School news: JBU students win communication awards

John Brown University communication students gathered for a watch party to hear the results of the Arkansas College Media Association Awards. ACMA awarded JBU first place for their Election Night coverage, which involved more than 30 students in a variety of majors. (Courtesy photo)
John Brown University communication students gathered for a watch party to hear the results of the Arkansas College Media Association Awards. ACMA awarded JBU first place for their Election Night coverage, which involved more than 30 students in a variety of majors. (Courtesy photo)

JBU

John Brown University communication students racked up a number of awards from the Arkansas College Media Association, Arkansas Press Women and the Evangelical Press Association as the school year came to a close.

The Evangelical Press Association awarded the Threefold Advocate an Award of Excellence for the newspaper's digital publication, an Award of Merit for the print publication and fifth place for Student Writer of the Year to María Aguilar, managing editor, for her profile "Mayra's Journey to Freedom Beyond Borders."

Arkansas Press Women, an organization for student and professional communicators, honored five JBU students and a faculty member. First-place winners in the APW contest are eligible to advance their entries to compete at the national level if they are members of the National Federation of Press Women.

Students recognized were:

Senior María Aguilar -- First place in Collegiate/Education Division for News Writing for "QAnon Explained: The Conspiracy Theory Spreading in Christian Circles"

Freshman Joanna Hayes -- Second place in Collegiate/Education Division for News Writing for "Students Reveal Experiences and Challenges of Quarantine"

Senior Grace Lindquist -- First place in Collegiate/Education Division for Feature Writing for "JBU Alumna Appointed to the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court" and second place in Collegiate/Education Division for Feature Writing for "Breast Cancer Awareness Month During Coronavirus"

Senior Catherine Nolte -- Third place in Professional Division for Writing, Specialty Articles, Social Issues for "Part of the Kingdom: Documentary sheds light on the experiences of LGTQIA students at Christian universities" and honorable mention in Professional Division for In-depth Reporting for "French and Metaxas debate and protest; online harassment" (María Aguilar was a co-entrant on the latter.)

Junior Orry Phillips -- first place in Collegiate/Education Division for Opinion/Editorial/Reviews Writing for "Wear a Mask to Save College Sports;" first place in Collegiate/Education Division for Sports Writing for "Despite Adversity, Soderquist's '20 Signing Class Stays Focused"; and first place in Professional Division for Web and Social Media -- Podcast for "The Conversation, Episode 1: David French"

Debbie Miller, assistant professor of communication and faculty adviser for The Threefold Advocate, received two awards: first place in Collegiate/Education Division Faculty Adviser of Student Publication, Station, or Site and second place in Professional Division for Specialty Articles -- Personal Essay for "Famous Women You Not Have Heard Of."

The Arkansas College Media Association handed 11 awards to JBU students including:

The Threefold Advocate, Golden Eagle Productions, JBU Political Science: Online Multimedia Package -- first place (election night coverage)

Catherine Nolte, María Aguilar and senior Andrew Mobley: Website of the Year

María Aguilar: Reporter of the Year, Online Breaking News -- third place, Online In-Depth Reporting -- third place

Catherine Nolte: Editor of the Year, Online Breaking News -- first place

Grace Lindquist: Online Election Coverage -- second place, Online Personality Profile -- honorable mention

Orry Phillips: Audio Podcast -- second place, Newspaper Sports Column -- second place

Senior Armando Hernandez: Online Newswriting -- second place

Andrew Mobley: Newspaper Feature Writing -- first place

Sophomore Jeffrey Hernandez: Newspaper Art/Illustration -- honorable mention

Senior Suzy Lee: Newspaper General Column -- Honorable mention

María Aguilar and sophomore Brooke Baldwin: News Photo -- first place

John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, located in Siloam Springs.

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Davis & Elkins

Honesty Holt of Bentonville, a student at Davis & Elkins College, has been named to the President's List for the spring 2021 semester. The President's List includes all full-time students with a 4.0 GPA for the semester.

Related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Davis & Elkins College is located in Elkins, W. Va.

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Georgia Tech

The Georgia Institute of Technology presented degrees to approximately 4,435 undergraduate and graduate students during the Institute's 260th Commencement exercises May 7-8 at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Among the graduates were:

Paul Farmer of Bentonville, Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering with Highest Honors, and Stephanie Sandoval of Springdale, Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering.

The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university located in Atlanta.

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Cumberlands

The University of the Cumberlands has announced the students named to the Dean's List for the spring 2021 semester.

