UM Publications and Adviser Dominate National Conferences

This semester, Ibis Yearbook, distraction Magazine, and their adviser, Randy Stano, were recognized with top awards at several media conventions.

Stano, distraction and Ibis editorial adviser and professor of practice in journalism at University of Miami School of Communication, was honored with the Montgomery Distinguished Service Award at the College Media Association Convention in Atlanta. Named for Reid H. Montgomery, former president and treasurer of the CMA, the award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to collegiate media advising.

“I enjoy seeing the success the students have at our publications,” Stano said when asked about his role as adviser.

Stano has been the adviser to Ibis for 16 years and to distraction since its inception in 2008.

The Montgomery Distinguished Service Award is not an annual award; recipients are nominated to the awards committee of the College Media Association and must have made substantial contributions to college media advising to be considered. Stano was nominated by Barbara B. Hines, emeritus professor from the School of Communications at Howard University who won the award in 1996. Following her nomination, UM faculty and students wrote to the CMA in support of Stano, including School of Communication professor, Bruce Garrison, Emily Eidelman, editor-in-chief of the 2016 Ibis, and Rori Kotch, editor-in-chief of distraction for the 2014 – 2015 and 2015 – 2016 academic years.

Kotch wrote in her letter to the CMA, “Without Professor Stano’s above-and-beyond advising I don’t think the magazine could be at the caliber it is today. He has helped so many students enhance their skills and go out into the real world, prepared for anything that gets thrown at them.”

A testament to Stano’s advising is the national recognition UM’s yearbook and student-run magazine receive. This year, distraction earned second place in the category of Four-Year Feature Magazine of the Year Pinnacle College Media Award at the CMA Conference. The publication also received numerous individual Pinnacles, including first in editorial illustration, first in magazine news page/spread, first in display ad, and second in portrait photography.

distraction was also recognized by the Associated Collegiate Press at a conference in Washington D.C. The magazine was named Best in Show Feature Magazine at the conference and both the print and online versions received Pacemaker Awards in October.

Adding to a phenomenal year, the 2016 Ibis and distraction, both the online and print versions,were named Crown Award winners by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association at Columbia University in New York City.  The CSPA will announce whether the awards are a Silver or Gold Crown at the College Media Convention in mid-March 2017. This is the Ibis’ 14^th Crown Award, having won in the past 15 years 10 Gold Crowns and three Silver Crowns.

“This is the highest honor for these student journalists that have put UM on the map as a hot bed for collegiate scholastic journalism and publications,” Stano said. “I am honored to work with such a talented group of UM students.”