Minutes of NINA Board of Directors Meeting
Friday, Sept. 12, 2008
Campus Life Building, Room 100, NIU-DeKalb
Members present (14): Dirk Johnson (executive secretary), Lonny Cain, Rick Nagel, Jim Killam (communications coordinator), Colin O'Donnell, Pete Nenni (first VP), Roger Ruthhart, Mike Cetera, Sharon Boehlefeld (president), Denise Renckens, Penny Wiegert, Randy Swikle, Pam Lannom, Jim Slonoff (treasurer).
Members absent (7): Greg Rivara, John Etheredge, Joe Corrado, Kim Kubiak, Kristen Schmidt, Jay Dickerson, Wally Haas
Guest present: Dr. Jeff Chown, interim chair, NIU Department of Communcation
Boehlefeld called the meeting to order at 10:02 a.m.
Minutes of the June 20 meeting were approved unanimously (O'Donnell motion / Cain second)
Executive Secretary's report:
Johnson said the transition from Dr. Lois Self to himself is completed.
He also hopes to help organize another forum for spring 2009, similar to
the one in Chicago this past June.
Plans for the Oct. 24 Fall conference are well under way, Journalism instructor
Jason Akst is coordinating the contest and judging, and the awards luncheon.
Dirk will announce the award winners that day, and Dr. Jeff Chown also is
interested in addressing the group briefly.
President's report:
Boehlefeld mentioned an unresolved matter from previous meetings: the question
of whether NIU faculty members can be board members without NINA first making
bylaw changes. Ruthhart also asked if membership should be limited to people
who work for newspapers, or expanded. The Membership Committee will look
at these issues and report back at the next meeting.
Treasurer's report:
Slonoff reported an Aug. 31 checking account balance of $7,666.30, plus
$5.94 in savings. The checking balance is down from $10,976.08 on June 30,
and reflects several summer expenses: the scholarships for high school seniors,
a donation to the Iowa Press Foundation for flood relief, a donation to
the Northern Star's Daniel Parmenter Scholarship fund, and $1,000 to the
Billy Goat of Chicago for the gathering following the June 12 forum.
Report accepted unanimously (Nagel motion / Ruthhart second)
Program Committee report:
Nenni said the Oct. 24 Fall Conference includes two speakers: Curt Chandler
from Penn State University, and Steve Buttry, editor of the Cedar Rapids
(Iowa) Gazette. Chandler will talk about "Five Things Every Journalist
Should Learn." Buttry will talk about managing change in the newsroom,
and also will give a short, lunchtime keynote address about covering the
Iowa floods this summer. NINA is paying travel expenses for Buttry, and
is sharing Chandler's expenses with the Rockford Catholic Diocese (where
he is doing a workshop for the Catholic press the day before)
The Oct. 24 program will look this way:
8:30: registration
9 - 10: Steve Buttry
10-10:15 break
10:15-11:30: Curt Chandler
11:30-11:50: Q&A with speakers
Noon: Awards luncheon
Sessions will be held in Campus Life Building, room 100, with the luncheon across the street in the Holmes Student Center's Ellington Ballroom. Cost will be $60 newspaper fee and first participant, $30 each additional participant and $20 for the seminar only (a new option this year).
Education Committee: No report.
Membership Committee: No report.
Communication Coordinator report:
Killam said the fall newsletter should be ready by about Sept. 19. Also,
a new domain name has been purchased for the NINA Web site. It is www.ninaonline.org. The old URL still works,
too.
Old business: None.
New business:
Boehlefeld raised an issue touched on at the last meeting, about a potential
name change for NINA. Several board members have suggested "Northern
Illinois News Assocation," in order to reflect the changing face of
journalism and include online and possibly even broadcast news associations.
The board agreed that this would represent a philosophical shift for NINA,
along with a potential shift in members' perception of NINA. After some
discussion, the board decided to create an ad hoc committee to review NINA's
bylaws, suggest potential changes and make an overall recommendation by
the Oct. 23 board meeting. Ad hoc committee members will be Nagel, Cain,
Ruthhart and Killam.
Next meeting: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, Nat's on Maple, Sycamore.
Meeting adjourned at 11:10 a.m.
Minutes submitted by Jim Killam,
communications coordinator, 9-16-08.
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