To be eligible for the Dean's List, students must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours, maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50, and be in good academic standing.

Among those honored were Lisa Lacey from Fort Smith and Rachel Reyngoudt from Huntsville.

University of the Cumberlands is one of the largest private universities in Kentucky, located in Williamsburg.

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SAU

Southern Arkansas University has announced that 514 students earned a 3.5 GPA or higher for the spring 2021 semester and have been named to the Dean's List. They include:

Joshua Lewis Winfield, a senior Mathematics major with a minor in Education from Bentonville; Lexey Brooke Williams, a junior Agricultural Business major from Berryville; Jessica Lynn Butler, a junior Elementary Education (K-6 STEM) major from Fayetteville; William Jackson Luther, a sophomore Entrepreneurship major from Fayetteville; Baylee Madison McLellan, a junior General Business major with a minor in Agricultural Industries from Huntington.

Robyn Elizabeth Gossard, a sophomore Agricultural Science (Pre-Veterinary Science) major from Ratcliff; Seth Thomas Horn, a junior Agricultural Education major from Springdale; Nicole Dean Tankersley, a junior Psychology major with a minor in Criminal Justice from Van Buren; and Simon Nathaniel Tursky, a senior Theatre major from Van Buren.

With more than 80 degrees in four distinct colleges and the School of Graduate Studies, SAU is located in Magnolia.

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SAU

Southern Arkansas University has announced that 394 students earned a 4.0 GPA for the spring 2021 semester and have been named to the President's List. Among them are:

Zoie Bay Lunsford, a senior Elementary Education (K-6 STEM) major from Alma; Leah Renee Sanders, a senior History (Social Studies Education) major from Alma; Guadalupe Hamner, a senior Elementary Education (K-6 STEM) major from Boles; Logan Alexander Bradley, a junior Cyber Criminology major from Booneville; Paisley Marie Nava, a junior Elementary Education (K-6 STEM) major from Booneville.

Dustie Cheyanne Cummings, a senior Exercise Science major with a minor in Psychology from Forth Smith; John Russell Orndorff, a senior Theatre major from Gravette; Alexandra Mattisann Partain, a senior Elementary Education (K-6 STEM) major from Greenland; Alyssa Dawn Crase, a senior Exercise Science major from Greenwood; Alex Michael Gray, a sophomore Modern Languages: Foreign Language major from Greenwood; Mariah Lorraine Hamilton, a junior K-12 Physical Education and Health major with a minor in Spanish from Greenwood; Cortney Dawn Hicks, a senior Agricultural Education major from Greenwood.

Breiana Paige Percival, a junior Wildlife and Conservation Biology major with a minor in Chemistry from Greenwood; Willow Novel Waggoner, a senior Middle School Education major from Harrison; Danielle Renae Boyster, a senior Theatre major from Siloam Springs; and Blake Michael Henderson, a senior Game and Animation Design major from Siloam Springs.

With more than 80 degrees in four distinct colleges and the School of Graduate Studies, SAU is located in Magnolia.

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U of Sioux Falls

Riley Robbe of Bentonville was named to the University of Sioux Falls' spring 2021 Dean's List. Robbe is majoring in biology.

Robbe was among more than 600 students named to the Dean's List. To qualify, students must earn a GPA of 3.5 or greater on a 4.0 scale.

Founded over 137 years ago, the University of Sioux Falls is a Christian liberal arts university serving approximately 1,500 students in Sioux Falls, S.D.

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Southeast Missouri

Southeast Missouri State University has announced its President's List for undergraduate academic achievement during the spring 2021 semester.

Students named to the President's List earned at least a 4.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale, completed at least 12 hours of standard graded credit, achieved no grade below an A and received no failing grades in enrolled, credit/no credit or pass/fail courses.

The following students have been named to the President's List:

Alice Anders of Fort Smith; Savannah Crabtree of Centerton; Bethany Draper of Fayetteville; Sydney Furney of Van Buren; Hannah Witty of Harrison; and Rebecca Witty of Harrison.

Southeast Missouri State University is located in Cape Girardeau.

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Union University

Union University in Jackson, Tenn., has named 377 students to the Dean's List for the spring 2021 semester. Among them was Grace Bowerman of Springdale.

The Dean's List includes full-time students who achieve a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

Founded in 1823, Union University is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

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Westminster College

Nathan James from Bentonville was named to the spring 2021 Dean's List for exemplary academic performance at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo.

James is a senior at Westminster.

To be included on the Dean's List, a student must have a 3.60 semester grade point average with at least 12 hours completed that semester.

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