Collegian T he Cameron University
www.aggiecentral.com
Monday, February 9, 2026
Amanda Purser Managing Editor
Cameron University’s student-led newspaper, the Collegian, began reporting on campus in 1926, and we get the distinct pleasure of celebrating a century of Aggie news this year, in 2026. Newspapers are a special type of media, preserving moments in time and serving as a tangible piece of history for any area of coverage. The Collegian has been in publication across campus, supposedly never missing a semester since its launch, reporting through wars, historical events and unprecedented occurences like the COVID-19 pandemic. This near-constant coverage is no small feat for the countless journalists over the past 100 years who have acted as the gatekeepers of information, reporting the facts and ensuring balanced and unbiased coverage is always maintained with ethical professionalism. Those journalists have been led by various faculty members over the years; their role is to guide and assist the students in a variety of ways, always allowing the creative freedom and content decisions to remain with the editors who have final approval of what the Collegian publishes. Dr. Christopher Keller is a former Collegian Faculty Adviser from 2001 to 2013, with a sabbatical from 2003-2004 spent at Fort Sill as an instructional designer and educational psychologist for his Ph.D., who understands the importance this unique role plays for the publication. “We’re a public university, which means our newspaper is a firstamendment-protected product, and while it's published under the auspice of a faculty adviser, there is no prior restraint to control the content of that paper. It's produced completely by students for students,” Keller said. A Cameron alum, having graduated here in 1997, Keller has many ties to
campus and even met his wife in a 1995 16th Century British Literature course, so his personal ties and commitment to the Aggie family run deep. Keller was at the helm of the Collegian through a pivotal moment in the paper’s history and had a hand in some major changes that supported the evolution of not just the print media on campus, but all future journalism at Cameron. The current Eugene D. McMahon newsroom the Collegian operates out of weekly, was built in the newly restructured Academic Commons, after Dr. John McArthur, then Vice President of Academic Affairs, and soon to be 17th Cameron University President, had acquired a grant for the upgrade on campus. The construction project was announced on April 1, 2011, according to a former Collegian article published on April 4, 2011, from Volume 85, Issue 17. Keller recalls his managing editor, Jim Horinek, from that timeframe when he was assisting McArthur in the converging media program plans across campus and building AggieCentral from the ground up, to house our university’s digital media, the site still used today. Keller enjoys watching students move on from Cameron media and technology programs, especially those he was able to work with during his tenure at the Collegian as they embark on their professional journeys. “Not everybody goes into journalism,” Keller said, “but that skill set that you learn as an editor, managing people and content, working on deadlines, being both creative and task-oriented, it suits people well for any profession that they want to go into.” Keller took over for Dr. Donna Evers stepping into the adviser role in 2001, and he immediately set out to put his Ph.D. in technology to use by ensuring that the journalism and media students were utilizing and learning about every new tool and technological opportunity
Volume 114 Issue 1
available, to make their lives easier, while historical headlines and events covered executing the mission of the Collegian, to over the last century on campus, as well seek truth across campus and report it. as illustrate the writing and layout and “So, my goal was to maintain the design evolution. excellence that Dr. Evers showed me Benke said, “I think it’s amazing that as my advisor and what I knew about the paper is not only turning 100, but professional journalism,” Keller said, “and through that time it’s had a lasting impact then to also make sure that my students on student bodies at Cameron.” were as well-equipped with the literacy Leaving his position as a Senior knowledge regarding the media we were English teacher at Lawton High School, producing, and Associate the technology Professor David that we were Bublitz, another “That skill set that utilizing. And alum, took on the you learn as an editor, that we were role as Collegian managing people and making it to Faculty Adviser, where our relieving Keller in content, working on students could 2013. deadlines, being both go and get “I thought this creative and taskimmediate was a wonderful employment and oriented, it suits people opportunity were trained in to return to well for any profession both the ethics campus and that they want to go into.” and the process the publication, of our craft.” - Dr. Christopher Keller serve students in Cameron Education Professor the journalism students cover a program and put wide variety of in work as a fierce content from campus firsts, comical issues advocate for student media and the first such as missing mascot attire when they amendment,” Bublitz said. briefly lost Ole Kim years ago, to more As a Cameron student, Bublitz worked serious events on a local and global scale. as a Collegian editor, so he understands “There is not a better source of the requirements and expectations from Cameron University history — the small the staff, which provides insight into the things that happen, that are big to us, but necessary guidance an adviser should not to the world — there is not a better convey. historical reference than what we do with “Dr. Keller was my faculty adviser the Collegian,” Keller said. when I was a student journalist,” Bublitz Cameron's physical archived records said, “so, in a way I inherited this position go back to 1927, which is kept in a room from him, and it was a great opportunity dedicated to campus history, housed in to pay forward in service the knowledge the Eugene D. McMahon Library. While and experience I received from him.” some dates were misprinted over the years Bublitz has kept the publication and the very first issue published is not going strong and ensured that the paper on record, we maintain the year passed remained entered into several media down from our editorial predecessors and organizations to compete against similar campus documents, and honor 1926 as the publications across the state. Collegian's inception. One organization, the Oklahoma Press Library Specialist and Archivist Association has the Better Newspaper Kimberly Jackson is currently responsible contest, from which the Collegian has for maintaining this important room and taken home a staggering 100 plus awards, keeping this roadmap to the past intact for since 2012, on top of the additional future Aggie generations to come. recognition when the Collegian was a “There is so much history; I had no part of the Oklahoma Collegiate Media idea that Cameron actually started off as Association. an Agricultural school for High School Among this elite recognition are the students,” Jackson said. “Some of the highly coveted Sequoyah Awards, of yearbooks that we have actually go back which the Collegian won in 2020, 2021, to like 1914, for the High School, so it's 2023 and 2024. The Sequoyah is the fascinating to see the history and how its highest honor an Oklahoma newspaper evolved.” can receive and to compete against all Jackson provided Collegian Historical other colleges across the state and bring Editor Elaina Benke access to the oldest home that title to share with the Aggie physical copies of the publication, to family is incredibly special for the examine and document in digital formats journalists involved in the Collegian’s to help bring these ancient chronicles back time-honored responsibility of seeking to life for today's readers to enjoy. truth and reporting it, along with the “I’m interested in working on the preservation of history on campus. Centennial Tribute page because it's We thank you for being a valued reader important to not only see how far we've and supporter of the Collegian, and hope come, but also to acknowledge the history, that you continue to enjoy one of our so our future can be brighter and better,” university’s oldest and longest running Benke said. media outlets on campus, as always, for In an effort to pay homage to our students, by students. humble beginnings, some of the oldest Collegian issues will be featured on page 6, for a peek into the past. Benke will continue to highlight issues from our archives on our Centennial Tribute for the remainder of this semester (volume 114). Page 6 will showcase some of the
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