Journalism Students, Faculty Recognized With Emmy Awards

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Students Yen Nguyen and John Cooper, a representative of a Kansas City magazine, and students Bernard Oliver and Nichole Perez with several of the night’s awards (left). Professor Larry Foley with his Emmy (right).

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Students Jose Lopez, Yen Nguyen, Nazli Ozkan, professor Larry Foley, and students in Foley’s Advanced TV News Production course were honored with Emmy awards at the 36th Mid-American Emmy Gala on Saturday, Sept. 22, in Kansas City. All of the winners are part of the Walter J. Lemke department of journalism in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

The film Mountain Man and the television magazine On The Hill both won in the College/University Student Production Non-News Program category. The documentary Growing Hope won in the Special Program category.

Mountain Man, produced by Lopez, Nguyen and Ozkan, profiles Fayetteville resident Suphan Gingsumrong, a native of rural Thailand, as he details the similarities between life in civilization and wilderness. The film was created in the Documentary Production I and II courses taught by Foley. Foley’s Advanced TV News Production class produced On the Hill. Students involved in the project include anchors John Cooper and Brad Carlton, producer Bernard Oliver, editor Melissa Bolero, reporters Yen Nguyen, Channing Barker, Nichole Perez and Courtney Brown and photographers Zach Cash and Jake Harvey.

“As an educator, it was a thrill to watch my students go on stage to receive their student Emmys,” said Foley. “For them, it was a very big deal, of course. I'm so proud of them, and of our university. It was a fabulous night.”

In addition to the recognition of his students’ achievements, Foley was also awarded for his own work, winning the fifth Emmy of his career. Growing Hope, a half-hour documentary, tells the story of Fitz Hill, a former University of Arkansas assistant football coach and current president of Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock. Hill’s efforts have brought growth and stability to the college as well as the surrounding Little Rock neighborhoods. Fulbright College alumni Jim Borden and T.J. Holmes served as the film’s co-producer and narrator, respectively.

The 36th Mid-America Emmy Gala was held at the Midland Theatre in Kansas City. Mid-America Emmy is a non-profit organization affiliated with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Their mission is to encourage excellence in the television community by presenting regional Emmy awards and other accolades.