2011 scholarship and award winners announced

The school presented top students and faculty with nearly 150 scholarships and awards totaling more than $214,000 at its annual honors convocation on April 25.

Outstanding graduating seniors in each specialization were recognized as were outstanding graduate students.

Assistant professor Dana McMahan received the 2011 Edward Vick Prize for Innovation in Teaching for her encouragement of students to "think like an entrepreneur, merchandiser, buyer and marketer,” as one student said.

Dean Jean Folkerts cited McMahan's creation of Workroom, an advertising project that allows students to hone their design and entrepreneurial skills, as reason for the recognition. The prize also carries a $10,000 award.

McMahan's students have created campaigns for clients that include Vietri, a well-known pottery company, and American Eagle Outfitters. She also founded 4, an independent study project that combines business development, advertising and cause-related marketing.

“She takes the classroom to a whole new place,” one of McMahan's students wrote. 

Richard Cole Eminent Professor Dan Riffe was honored with the David Brinkley Teaching Excellence Award for his dedication to his students. He was nominated by undergraduate, master's and doctoral students. The award carries a cash prize of $5,000.

One of Riffe's doctoral students wrote that he "passionately and selflessly pours the same level of energy that helped him become one of the field’s most productive scholars into mentoring his students at all levels, supporting their research and preparing them to be productive faculty members."

View scholarship and award descriptions. Complete list of scholarship and award winners:

John Robert Bittner Award to the Outstanding Graduating Senior in Electronic Communication
Justin Page

James J. Mullen Award to the Outstanding Graduating Senior in Advertising
Tyler Harris

Stuart Sechriest Award to the Outstanding Graduating Senior in Visual Communication
Jessey Dearing

Lois and H.C. Cranford Jr. Award to the Outstanding Graduating Senior in Public Relations
Amy Dobrzynski

O.J. "Skipper" Coffin Award to the Outstanding Graduating Senior in News-Editorial Journalism
Pressley Kay Baird

Outstanding M.A. Graduate
Lynsy Suzanne Smithson-Stanley

Outstanding Ph.D. Graduate
Woodrow Neal Hartzog

David Brinkley Teaching Excellence Award
Dan Riffe, Richard Cole Eminent Professor

Edward Vick Prize for Innovation in Teaching
Dana McMahan, assistant professor

Staff Excellence Award
Cindy Anderson, graduate program manager

Star Heel Award
Dylan Field, TV producer/director

Honors Graduates
Elizabeth Chatham
Caitlyn Greene*
Elizabeth Hazeltine*
Ashley Horton
Jacquelyn Huntington
Gabrielle Jones
Leah Josephson
Anqi Li*
Sarah Riazati
Lindsay Ruebens
Rachel Scall*
Anna Winker*

* — graduating with highest honors

Kappa Tau Alpha inductees
Alison Coppock
Caitlin Covington
Emily Evans
Anne Johnson
Jordan Johnson
Esther Lee
Anqi Li
Beatrice Moss
Deborah Neffa
Anna Orsini
Taylor Rankin
Kelsey Rice
Elena Rue
Victoria Stilwell
Danielle Tepper
Jacob Trupin
Vanessa Voight
Debbie Vu
Anna Winker

Hearst Broadcast Awards
Joelle Kaplan
Reema Khrais
Justin Page
Michael Tomsic

Hearst Writing Awards
Sarah Frier

Hearst Photojournalism Awards
Carly Brantmeyer
Alexandra Brawley
Stephen Mitchell
Arkasha Stevenson
Jessey Dearing

Hearst Multimedia Awards
Margaret Cheatham Williams
Arkasha Stevenson

Evelyn Davis Scholarships
Olivia A. Barrow
Chesley E. Kalnen
Tori Stilwell
Jeanna M. Smialek
$250 each

