Colleagues:

APME is coming soon and I am asking you to consider mentoring a student during our conference Oct. 25-28 in New Orleans.

Over the last year, our industry repeatedly has focused on the tragedy, loss and pain in post-Katrina New Orleans. As editors, this is our chance to have an immediate and lasting impact on local students who will follow our lead in years to come.

We aim to get 30-50 participants from schools like Tulane, Xavier, University of New Orleans, Loyola, Dillard and others to attend APME's annual mini-conference staged just for student journalists.

We need a mentor for each participant. Our schedule is still being finalized, but your time commitment to the students during the conference will be kept to a minimum. Student journalists chosen for mentoring are expected to contact their assigned editor by e-mail or phone before we meet in New Orleans. Most choose to share clips and their resume.

We do not require editors to maintain an ongoing professional relationship with their assigned student, but some have found doing so can be useful in recruiting. For example, we recently heard from San Francisco State University student Poh Si Teng, who was mentored by Ben Marrison last year in San Jose. They kept in touch and he helped her land an internship at the Columbus Dispatch.

This year we recommend you attend the Freedom Forum reception with your student Thursday night, Oct. 26, or plan to have breakfast together Friday morning, Oct. 27. Either activity will give you time to learn about the student's coursework and professional goals. The students will join us for the APME awards luncheon.

This year we are offering students more access to our pro sessions in addition to their own segments, including a roundtable of student journalists and advisors who will discuss how Katrina reshaped much of what we know – and teach – about newsgathering. Expect to hear first-hand stories about how students told the story and Katrina's continued impact on campus news.

If you would be willing to mentor a student during the conference, please respond to this message directly, or e-mail me at htowns@enquirer.com.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hollis Towns
Managing Editor, Cincinnati Enquirer
(513) 768-8311/office
(513) 470-7073/cell
htowns@enquirer.com