San Luis Obispo – The Mustang Daily, Cal Poly’s student-published daily newspaper, earned two Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker honors, which were announced at the National College Media Convention in Louisville, Ky., in October.

For the second time in four years, the newspaper’s website, www.mustangdaily.net, received the Pacemaker in the large-school newspaper category.

In the advertising category, the Mustang Daily received the Pacemaker for best media kit/rate card. Andrew Santos-Johnson, a 2010 Cal Poly Art and Design graduate, designed the media kit. Also in advertising, the Mustang Daily placed second and third for best display ad, honorable mention for best house ad and for best special section.

The Mustang Daily has been nominated for a total of nine advertising awards, more than any other college newspaper.

For additional information about the contest and its winners, visit http://studentpress.org/acp/winners/opm10.html.

“Two years ago, the Mustang Daily made the decision to leave the standard platform used by the majority of college newspapers and create its own website,” said Paul Bittick, the paper’s general manager and professional adviser to the all-student publishing staff. “Winning a Pacemaker in just the second year of managing our site is fantastic. Our faculty adviser, Brady Teufel, and student editors are to be commended. Andrew Santos-Johnson was a fabulous designer for the paper, and his work is now receiving the honors he so richly deserves.”

Harvey Levenson, head of Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department and interim Journalism Department chair, commended the Mustang Daily for thriving when many of the nation’s newspapers are struggling to survive. The paper recently expanded its press capabilities by doubling its page count and color capacity, Levenson said.

“As the nation’s only daily campus newspaper fully published and printed by students on campus,” Levenson said, “the Mustang Daily sets an example of how newspapers can remain appealing through good writing, graphics, advertising and management.”