Spring 2022
Fall 2021
The 2022 Spring Presidential Scholars List
The 2022 Spring Dean’s List
Arkansas College Media Association 2022 Awards
The Arkansas College Media Association (ACMA) named The Echo as College Newspaper of the Year and Addison Freeman won Reporter of the Year.
News6 also won Television Outlet of the Year by the ACMA.
Students from News6 won the following awards:
- Interpretative and Investigative Reporting Award
- 1st place: Trevor Cook
- 2nd place: Chase Mauk
- News Reporting Award
- 1st place: Ladell Tyler
- 3rd place: Berris Teague
- Sports Feature Award
- 2nd place: Thomas Gillette
- 3rd place: Brett Walker
- Honorable Mention: Brett Walker
- Weather Award
- 2nd place: Anthony Reiter, Trevor Cook, and Collin Gallimore
ACMA is composed of student media outlets at public and private two-year and four-year colleges and universities in Arkansas.
2021 School of Communication Student Award Winners
The School of Communication recognized several outstanding students during its annual awards ceremony held April 14, 2022.
Principles of Communication
Olive M. Hilliard Speech Award
- London Blackwell
First-Year Writing
WriteOn Essay Award
- 1st place: Kyla Anderson
- 1st runner up: Jesus Fernandez
- 2nd runner up: Heavenlee Mitchell
Ink Wire Essay Award
- 1st place: Shelley Wieburg
- 1st runner up: Andre Walker
- 2nd runner up: Aidan O. Lemley
Public Relations
Client’s Choice Award for Best Intro to PR Plan 2021
- Paitin Baker
- Eliza Ball
- Sarah Lunsford
PR Pro’s Choice Award for Outstanding Mock News Conference
- Dalton James
- Grace Lee
- C.J. Parrish
- Jayce Burney
Client’s Choice Award for Best Capstone PR Plan 2021
- Rylee Bolls
- Emily Dye
- Megan Franklin
- Aurora King
Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Member of the Year
- Hannah Phillips
Alma O. Corley Award for Outstanding Student in Public Relations
- Riley Neil
Communication
Glenn D. Smith Outstanding Student in Communication
- Gregory Warren
Journalism
Harry S. Ashmore Outstanding Journalism Award
- Addison Freeman
Outstanding Online Student
- ViviAnne Flora
Outstanding Broadcast Student
- Brett Walker
Outstanding Print Student
- Addison Freeman
Writing
Joanna Castner Post Outstanding Writing Major Award
- Miriam Phwandaphwanda
Up-and-Coming Writing Major
- Will McDonald
Best Scholarly Essay
- Cameron Steed
Best Multimodal Project
- Addison Richman
Best Community Engagement Project
- Lexi Bratton
- Aylssa Rieman
- Drew Weld
31 student journalists earn 51 awards in ACMA Contest
University of Central Arkansas School of Communication student journalists received 51
awards in the 2021 Arkansas College Media Association Contest, with 31 students representing
four media outlets being honored.
In General Excellence categories, ucanews.live, the website of The Echo, the student
newspaper, placed second. The Echo’s online editor is Mia Waddell. J. Wade Dykes, editor of
the Scroll, received second place in the Yearbook Editor of the Year competition.
ACMA is composed of student media outlets at public and private two-year and four-year
colleges and universities in Arkansas. The awards were announced virtually because of COVID-
19.
Other awards:
First place
The Echo online
- Audio Podcast — Lauren McLemore, Morgan Jenkins, Sarah Coleman, Elvira Toddy,
Delaney Van Wilpe, Ronak Patel, Megan Holder and Hannah Bender — Integration at UCA. - Personality Profile — Ashley Savage — People of UCA, Kaleigh Fletcher.
- Blogs — Lauren McLemore — Volunteers are fundamental for recycling industry.
- Arts and Entertainment — Daniel Adams — Muralist gives lecture on intersection of
social justice, art. - Spot News Photo — Ian Lyle — Conway protest gallery.
- Niche/Specialty Site — Delaney Van Wilpe — Top 5 performances from the 2020 MTV
VMAs.
News 6 television
- Political Coverage — Morgan Jenkins — TikTok campaign.
- Pandemic Coverage — Ashley Luningham — Reynolds Performance Hall season and
COVID-19. - News Reporting — Macie Davis — Kacie Woody, never forgotten.
The Scroll yearbook
- Feature Layout — Ly-Lan Hunt — What we know about COVID-19.
