MBA student Michael Plumb, editor-in-chief of The Current, will focus on student input during his term. (Photo by Sara Bell)
Walk into The Current’s newsroom on the third floor of the Millennium Student Center, and Michael Plumb will be eager to show you around.
The conference table he refurbished himself and renovations completed during the last few years are all points of pride for the University of Missouri–St. Louis’ independent student newspaper and its new editor-in-chief.
With a renewed and expanded approach to student engagement, Plumb hopes these interactions become part of The Current’s everyday culture, driving a better product for the paper’s readership.
“I really want to try to get more insight with the students and what they want,” Plumb said. “I want to try to do what is really hard for UMSL – or any school – which is to get more feedback from the students. Every time I go talk to a professional, it always seems to be the same advice, ‘Get back from the students verbally what they want.’ It’s just hard to find. If we could increase that in any form that would be nice so we know what to provide.”
He hopes to receive this feedback through open meetings and by simply conversing with students, faculty and staff he meets on campus. He will also build on the paper’s successful programs such as “What’s Current Wednesday,” a monthly forum to discuss current events. Increasing The Current’s social media presence and producing more multimedia content will also be top priorities.
Relatively green in a newsroom, Plumb, who is pursuing an MBA through the College of Business Administration, will utilize his business experiences in his leadership style.
“It’s interesting trying to get everyone to work together,” Plumb said. “You have a lot of artistic types with a few business-minded people and a few creative types. Each job is hard, and trying to get everything to work together is a lot of fun.”
Before taking the helm, Plumb served as advertising director for The Current when he returned for his MBA in fall 2016. With his own photography, videography, consulting and advertising business, Elite Visions, the position also helped fine-tune his craft.
A talented photographer, Plumb occasionally works behind the lens for The Current. In 2017, he earned a third-place photography award from the Missouri College Media Association.
Plumb replaces Kat Riddler, The Current’s editor-in-chief for the past two years. Riddler stepped down due to term limits but will remain an integral part of the newsroom as managing editor.
