KU News Release

April 17, 2009
Contact: Jennifer Kinnard, William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, (785) 864-7644.

KU journalism school wins national Hearst competition three years in a row

LAWRENCE — For the third consecutive year, the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas has won the Intercollegiate Writing Competition of the prestigious William Randolph Hearst Foundation Journalism Awards Program.

“The KU School of Journalism continues to foster and support excellence in writing,” said Ann Brill, dean of the school. “This win validates what we are doing here to give students the tools they will need to be successful communicators in a very complex media environment. KU is indeed ‘a great place to be a champion.’ We are proud of the students and faculty whose hard work and talent brought this championship home to KU for the third year in a row.”

The Hearst Foundation holds an annual, yearlong competition in writing, often called the “Pulitzers of College Journalism.” The journalism school that accumulates the most points earned by its students in each category of the six writing competitions, titled the Intercollegiate Writing Competition, is designated the winner.

“It was a very big year for University Daily Kansan reporters, topped off by finishing one-two in the most prestigious category, in-depth writing,” said Ted Frederickson, professor of journalism. “Our basketball team won the Big 12 and made it to the Sweet 16, but two KU reporters who covered them finished higher — first and fifth nationally in the sports writing competition. Another Kansan sports reporter, Thor Nystrom, visited a darker topic in ‘To Hell and Back,’ which won the Rolling Stone writing competition and then finished second in the Hearst feature category.”

KU finished ahead of the University of Missouri, Northwestern University, Arizona State University and the University of Kentucky, who rounded out the top five.

“It has been very competitive between KU and the three schools who have been right behind us the last three years, namely Missouri, Northwestern and Arizona State,” Frederickson said. “They are very strong journalism programs, and it is an honor to finish ahead of them for three straight years.

“What impresses me most about their stories is how different they all are from each other. Matt Erickson won first in the in-depth category with traditional depth reporting on the recording industry’s crackdown on college music downloading. Megan Hirt took second with a compelling narrative about students with alcohol problems. Mark Dent took third in profile writing with his profile of June Henley, onetime KU football star and now a prison inmate, whose life fell apart when his football career ended. Jeff Deters placed eighth with his story about Julian Wright, a 20-year-old millionaire by virtue of his lavish NBA contract.”

KU journalism students have won a total of $10,600 in the contests this year, and the school received matching funds plus an additional $10,000 for finishing first in the Intercollegiate Writing Competition. Erickson, Dent and Rustin Dodd will travel in June to San Francisco to compete in the national writing championships.

The Journalism Awards Program is conducted under the auspices of accredited schools of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication and fully funded and administered by the W.R. Hearst Foundation. It consists of six monthly writing, three photojournalism and four broadcast news competitions and one multimedia competition, with championship finals in all divisions except multimedia. The program awards up to $550,000 in scholarships and grants annually.

Publisher William Randolph Hearst established the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and the Hearst Foundation Inc. in the 1940s, before his death in 1951. Since then, the foundations have awarded more than $500 million in grants and programs.

Judging the writing competition this year were Arthur S. Brisbane, ASB Consulting, East Dennis, Mass.; Jeff Cohen, executive vice president and editor, Houston (Texas) Chronicle; and Peter Bhatia, executive editor, the Oregonian, Portland, Ore.

KU students winning or earning points in the 2009 Intercollegiate Writing Competition of the prestigious William Randolph Hearst Writing Foundation Awards competition are listed below by their hometown, level in school and major(s), their award and a link to their story and their parents name(s) and high school when available.

HARVEY COUNTY
From Hesston 67062
Jon Goering, senior in news and information, took third place in the photojournalism competition and received a $1,000 award. He is the son of Jane Kurtz and Leonard Goering and a graduate of Central High School in Grand Forks, N.D.

JEWELL COUNTY
From Mankato 66956
Sasha L. Roe, senior in news and information and political science, earned points in the feature writing competition. She is the daughter of Keith and Bethany Roe and a graduate of Mankato High School.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Olathe 66062
Matthew Dean Erickson, senior in news and information and political science, placed first in the in-depth writing competition and received a $2,000 award. His story was published April 30, 2008, in the University Daily Kansan. The story, “Facing the music: File-sharing lawsuits, delay by University prove costly for 13 students,” is online at www.kansan.com/stories/2008/apr/30/facing_music/.
He is the son of Mark and Barbara Erickson and an Olathe South High School graduate.

