School of Journalism and Broadcasting News

Date: Monday, October 3rd, 2011

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Students from the WKU’s School of Journalism & Broadcasting and Imagewest were recently recognized for their public relations efforts at the 25th annual Parthenon Awards in Nashville, Tenn.

The event is hosted by the Nashville chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and acknowledges excellence in all aspects of public relations and communications.

“It is always exciting to see such great student achievement come out of the School of Journalism & Broadcasting from both academic work and Imagewest,” said Jo-Anne Ryan, interim director and associate professor. “These accomplishments tell us that our academic program in public relations combined with the practical experience at Imagewest are preparing our students for success in a very competitive marketplace.”

A panel of public relations professionals evaluated entries based on the following criteria: quality of research, creativity and accuracy in strategic planning, effective execution, evaluation efforts, and appropriateness for desired audience.

Imagewest, the student-run, full-service advertising and public relations agency housed in the School of Journalism & Broadcasting, continued its history of success after being awarded multiple Awards of Merit and the top distinction of a Parthenon Award for its “Like Dogs? ‘Like’ Us.” Facebook campaign. This was the agency’s first time receiving a Parthenon, and the first Parthenon awarded to a student entry by the Nashville chapter.

Three student academic teams also received Awards of Merit their efforts on campaigns completed for their public relations senior capstone class in 2010.

“The students work for two semesters on the senior capstone projects,” said Vicki Bagwell, public relations assistant professor in the School of Journalism & Broadcasting at WKU. “This recognition is an excellent example of how determination and teamwork can result in a well-constructed public relations campaign.”

Graduates Rachel Koontz of Louisville, Roseline Twagiramariya of Louisville, Melanie Hart of Richmond and Austin Sterchi of Bowling Green were recognized for their work on the ”iPledge: Count Me in the 2010 US Census” campaign.

“Not only did I have the opportunity to attend the award ceremony and accept an Award of Merit for the senior iPledge campaign, but I also got to see Imagewest recognized for a project I worked on,” said Koontz, WKU public relations and Imagewest alumnus. “Both projects were a great experience for me, and it was satisfying to see that the hard work put into them did not go unnoticed.”

Ben Simms of Nicholasville, Amber Peoples of Morganfield, Kate Gordon of Mayfield and Emily Frankenburger of Nicholasville received an Award of Merit for their work on the “Stirring up Interest About the Census” campaign.

Sara Puckett of Winchester, Ashley Shelley of Middleburg, Amanda Duckworth of Versailles and Amy Brownfield of Naperville, Ill., were also acknowledged for their work on the “Pass it On” campaign.

“We are thrilled to see the student’s hard work honored with a Parthenon Award,” said Heather Garcia, agency manager for Imagewest. “Not only is this a great accomplishment for our agency, but it is nice to see WKU students in the public relations program being recognized for outstanding work too.”

In addition to its Parthenon Award, Imagewest won Awards of Merit for the following projects: Imagewest International – Spain 2010 Book; WKU Noyce Website; Imagewest Blog; Imagewest Alumni Newsletter; and Semester At Sea Booklet.

The 2010 Imagewest team included: Emily Baker of Benton, Devin Bell of Louisville, Clay Cauley of Carrollton, Scottie Ellis of Henderson, Megan Edwards of Fort Mitchell, Kenton Glass of Eddyville, Hanna Goetz of Louisville, Leslie Hill of Louisville, Rachel Koontz of Louisville, Ke’ri Krieg of Russell Springs, I- Ping Kuan of Taiwan, Jiwon Lee of Seoul, South Korea, Warren Lively of Elizabethtown, Courtney Long of Franklin, Tenn., Stephanie Moyes of Crestwood, Kelly Mulhall of Elizabethtown, Leanna Norwood of Central City, Kathryn Sutton of Victoria, British Columbia, Alex Tarrant of St. Charles, Ill., Stephanie Terrell of Bowling Green, Roseline Twagiramariya of Louisville, Nick Van Hooser of Woodburn, KaiLee Viehland of Princeton, Alice Weber of Bowling Green and Kara Williams of Graham. Imagewest’s Agency Manager is Heather Garcia along with Agency Assistant Mark Simpson. 

About WKU School of Journalism & Broadcasting: WKU School of Journalism & Broadcasting’s primary mission is to prepare students and prospective graduates for positions in the communication media and related institutions. There are seven school programs – advertising, broadcasting, film, mass communication, photojournalism, print journalism and public relations. SJ&B has ranked among the top eight nationally for 17 consecutive years in the Hearst overall intercollegiate competition. The WKU PR program is certified by the Public Relations Society of America and is taught by PR professionals with a strong focus on writing and business strategy.

About Imagewest: Imagewest is a student-run advertising and public relations agency that provides students with real-world agency experience on a local, national and international level. Imagewest allows students to further develop their skills and enhance their portfolio, giving them a competitive edge as they enter the workforce. Imagewest operates year-round and during the summer, the agen