MSSU Communication Department awards announced

(From Southern News Service)

Students from KGCS-TV were recognized and the recipients of the Ruth I. Kolpin Broadcast Scholarship were announced during the annual Communication Department awards ceremony held April 22 at Missouri Southern State University.

The campus TV station presented the Student of the Year award to Brianna Allen, a senior from Oswego, Kan. She served as president of the Southern Broadcasters Club and worked as a student manager at the station.

“We recognized Brianna for her leadership and for her contributions to station operations and productions,” said Judy Stiles, general manager of KGCS.

The Student Volunteer of the Year award went to Alecia Henson, a senior from Norwich, Kan. She helped with a wide variety of productions at the station this past year.

“Alecia did not hesitate to volunteer for projects and production work, and always displayed an enthusiastic attitude,” said Stiles.

Certificates of Appreciation were also presented to television students who made significant contributions with station production work this year. Those students include Aaron Davis, Terri-Lynn Frasher, Ryan Land, Makenzie Copeland, Zachary Dodge and Emily Epp.

The recipients of the Ruth I. Kolpin Broadcast Scholarship were also announced during the ceremony. The endowed scholarship honors Ruth Kolpin, one of Southwest Missouri’s pioneers in broadcasting. Students were selected based on their academic standing, involvement in broadcasting and an interview process.

Recipients for the 2016-17 academic year were Brianna Allen and Alecia Henson. The son of Ruth Kolpin-Rubison, Ron Petersen, was on hand for the presentation of the scholarships.

“We appreciate this scholarship that was established by the Ruth I. Kolpin Foundation. It has been awarded annually since 2004, and has had a positive impact on our students pursing their degree,” said Stiles.