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What is the Journalism Association of Community Colleges?
The Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC) is a California-focused nonprofit organization that supports journalism education at two-year colleges. Its stated purpose is to help journalism departments exchange ideas, maintain effective curricula, provide enriching educational experiences, offer mutual aid, and defend a free student press. It emphasizes equal participation by students and faculty, and it incorporated as a nonprofit in 2006.
JACC's public-facing work centers on member colleges in two regional groups, NorCal and SoCal, along with conferences, contests and awards, a blog/news section, and member resources. That mix makes it most useful to community college journalism students, faculty advisers, and department administrators who want professional development, networking, and recognition rather than a general news audience.
A practical next step is to check the membership directory and conference or contest pages to see whether your college already participates, then decide whether to join as a student or faculty member. For example, a student editor preparing for a transfer to a four-year journalism program could use JACC contests to build a portfolio and conferences to meet advisers and peers from other campuses. Faculty advisers may get more value from curriculum exchange and board or regional meetings.
One trade-off is scope: JACC is built around California community colleges, so its contests, conferences, and member network may be less relevant to students outside that system. The site also serves as a donation channel for the nonprofit, so visitors looking only for classroom resources should expect a mix of association news, recognition programs, and fundraising alongside member materials.
How can my community college journalism program become a JACC member?
JACC membership is aimed at two-year college journalism departments in California, and the association organizes its member colleges into NorCal and SoCal programs. It describes itself as a body that helps journalism departments exchange ideas, maintain effective curricula, provide educational experiences and support a free student press, with equal student and faculty participation.
To join, start on the JACC site and use the "Join JACC" page in the main menu; the same menu has "Membership Directory" and "Contact Us" if you need to confirm who handles your region or ask about your college's current status. Because membership is institutional and region-based, the practical next step is for a faculty adviser or department chair to contact JACC and ask which NorCal or SoCal program your college belongs to, what the current membership process requires, and whether student media staff can be included.
What to have ready
- Your college's official name and department or program name
- A faculty adviser or department chair as the contact
- Whether your college is already listed in the membership directory
- Which regional program (NorCal or SoCal) covers your campus
Why it may be worth it
JACC's own description centers on conferences, contests and awards, plus resources for members. For a program, that means students can enter competitions and attend training events, while faculty get a network of peers at similar two-year colleges. If your program is small or newly revived, the exchange-of-ideas and curriculum side may matter more than the awards side.
If you want to see whether the fit is right before committing, browse the member colleges list and the contests/awards section, then email JACC with your region and program details. That single message usually settles whether you join as a new member or simply need your existing listing updated.
What contests and awards does JACC offer to student journalists?
JACC runs contests and awards for student journalists at California community colleges, with separate NorCal and SoCal programs, as listed on its Contests/Awards page. The association's stated purpose includes developing and maintaining a free student press and encouraging equal student and faculty participation, which is the context these contests operate in.
Who it's for
Two-year college journalism students and their faculty advisers. If you're a student at a member college, your adviser is usually the person who knows the entry categories, deadlines and how work gets submitted; if you're faculty, the contests double as a curriculum benchmark you can point students toward.
How the contests are typically organized
- Regional split: NorCal and SoCal programs, so you compete against nearby colleges rather than the whole state.
- Individual and staff categories: the usual shape is individual work (writing, photography, design, multimedia) plus overall or general excellence awards for publications.
- On-the-spot contests: JACC's conferences commonly include live competitions, where students produce work under deadline rather than submitting published clips.
Practical next step
Ask your adviser for the current contest packet, or check the Contests/Awards section of JACC for the categories, deadlines and submission rules. Before entering, check two things: whether your college is a current member (the site keeps a member college directory), and whether the category is a portfolio submission or a single published piece — that determines how much lead time you need to gather clips.
Decision criterion
Enter the regional contest if your goal is feedback and a line for your portfolio; treat the on-the-spot contests as the better test if you want deadline experience that transfers directly to internships. Note that contest details, categories and deadlines change year to year, so confirm them with the current materials rather than relying on past years' lists.
When and where are JACC conferences held for students and faculty?
