Photo Caption:
	Photo caption:  Dr. Matthew Girton, Bryan Janke, Nytashia Ennis, Arianna Schimek, Erica Motter, Dr. Karen Kline and Dr. Sharon Stringer

Lock Haven University honors communication students, alumnus

Annual Rebecca F. Gross Awards

May 9, 2010

Outstanding Lock Haven University students in Communication Media received awards at the 2012 Rebecca F. Gross Awards Day ceremony on May 4. The event also featured a keynote address by an outstanding LHU Communication Media graduate.

Dr. Matthew K. Girton, professor and chair of the Communication and Philosophy department, presented the Rebecca Gross Award for the Outstanding Senior in Communication to Arianna Schimek.The Rebecca Gross Award is based on three criteria: grade-point average, service to the student media, and other media activities. To be eligible, students must be a senior with a minimum GPA of 3.00.  Service in other campus and off-campus activities includes volunteer and paid work related to some form of journalism or mass communication.

Schimek, a resident of Doylestown, Pa., has been very engaged in learning since she enrolled at Lock Haven University.  She has done play-by-play and sports commentary on HavenCast.  She joined the Eagle Eye newspaper as the arts and entertainment editor and later moved to news editor.  She currently serves as the ad manager for the Eagle Eye, fulfilling the roles of manager, account executive, billing clerk and layout designer.  She has also served as a student government senator and president of the Art as Fashion Club, which she started and for which she raised more than $1500 for charity.  She has written features for The Haven alumni magazine and is currently an advertising intern for the Lock Haven Express. 

Schimek was also presented with a Saundra K. Hybels Memorial Scholarship.

Professor Sharon B. Stringer presented the Margaret Ann Brown Communication Scholarship to Erica Motter, a resident of Jersey Shore, Pa.  Motter, a junior, also received a Dr. Saundra K. Hybels Memorial Scholarship.

Dr. Stringer also presented a Saundra K. Hybels Memorial Scholarship to Nytashia Ennis, a sophomore from Philadelphia, Pa.        

Professor Karen Kline presented the Rebecca Gross Alumni Award to Bryan Janke, a digital graphics producer in Philadelphia, Pa., one of the top five U.S. television markets. In his position, he develops custom Flash-based programs for use on-air with multi-touch display units.  At WPVI he is also technical director for the live 10 p.m. nightly newscast, for which he also produces all graphics, visual teases and opens.  He came to his current position in 2006 after working as technical director and graphics operator art Blue Ridge Cable News in Ephrata, Pa. l He has been an independent video editor for EB Studio Productions in Lansdowne, Pa., and network producer for WUIOV ESPN 1240 AM in Ephrata.  He graduated from the Communication Media program at Lock Haven University in 2004 with a concentration in radio and television.

Janke delivered the keynote address in which he traced his career from his days as a Lock Haven University student to his present position, describing the challenges he faced along the way. 

Dr. Girton made delivered introductory remarks and introduced guests to the ceremony. One of the distinguished guests was Bob Rolley, publisher of the Lock Haven newspaper, the Express. Lock Haven University President Michael Fiorentino Jr. spoke briefly and offered his hearty congratulations to the awards recipients. 

After the ceremony, Professor Kline stated, "It's gratifying to see our students achieve at such a high level.  It speaks to their commitment to learning and encourages us as faculty to continue our efforts to provide them with the tools and knowledge they need to excel."

The Rebecca F. Gross Award is named in honor of Pennsylvania’s most distinguished journalists and public servants. A 1928 graduate of Penn State University, Gross served as managing editor of the Lock Haven Express, founding member and president of the Pennsylvania Women’s Press Association;  president of the Pennsylvania Society of Newspaper Editors and the Pennsylvania Associated Press; Commander in the U.S. Navy;  Nieman Fellow at Harvard University; and  member of the Lock Haven University Board of Trustees, the Board of State Colleges and Universities Directors, and the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

The Rebecca F. Gross awards for distinguished service in journalism are also supported by the Lock Haven University Foundation.

Lock Haven University is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), the largest provider of higher education in the commonwealth.  Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degrees and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study.  Nearly 405,000 system alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.