An old editor of mine remarked a couple years ago that he thought it was a miracle this newspaper comes out every day.

"A miracle?" I thought. "Do the 60-hour weeks we're putting in have nothing to do with it?"

But that comment has stayed with me through the years. I'm not religious, but recently I've found that every morning when I pick up my Daily Cal, I breathe a sigh of relief and think, "Thank God."

The thought of a regularly changing student staff putting out a daily newspaper-and now blogs, podcasts and videos too-is a pretty daunting prospect. Factor in a spiraling decline in advertising revenue, the deepest economic recession since the Great Depression and a computer server built in Ancient Greece, and it should be damn near impossible. With upwards of 150 people working on the paper-any number of whom could make a catastrophic mistake-I would think the task is unattainable, were it not for the 138 years of history that prove me wrong.

Today, as I finish my term as editor in chief & president, the capstone on my 4.5 years at the Daily Cal, I have only one explanation for this daily miracle. It's the exceptional skill, intuition and, above all, dedication of our staff. In the many years I've spent here on the sixth floor of Eshleman, I've had the honor of working alongside several hundred of the best students this university has to offer.

Well, maybe not the best students. After all, very few of them ever seemed to leave Eshleman to go to class. But certainly some of the best people I've ever come to know.

People like my first editor, Adeel, who took me under his wing and whose strong conscience and morals gave us all needed perspective. Oscar, who knew we could be better than we were, and pushed us there (sometimes forcefully) but always with respect. And Cristina, who served as my partner on the news desk for three semesters, and is someone with whom I will always share a special connection.

In all my time here, this last year has been by far the most challenging and rewarding. I didn't know when I took office that I would be presiding over what nearly amounted to the total financial collapse of the paper. Cutting our Wednesday print edition was a difficult choice, but a necessary one. The even harder choices came when we started to cut pay for our staff, even eliminating all pay for our reporters, photographers, designers, copy editors and others who produce the content you read every day. Our editors, some of whom regularly put in 60-hour work weeks, don't get paid enough to cover even half their rent.

And yet, the staff's dedication never wavered-they only worked harder. Enhancing our Web site, beginning our video production and expanding our blogs, we are doing more than any other staff from the last 138 years, and we're doing it with less time and pay.

These are truly amazing people. I owe a great debt of gratitude, in particular, to the editors I have had the privilege to work with in the last year. I set high standards for you, and you exceeded them, each and every day. When we scaled back print publication, you started producing even more content for the Web site. As the journalism industry has faltered, you have continued to train our staff to be the next generation of professional journalists.

Today I hand the reins over to Will Kane, someone who has brought devotion and creativity, along with a healthy dose of good humor, since his first day in the office. I trust that he and the staff will continue the great work I've come to expect.

Like all newspapers, the Daily Cal is at a crossroads, and must adapt quickly in a continually changing environment. But we have an advantage, because we have the youngest, most innovative and most resolved staff taking us the next steps.

Before I go, I owe a special thanks to both Katlyn Carter and Allen Matthews, without whom I would have been lost this year. In a job that was not always easy-well, never so-I am fortunate I could turn to your ability and wisdom.

And to the most-awarded college newspaper staff in the country, if there is anything I can ever do for you, you know you can always call on me.

Tags: BRYAN THOMAS, OFF THE BEAT