The Center for Community News at the University of Vermont has named Valdosta State University’s Ted Geltner to its 2026 Class of Faculty Champions.

Geltner is one of 150 journalism leaders from colleges and universities across the United States and Canada who are being recognized for helping to strengthen their regional news ecosystems, provide real-world journalism experience, and support civic engagement.

“The Center for Community News is battling to keep local journalism alive,” he said. “The decline of the newspaper industry has left rural communities with little or no news coverage across the country. Citizens in a democratic society need accurate information. That's the job of journalists, and I hope we can do our part at VSU to support their effort.”  

Geltner joined the VSU faculty in 2008. As a professor in the Department of English, he helps students become thoughtful, ethical storytellers who understand their role in democracy. He also advises The Spectator, the unfiltered, uncensored voice of VSU students.  

“My job as adviser to The Spectator is tremendously satisfying,” he said. “The Spectator reporters really take their jobs seriously as the independent voice of the community. They break stories on a regular basis that compete with the local media and are as good or better than the work of professional reporters.” 

As a Center for Community News 2026 Faculty Champion, Geltner will receive a $1,000 reward, peer support, and coaching throughout the year. He will also have an opportunity to work in dedicated cohorts that are organized around beats, communities, and geographic regions and designed to support his efforts to develop and sustain effective news programs in VSU’s 41-county South Georgia service area.

“At the core of all of these university-led student reporting programs are innovative and entrepreneurial faculty committed to student success,” said Richard Watts, director of the Center for Community News. “These programs are a win-win for everyone — students receive high-impact experiences and communities benefit from more reliable news. This program is a chance to say thank you to the faculty who make it all possible.”

The honorees from this year’s Center for Community News Faculty Champions initiative represent 41 states and two Canadian provinces. They come from 15 community colleges, 41 minority-serving institutions, four historically black colleges and universities, 30 Hispanic-serving institutions, and seven public media outlets. There are 35 private institutions represented and 113 public ones.

The Center for Community News at the University of Vermont is a nonpartisan nonprofit working to grow and strengthen university-led reporting programs around the country to create a more sustainable future for local news outlets and the communities they serve. It works with a network of more than 4,000 faculty and news leaders, and it’s the only organization dedicated to growing the field of student-powered community reporting.