Rachel Kearney of Marion receives awards in ICPA competition

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Rachel Kearney of Marion (center) with other staff members from The GlimmerGlass of Olivet Nazarene University

BOURBONNAIS, IL (03/22/2013)(readMedia)-- Marion resident Rachel Kearney, a senior at Olivet Nazarene University, recently received three journalism awards in the competition for non-daily newspapers at schools with enrollment less than 4,000 that was sponsored by the Illinois College Press Association (ICPA): first place, Sports Column category; honorable mention, Sports Feature category; and honorable mention, Sports Layout category.

Olivet's student newspaper, The GlimmerGlass, received seven other awards in the competition. This year, 34 Illinois college newspapers, from both state and private schools, entered. Olivet's staff competed in the categories for non-daily newspapers at schools with enrollment less than 4,000.

"This competition is a barometer of the quality of our newspaper and good incentive for improvement," said Dr. Thalyta Swanepoel, faculty advisor and communication professor.

"I am extremely proud of all the awards our staff earned," Meagan Ramsay (senior, Casey, Ill.), executive editor, said. "It makes the long hours spent working on each issue so worth it. We've improved overwhelmingly since last year, and I couldn't be happier."

Other award winners from Olivet included:

• First place, General News Photo: Ethan Barse (senior, Auburn, Ind.)

• Second place, Photo Essay: Justine Espersen (junior, Las Vegas, Nev.)

• Second place, Headline Writing: Meagan Ramsay

• Third place, Front Page Layout: Meagan Ramsay, Nicole LaFond (junior, Mahomet, Ill.)

• Third place, General Excellence: Staff

• Honorable mention, In-Depth Reporting: Staff

• Honorable mention, Column (Excluding Sports): Jimmy Phillips (senior, Monee, Ill.)

Seven staff members and Dr. Swanepoel attended the ICPA conference in Chicago, February 22 and 23, 2013. Speakers they heard at the conference included Jimmy Greenfield, community manager at ChicagoNow, the Chicago Tribune's blog network; Chuck Burke, senior editor and designer of the Chicago Tribune; and a panel of professionals who spoke about non-journalism jobs that use journalism skills.

"The ICPA conference offers the chance for student journalists to interact with their peers from Christian and secular schools across the state," Dr. Swanepoel said. "They are also exposed to working professionals through the sessions and have the chance to network."

"After the success we had, I can hand off the newspaper to the next editor knowing that there is a really solid foundation to build on," Ramsay said. "It only gets better from here, and I can't wait to see how it grows."

Olivet Nazarene University is an accredited Christian, liberal arts university offering more than 100 areas of undergraduate and graduate study, including the Doctor of Education in ethical leadership. Olivet has one main campus in Bourbonnais, Ill. - just 50 miles south of Chicago; three sites: Rolling Meadows and Oak Brook, Ill., and Hong Kong; and more than 100 School of Graduate and Continuing Studies learning locations throughout Chicagoland and the Midwest. From Oxford to Tokyo, hundreds of Olivet students also experience the global classroom each year, whether through study abroad opportunities or worldwide mission trips.

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Contact:

Laura Warfel

Public Relations Specialist

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Ill.

www.olivet.edu

815-928-5403

lwwarfel@olivet.edu