USU Student Media Earns National Recognition

The Utah State University Student Media program, which is housed within the Student Involvement & Leadership Department, consists of The Utah Statesman, Aggie Radio, Blue Light Media Productions and various other entities. The program has continually grown since joining the Division of Student Affairs, and recently received some national recognition for its work.

In October, USU Student Media was awarded the 2020 Student Media Business Pacemaker Award from the Associated Collegiate Press. The Pacemaker awards are college journalisms preeminent awards and are judged yearly by a team of professionals. The Business Pacemaker is also sponsored in conjunction with College Media Business and Advertising Managers.

While USU Student Media has received a lot of state and regional recognition over the years from groups such as the Utah Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists' Mark of Excellence awards, this the first time the Aggies have won a Pacemaker award, which is given out at the national level.

“It felt like all of the effort the students and advisers have put in these last few years have been recognized at a national prestigious level,” said USU Student Media adviser Nathan Laursen. “Our financial situation was not the best when I started in 2013, so looking back on what we have accomplished from then until now feels really good.”

Laursen, who worked on the business side of the Utah Statesman's staff in the late 2000s, joined the Division of Student Affairs in 2013 after a stint as the advertising manager at the Issaquah Press. He immediately went to work digging USU’s student paper out of the hole. He also oversaw the integration of Aggie Radio into the Student Media program and has worked in conjunction with our Student Media advisers to build and improve USU Student Media in the areas of marketing, business, sales, multimedia and more.

Seeing those behind-the-scenes student workers — the marketing, business and advertising students — receive recognition was especially exciting for Laursen.

“The content is what most people associate with The Utah Statesman, Aggie Radio and our video team, but there are so many other students working behind the scenes to help with the success of the organizations that never get their names in bylines,” he said.

Jacob Horton, USU Student Media's executive marketing director, said his team put in a lot of work over the summer. Work that built upon and improved what his predecessors had done. Though 2020 was the first year the Business Pacemaker was awarded, he knows USU Student Media is in a great position to continue its excellence.

“A lot of us aren’t here to make a lot of money,” Horton said. “The amount of dedication and effort we put in helps us build tools and skills and to be able to have that experience for when we go out into the world. It’s a combination of wonderful volunteers and great leadership by our advisers.”