Floyd A. Alford Jr. Scholarship
Emily C. Ellis
$500

AAF-Triangle Scholarship
Katherine Marie-Annelise Keel
$500

Tom Bost Scholarship
Alexandra E. Pappas
$500

Michael R. Bumgardner Scholarship
Christine L. Mickler
$500

John Albert Campbell III Scholarship
Sarah J. Sessoms
$500

Ardis Cohoon Scholarship
Caitlin R. Forde-Smith
$500

Paul Green Houston Scholarship
Jeanna M. Smialek
$500

Michael A. Kaylor Scholarship
David A. Rives
$500

Harvey Laffoon Scholarship
Sarah J. Sessoms
$500

Kays Gary Scholarship
Mary K. Withers
$500

Raleigh Mann Scholarship
Kelsey A. Isenberg
$500

Don Maurer Scholarship
Alexandra E. Pappas
$500

N.C. Black Publishers Scholarship
Christina N. Cleveland
$500

Michael John Sauer Scholarship
David A. Rives
$500

WTVD Endowment Scholarship
Sonya A. Chudgar
$500

Mackey-Byars Scholarship
Brittney L. Ormond
$750

A.C. Snow and Katherine Snow Smith Scholarship
Ebony J. Shamberger
$750

Persistence Award
Jasmine Nesi
$800

Phillip Alston Scholarship
Joseph F. Carrere
$1,000

Tom Bowers Scholarship
Jasmine N. Cogdell
$1,000

Rick Brewer Scholarship
Janae N. Hinson
$1,000

Ann Sawyer Cleland Scholarship
Austin G. Fitzgerald
$1,000

James Davis Scholarship
Caitlin R. Forde-Smith
$1,000

Westy Fenhagen Scholarship
Elizabeth Wangu
$1,000

Joy Gibson Scholarship
Anna M. Orsini
$1,000

Charles McCorkle Hauser Scholarship
Katherine E. Gould
$1,000

Hoffman Award
Emily J. Adams
$1,000

Molly McKay Scholarship
Natalie E. Sink
$1,000

Bob Quincy Scholarship
Isabella N. Cochrane
$1,000

Marjorie Usher Ragan Scholarship
Michelle Zayed
$1,000

Stephenson-Biddix Scholarship
Maria E. Tonseth
$1,000

Tucker Family Scholarship
Nicole A. Yang
$1,000

David Jordan Whichard II Scholarship
Kelsey A. Isenberg
$1,000

Clarence E. and Jane P. Whitefield Scholarship
Ebony J. Shamberger
$1,000

Robert Winchester Dodson Scholarship
Colin A. Hodges
$1,000

The ABC/Walt Disney Scholarships
Lindsey A. Hawkins
Jessica C. Swofford
$1,000

Reese Felts Scholarship
Averi N. Harper
$1,500

C.A. "Pete" McKnight Scholarship
Kelly A. Parsons
$1,500

N.C. Press Association - N.C. Press Services Scholarship
Jeffrey M. Sullivan
$1,500

Hal Tanner Sr. Scholarship
Kathleen Cline
$1,500

Erwin Potts Scholarship
Maria A. Gontaruk
$1,500

Carolinas Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Scholarship
Natalie E. Sink
$2,000

John W. Harden Scholarship
Jacquelyn A. Johnston
$2,000

Knight Foundation Distinguished Scholarship
Spencer M. Bakalar
$2,000

Glenn Keever Scholarship
Kathleen A. Cline
$2,000

Louis M. Connor Jr. Scholarship
Whitney E. Davis
$2,500

Ameel J. Fisher Scholarships
Shannon D. Coffey
Mercedes L. Knight
Burton F. Peebles
$2,500 each

Stephen Gates Scholarship
Ryan A. Davis
$2,500

David Julian Whichard Scholarships
Chelsea B. Bailey
Michelle C. Lewis
$2,500 each

Victoria M. Gardner Scholarship
Christina M. Farlow
$3,000

Diane Harvey Bradley Scholarship
Reema J. Khrais
$5,000

Emma Lineberger Scholarship
Angela M. Farrington
$5,000

Quincy Sharpe Mills Scholarships
Alyssa L. Bailey
Sonia K. Hendrix
Ester S. Lee
Kelly B. Mchugh
Gloria E. Schoeberle
$5,000 each

James F. Hurley III Bicentennial Merit Scholarship
Elisabeth R. Young
$5,000

Mary Kathryn Forbes Scholarship
Alison L. Coppock
$12,500

Capstrat Internship and Scholarship
Stephanie Gillam
$2,500

Steamboat Foundation Scholarship and Internship
Tori Stilwell
$12,000

John L. Greene Award
Michael Andrew Tomsic
$500

Earl Wynn Broadcast Award
Jeremy Spearman
$500

Jeff MacNelly Award
Tarini Parti
$1,000

Larry and Carolyn Keith Awards in Sports Journalism
Andrew Dye (photography)
Seth Wright, Kristen Long, Pressley Baird (multimedia)
Jonathan Jones (writing)
$500 per category

Furman Bisher Medal
Diana Holoman
$500

Robert Pittman Award
Ryan Barber
$8,000

Eugene Roberts Prize
Jacquelyn Huntington
$4,000

Scripps Howard Foundation Internship/Scholarship Grant Program
Margaret Cheatham Willams
Audrey Whitmeyer-Weathers
$3,000 each

AT&T Business Internship Award
Andrea Louise Ludtke
$1,000

Jim Batten Community Newspaper Internship
Allison Russell
$3,500

Jim and Pat Thacker Sports Communication Internship
Sara Elizabeth Whelchel
Sara Walker
$2,500 each

Attaway Award
Bryce Butner
$3,500

Robin Clark Experience
Reema Khrais
$2,500

The Canady International Award
Ariana van den Akker
$2,500

Edward Jackson International Scholarship
Spencer Bakalar
$2,500

Chuck Stone Citizen of the World Award
Luisa Ryan
$2,500

Rich Beckman Documentary Photojournalism Award
Jessey Dearing
$2,000

M.S. Van Hecke Awards
Stephen Norton
Alex Barinka
$2,000 each

Norval Neil Luxon Prize for Scholarship to a Junior
Sabrina Marie Husain
$1,000

Norval Neil Luxon Prize for Scholarship to a Senior
Katherine Brook Shaffer
$1,000

Carol Reuss Award for a Junior
Adam Schifter
$1,000

Carol Reuss Award (M.A.)
Amanda Komar
$1,000

Carol Reuss Award (Ph.D.)
David Remund
Brooke Weberling
$1,000 total award 

Jim D'Aleo Award
Brooke Weberling
Bart Wojdynski

Maxwell Graduate Scholarship in Medical Journalism
Stephanie Soucheray-Grell
$1,500

Tom Wicker Award
Nicholas Weidenmiller
$1,000 

Minnie S. and Eli A. Rubinstein Research Awards
Carol Kelly
Lesley Smith
Sherine El-Toukhy
Autumn Shafer
David Remund
Sheetal Patel
$4,000 total award

William Francis Clingman Jr. Ethics Awards
Joseph Erba
Laurie Phillips
$4,000 total award 

Margaret Blanchard Dissertation Support
Sun Young Lee
Woodrow Hartzog
$1,500 total award 

John B. Adams Award for Excellence in Mass Communication Law
Woodrow Hartzog
$500 

Joseph L. Morrison Award for Excellence in Journalism History
Melita Garza
$1,000