Released September 30, 2005

HATTIESBURG – Five University of Southern Mississippi mass communication graduate students were the crème de la crème of this year’s American Journalism Historians Association (AJHA) national conference.

AJHA, the country’s largest organization of media historians, is a highly competitive conference that attracts students and faculty from the nation’s top media history graduate programs.

Southern Miss students—Elizabeth Baugh, Jay Todd, Jason Peterson, Hazel Cole, and Stuart Bullington—won AJHA’s best honors for papers written in a media history graduate seminar class led by journalism associate professor Dr. Dave Davies in spring 2005.

They will present their papers at AJHA’s conference in San Antonio Oct. 5-8.

Dr. Glenn "Pete" Smith, a graduate of Southern Miss’ mass communication program, will receive AJHA's award for best dissertation completed in 2004.

Smith’s dissertation focused on pioneering woman television producer Gertrude Berg. His dissertation director was Dr. Arthur J. Kaul, professor of mass communication and journalism.

The group’s win is considered icing on the cake for Southern Miss’ School of Mass Communication and Journalism, which received full national accreditation in February.

Davies said, "The AJHA honors speak well for the students' work and for Southern Miss. Southern Miss has the largest number of graduate students on the program, more than North Carolina, Missouri or any other university.”

AJHA has been a showcase for Southern Miss students in recent years, with the receptions of best conference paper honors in 2003 and 2004.

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