CWU Students Again Take NBS Honors

March 4, 2004

Contact: Molly Fortin (509-963-1493/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail: fortinm@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash.-- Central Washington University communication students rank among the best in the country. After capturing half of the awards at the regional level, six CWU students have garnered finalist honors in the National Broadcasting Society's National Student Video Production Competition.

"It's quite an honor that these students are guaranteed to place at least third in a national competition, against a large range of universities across the U.S.," Dr. Michael Ogden, CWU communication professor and the students' advisor, said. "We're in the top three."

Kevin Tighe, a senior individual studies/film and video major from Maple Valley, has placed among the nation's top three finalists in two categories. Tighe's "Lola of Kamola" is a top contender in the Best Feature Package category. "Guys in Towels: Halloween Episode" will vie for the national title of Best Comedy Program or Segment.

Tighe created his entries this year as part of the student-produced extreme sports comedy show, "Ellensburg Extreme." Also involved in the productions were CWU journalism students Stephen Allwine, senior, Enumclaw; Gwen Escobar, senior, Sunnyside; and, Leandra Oliveira, senior, BeleHorizonte, Brazil; and junior philosophy major Jason Pique, Fremont, Calif.

Daniel Fergus, a CWU fall 2003 graduate and film and video studies major from Zillah, won finalist honors in the Instructional/Industrial/Promotional Program category for "Chemical Lab Safety." He produced the video as a final project in Ogden's corporate TV course last spring.

"I tell my students, 'If you're involved in a production, do it to the best of your ability with the intention of entering it into competitions with your peers, because it's the only way that you'll be recognized and stand out to employers,'" Ogden said.

The national winners will be announced March 13 at the NBS National Convention in Miami Beach.

"I take great pride in student accomplishments because it means that what they're learning here is of value," Ogden said. "We must be doing something right."

In the Feature Package competition, Central is up against the University of Miami and University of Cincinnati. In the Comedy Program category, CWU is competing against the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh.

In the Instructional Program category, the competition is between Central, West Texas   and Hofstra University.