Come Join The Celebration! - Wayne State College

Business
Communications
Students Help
Public Library
By Sarah Thomsen, The Wayne Stater
Wayne State media students were
honored April 4 at the Nebraska Collegiate
Media Association meeting in the Student
Center on campus. The Wayne Stater was
named 2009 Newspaper of the Year. This
was last awarded to the newspaper in 2006.
The school TV and radio stations each earned
second places in Overall Excellence in
NCMA’s Golden Leaf Awards.
WSC competed against Chadron
State College, Hastings College, Northeast
Community College, Concordia University,
Western Nebraska Community College,
Midland Lutheran College and Doane
College. Judging was done by professionals in
Kansas for radio and TV entries, while judges
from Florida evaluated the print entries.
“Wayne State did very well this year,”
associate professor Michael Marek, the radio
advisor, said. “It reflects well on our program
and students here at WSC.”
“Some of the other schools we go up
against have better resources, but it just shows
good storytelling and good writing is always
going to be rewarded,” Maureen Carrigg,
faculty advisor to the campus student-run TV
station KWSC, said.
The Wayne Stater had four firsts, three
seconds and one third in the newspaper,
helping the Stater past second-place Chadron.
Radio had one first place, five seconds, two
thirds, and seven honorable mentions. There
were three firsts and one second in TV.
“I’m very happy and proud of my
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS
Wayne State College Students of Business Communications completed a Service Learning Project for
the Gardner Public Library in Wakefield. The students worked closely to come up with 18 programs that
the library could use. These programs included descriptions of the events and prepared donation letters for
sponsorship in the community. Students determined ways to make these programs easy to execute.
Students who participated include Derick Engelbert of West Point; Jennings Johnson of Oakland;
Rachel Kotalik of Dakota City; Jillian Schnebel of Pierce; Kayla Neuhalfen of Laurel; Tonya Wical of
Wayne; Jean Hartung of Fremont; Jason Jelinek of Laurel, John Bothwell of Mason City, Iowa; and Jessica
Spanihel of Garwood, Texas.
“We were impressed by the way the Gardner Public Library serves Wakefield area residents in so
many ways. The students learned a lot about how a library can enhance community learning” said Dr.
Laura Dendinger, associate professor for the School of Business and Technology.
Head librarian Kathy Muller asked for assistance identifying grants that the library could utilize as
well as ideas to serve community members in new and innovative ways. The group worked to identify
grant programs and fundraising ideas from libraries across the country.
This program was supported by the Wayne State College Service-Learning Project. Service-Learning
grants at WSC are part of a grant from the Midwest Consortium for Service-Learning in Higher Education
made possible through the Corporation for National Service under the Learn and Serve America: Higher
Education grant program.
Wayne State Students Earn Golden Leaf Media Awards
students,” Carrigg said. Students from the
broadcast journalism class in the fall also
received five awards for radio stories.
The day began with a keynote address by
Senator Mike Flood, Speaker of the Nebraska
Legislature. Flood discussed how media
and the government work together, making
the workings of the state legislature “a very
transparent process.”
Aside from serving in the Legislature,
Flood is also a radio broadcaster. His advice to
students in the field was to be able to write and
report.
Breakout sessions followed, giving
media students a chance to learn about
topics like “Industry Trends in Video
Production,” “Working for Small Weekly
and Daily Newspapers in a Changing Media
Environment” and “Preparing for Your First
Broadcasting Job.”
“I was really happy with our presenters
in our sessions,” associate professor
Max McElwain, Wayne Stater advisor,
said. Former Stater staff members Rhea
Landholm, Grace Petersen, Jacob Bettin,
Savannah Wissig and Cliff Starkey
conducted some of the sessions.
“It’s important to reward students’ hard
work, and a good way to tell students they’re
doing a great job,” McElwain said.
The Wayne Stater staff displayed Golden Leaf awards from the Nebraska Collegiate Media
Association Convention on campus, April 11. The Wayne Stater took first place for overall
Nebraska College Newspaper of the Year. Front (left to right): Katelynn Wolfe, Skylar
Osovski, Sarah Thomsen, Ashley Ryan and Tim Gray. Back (left to right): Rick Prusa, Devin
Bethune, Lois Brunnert, Molly Mayhew, Deb Harm and Laquisha Cook.
Wayne State Magazine 11