- Special Features Writing — Samantha Bland — Bring back the ’90s.
- Art/Illustration — J. Wade Dykes — Opening page.
- Feature Photo — J. Wade Dykes — Mardi Gras madness.
- Sports Photo — Kaitlyn Gordon — Giving it your all.
- Academics Photo — J. Wade Dykes — Interruptive dance.
- Pandemic Coverage — Ly-Lan Hunt — What we know about COVID-19.
Second place
The Echo newspaper
- News Writing — Ronak Patel — Fraternity pledges found responsible for vandalism.
- News Photo — Ian Lyle — Conway march.
- Feature Photo — Elvira Toddy — People of UCA: Carter Rideout.
The Echo online
- Meeting/Speech Coverage — Ian Lyle — Statements on racial injustice by SGA and
UCA staff. - In-Depth Reporting — Ronak Patel — Sen. Gary Stubblefield directs ADHE to request curriculums from universities.
- Blogs — Daniel Adams — Make your wallet happy and take advantage of student discounts.
- Spot News Photo — Ian Lyle — Conway protest gallery.
News 6 television
- Feature — Connor Holmes — Baum Gallery’s new exhibit: Threads through Time.
- Political Coverage — Trevor Cook — Final day of early voting.
- Pandemic coverage — Ashley Luningham — COVID trick or treat.
The Scroll yearbook
- Academic Layout — Gabriela Vargas and Samuel Tucker — Art close to home.
- Layout-Organization/Greek — J. Wade Dykes — Showing off.
- Student Life Layout — J. Wade Dykes and Samuel Tucker — Part of the “Community.”
- Sports Layout — J. Wade Dykes, Jacob Smith, Kaitlyn Gordon and Travis Gupton —
Second SLC title in three years.
Third place
The Echo newspaper
- Review Writing — Sarah Coleman — “Ratched” uses perfect balance of horror and
mystery.
The Echo online
- Meeting/Speech Coverage — Rob Davis — UCA breaks ground on the Windgate Center.
- Election/Political Coverage — Kaitlin Benight — 2020 presidential nominee Jo Jorgensen visits Little Rock to campaign.
News 6 television
- News Reporting — Tristen Hall — 9 p.m. routine.
- Feature — Chase Mauk — Flute fusion.
- Pandemic Coverage — Austin Ashley — UCA testing and tracing protocols.
The Scroll yearbook
- Cover — J. Wade Dykes and Ly-Lan Hunt —One of Many/Many from One.
- Portrait Layout — J. Wade Dykes and Ly-Lan Hunt — Freshmen/Sophomores.
- Typographic Presentation — Gabriela Vargas — Pride! Pride! Pride!
- Sports Photo — Will Mulloy — Creating a rivalry.
- Academics Photo — Travis Gupton — Experience culture.
Honorable Mention
The Echo online
- Meeting/Speech Coverage — Ronak Patel — UCA Board of Trustees approve pedestrian
bridge. - Blogs — Sadie Clark — At a university far, far from home.
- News Photo — Rob Davis — UCA breaks ground on Windgate Center.
News 6 television
- Feature — Thomas Gillette — Microforms a library resource.
The Scroll yearbook
- Layout-Organization/Greek — J. Wade Dykes and Samuel Tucker — 40 lost in the last
decade. - Student Life Layout — J. Wade Dykes — Bridge to a safer life/Afraid of heights.
- Feature Photo — Travis Gupton — Swinging for the fences.
- Student Life Photo — J. Wade Dykes — Showing off.
The contest covered student media content produced in 2020, and members of the
College Media Association from across the country judged the competition.
2021 SoC student award winners named
The School of Communication recognized several outstanding students during its annual awards ceremony held via Zoom on Tuesday, April 13, 2021.
