Minot State professional communication students recognized at 2025 Eric Sevareid Awards
MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University professional communication students were honored at the 2025 Eric Sevareid Awards, earning first place and an Award of Merit in student market television categories.
Each year, the Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association (MBJA) presents awards for the best work done by broadcast news operations and journalists working in small, medium, and large markets in their six-state region on radio, television, and online.
The MSU Inside/Out program, produced by the COMM 475 class during the Fall 2024 semester, received an Award of Merit in the Cable Newscast Student Market Television category for the episode titled “Senior MSU Football Captain Emmett Espino & Art Professor Ryan Stander | MSU Inside Out | Fall24 Ep9.”
Owen Patterson, a sophomore professional communication major from Washburn, earned first place in the Sports Play-by-Play Student Market Television category for his broadcast of the October 19, 2024, matchup, “High School Girls Basketball: Minot vs. West Fargo-Horace.”
“The award is a nice honor to earn early in my career and is something to build on in the future,” said Patterson. “The broadcast department at Minot State has been a huge help in starting my career in play-by-play. The program offers plenty of reps for our students and pushes them to do better and better with each opportunity.”
“Owen Patterson is so deserving of this award,” said Neil Roberts, associate professor of professional communication. “He works hard and has such a high ceiling of talent at the same time. He gets better every game, is already the best across the region, and is only a sophomore."
Three students — Clayton Hawkins, senior; Dalton Davis, junior; and Noah Fredrickson, junior — went to Minneapolis for the Midwest Journalism Conference, where the awards were announced during the MBJA banquet on Saturday, April 12.
Derek Olson and Roberts, faculty in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, also attended the conference.
“I am so proud of our students!” Roberts said. “They competed against universities across a six-state area — North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Nebraska — to be eligible. So, competing against the likes of the University of Nebraska, University of Wisconsin, University of Minnesota, University of Iowa, Iowa State, the University of South Dakota, South Dakota State, North Dakota State, the University of North Dakota, Marquette and others, there is stiff competition against much larger departments for campus shows.”
As a highlight of the weekend, students received press credentials through KMSU-19 and were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the broadcast facilities at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins, ahead of Friday night’s game.
For more information about the Eric Sevareid Award, visit the Midwest Journalists WEBSITE.
About Minot State University
Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through
rigorous academic experiences, active learning environments, commitment to public service, and a vibrant campus life.
Published: 04/23/25
