A familiar face on the Hill is joining the WKU Student Publications family.
Clinton Lewis, WKU’s university photographer and an adjunct instructor in the media program since 2008, will become the adviser to Cherry Creative and the Talisman on Oct. 13.
Clinton has deep roots in journalism, at WKU and in Bowling Green. Before working for WKU, he was a staff photojournalist for the Bowling Green Daily News for eight years and was a graphic designer and photographer for Earnhart+Friends, an advertising and public relations agency, for two years.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from WKU in 2004 and his master’s degree in organizational communication in 2021.
Clinton’s work capturing life on the Hill is known far and wide. His photography graces most of the materials the university publishes and his work was the subject of a gallery at the Kentucky Museum called “The Lewis Lens: A 15-year WKU Retrospective” from September 2023 through April 2024.
During his time as an undergraduate, Clinton did not work at Student Publications – so he will bring fresh eyes and a fresh perspective to our operation.
“It’s an honor to join the Student Publications family as the Talisman and Cherry Creative adviser,” Clinton said. “I am thoroughly excited to work with the next generation of journalists and creative minds that will shape the industry.
“My time behind the camera has been wonderful, and I look forward to this new direction.”
Clinton is a terrific addition to our professional staff at Student Publications, bringing exceptional skills, technical knowledge, creativity and energy, along with a strong track record working with students, to a position where students have high expectations and seek excellence.
Clinton will fill a role created by the departure in July of Sam Oldenburg, who in addition to advising Talisman and Cherry Creative served as assistant director. Sam is now the adviser for marketing and operations at The Minnesota Daily at the University of Minnesota, a job that was created with Sam in mind and one that allowed him to return to his beloved home state.
Cherry Creative is our student-run branded content studio launched in 2018 that helps clients who want to reach the WKU community through the platforms we operate at Student Publications, including sponsored content, specialty publications and events. Cherry Creative works hand-in-hand with the Student Publications Advertising sales force to generate the revenue that sustains our operations. Together, Cherry and Advertising have won two Student Media Business Pacemakers from Associated Collegiate Press. Cherry Creative also won the first Innovation Pacemaker.
Talisman is our student-run life and culture magazine that originated as a yearbook in 1924. It is considered among the best publications of its kind in the country, amassing 22 ACP Pacemaker Awards. Talisman is a member of the ACP Hall of Fame and is among The Pacemaker 100, the most successful student-run publications in the century-long history of the Pacemaker Awards, the premier honor in student media. Talisman publishes a printed feature magazine once a semester, operates a daily website at WKUTalisman.com and a weekly email newsletter.
The College Heights Herald student-run newsroom is also part of WKU Student Publications. The Herald is known nationwide for its spirited coverage of the WKU community, including deeply reported enterprise and accountability stories. The Herald has won 25 Pacemaker Awards, is in the ACP Hall of Fame and is No. 6 on The Pacemaker 100 Top 10 student-run publications. The Herald publishes a daily email newsletter, updates WKUHerald.com around the clock and produces a monthly enterprise newsmagazine during the academic year.