It was history in the making on Saturday, March 2 as The Southwestern College Sun was officially inducted into the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) Hall of Fame. Former and current staff members of The Sun, Southwestern College employees and The Sun’s adviser, Dr. Max Branscomb, accepted the award at ACP’s Midwinter National College Journalism Convention in La Jolla.
A spot on the national Hall of Fame seals The Sun’s status as one of the greatest student newspapers in the history of collegiate media and the only Southwestern College academic program to achieve such high honors.
“Induction into the ACP Hall of Fame is like standing on top of the mountain,” said Dr. Branscomb. “It speaks to the talent and dedication of the students in our South Bay community. It is proof that Southwestern College students have done brilliant work on par with the elite national journalism programs in the Hall of Fame.”
This unique distinction is only awarded to college and university student-run publications who have won 10 national Pacemaker Awards, the Pulitzer Prize of student journalism. In the past 14 years, The Sun has won 10 national Pacemakers for its newspaper, two for its sister publication, El Son Magazine, and one for The Sun’s website.
“Awards are fantastic, especially when they honor a legacy as monumental as Max’s, but it pales in comparison to how it felt watching a group of students feel genuine pride in a publication that they poured everything into,” said Katy Stegall, editor-in-chief of The Sun.
The Sun also won first place Best of Show in the two-year newspaper category at the Midwinter Convention.
The Sun is one of Southwestern College’s top programs, often topping the list of local and national accolades, transfer rates and students honored as Southwestern College students of distinction at the college’s annual student awards ceremony. Through its newspaper, website and magazine The Sun serves Southwestern College and the entire South Bay community by telling its stories, providing information and promoting discussion about important issues and relevant topics.