Principles of Communication
Olive M. Hilliard Speech Showcase
- Nicole Vincent, first place
- Lamar Williams, second place
- Joanna Arechiga, third place
First-Year Writing
Write-On Contest
- Jaden Fleeks, first place
- Ari Long, first runner up
- Maya Giuffria, second runner up
InkWire Research Contest
- Aurora King, first place
- Maja Gledic, first runner up
- Lona Ceccherini, second runner up
Communication
Glenn D. Smith Outstanding Student in Communication Award
- Jamaal Lockings
Journalism
Harry S. Ashmore Outstanding Student in Journalism Award
- Lauren McLemore
Outstanding Broadcasting Student
- Austin Ashley
Outstanding Online Student
- Alyssa Sparks
Public Relations
Alma O. Corley Outstanding Student in Public Relations Award
- Jamaal Lockings
Public Relations Student Society of America Member of the Year- University of Central Arkansas Chapter
- Shay Box
Client’s Choice Award for Best Capstone PR Plan, Fall 2020
- Spencer Casavechia, Ethan Dolan, Payton Hamric, Amelia Mackey and Rachel White
- Client: Dolly Parton Imagination Library
Client’s Choice Award for Best Introduction to Public Relations Plan, Spring 2020
- Mia Burrell, Mary Buddenberg, Lola Simmons and Nate Fielder
- Client: Conway Men’s Chorus
Client’s Choice Award for Best Introduction to Public Relations Plan, Fall 2020
- Hannah Phillips
- Client: School of Communication
PR Pro’s Choice Award for Public Relations Techniques Best Mock News Conference, Spring 2021
- Callie Ketcher, Morgan Trent
Writing
Joanna Castner Post Outstanding Student in Writing Award
- Emily Dye
Up-and-Coming Major
- Katy Reagan
Best Multimodal Project
- Anna Van, Kaitlyn Bannon, Brandon Donaldson
Best Community Engagement Project
- Harrison Hite, Kyrece Lasker, Greta Hacker
Best Scholarly Essay
- Greta Hacker
Journalism lecturer elected chairman of legislative task force
Rob Moritz
Rob Moritz, a lecturer in the journalism program, has been elected chairman of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Task Force.
The task force was created by the Arkansas Legislature in 2017 and is responsible for making recommendations on bills that would affect the state public records and open meetings law.
Moritz was appointed to the nine-member task force by then-Senate Pro Tempore Jonathan Dismang. He was elected chairman of the panel during a meeting earlier this month in advance of the Arkansas Legislative Session that began Jan. 11.
Moritz, who is also treasurer of the Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, spent more than 30 years as a newspaper reporter for papers in Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas before being hired at UCA in the fall of 2014.
–Rob Moritz (originally published on UCA Inform)
PR, the Press & Public Affairs class reports on BLM protests in central Arkansas
This semester COVID-19 prevented our PR, the Press & Public Affairs class from holding a campus/community event as we have in past years. Nevertheless, the class knew what they wanted to focus on from Day One – the summer Black Lives Matter protests in central Arkansas. So, students did original reporting to capture the protests through the eyes of activists, aid workers, police, journalists, small business owners, educators, and more.
Their work is published here: https://ar2020protests.wordpress.com/
–Dr. Dylan McLemore
Scroll inducted into Walsworth Gallery of Excellence third time
The University of Central Arkansas Scroll has been inducted into the Walsworth Gallery of Excellence for the third consecutive year. The Walsworth Gallery of Excellence is a collection compiled every year of the most distinguished yearbooks Walsworth prints. The selections are based on quality, demonstration of theme, coverage, design, photography and copy.
Representative Terry Smith presented Adviser Will Oldham and the Scroll staff a plaque on Monday, Aug. 24 during the first class meeting of the new school year.
Smith informed the students that extra copies of their book were printed for sales representatives to share as examples and loaned to schools as idea generators. Gallery of Excellence books are also displayed at regional, state and national conventions.
The cover, spreads, photos and coverage ideas from this book will also be used in Walsworth’s educational resource materials, such as the Possibilities Idea Book, the Yearbook Suite curriculum and Idea File Magazine.
Echo editor-in-chief elected to SPJ Arkansas Pro Chapter board
Ronak Patel, editor-in-chief of The Echo, UCA’s student newspaper, was elected to the board of directors of the Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists during the organization’s annual membership meeting in July.
Ronak Patel
Also during the meeting, Lauren McCabe, a recent UCA graduate and former Echo editor, was elected secretary, and Rob Moritz, Lecturer I in the journalism department, was also re-elected treasurer.
Patel, an English major and journalism minor, has previously worked as photo editor, online editor, social media editor and associate editor for The Echo. McCabe, who recently received a B.A. in English, was editor-in-chief of The Echo in the fall of 2019.
The Arkansas Pro Chapter is an affiliate of the national Society of Professional Journalists, whose mission statement states that it is “dedicated to the perpetuation of a free press as the cornerstone of our nation and our liberty.”
A UCA campus of SPJ was recently created and about 15 students are members. For more information about joining the campus chapter email Rob Moritz at rmoritz@uca.edu.
–Rob Moritz