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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Julia Sandidge, a student media adviser and educator at Colorado State University and former professional journalist, has been named director of Student Media at Oregon State University.

She succeeds Frank Ragulsky, who retired recently after 27 years as OSU Student Media director.

The Student Media program at OSU includes the Daily Barometer newspaper, KBVR television and radio, the Beaver yearbook, and a literary magazine, Prism. All are run by students and supported by student fees, while supervised by the director of Student Media and staff.

"Student media programs around the country are facing some of the same challenges as professional media in providing information in ways that their consumers prefer," said Michael Henthorne, director of the Memorial Union and educational activities. "At the same time, we need to prepare the students in our media programs for professions that are rapidly evolving with a convergence in technology.

"Julia Sandidge showed that she has the vision and experience to lead OSU's Student Media program, and provide the mentorship to help our students reach their personal and professional goals," he added.

Henthorne said Sandidge will begin her new duties on June 30 and immediately begin leading a Student Media team that is preparing for new facilities, following the passage of a special election by OSU students. In the late spring, the students voted to use student fees to create a new Student Experience Center that will house the university's Student Media program.

Sandidge has been at Colorado State since 2005. She is the broadcast news and public affairs adviser for CSU's student media program, and advises their student managers on all facets of television, radio and web-based news and public affair, ethics and production responsibilities.

Before that, she spent nine years owning and operating her own production company and worked as a reporter in Denver, Colo., Minneapolis, Minn., and Toledo, Ohio. She won an Emmy for her work and has been honored with numerous awards, including Native American Journalist of the Year in Minnesota, and "Favorite Faculty" from the Residence Life Department at CSU.