A donation for the future: A new name for The Miami Student media suite

Almost five decades ago, William (Bill) Schumacher attended Miami University and joined The Miami Student. He became editor-in-chief, and years later he still reminisces about the times in the newsroom, producing the print edition on typewriters or the pranks the reporters would play on each other.

Now, he’s giving back to the same paper that helped prepare him and jump-start his career through an endowment and a scholarship awarded to two students annually.

On the morning of Oct. 4, roughly 25 people met in The Miami Student (TMS) newsroom in Armstrong Student Center to celebrate the donation from Schumacher, a 1975 Miami alumnus.

The event started at 11 a.m. with opening remarks from Fred Reeder Jr., the faculty adviser and professor of journalism who expressed his gratitude for Schumacher’s donation. He said even though he wasn’t part of TMS during his time at Miami, he acknowledges its immense importance for students today.

“We have a lot of slings and arrows coming at journalists these days from very powerful, important people,” Reeder said, “and to see that there is a segment of the population that believes in journalism, that believes in the important job that journalists have in this country, my hope is that it spurs these students on to continue to be proud of what they produce.”

The current Editor-in-Chief Kasey Turman and Managing Editor Olivia Patel spoke about what the newspaper means to them. They shared how the newsroom fosters growth, even if the editing process can be humbling. Both expressed their gratitude for Schumacher’s support of young journalists.

Following the remarks, a newspaper staff member presented Schumacher with a personalized newspaper spread of his stories. Visiting TMS alumni — Sue McDonald, Barbara Zigli, Glenn Williams, David Udelf and Paul Gaffney — shared stories about Schumacher and their time at the newspaper. They reflected on how much Turman’s and Patel’s comments resonated with their own experiences, even 50 years later.

“I'm only retired, and I'm back doing journalism stuff as a retirement gig, writing press releases, doing social media,” said Williams, the co-managing editor with Schumacher. “I'm just sitting down at my keyboard and writing again. After 50 years of that, I'm not tired. It's still fun. The point is, you don’t know where this will take you, but the skills you learn here [at TMS] can take you [from] corporate to a long career in journalism. … You're going to get the skills you need to really propel your life.”

After receiving appreciation from the staff, Schumacher unveiled the plaque for the newly named “Schumacher Student Media Suite” in his honor and spoke about the lasting influence of The Miami Student on his life.

“The Miami Student, which I am so incredibly proud of, to me, contributes to a vital, dynamic progressive university like Miami,” Schumacher said after the unveiling. “It's an independent voice for students. It's a source of information and perspective and exchange, and it's a great learning experience for talented, spirited people like you, and it's capable of enduring for many, many years. So I'm so proud of my name on the wall. I really am. So thank you all.”

Barbara Zigli, Schumacher’s other co-managing editor, said it’s interesting to see where people end up in life especially when you haven’t seen them in years.

“I had a feeling that he would go pretty far in a career, given his leadership abilities and so on,” Zigli said. “But, I would still picture him in my mind as the guy at the student, and then it's really gratifying to see how successful he's become and is able to make this kind of a contribution.”

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

Williams agreed, adding how genuine Schumacher is.

“What he did here doesn't surprise me in that he is just a kind, generous person,” Williams said. “I'm trying to remember Bill getting genuinely angry or upset, [and I can’t].”

“He was very well-liked,” Zigli added.

David Udelf, the sports editor during Schumacher’s time at Miami, said his name on the wall represents all of them as a team.

“Some people can be selfish and say ‘Oh why didn’t they put my name up there,’ but that represents us,” Udelf said. “He included us and invited us and mentioned us on the plaque, so it really means a great deal because we feel that those years were really special. We were such a tight-knit group and a real team, so it means a lot that we’re going to be remembered forever.”

stumbata@miamioh.edu