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Student Media
Students gain valuable media experience by working for one or more of the campus media organizations, all housed in the Don Morris Center:

  • KUF-TV 7, a state-of-the-art television studio;
  • KACU-FM, affiliated with National Public Radio and the Associated Press;
  • the Optimist, a twice-weekly student newspaper;
  • the Prickly Pear, ACU's campus yearbook

Paid positions are available at each media organization. For more information, see the Student Media page.


Student Clubs

  • IMCO -- Integrated Marketing Communication Organization, coordinates the American Advertising Federation (AAF) student chapter and Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) student chapter
  • Society of Professional Journalists -- SPJ student chapter
  • Kappa Tau Alpha -- national JMC honor society chapter. Each year the JMC Department
    inducts students with high grade point averages


Local Media
Many Abilene media organizations regularly offer internships, part-time and full-time jobs to ACU students. Just a few examples are:

Media Contests
JMC students win many awards annually in these local, state, regional and national student media competitions:


Media Conventions
Meetings and conventions sponsored by media associations allow students to network with media professionals and other media students. ACU was represented in at these media meetings:
Texas Intercollegiate Press Association
Rocky Mountain College Media Association
Society of Professional Journalists National Convention
Society of Professional Journalists Region 8 Convention
Southwestern Journalism Congress
National Broadcast Society

Department Events
At least four times a year, JMC students, faculty, friends and alumni gather for special events:
At the Gutenberg Dinner, the department honors alumni's distinguished professional achievements. The dinner is conducted during Homecoming Weekend each fall.
New Kappa Tau Alpha scholars and an Abilene honorary member are inducted into the journalism honor society each spring in a formal ceremony.
Senior Sanctuary honors graduating seniors. Spring Fling honors outstanding student academic and media performance.

Internships
JMC students have fulfilled internships across the country, most recently in cities of Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; Nashville; Shreveport, La.; Dallas, Austin, Abilene, San Angelo, Fort Worth, Wichita Falls, Oklahoma City. See Internship Central for more information.

Study and Travel Abroad
Study Abroad Programs opens the world to ACU students with study/travel programs to Central Europe, Asia, Mexico.
For information see ACU's Study Abroad Program.

Department Awards
Wendell H. Bedichek Award is presented each spring to the most valuable staff member of the student newspaper, The Optimist. The award was established by Bedichek, who was editor of the paper in 1921-24.

Lowell G. Perry Award memorializes the late founder of the broadcasting program, who was killed in a plane crash while searching for a site for a Christian short-wave radio station. The award is presented annually to a broadcasting student who measures up to the principles modeled and taught by Dr. Perry.

Vonda K. Dietz Award is a memorial to the editor of the 1989 Prickly Pear, who died in an auto accident a few days before the book was completed. The award is presented annually to the most valuable yearbook staffer.

Horizons Award is presented annually to recognize outstanding design work on the Prickly Pear.

Scholarships
Lydia Clark Heston Photojournalism Scholarship - recipient must be a junior or senior, have a 2.5 GPA, and be a Prickly Pear or Optimist photographer

Clarion Award - recipient must be a public relations graduate who has been called to a career of service and who will use the award in the next academic year. The scholarship is underwritten by Elise Mitchell, APR, class of 1983

ACT/SAT Academic Scholarships
Please consult with your admissions counselor for details on these and other scholarships available to you.