JEA excels.
For 100 years, JEA has been working hard to support members and the journalism education community in all types of schools and institutions. That work is full steam ahead through our centennial celebration as we explore ways to better serve our advisers and their students.
Since June 2022, I have been privileged to learn more about the volunteers, members and staff that power the organization and the field. I am proud to have partnered with this strong force as we tackled improvements to our governance and elections structure, strategic planning, business continuity and other operational areas. Other initiatives included a technology transformation that involved a technology assessment of our tech stack and a website redesign. But there is still a lot in the works and that needs to be done especially in the following areas.
Membership Community and Growth
You are why we exist, and we want to serve our membership better. JEA strives to be an invaluable professional home for you and we are determined to serve as a media model for what our members teach students. Our members range in teaching experiences and environments. Plus, there are so many more potential members we need to bring into the fold. Our association will work to be diverse and inclusive across all facets so that every student and member can see themselves in someone. We want to recognize the work you’re doing and keep motivating you to push forward. You will see JEA highlighting teachers and students across channels in a variety of ways moving forward.
Programs and Resources
We realize our members mainly rely on us to provide the programming, resources and support needed for you to teach your students. We are committed to continuing to create and curate the best teaching techniques and tools for you. One of the ways we have achieved this has been through hiring a curriculum consultant to ensure you have timely and relevant curriculum ready to use when you need it. But we know there are so many more resources to build and share. Our C:JET magazine is a prized publication by so many and we will make it as accessible as possible on our new website. Our programming will be robust across the conventions and JEA Advisers Institute because these are signature programs that provide valuable learning and networking.
Partnerships
We know we can’t do it alone. We value our partnership with the NSPA and we continue to strengthen it. We recently revised and renewed our convention joint operating agreement with them. And we look forward to continuing to work with them to make our conventions the best they can be at lively, journalism-rich locations. JEA will remain headquartered at Kansas State University, as we have renewed our agreement because we recognize that mutually beneficial relationship.
We also appreciate the relationship that has been built with Skyline (formerly Yellow Chair) over the years, and we so appreciate their support and funding of our mentorship program. We will deepen our alliances with organizations to support free and responsible scholastic journalism like Skyline and others such as SPLC and NAMLE, to name a few.
Sustainability
JEA has a strong foundation built over the century from previous volunteers, leaders, staff and executive directors. We will need to continue to invest in our internal operations and infrastructure as well to support the community. Looking ahead, the JEA Centennial is also an opportunity to strengthen the association’s sustainability in various ways as we rebuild the budget better as it recovers from COVID years. Similarly, our portfolio is strengthened with updated investment strategies to withstand and match the market conditions. Investing in JEA’s future is available via a new endowment fund which will support diverse groups, including members and their students, mainly in the form of scholarships.
Future Forward
This strong foundation along with solid advancements over the last couple of years has positioned us for success. Our plans boil down to these areas:
Stronger member community and growth
- Increased, inclusive membership; member value; and member features
Robust learning and events
- Current and accessible curriculum, C:JET magazine, conventions and JEAai
Partnerships and support
- Collaboration throughout the profession with other organizations to support the mission
Sustainability
- Stability for JEA to be able to provide resources and educational opportunities well into the future
This has been a time of reflection and planning. We’re excited to celebrate JEA’s centennial with you in various ways. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Thank you for supporting scholastic journalism. Despite the many challenges facing the field, we are poised to promote and protect the profession well into the future because the future is bright in so many ways.
