Loesch to serve as editor in chief for The Shield

The University of Southern Indiana's Student Publications Committee has selected Sarah Loesch as editor in chief of USI's student newspaper, The Shield, for the 2016-17 academic year. She replaces current editor, Robert (Bobby) Shipman IV.

Loesch, an Evansville native, is a second semester junior with a major in journalism and a minor in Spanish. She has served as sports editor with The Shield since August 2015, and has held other editorial positions with the publication since August 2014.

She also has served as the metro intern at the Evansville Courier & Press since August 2015, and is president of the Society of Professional Journalism at USI.

Loesch, who began reporting for The Shield her freshman year, looks forward to growing the student news organization.

"I want the chance to develop The Shield the same way it developed me," she said.

She views her new position at The Shield "as a great opportunity, and a chance to increase our presence on campus and improve our reader retention." She said she plans to continue making The Shield a vital part of the campus by providing students with information on important issues and upcoming events.

As to the type of leader she hopes to be, Loesch says, "I want to take more of a teaching role, versus a purely managerial role. I want people to be able to come to me, and we can work on a problem together."

Former Shield editor-in-chief James Vaughn said of Loesche, "She's done it all and she's done it gracefully … I can think of no one more qualified to be the publication's next leader."

Applications for positions at The Shield are available online or in The Shield's office. To get involved, call 812-465-1682, or visit the office in the lower level of University Center East, Room 227.