WKU News

WKU Student Publications announced a record eight Student Publications fellows for 2019. These students will spend at least 10 weeks working in professional organizations this summer in internships tailored to help them grow their skills.

The fellowships are funded entirely through the generosity of alumni and friends of the College Heights Herald and the Talisman, along with partnering professional organizations. This year’s fellowships will award a total of $25,200 in stipends to students participating in the educational experiences.

The program launched in 2012 with a single fellowship at the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer. It was funded with proceeds from an endowment created by the late Charles Mason Ralph, a Herald alumnus and Owensboro native who bequeathed a portion of his estate to the Herald. The program has grown through donations to the Student Publications Fellowship Fund, created in 2014, and through other fellowship funds created by alumni and friends of the Herald and the Talisman. In 2015, a confidential gift of $125,000 more than doubled the value of the Charles Mason Ralph Endowment, allowing the program to grow further.

Through 2018, 24 student staff members of the College Heights Herald and the Talisman have served in fellowships.

“Our fellowship program is one of the most rewarding things we do for our students,” said Chuck Clark, director of WKU Student Publications. “Because we try to match these fellowships to our students’ goals and tailor them to skills they want to develop, these experiences have a huge impact on the students.

“We’re grateful to our alumni and friends, and to our professional partners, for making these fellowships possible.”

The 2019 Student Publications fellows are:

Rebekah Alvey – Alvey is a senior journalism and international affairs major from Versailles and will spend 10 weeks as the Tom Caudill Fellow at the Lexington Herald-Leader. She currently is news editor of the College Heights Herald.

Jeremy Chisenhall – Chisenhall is a junior journalism major from Erlanger and will spend 10 weeks as a Charles Mason Ralph Fellow at InsiderLouisville.com. He currently is digital managing editor of the College Heights Herald.

Laurel Deppen – Deppen is a sophomore broadcasting major from Louisville and will spend 12 weeks at the Courier Journal in Louisville as the Paul and Ellen Schuhmann Fellow. She currently is features editor of the College Heights Herald.

Jack Dobbs – Dobbs is a freshman journalism major from Franklin and will spend 10 weeks at the Messenger-Inquirer in Owensboro as a Charles Mason Ralph Fellow. He currently is the student government reporter for the College Heights Herald.

Evan Heichelbech – Heichelbech is a senior journalism and management major from Louisville and will spend 12 weeks as the College Heights Herald Endowment Fellow at Louisville Public Media and the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting. Evan is the current editor-in-chief of the College Heights Herald.

Drake Kizer – Kizer is a junior journalism and public relations major from Gallatin, Tennessee, and will spend 10 weeks at the Bowling Green Daily News as the Judy Wildman Hughes Fellow. He currently is women’s basketball reporter for the College Heights Herald.

Hayley Robb – Robb is a senior journalism major from Georgetown and will spend 10 weeks at C2 Strategic Communications in Louisville as the Carla and Chad Carlton Fellow. She currently is writing co-editor for Talisman magazine.

Matt Stahl – Stahl is a junior journalism major from Lebanon, Tennessee, and will spend 10 weeks as a Charles Mason Ralph Fellow at the Lexington Herald-Leader. He currently is sports editor of the College Heights Herald.

For more information or to donate to the Student Publications Fellowship Fund: Chuck Clark, director, WKU Student Publications, 270-745-4206, chuck.clark@wku.edu