Kirtland Resident and Ashland University Journalism and Digital Media Student Receives National Awards

2017 Jan 11

ASHLAND, Ohio - Ashland University student Noah Cloonan of Kirtland, Ohio, received national awards from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System awards competition.

He is a 2015 graduate of Cornerstone Christian Academy.

As a Journalism and Digital Media (JDM) student, Cloonan works with the Ashland University radio and television stations. He was honored for his contribution within both categories.

"The great thing about these honors is that we had finalists in both the radio and television categories in the national IBS awards competition," said Dr. David McCoy, chair of AU's JDM department. "This clearly conveys the converged media approach exhibited by JDM, as judged by blind peer reviews. Moreover, it enhances the fact that JDM is Ohio's premiere small college/university academic media program."

Cloonan obtained recognition in the Top 5 of the Best Women's Basketball Play-by-Play competition with his role on AU's WRDL 88.9 FM station during the AU vs. Grand Valley State game. As an AU TV-20 student, Cloonan ranked in the country's Top 3 for the Best Sports Play-by-Play competition for his part in the Ursuline vs. Ashland basketball game.

Finalist trophies and first place awards will be presented at the national convention in New York in the spring of 2017. Many of the AU nominees will be attending the convention and awards presentation.

According to McCoy, these awards are a first for WRDL 88.9 FM in the JDM era and it is believed that this is the first time for a national award notification in the 50-year history of WRDL. "As the faculty advisor for the radio station, I am proud of the work of all student radio participants," he said.

AU's JDM program of radio, television and print journalism was created when the department converged its curriculum in 2010 in an effort to meet the challenges students will face upon entering an ever-converging media world.

"Ashland's JDM program was indeed on the forefront of new media education regionally and nationally in 2010," McCoy said. "Our program continues to be a model of rigorous academics reinforced by real-world experiential learning opportunities for 21st century journalists."

The program was recognized in 2012 as one of 47 journalism programs in the country that has fully converged its print and broadcast curriculum. Ashland University's JDM program was the only journalism program in Ohio that received this distinction on the list of approximately 500 colleges and universities from across the country that have journalism programs.

Ashland University, ranked in the top tier of colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report's National Universities category for 2017, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) deeply values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students. ###