A group of juniors have decided to strive to be the best.
Led by Erin Sheehan, College of Communications junior, this group of ambitious women has pioneered the Magazine Publications Organization (MagPubOrg) for in the bloody pool of applicants clawing to the top of the magazine industry.,”
Do you read Sports Illustrated?
Cosmo?
National Geographic?
Erin Sheehan, College of Communication junior, dreams of one day being the reason you look forward to finding one of these magazines in your mailbox.
She's itching to be the editor in chief of National Geographic. But no club or society in Marquette's gaggle of student organizations could help her advance her aspiration.
So she made one herself.
Sheehan and a group of students from various majors have pioneered the Magazine Publications Organization, or MagPubOrg, for those who care to join them in the ruthless pool of applicants clawing their way to the top of the magazine industry.
Marquette Student Government named MagPubOrg an official student organization in January, and the group's first informational meeting was Sunday.
"I really wanted to start it so students with similar interests in magazine journalism and in getting into the industry for future careers could network and meet each other," said Sheehan, who was also prompted by her recent discovery that other universities have an abundance of resources for students interested in the magazine field.
"I realized this was an area Marquette was really lacking in," Sheehan said. "Hopefully this organization will spur some change and add interest to the field."
Sheehan said she also hopes to bring magazine professionals to speak on campus to establish relationships between Marquette students and the people in the industry.
Sheila Webb, journalism professor and club moderator, said she has observed more students pursuing careers at magazines.
"I'm so pleased the club has started," she said. "It is a way for students interested in magazines to meet people in the field, to get and share information on internships and to explore new launches and magazines of particular interest to the members."
Webb compared the function of MagPubOrg to Ad Club, a similar organization for advertising students who seek to compete in an equally aggressive industry.
Although journalism students will no doubt benefit from the new opportunity offered by MagPubOrg, students from other majors also hope to make connections on the business side of magazine publishing.
Some, like broadcast and electronic communication and marketing double-major Lauren Bryant, strive for careers in design.
Bryant, a junior in the College of Communication, said design intrigues her most because of the creative freedom.
"When designing for advertisements, you are often restricted by the client's needs," she said. "With magazines, there are just so many more options to explore; especially with photograph manipulation, layout design and color."
Bryant and the other founding members have also successfully made Marquette the fourth Midwestern college to join Ed2010, an online magazine networking community.
According to the Ed2010 Web site, www.ed2010.com, the network was born in a bar in 1998 when president and founder Chandra Czape Turner was an editorial assistant at Glamour in New York City; now, the site includes almost 9,000 people.
Turner currently works as the executive editor at CosmoGIRL! magazine after editing stints at Ladies' Home Journal, Cosmopolitan and YM.
The group's creators intend for MagPubOrg to serve as a catalyst for students pursuing magazine careers.
Colleen O'Keefe, junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said she hopes the club will help Marquette students stand out among competitors from top programs around the country.
"Hopefully, people will join and we'll be able to make some noise," she said. "Mostly so that when we're all applying for jobs, we'll be able to show off the skills we've learned here (at Marquette) and demonstrate that Marquette students from a variety of majors are well-prepared and not only competent, but ready to excel."
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