UTM student earns national recognition
Posted: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 4:53 pm
ARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION – Rachel Stephens, a senior University of Tennessee at Martin communications student from Mt. Juliet, won 2nd place in the radio category of the 2010 Freedom of Speech PSA Competition. She will receive a $2,000 scholarship and
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A University of Tennessee at Martin student from Mt. Juliet has earned national recognition for a radio public service announcement that she wrote and produced. Rachel Stephens, a senior communications major, won 2nd place in the radio category of the 2010 Freedom of Speech PSA Competition. Stephens will receive a $2,000 scholarship and national airplay for her PSA that was selected from among more than 120 entries nationwide.
The competition is produced by the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation and the Broadcast Education Association and is made possible through the support of the McCormick Foundation. Stephen’s PSA will be fed to radio and television stations nationwide, encouraging them to air it Oct. 17-24 during Freedom of Speech Week.
“We’re very proud of Rachel and this outstanding accomplishment,” said Dr. Richard Robinson, assistant professor of communications and adviser for WUTM, FM 90.3 “The Hawk,” UT Martin’s award-winning student radio station. “Rachel is a talented student who has shown that her work measures up with the best in national competition. We couldn’t be more pleased for her.”
Stephens, WUTM program director, thanked others for her achievement. “I have to credit my success to the professors in the communications department, because they are always encouraging us to see what we can accomplish beyond what is taught in the classroom,” Stephens said. “I never would have entered this contest without their support and encouragement, especially from Dr. Richard Robinson and Professor Rodney Freed (communications faculty member). Winning this award will help me as I graduate and move into the broadcasting field.”
Stephens described her PSA as “giving real-life examples of how freedom of speech is used in everyday life.” She added, “I then ended it by reminding people that freedom of speech is more than just words; it’s something we have to use and believe in every day.”
Besides this honor, Stephens previously earned the Outstanding Senior Scholarship Award from the UT Martin Department of Communications and the Outstanding Student Award from the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters. Both awards were presented in April during the university’s annual Communications Awards Banquet.
The UT Martin Department of Communications is one of 104 programs in the country to earn full accreditation by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. WUTM was named 2009 “Best College Radio Station” during the Southeast Journalism Conference held last spring at Southeastern Louisiana University. wcp 9/14/10
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Rachel Stephens, University of Tennessee at Martin
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