06/03/14
Eighteen students from Fort Hays State University recently won awards at the 2014 Kansas Professional Communicators conference in Hutchinson.

Awards were for fall 2013 and spring 2014 service learning projects in journalism and public relations, taught by Linn Ann Huntington, professor of communication studies, and Dr. Hsin-Yen Yang, assistant professor of communication studies.

Kansas Professional Communicators is a statewide organization for college students and professionals in the areas of journalism, public relations, advertising and marketing. Contest Director Gayle Donaldson said the 2014 competition drew more than 90 entries. First-place winners advance to the national competition sponsored by the National Federation of Press Women.

In addition, a departmental scholarship committee selected Taylor Deutcher, Solomon junior, for the $500 KPC Scholarship. Each year KPC awards a $500 scholarship to a student at FHSU, Wichita State University, Kansas State University and the University of Kansas. Deutscher is an English major with a minor in journalism.

The 2014 KPC Sweepstakes winner was Amy DeVault, a 1997 FHSU graduate who now teaches in the Elliott School of Communication at Wichita State University. The sweepstakes winner is the individual who accumulates the most points for various awards in the contest. DeVault received a $50 cash award.

DeVault, who was a managing editor of the University Leader student newspaper when she was a student, also brought five of her student winners to the KPC Awards ceremony.

Huntington, who had DeVault as a student, said, "It's really something when one of your former students is now bringing her students to contest who are competing against your current students," said Huntington. "That is the type of quality the Communication Studies program we have at Fort Hays State University."

Three journalism students won for articles published in The Hays Daily News and XYZ, an online magazine for parents published in Topeka.

Two teams won first-place awards. One, in the Collegiate Public Relations Campaign category, was for work for the Hays Symphony Orchestra. The other, in the Collegiate Division for Videos for a Non-Profit Website category, was for work done for Jana's Campaign.

Another team won a second-place award in the Collegiate Public Relations Campaign category for its work for the Hays Symphony Orchestra.

One other team won a third-place award in the Collegiate Division for Videos for a Non-Profit Website category, for work done for Jana's Campaign.


Students are listed by hometown, classification, award, category and project.

Augusta (67010): Jamie Sproul, 2014 graduate, honorable mention, non-profit, Jana's Campaign Video Team 2.
Great Bend (67530): Tory Arnberger, senior, first, Hays Symphony Public Relations Team 1.
Hays (67601): Amanda Basye, 2014 graduate, second, Hays Symphony Public Relations Team 2; Alexis Copeland, 2014 graduate, first, Hays Symphony Public Relations Team 1, and first non-profit, Jana's Campaign Video Team 1; Samantha Drees, 2014 graduate, honorable mention, non-profit, Jana's Campaign Video Team 2; and Jesse Hart, 2014 graduate, first, Hays Symphony Public Relations Team 1.
Hoyt (66440): Jayde Boyer, 2014 graduate, first, non-profit, Jana's Campaign Video Team 1.
Hutchinson (67502): Victoria Hale, 2014 graduate, second, Hays Symphony Public Relations Team 2.
Independence (67301): Brandi Wright, 2014 graduate, honorable mention, non-profit, Jana's Campaign Video Team 2.
Jetmore (67854): Leah Shriwise, 2014 graduate, first, non-profit, Jana's Campaign Video Team 1.
Kearney, Neb. (68845): Noelle Husmann, 2014 graduate, second, Hays Symphony Public Relations Team 2.
North Platte, Neb. (69101): Tiffanee Heinzen, 2014 graduate, honorable mention, non-profit, Jana's Campaign Video Team 2.
Sydney, Australia: Nicole Barnaba, sophomore, first, non-profit, Jana's Campain Video Team 1.
Topeka (66614): Alicia Coverdale, 2013 graduate, first, Collegiate News Writing; and Stephanie Seitzky, special student, first, Collegiate Feature Writing.
Ulysses (67880): Tanner Schubert, junior, second, Hays Symphony Public Relations Team 2; and Drew Waechter, 2014 graduate, second, Collegiate News Writing.