Centennial/Dedication Registration Now Open
Columbia, Mo. (April 23, 2008) — When you receive a small, brown package in the mail in the next few weeks, don’t be fooled by its simple cover. Inside is your guide to the most exciting journalism celebration, conference, reunion, convention and party in the past 100 years – all wrapped into one event.
Registration for the Sept. 10-12 Missouri School of Journalism Centennial and Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute Dedication is now open, and alumni and friends will begin receiving packets within the next few weeks that include an event guide, the registration form and other informational pieces. The registration packet is a follow-up to the “Reporter’s Notebook” event notice that was mailed in the spring of 2007.
Online registration, handled by the MU Conference Office. With five easy online steps, you and your guests can be registered to take advantage of all that the centennial/dedication event will offer. Registration can also be done by mail, phone or fax.
Those who register and pay by May 30 will receive a free hardcover commemorative book (a $50 value, $10 shipping/handling extra) that will not only recap the centennial/dedication celebration but also will document Missouri Journalism alumni involvement in select historical events of the past century. The book is also available as a separate purchase.
The centennial/dedication event will feature a variety of professional, social and academic activities designed to explore the future of journalism. Registration includes admission to the Thursday, Sept. 11, Futures Forum, which will give attendees the chance to participate in more than 20 interactive discussions about the future of the profession with some of the top journalists and strategic communicators in the world. It also includes admission to the Friday, Sept. 12, Technology Summit, which will focus on innovative storytelling, tools and revenue models that will shape the future. The Summit will conclude with the introduction of the Emerging Media 100, the top ideas, trends, tools and more that have the potential to influence journalism in the next century.
The 2008 Centennial/Dedication website provides updated information about the events and activities.
A key highlight will be the dedication of the new home of the Reynolds Journalism Institute at 4 p.m., Friday, Sept. 12, in front of the Ninth Street entrance. The Institute, an advanced studies center for 21st-century journalism, was made possible by a $31 million gift from the Las Vegas-based Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. Tours of the new facility will be available throughout the three-day celebration.
Registration also allows guests to attend the festive opening and closing ceremonies, which will feature performances by Freedom Sings™, the critically acclaimed musical tribute to the First Amendment, on Wednesday, Sept. 10; and “Telling the Story, Fair and True,” a special musical composition accompanied by Pictures of the Year International images, on Friday, Sept. 12.
Other events included with registration are:
- Preview of the new McDougall Center for Photojournalism Studies.
- Debut of the song, “This is Where I Come From,” created by Jenn Schott, BJ ’97, and Jack Smith, BA ’62.
- Performance of The Front Page, the award-winning comedic play about journalists.
- More than seven exhibits and displays revolving around journalism-related themes.
- Networking opportunities.
- Book signings, including the commissioned history of the School, A Journalism of Humanity: A Candid History of the World’s First Journalism School by Steve Weinberg.
- Tours of the campus, School and Institute.
- The J-School Barbecue Bash and Taste of Missouri mixer (optional).
Registrants can choose from three different registration packages to suit their needs, in addition to add-on options taking place on Wednesday, Sept. 10: the Missouri Press Association Golf Classic and the Scholarly Symposium.
Behind the Scenes Action for the Centennial/Dedication
Sandi (Orent) Strother, BJ ’86, a coordinator at the MU Conference Office, is managing registration for the centennial/dedication celebration. Since joining the staff in 2005, Strother has organized and managed numerous local, regional and national conferences and is delighted to be working on an event so close to her heart.
“Working alongside the Journalism School staff to prepare for a huge event such as this is exciting,” Strother said. “Alumni from all over the world should be proud of where they have come from and should take this opportunity to come back and see all that has changed since their days at Mizzou.”
Strother, a graduate of the advertising program, remains involved in University activities. A member of the Mizzou Volleyball team during college, she now serves on the board of directors of the Varsity M Association, where she is the immediate past-president. Having come back to work at her alma mater, Strother has witnessed the recent innovations that make it a great time to be part of the Missouri Journalism family.
“Being a J-School grad myself, it is hugely gratifying to see the changes taking place in and around the Journalism School on the MU campus. Because of the current technology and partnerships, the students who graduate from the J-School today are far better prepared to face the future than any other journalism students in the country and quite possibly, the world,” she said.
Updated: April 27, 2020