From Overland Park 66212
Rustin C. Dodd, senior in news and information, placed first in the sports writing competition. He received a $2,000 scholarship. His story, “For the Love of the Game,” appeared in the April 28, 2008, issue of the Kansan and is online at www.kansan.com/stories/2008/apr/28/love_game/. He is the son of Frank and Mary Dodd and a Shawnee Mission South High School graduate.

From Overland Park 66207
Julianne Elise Kueffer, senior in strategic communication and design, earned points in the photography competition. She is the daughter of Barbara Kueffer and a Shawnee Mission East High School graduate.

From Overland Park 66213
Mark Jeffrey Dent, senior in news and information, won awards in two categories. Dent placed third in the personality/profile writing competition and received $1,000. His article, “Nowhere to run,” ran in the April 25, 2008, Kansan. It is online at www.kansan.com/stories/2008/apr/25/henley/. He also placed fifth in the sports writing competition and received $600. His story, “Athletes with Children,” was published in the Jan. 23, 2008, issue of the Kansan and is online at www.kansan.com/stories/2008/jan/23/athletes_children. He is the son of Paul and Deborah Dent Saint and a Thomas Aquinas High School graduate.

From Roeland Park 66205 and Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Patrick Luiz Sullivan de Oliveira, senior in journalism, environmental studies and history, placed eighth in the editorial writing competition, winning a $500 scholarship. His editorial, “Why maintaining the T is moral issue,” was published in the Nov. 3, 2008, issue of the Kansan. It is online at www.kansan.com/stories/2008/nov/03/oliveira_why_maintaining_t_moral_issue. He is the son of Luiz Carlos and Pat Sullivan De Oliveira of Roeland Park.

NEMAHA COUNTY
From Centralia 66415
Jeff G. Deters, a 2008 journalism graduate, placed eighth in the personality/profile writing competition and received $500. His story, “Living the Wright Life,” appeared in the April 17, 2008, issue of the Kansan. It is online at www.kansan.com/stories/2008/apr/17/julian/. He is a Centralia High School graduate.

SEDGWICK COUNTY
From Wichita 67203
Chance Anthony Dibben, senior in English, earned points in the photography competition. He is the son of Cynthia Newport and a Wichita North High School graduate.

From Wichita 67212
Lauren R. Keith, senior in news and information and environmental studies, earned points in the editorial writing competition. She is the daughter of David and Billie Keith and a graduate of Maize High School.

SHAWNEE COUNTY
From Topeka 66614
Megan M. Hirt, a fall 2008 journalism graduate, placed second in in-depth writing and received $1,500. Her story, “A Sobering Struggle,” appeared in the Dec. 3, 2008, issue of the Kansan and is online at www.kansan.com/stories/2008/dec/03/sobering_struggle/. She is the daughter of Robert and Mary Hirt and a Hayden High School graduate.

From Topeka 66604
William Tyler Waugh, senior in news and information and design, earned points in the photography competition. He is the son of Curtis and Rochelle Waugh and a Topeka High School graduate.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY
From Kansas City 66109
Alexandra Caroline Garry is a sophomore in news and information, earned points in spot news writing competition. She is the daughter of Angela Garrison and a Piper High School graduate.

INDIANA
From Lafayette 47909
Wendy E. McCart, senior in news and information, earned points in the broadcast news competition. She is the daughter of Eric and Robin McCart and a graduate of Jefferson High School.

MINNESOTA
From Baxter 56425
Thor Reabe Nystrom, a 2008 journalism graduate, placed second in the feature writing competition and received $1,500. His story, “To Hell and Back,” ran in the May 5, 2008, issue of the Kansan. It is online at www.kansan.com/stories/2008/may/05/hell_and_back. He is the son of Bob and Rachel Nystrom and is a Brainerd Senior High School graduate.

MISSOURI
From Joplin 64801
Jesse L. Trimble, senior in news and information, earned points in spot news writing competition. She is the daughter of Machelle Shouse and a Columbus (Kan.) Unified High School graduate.

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