustang Media Hall of Fame recognizes the value of a vibrant student media operation at the center of the journalism department’s Learn by Doing curriculum.
The Hall of Fame was created in 2016 to honor those individuals who have made significant contributions to the department and its student media organizations or those who have used their student media experience to launch successful careers.
The Hall of Fame is located on the third floor of Building 26 across the hall from KCPR-FM. Past honorees include Bruce Flohr, Susan Houghton, Robert Kennedy, Bruce McPherson, George Ramos, Kevin Riggs, Al Yankovic and Ed Zuchelli.
Please join us in congratulating the 2023 honorees, who will be inducted into the Mustang Media Hall of Fame in a gala celebration on Friday, Oct. 27.
Melissa Figueroa Chechourka
CHIEF OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, CA HIGH-SPEED RAIL AUTHORITY
Jim Hayes
FORMER CAL POLY PROFESSOR AND SYMPOSIUM NAMESAKE
David Kerley
OWNER, FULL THROTTLE NEWSLETTER; FORMER ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT
David Kraft
VICE PRESIDENT/NEWS, ESPN
Mark Looker
OWNER, LOOKER COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTING
Conan Nolan
CHIEF POLITICAL REPORTER, KNBC AND HOST OF “NEWS CONFERENCE”
Tracey Ozmina
PRESIDENT AND GLOBAL COO, SAGE PUBLISHING
Lauren Rabaino
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, VOX MEDIA
Festival of Journalism Coming this Fall!
May 23, 2024
Save the date! The journalism department is partnering with the nonprofit news organization CalMatters to bring you a two-day festival of journalism in late October.
Save the dates! October 26-27, 2023. The journalism department is partnering with the nonprofit news organization CalMatters to host a two-day festival of journalism.
Please join us in San Luis Obispo this fall for the first-ever festival of journalism -- a series of discussions to promote civic engagement around topics of vital interest to San Luis Obispo and the state. The festival will also feature our fourth Jim Hayes Symposium and the induction of eight new members of the Mustang Media Hall of Fame.
This two-day event will provide a great opportunity to reconnect with fellow alumni, network with media professionals and meet current students and faculty – all while exploring media coverage of today’s critical issues.
Here’s a glimpse of what we have planned:
THURSDAY, OCT. 26
CalMatters Film Screening and Reception: Network with filmmakers and CalMatters journalists following the screening of a documentary in downtown SLO.
FRIDAY, OCT. 27
CalMatters Live: Local decision makers and thought leaders join CalMatters journalists in discussions that address important local issues, politics and policies.
The Jim Hayes Symposium: Former ABC News correspondent David Kerley moderates a thought-provoking conversation centered on trust in the media. Speakers include Emilio Garcia Ruiz, editor in chief of the San Francisco Chronicle; and Carolyn McGourty Supple, head of public affairs for Google Public Sector and former executive director of the Center for Ethical Leadership in Media.
Gala Dinner and Hall of Fame: We induct eight honorees into the Journalism Department & Mustang Media Hall of Fame.
Admission to all CalMatters events and the Jim Hayes Symposium is free. Tickets for the Hall of Fame Gala go on sale in August.
More details soon!
New Concentration in Media Innovation
May 23, 2024
The Cal Poly Journalism Department is now one of only a handful of programs in the country offering a concentration in media innovation, allowing students to focus their studies on the intersection of journalism, business and technology.
The department's curriculum committee, led by professors Patrick Howe and Patti Piburn, spent the past few years researching and refining the new concentration to best serve students who are entering a constantly evolving media landscape.
Media innovation students will learn how to develop new storytelling approaches, use analytics to understand audience behavior, foster inclusive civic participation, create innovative media products and experiment with revenue models.
Kim Bisheff, a long-time lecturer in the department who has expertise in everything from entrepreneurship to editing and multimedia production, will take on a new role as an assistant professor overseeing the new concentration.
Bisheff is eager to teach students how to come up with new ideas and solutions for problems facing the media industry related to credibility, polarization, engagement and minority marginalization.
“At a polytechnic university, this is where we should be innovating solutions to the big problems,” Bisheff said.
The media innovation concentration is one of four options students have in the department's redesigned curriculum. Other concentrations are news -- with specialties in either broadcast or print/digital -- a strengthened public relations program that includes a new PR research course, and a new "design-your-own" concentration.
“We believe that this new curriculum, which balances core skills in accuracy, writing and storytelling with a focus on diversity and inclusion, ethics and consumer priorities, will position our graduates to land jobs at the forefront of any industry they choose," department chair Brady Teufel said.
Here’s a short video of Professor Bisheff describing the value of the new concentration.
Link to YouTube video: https://youtu.be/817IqTkvAnE
You can view the new curriculum in its entirety here: https://flowcharts.calpoly.edu/downloads/curric/22-26.Journalism.pdf
Journalism Students on the Road Again
May 23, 2024
The journalism department is always looking for ways to support career networking for students, and this year dozens of them reaped the benefits of interacting with media professionals across the country.
Networking offers so many rewards outside the classroom, like expanding students’ understanding of different career roles, raising their profile within professional circles, discussing common challenges, exploring new perspectives and ideas and stepping outside their comfort zones to build important social skills.
Students traveled to conferences in four states and the nation’s capital. For the first time, we sent two students to Nashville, TN, to attend the National Institute for Computer Assisted Reporting (NICAR), the annual data journalism conference hosted by Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE). Elizabeth Wilson and Amelia Wu, both student reporters for Mustang Media Group’s data team, participated in sessions that strengthened their skills for telling stories with numbers.
Journalism students Lena Van Duzer and Raleigh Elbert discovered the value of networking by attending their first professional conference in April. The two traveled to Tuscon, AZ, to participate in the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Western District Conference, where, they said, their eyes were opened to new possibilities. Both received career advice and started building networks that can help them find an internship or even a job after graduation.
“I had never been to a conference before and didn’t know what to expect,” Van Duzer said. “I honestly didn’t think it would have as big of an impact as it did.”
The journalism department has consistently sent Mustang Media Group students to college media conferences, and this year was no exception. Six students attended the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) conference in New York in February, five went to the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) Fall Media Fest in Washington, D.C., last October, and 22 students and faculty attended the March conference hosted by ACP and College Media Business and Advertising Managers (CMBAM) in San Francisco.
Catherine Allen, 2022-23 editor-in-chief, who attended the ACP conferences, noted the benefits of learning new skills.
“Attending conferences inspires us to push the envelope, execute new innovative ideas and strengthen our teamwork and collaboration,” Allen said, “and that's why we look forward to them every year.”
Cal Poly’s desirable location on the Central Coast is an attraction for students, but because it is far from major cities, they do not have frequent opportunities to rub shoulders with a variety of professionals in a social setting. In addition to sending students away for conferences, the department also hosts campus programs that bring professionals to students.
Whenever the Journalism Advisory Board is in town for its semi-annual meeting, the department hosts a career-focused event where board members review resumes and offer career advice. This spring, the event was expanded to include local media organizations looking to recruit journalism students.
Occasionally, students who attend a conference will build a professional support network that develops into personal friendships and further collaborations. As a student, Leah Pezzetti attended her first National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) News Video workshop in 2016. She has continued to participate in the organization, and this year in Seattle, where she is a journalist and meteorologist for KING 5 TV, she co-chaired the NPPA Best of Photojournalism Video Workshop and Awards, an event that attracted 80+ photojournalists from across the country.
All of these student networking opportunities are made possible by the support of donors to the Journalism Endowment, a fund created by alumni to enhance learning in the journalism department. (See “The alumni gift that keeps on giving”)