More than 130 faculty from 32 states expected in first conference dedicated to growing university led student reporting programs that contribute to local news
Vermont Business Magazine Journalism faculty from colleges across the country will convene at UVM this week for the first ever Center for Community News National Conference. The event is an opportunity for the people leading student-powered community news reporting programs to forge collaborations, strategize around new ideas, and grow the field of student reporting across the U.S.
“It’s an honor to host this group of enterprising news academic leaders here at UVM,” said Meg Little Reilly, Managing Director of CCN at UVM. “Contributing to the civic infrastructure of Vermont and the nation is a priority for us, so this is a natural fit.”
College reporting programs that serve their communities – also called “news-academic partnerships” – have emerged in recent years as one of the solutions for reversing the disappearance of trustworthy local news and information. The Center for Community News is the only organization in the nation devoted to strengthening and growing the field of news-academic partnerships. Since its establishment in 2023, the number of programs providing critical news to their communities has grown significantly.
“We are reimagining a future for local news with the next generation at the forefront,” said Center for Community News Director Richard Watts. “By harnessing the collective experience, creativity and ambition of this group, we can continue to bring this innovative model to more schools and underserved communities.”
CCN provides ongoing mentoring and guidance to the more than 250 news-academic programs at colleges across the country, along with free classroom resources, regular virtual events, facilitated reporting collaboration, advocacy and media research.
It’s also home to UVM’s local student newsroom, which provides regular news content to partner outlets across the state each week. With roughly 80 students enrolled in its classes each semester, UVM’s newsroom produces more than 500 print, digital and broadcast news items each year, which are provided free to more than two dozen news partners. Earlier this year, the UVM Board of Trustees voted to make CCN a university-wide center.
More information about the first Center for Community News National Conference can be found here.
About CCN
The Center for Community News at UVM is a nonpartisan nonprofit that is working to grow and strengthen university-led reporting programs around the country, to create a more sustainable future for local news outlets and the communities they serve.
About the University of Vermont
Since 1791, the University of Vermont has worked to move humankind forward. UVM’s strengths align with the most pressing needs of our time: the health of our societies and the health of our environment. Our size—large enough to offer a breadth of ideas, resources, and opportunities, yet intimate enough to enable close faculty-student mentorship across all levels of study—allows us to pursue these interconnected issues through cross-disciplinary research and collaboration. Providing an unparalleled educational experience for our students, and ensuring their success, are at the core of what we do. As one of the nation’s first land grant universities, UVM advances Vermont and the broader society through the discovery and application of new knowledge. UVM is derived from the Latin Universitas Viridis Montis (in English, University of the Green Mountains).
9.29.2025. Burlington, VT – University of Vermont
To support vital journalism, access our archives and get unique features like our award-winning profiles, Book of Lists & Business-to-Business Directory, subscribe HERE!
