It was a casual conversation, probably a lot like some that many of you have engaged in around the coffee pot.

We were discussing photographers, and the high quality of work of some of the shooters at small town papers.

Specifically we were laughing at a comment made by a photog at a larger daily who had told someone how small town staffers look up to the folks from the big papers.

Not to cast any aspersions, but we had a good chuckle over that.

I could name a dozen people off the top of my head who shoot photos every bit as good – or better – than the big city folks. I’ve had the privilege to work with some of them.

And the same is true for writers.

It’s not a question of ability. They’re working at smaller papers because that’s where they want to be. For some of us, the glamour of the big city becomes shallow after awhile.

Which brings me to the point of this rambling. I’m not trying to widen the gap between the smaller and larger papers. We need to work together on many common causes, particularly when it comes to the state legislature.

The point has more to do with the attitude of young people who will be filling those roles in the years ahead.

TPA has managed to make some inroads with the larger colleges in the state. But by and large the students at the top universities seem to have the attitude that they should be able to go straight to work for a larger daily. The message of the real benefits we can offer doesn’t seem to get to them effectively.

Many of you have lamented in recent years the difficulty in filling some positions. If you get a grad from a larger university to come for an interview, oftentimes is hard to convince them of the benefits of small town life – if they don’t already know them.

I have heard countless stories that bringing in a local resident and then training them has worked as well or better than getting someone with a degree.

And TPA and the Texas Newspaper Foundation can help along the way, with computer workshops and the community journalism training offered each spring at Texas Christian University through the TNF. After supporting this program for several years, I finally had the chance last spring to attend one of the workshops. And it lived up to all the good comments I have heard through the years. Tommy Thomason and the staff at TCU go the extra mile to make the participants feel welcome and send them home with loads of valuable information.

But that doesn’t solve the issue of college grads coming to work in smaller towns.

Perhaps the future lies in fostering relationships with smaller universities and two-year colleges. There are some great ones in Texas, and plenty of them.

The trick is to let these young people and the college faculties know what’s out there.

I know it can be difficult to find the time to foster these relationships. You – and I – already have plenty to do.

But it seems that the dividends such an effort would pay should be worth it down the road.

Here’s a good example of how universities are overlooking smaller papers. A few years back a young lady from the four-year college up the road called. She needed to complete an unpaid internship as a class assignment, was unable to get in with the local daily as most of her classmates had, and was wondering if she might be able to do something for the Leader.

I invited her to come down to talk. We went over her needs and I developed a plan that would meet her requirements. We got some great features out of the deal, she successfully completed her assignment, and to top it off, a few years later came back to the daily to go to work for them.

Yet in the 13 years we have been here, she is the only student from the journalism department at that university to call.

Maybe that’s my fault, or maybe it’s theirs, but I know both of us are missing the boat by not communicating better (ironic in our business, to say the least).

Perhaps you have a similar situation in your own backyard. And since this state is so vast, a once-size-fits-all solution at the state level may not be the answer. But a one-on-one relationship with a dean, faculty advisor or professor might open up a valuable pipeline. It can’t hurt to try.