The DPAA Board of Directors in December published its third Annual Report on the activities of the Alumni Association. The report was sent via postal mail to all DP alumni who have mailing addresses on file with the DP; a PDF version of the report is available by clicking here.

In recent years, the DPAA has increased the frequency of online communications with alumni — via articles on this website, bi-monthly emailed newsletters, and alumni news on the DPAA Facebook page. But in an effort to not lose touch with alumni who may not regularly follow the DPAA online, as well as to have a place each year to recognize and thank the alumni who have contributed to the DP and DPAA, the Board created this annual report.

Any DP alum who did not receive the mailing should email the DPAA with your current address (or log into this website, following the directions on the home page, to update your own information). Feedback on the annual report, including suggestions for future annual reports, is welcome — just email dpaa@theDP.com.

The Daily Pennsylvanian’s Board of Directors wrapped up a busy first half of 2014 by adopting an integrated three-pronged strategy focused on building a ‘digital-first’ culture while continuing the DP’s century-plus tradition as a printed daily; ensuring the organization’s long-term financial viability, and nurturing student innovation.

The goal: make the DP the country’s most respected and innovative college media organization, with the products to match.

The Board, which includes five current DP students and four alumni steeped in media and entrepreneurial experience, was created to make the tough, strategic decisions that all-student boards — which change every year — have had trouble making in the past.  This new plan was adopted unanimously by the nine-member Board.

As part of the new focus on digital, the Board decided to cease publishing the print edition of the DP on Fridays starting this fall.  The change allows the students to focus more attention on creating online content throughout the day and on weekends. The Friday print edition was the hardest to get in readers’ hands, because many Penn students no longer take Friday classes. One less day of publication per week means less pressure to fill the paper, less time tied strictly to print production, and less money spent printing and delivering a physical edition — all while maintaining current advertising levels. It also allows 34th Street Magazine, which is structured as a weekend magazine, to sit on campus all the way through Sunday.

“We are still The Daily Pennsylvanian and we will still publish daily,” says DP Executive Editor Taylor Culliver. And more of that content will be published online first. “This will be driving a cultural change in our newsroom,” he says. “We are not retreating from print, but creating time to do a much better job online.”

Twenty-one DP alumni returned to campus on September 6 for the 29th annual Steven A. Marquez Journalism Conference. Reflecting changes to the industry, the event took on a digital-related theme.

Rick Dunham ’78 delayed a trip to Beijing, where he now teaches journalism, to lead a kick-off session on best practices for conduct in the social-media age. A longtime reporter and columnist for BusinessWeek and the Houston Chronicle, he was a White House Correspondent and president of the National Press Club before trading in daily deadlines for lectures and term papers as a journalism educator last year. He is in his second year as a professor of multimedia journalism and co-director of the Global Business Journalism program at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Dunham also presented a session on what it’s like to be an American Journalist in China, and some of the contrasts between journalism in China and the United States.

Andrew Kirtzman ’82, David Schwartz ’93, Shirley Zilberstein ’00 and Ben Geldon ’01 presented a session on the state of television news as well   session on bulking up the DP’s video presence on theDP.com.

At the request of the current editors, the afternoon sessions were open to the larger university community, so the DP could use the event as a recruitment tool and further raise its presence on campus. Among the popular panels, political reporters Beth Reinhard ’90, Rebecca Kaplan ’10 and Emily Schultheis ’11 led an informative and entertaining discussion of what Aaron Sorkin gets wrong in “The Newsroom.”

While the Marquez Conference traditionally has been an editorial-focused event, the business staff got involved this time as well. David Gurian-Peck ’10 led a session on marketing strategies for the DP, relying on his expertise as a strategy manager with The New York Times.

Breakout sessions allowed departments to focus on their specific areas. The panelists included:

• Design: Chris George ’05

• Digital: Emily Babay ’10

• News: Paul LaMonica ’95, Yochi Dreazen ’99, Binya Appelbaum ’01, Julie Steinberg ’09

• Photography: Jacques-Jean Tiziou ’02

• Sports: Rich Hofmann ’80, Jesse Spector ’02

• 34th Street: Mike Madden ’98, Dan McQuade ’04

Adam Rubin ’95 organized the event.