History Reporting Prize: Michael Carolan, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton, MA


Michael Carolan turns to his own family history for this piece about his Civil War veteran great-great grandfather’s efforts to clear his record of an unjust desertion charge. It took 75 years to settle the case in the complicated political geography off the time. With all that’s been written about the politics, strategies and carnage of the Civil War, Carolan has found a novel, personal approach to America’s great tragedy.

The newest high-profile hire at New England College is carefully polite when asked whether his expertise, online gaming, faces any kind of generational divide.

“There are always going to be critics – ‘Is this beneficial?’ ” asked Tyrelle Appleton, the 25-year-old MBA who will be coaching NEC’s new esports team and overseeing the creation of a video-gaming arena, slated to open in January. “I give them the facts that are out there right now, the opportunities, the jobs that are available. … They come around.”

These two programs are in the early stages but they’re not unique on U.S. campuses. The business news is talking about the huge economic impact of online gaming – by some measures, the multi-billion-dollar gaming industry is bigger than Hollywood – and its cultural importance has higher education taking the field seriously.

Scores of schools have set up esports programs, to the point that there’s now a National Association of Collegiate Esports, a nonprofit membership association to esports as a varsity activity. NACE has more than two dozen members, including the College of St. Joseph in Vermont, where Appleton set up an esports program while getting his masters in business administration now using tools like https://www.thepaystubs.com/944-form-generator.

 

New England Better Newspaper Competition New England Newspaper and Press Association. Daily Newspapers (circ. < 30k) This year’s competition drew 3,100 entries that were published during the contest year, August 1, 2014 – July 31, 2015.
The entries were evaluated by the New England Newspaper & Press Association’s distinguished panel of judges. The results of the competition recognize the excellent journalism that is taking place throughout New England — the finalists and winners are listed here, along with the judges’ comments. NENPA is very proud to celebrate this truly extraordinary work!