Tennessee High School Press Association moves to Lipscomb
Chris Pepple |
H. L. Hall, executive director for the Tennessee High School Press Association (THSPA), recently announced the move of the organization to Lipscomb University under the direction of Dr. Jimmy McCollum, associate professor of communication and chair of the department. The association is currently based at Vanderbilt University, which will host the 2009 THSPA Awards Ceremony in March before officially passing the torch to Lipscomb.
| Dr. Jimmy McCollum |
Hall, who taught high school journalism in Missouri and won numerous national awards for his work before retiring in Tennessee to be closer to family, created the Middle Tennessee Scholastic Press Association (MTSPA) at Vanderbilt seven years ago. At the time, THSPA was housed at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Three years ago, MTSPA and THSPA merged under the name THSPA with Hall remaining as the executive director on Vanderbilt’s campus. With Hall’s retirement at the end of this academic year, the association will move to Lipscomb.
THSPA provides a forum for students who are interested in journalism and student publications. The association, which has over 60 member schools from across Tennessee, provides an educational opportunity for high school students in Tennessee by hosting speakers and small group workshops. The group also conducts contests and workshops to encourage greater efforts from students and advisers to produce quality publications. THSPA rewards and promotes excellence in high school student publications.
“H. L. Hall is a legend in high school media advising,” McCollum said. “I have worked with him for several years as Lipscomb’s communication department collaborated with Vanderbilt on projects. THSPA co-hosted the summer journalism camp on our campus. This is a great honor for our department to house THSPA. We will continue to work with Vanderbilt as the torch is passed to our university.”
“I’ve been working with Jimmy and with Lipscomb University for quite some time,” Hall said. “This seems like a natural move for the association. I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when Lipscomb agreed to let this association call their campus home. Jimmy and other Lipscomb professors have taught at the THSPA fall workshops through the years. THSPA has over 40 years of history working with high school students from across the state. I know Lipscomb will carry on the wonderful traditions valued by everyone involved in student media.”