By Raylee Foster | Staff Writer
The Texas Intercollegiate Press Association headquarters is officially making its way back to its home, Baylor, since it began in 1909.
Fred Stewart, former executive director and TIPA hall of fame member, said the organization’s relocation at Baylor was a perfect fit. The connection to the university will allow TIPA to continue to grow, he said.
“Baylor is TIPA’s home and should continue to be there because Baylor played such a major role in TIPA being established and being what it is today,” Stewart said. “Baylor will be able to promote some of the things that TIPA stands for, I just think that Baylor has such an advantage over what TIPA has been able to do and I personally don’t see anything but growing and positivity.”
TIPA is an independent, nonprofit organization that hosts live contests, training programs and a spring convention for media students in Texas. Although headquarters are relocating to the university, decisions will continue to be made by TIPA members and not Baylor.
Julie Reed, assistant media adviser for Baylor Student Media and president of TIPA, said she has been a part of the organization for almost 18 years. Reed said she will be taking over as executive director upon the organization’s headquarters relocation to Baylor’s campus.
Reed said she is eager to see the reunion between TIPA and Baylor, and believes the association will promote the organization’s prominence in the process.
“I’m just looking forward to having the Baylor name and the TIPA name together again,” Reed said. “With the Baylor name associated we hope that we get some more prominence because Baylor’s recognized everywhere.”
TIPA’s relocation at Baylor will not only benefit the Texas association, but the university as well. As the oldest collegiate press association in the nation, TIPA’s connection to the university will be one of pride, Reed said.
“Having TIPA come home to Baylor after all this time is really the feather in the cap for Baylor University,” Reed said. “Baylor is going to be known as the home of Texas collegiate media, so that’s a huge honor. … When students come in, Baylor can proudly say Texas Intercollegiate Press Association started over 100 years ago and it is back here.”
Stewart said while he served as executive director, the organization underwent changes including the addition of contests, director trophies and the establishment of a hall of fame. He said his goal was to make TIPA conventions closely resemble a national caliber event, and he did this through the support of those who have gone through the program already.
“There are a lot of former TIPA participants, students, faculty members and so forth who are in the professional world, and those individuals I’ve talked to are just more than eager to come back to TIPA and give back to the students based on their experience with TIPA,” Stewart said.
The influence TIPA has had on the lives of participants is seen in more than just alumni networks. Baylor graduate Taylor Griffin said she attended her first TIPA conference in 2012 while she was attending Tyler Junior College. She said she met Reed, who was a judge at the time, and encouraged her to attend Baylor.
Griffin said she refers to TIPA as her “Super Bowl” because of the influence the association had on her life.
“That was such a key moment in my story and the whole reason I went to Baylor, and was quite successful going to Baylor,” Griffin said. “My career was set off by [TIPA].”
The supportive and encouraging community can still be found in TIPA today through current advisors and students. Reed said her experience while working with advisors has been one of encouragement and motivation, and that they aspire to pour similar support and into future journalists through the organization.
“I’ve been involved with this organization for almost 18 years and I love TIPA with all my heart,” Reed said. “All the advisors that are here make a very close knit group; we encourage each other, we spur each other on, we all believe in journalism and the future of journalism and do everything we can to promote the future of journalism by educating up and coming journalists.”
