The Heights, Boston College’s independent student newspaper, has been honored with a 2011 Associated Collegiate Press Newspaper Pacemaker Award for general excellence and outstanding achievement. The award, co-sponsored by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation, has recognized general excellence in collegiate newspapers for 84 years and is considered the highest honor in collegiate journalism.

The Heights is one of 13 national winners for general excellence in the category of non-daily newspapers from four-year colleges and the only college newspaper in Massachusetts to be honored for overall excellence. A finalist in 2006, 2007 and 2088, this is The Heights’ first-ever win for general excellence.

All ACP award entries were judged by professional journalists in the Washington, D.C., area on criteria such as coverage and content, quality of writing and reporting, leadership of the opinion page, evidence of in-depth reporting, layout and design, photography, art and graphics. Winners were announced at the 90th Annual Associated Collegiate Press/College Media Association National College Media Convention in Orlando.