AECT Students Elected ACT National Officers, Others Earn Awards At Ag Media Summit

Jill Rucker

Students and faculty in the Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology at the Ag Media Summit this summer.

Two U of A students were elected to national officer positions and four others combined for seven awards at the Agricultural Media Summit in Raleigh, North Carolina, in July.

The National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow announced a variety of national winners in its organization. 

Olivia Larson and Noralee Townsend, students in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, were elected to serve for the next year. Larson now serves as the communications coordinator, and Townsend was elected as the member relations coordinator. 

Several students were also recognized for their success in the National ACT Critique and Contest:

• Shane White: 1st place in long video package; 1st place in Writing Editorial Division; Award of Excellence Electronic Media
• Hannah Chambers: 2nd place in Writing; 2nd place in Social Media
• Colin Keady: 2nd place in Radio Package
• Madison Felts: 3rd place in Plant Photo

All six students are from the Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology.

Professor Jefferson Miller and associate professor Jill Rucker attended the conference, along with seven total AECT students who served as delegates: Chambers, Larson, Keady, Townsend, Schyler Angell, Brooklyn Johnson and Daniela Medina. 

This conference is the largest annual conference of agricultural communicators, held by American Agricultural Editors Association, Connectiv Ag Media Council and the Livestock Publications Council. The conference aimed to facilitate opportunities for networking and professional development through workshops and speakers in the industry.

The Agricultural Media Summit's mission establishes four specific elements. First, to provide professional and educational opportunities for all of their members. Second, to provide networking opportunities for members of American Agricultural Editors' Association, Livestock Publications Council and others in the agriculture industry. Third, to promote, support and enhance the viability of agriculture publications as an effective and efficient communications medium. Finally, the fourth element is to showcase the agriculture publications industry through seminars and trade shows. 

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.