Ouachita to host Arkansas College Media Association conference on April 26

Ouachita Baptist University is set to host the Arkansas College Media Association (AMCA) conference on Friday, April 26. AMCA membership includes various student media outlets from colleges and universities around the state.

The conference, which provides the opportunity for students to hear and learn from media professionals from a variety of media outlets, will feature sessions relating to newspaper and yearbook production as well as social media, online media and more.

“Many of the speakers are Ouachita graduates, and it will be great to have them back on campus to talk about their professional careers,” said Dr. Deborah Root, chair of OBU’s Rogers Department of Communications. Ouachita alumni on the agenda are Rex Nelson, Tony Ranchino, Mitch Bettis, Alyse Eady, Lannie Byrd and Sonja Keith.

Registration will begin at 9 a.m. in the lobby of Hickingbotham Hall, followed by a light breakfast and the opening session in Young Auditorium. Students will then have their choice of sessions to attend at 10 and 11 a.m. The conference will conclude with the awards luncheon at 12 noon in Walker Conference Center, where awards will be given for contest entries submitted by student media outlets in March.

“We are excited to host the conference this year at Ouachita. We have a wonderful slate of sessions planned,” Root said. “We are grateful for the willingness of all the speakers to take time out of their busy schedules to share with students across the state.”

Registration was coordinated by ACMA Director Ron Sitton from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. The media contest was coordinated by Polly Walter of the University of Central Arkansas. About 120 students are expected to attend.

For more information on the AMCA conference, contact Dr. Jeff Root, dean of Ouachita’s School of Humanities, at rootj@obu.edu or (870) 245-4186.