School of Communications students earn recognition

Several students in the Multimedia Journalism program received statewide awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters’ College Division at the Great Lakes Media Conference on March 5-6.

For the second consecutive year, the student-produced news magazine show, “West Side Stories Television,” won first place in the college newscast category. Juniors Nate Dreyer and Paul McPhersen accepted a first-place award for Sports Announcing Team in the College Radio category for their play-by-play and color analysis of a GVSU women's club hockey game.

Junior McKenzie Sorrell also received a $1,000 scholarship from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters at the event. 

“I was honored to receive this scholarship,” Sorrell said. “This scholarship confirmed to me that I am in the right field of study and made me even more excited for my career in broadcasting after graduation.”

James Ford, assistant professor of multimedia journalism, noted the opportunities that these awards provide for students.

“Students can win an award and make their success at GVSU a stepping-stone to a great career,” Ford said. “It is not uncommon for college seniors to receive an award and be granted an interview for a job on the same day.”

• Advertising/Public Relations honors

Three students won third place in a national competition sponsored by the Arthur W. Page Society and the Institute for Public Relations.

Allyssa Murphy, Teagan Epley, and Emily Gagnon finished third in the annual Case Study Competition in Corporate Communications. Their case study, “Google and the #MeToo Movement: Responding to a Global Walkout in the Wake of Sexual Harassment Allegations,” began as a class assignment.

“Most people think Google has this amazing company culture and is the best place to work, but we found out some very intriguing things in our research," Murphy said. "We had a lot of fun and we’re thrilled to be recognized by the Page Society for our hard work.”

-- written by Madison Barnes, student writer