To our readers:

Hi, my name is Valerie Royzman, and I’m the editor-in-chief of The Kent Stater this spring.

I want to thank you for picking up the Stater, the bi-weekly paper brought to you by the student journalists of the newsroom in Franklin Hall. If you’ve picked up the Stater before, then I want to thank you for your loyalty.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what kind of editor I want to be, what kind of goals I want to accomplish in 15 weeks, what kind of inspiration I want to offer this newsroom, and hopefully, our readers.

I read about Harold Ross, the founder and first editor of The New Yorker, in the magazine’s Dec. 3, 2018, issue. Editors wrote he “subsisted on nicotine, coffee and nerves. The hours he kept were horrible … but he fulfilled his dream.”

That’s me, minus the nicotine.

Oh, and the internationally acclaimed magazine.

I realize the Stater exists in a completely different realm of journalism compared to The New Yorker. But that doesn’t mean we can’t aspire to be our best.

I want the work my team and I produce in this small-town Ohio newsroom to reveal truths about the world around us, hold the powerful accountable and tell really, really good stories. I want our work to feel purposeful. And I want to build on what the editors who came before me brought our audience. 

Thanks again for taking the time to read our words. Our student journalists are learning on the job but take the responsibility that comes with it very seriously and want to bring you the best possible journalism. You can find more stories online at KentWired.com, and also check out work from TV2, the campus television station.

Feel free to send me your story ideas at [email protected].

Cheers,

Valerie