The 2003 Vormelker-Thomas 
Student Award Presentation
June 9, 2003 in New York City

Jennifer Klimas, right, receiving the Vormelker-Thomas Student
certificate and stipend from Jessica Baumgart at the News 
Division's Awards Banquet aboard the cruise ship, Inamorata.

"I don't know how many of you have ever had to choose a student stipend winner. On the one hand, it's very exciting because we receive applications from so many deserving and excellent graduate students who will make terrific colleagues some day. On the other hand, we only have one stipend, so we can only reward one student. I would like to thank Dru Frykberg of the Greenlee School of Journalism at Iowa State University, Abigail Brigham of CNN in New York, Tom Pellegrene of the Journal-Gazette in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and Marlinda Karo, formerly of Ms. Magazine, for working together to evaluate the twelve applications we received and selecting one winner. I would also like to thank ProQuest for their generous support of this stipend.

Jennifer Klimas, a recent graduate from the University of Maryland College of Information Studies is this year's Vormelker-Thomas Student Award winner. Jennifer has worked at National Public Radio and the Electronic Text and Imaging Center at UM. She was also Marketing Director of the UM student chapter of SLA. Jennifer also holds a journalism degree from Gonzaga University and has experience at the Erie Times-News, Spokane Spokesman Review, and Gonzaga University Bulletin Newspaper. Her essay "Coaching our colleagues: The evolving role of news librarians," reprinted in the most recent issue of News Library News, discusses the news librarian's role as a trainer and emphasizes how we can use training to market ourselves within our organizations. Rob Robinson, Senior Librarian at NPR, wrote in Jennifer's letter of reference "Given her energy and commitment to excellence, she will be an asset to our profession." The committee is certainly proud to give this year's stipend to her."

[Note: Jennifer will begin working as the research director at the Office of the President at the University of North Carolina soon. For more about Rose Vormelker, please check http://www.ibiblio.org/journalism/vormelker.html ]