Dr. Kimberly Meltzer garners national recognition with 2020 Adviser Award

The College Media Association (CMA), the nation’s largest organization dedicated to serving collegiate media advisers, has recognized Dr. Kimberly Meltzer with its Honor Roll Adviser Award in the category of Four-Year Newspaper Adviser.
 
Dr. Meltzer, Associate Professor and Chair of Marymount’s Department of Communication, serves as faculty adviser to the University’s student-produced newspaper, The Banner.
 
“It is a privilege and a pleasure to work with the talented and dedicated students from across the University who contribute to The Banner,” she said. “We also benefit greatly from the technical and design expertise of my colleague, Professor Barry Erdeljon, and the support from Academic Affairs, President Becerra, Deans and faculty. The Banner is a team effort.”
 
CMA annually recognizes the achievements of individuals through various award programs, including Honor Roll Adviser Awards for professionals who have advised for five or fewer years, Distinguished Adviser Awards for professionals who have advised for greater than five years and a variety of special honors recognizing service and outstanding achievements. The awards are competitively selected from submitted nominations that include letters from students and colleagues and an adviser statement.
 
Joining the Marymount faculty in 2016, Dr. Meltzer presided over The Banner’s transition from an exclusively print medium to a fully online, digital multimedia publication which incorporates graphics, video and audio. A few years later, she helped establish the Student Publications Office on campus by writing a grant proposal to the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC), seeking funds for the creation of a physical space on campus to accommodate and facilitate student production of The Banner, BlueInk and Magnificat. In Fall 2018, the VFIC awarded Marymount over $9,500 in funds to create this space, which became fully functional and invaluable to students in just a few short months.
 
“As a student who uses the Publications Office often, I am pleased to have a place where I can focus on my writing or have a place to relax between classes,” wrote Ivette Ruiz, now a Marymount alumna and former staff member of The Banner. “Dr. Meltzer continues to be a great professor and adviser to many students, and her dedication to putting the Publications Office together for the staff says a lot about how much she cares about her students.”
 
“I cannot imagine a candidate more deserving of this honor.”
 
This semester, The Banner’s staff members are meeting virtually via Zoom on Tuesdays at 3 pm, and hope to return to work in the Student Publications Office in Rowley Hall during future semesters. All Marymount students are welcome.
 
Dr. Meltzer previously taught at Georgetown University from 2008 to 2016, and at Lehigh University from 2006 to 2008. She teaches and conducts research about journalism and technology, as well as political communication. Prior to her academic career, Dr. Meltzer worked for news organizations such as CNN, NBC, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Discovery Communications and Gazette Newspapers. She holds a M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, and a B.A. from Emory University.
 
Dr. Meltzer will be honored during a virtual awards ceremony during the 2020 ACP/CMA Fall National College Media Convention on Friday, Oct. 23 at 7:15 pm ET.