JACC runs its conference programming through regional NorCal and SoCal divisions rather than a single national event, so the exact date and location change each year and are announced on the association's site. The organization describes itself as serving two-year college journalism departments in California, with conferences, contests and awards listed among its core activities.
What that means in practice
- If you are a student editor at a California community college, your first stop is your adviser or department chair, since member colleges coordinate attendance and registration through the association.
- If you are faculty, the same channels apply, and the association's stated philosophy of equal student and faculty participation means both groups are expected at the same events.
- Because the schedule rotates, check the conferences section of Journalism Association of Community Colleges for the current cycle's dates, host campus or city, and registration deadlines.
A useful next step
Bookmark the conferences page and the contests/awards page, then ask your adviser which regional division your college belongs to (NorCal or SoCal). That determines which meeting you would actually attend, and it is the detail most likely to be missing from a general search result.
How can I donate to JACC and is the contribution tax-deductible?
You can donate to JACC through the Donate option on its website, Journalism Association of Community Colleges. The site states that JACC incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in 2006 and lists a Federal Tax ID (94-6108903), and it asks visitors to consider JACC for tax-deductible donations. That wording indicates the organization presents contributions as tax-deductible, but the practical answer depends on your own tax situation.
What to check before giving
- Your tax status: Deductibility usually matters only if you itemize deductions on a U.S. federal return, and rules can differ for business or organizational gifts.
- The receipt: Keep the acknowledgment JACC provides; it should show the organization's name and the amount. The Federal Tax ID is useful for your records.
- What the gift supports: JACC describes its purpose as assisting and encouraging journalism departments at two-year colleges — exchanging ideas, developing curricula, providing educational experiences and supporting a free student press. A donation is therefore best understood as support for community-college journalism programs, conferences, awards and training rather than a direct subscription or membership purchase.
- Membership vs. donation: The site has separate membership and donation paths. If you want benefits such as participation or member resources, join through membership; if you mainly want to support the mission, use the donation route.
A useful next step
If you are considering a gift, decide first whether you want a one-time or recurring contribution, then use the Donate link on JACC and confirm the receipt details. For a concrete example: an alumnus of a member community college who wants to support student journalism but does not need member access would donate rather than join; a faculty adviser seeking conference and contest participation would typically join instead. If the deductibility of your specific gift is important, confirm it with a tax professional using the receipt and the organization's tax ID.
What resources and training does JACC provide to journalism faculty and advisers?
JACC's core offering for faculty and advisers is a mix of conferences, contests and awards, and a shared member-resource section, all aimed at two-year college journalism programs in California. It is organized around NorCal and SoCal programs, and it explicitly frames itself as a place where faculty exchange ideas, develop curricula, and work to maintain a free student press.
H3 What advisers actually get
- Conferences — the main training and networking channel, where advisers from different colleges compare how they run their programs and classrooms.
- Contests and awards — a structured way to benchmark student work, and by extension to see what other programs are producing.
- Member resources — a dedicated area for materials and information shared across member colleges.
- A membership directory and board structure — useful for finding counterparts at other colleges, plus meeting agendas and minutes that show how the association is run.
- A blog/news section — ongoing updates relevant to the field.
H3 Who it suits, and the trade-offs
JACC is a fit if you advise or teach in a California community college journalism program and want peer-level contact rather than a national convention. The association's stated philosophy is equal student and faculty participation, so advisers are expected to be contributors, not just attendees. The limitation is scope: it is a state-level, two-year-college body, so advisers at four-year institutions or outside California will find less of direct use. There is also no evidence here of a formal curriculum, certification track, or online course library — the training is conference-based and peer-driven.
H3 A practical next step
If you are new to an adviser role, start with the membership directory to identify two or three nearby programs, then check the conferences page for the next event and the contests page for deadlines you can build into your syllabus. Advisers at four-year programs may want a national alternative such as the College Media Association or the Society of Professional Journalists for comparison.
H3 Donations and status
JACC incorporated as a nonprofit in 2006 and lists a federal tax ID on its site, noting that contributions are tax-deductible. That matters mainly if you or your department are considering supporting the association financially; it is separate from the training and resource question.
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