NCEW Foundation Board Fall Meeting Minutes (Unofficial)

Unofficial Minutes

NCEW Foundation Board Meeting

September 26, 2007

Kansas City, Missouri

Present: John Taylor, J.R. Labbe, Harry Austin, Glenn Krieg, Dick Hughes, Vanessa Gallman, Dale Davenport, Neil Heinen, Eddie Roth, David Holwerk, Tom Waseleski, Pat Stroble, Tim Williams. By phone: Marjorie Arons-Barron, Rhonda Daub.

President John Taylor called the meeting to order at 8:40 a.m.

Minutes. The April 13 board meeting minutes were reviewed. Harry Austin moved to accept and David Holwerk seconded; the motion passed.

Treasurer's report. Eddie Roth reviewed the report. Rhonda Daub of the headquarters office said the foundation has $10,000 from the McCormick-Tribune Foundation that must be spent by year's end on the Minority Writers Seminar. Roth moved to have the next treasurer and president spend the grant in keeping with restrictions; Austin seconded; the motion carried. Daub said there were $1,460 in foundation pledges to be paid. She asked who would follow up on those pledges; Taylor asked for the list. Holwerk moved to accept the report, Glenn Krieg seconded and the motion carried.

OLD BUSINESS

-- Taylor said the Ida B. Wells Award was presented to Steve Capus, president of NBC News, last month by the National Association of Black Journalists. Tim Williams said there is one more Wells bust left and asked what happens next; he said something other than bronze can be awarded to reduce costs.

-- The Barry Bingham Award will be given at NCEW's Kansas City convention to Dr. Valerie D. White, assistant professor of journalism at Florida A&M University.

-- Taylor said the Minority Writers Seminar will be held May 1-4, 2008, at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Gallman said newsroom cuts are making it difficult for faculty to volunteer their time and cover their own costs of participation. Roth said Cox Newspapers might be willing to contribute. Taylor said $100,000 from Cox would be a great help along with $50,000 from Gannett. Taylor said the foundation is $150,000 short of its $500,000 target for the Minority Writers Seminar endowment. Holwerk and Roth will seek contributions from new sources. Marjorie Arons-Barron said better publicity of the foundation's awards would raise the group's visibility and boost fund-raising.

-- J.R. Labbe said the Challenge Fund for Journalism effort is complete and there will be no application for a challenge grant this year. She said the calls made last spring were also good customer relations with NCEW members. Roth said the Opinion Pool will help set up a national network of journalists and be something to showcase in the 2008 calls. Labbe said she'd like to do a similar half-day of phone solicitations to members on April 11 in Little Rock. Taylor asked Williams for an updated solicitation list of members for the December meeting. Hughes recommended asking other members to do soliciting in their regions when the board makes calls; Labbe said she would explore the idea. Gallman recommended seeking an end-of-year contribution via letter to members. Roth said there should be an easy-to-click button on the NCEW web site to enable credit-card giving.

NEW BUSINESS:

-- Taylor asked for authority from the board to transfer to the Minority Writers Seminar money given to the foundation by the New York Times. Holwerk moved to allow the president to move $5,000 from the Times contribution to the seminar, Austin seconded and the motion carried.

-- Taylor said Roth will be resigning his board seat to direct the Opinion Pool and that Labbe has agreed to fill his unexpired term. Austin will move into the second year of a three-year term; Labbe will start the first year of a three-year term.

-- Holwerk asked about status of Patti Schwartz. Taylor said there is still time on her contract, although she is paid strictly for time worked. Labbe said there were three prospects for funding she had been working on. Taylor said Ethics in Journalism was a promising source of new funding.

-- Holwerk asked for clarification on what NCEW convention expenses the foundation covers, i.e., speakers and audio-visual, both of which are for education purposes of the NCEW members. Taylor said costs can be covered if they are for education. Taylor said it would be more advantageous if publishers contributing to annual NCEW conventions wrote their checks to the NCEW Foundation.

-- Gallman said the Little Rock convention presents a way to highlight the success of the Minority Writers Seminar by trying to lure alumni there. Taylor asked if four or five of them could do a panel on minorities working in white media organizations. Holwerk said the seminar could use an active alumni association. Gallman said one alumna heads the Internet function at USA Today and could be a prospect to lead such a group. Roth said financial assistance should be directed to create and maintain an alumni association.

Gallman said 11 years of workshops have been held.

Roth moved that the meeting be adjourned and Holwerk seconded. The motion carried and the meeting was adjourned at 10 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Tom Waseleski, acting secretary