University of Arkansas Students, Faculty Nominated for Emmy Awards

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The 2012 Mid-America Emmy Award Nominations: Honoring excellence in regional broadcast, cablecast and webcast.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences recently learned that several of its students and faculty have been nominated for 2012 Mid-America Emmy Awards.

Students Jose Lopez, Yen Nguyen and Nazli Ozkan were nominated for their film “Mountain Man in the College/University Student Production Non-News Program category. Mountain Man profiles Fayetteville resident Suphan Gingsumrong, a native of rural Thailand, as he details the similarities between life in civilization and wilderness. The film was produced in Documentary Production I and II, courses taught by Larry Foley, professor of journalism and fellow Emmy nominee. The Documentary Production II course was co-taught by Carmen Coustaut, associate professor of journalism.

Also nominated in the College/University Student Production Non-News Program category is News On the Hill, a news magazine produced by Foley’s Advanced TV News Production course.

“We’re extremely proud of these students,” said Foley. “This year’s nominees include entries from Arkansas, California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri. There are some outstanding journalism schools in those states, yet in this category, all of the nominees were University of Arkansas productions. It’s very impressive.”

Dale Carpenter, professor of journalism and chair of the department, was nominated in the category of Human Interest Program/Special for Love You, Too: A Life in Dance. Carpenter produced, shot and edited the 20-minute special that features an 88-year-old dance instructor from Rogers, Arkansas whose encouragement and support has inspired hundreds of children over the years.

Foley was nominated in both the Specialty Assignment Program/Special and the Writer Program/Program Feature (Non-News) categories for Growing Hope,; a half-hour documentary co-produced by Jim Borden of Fayetteville. The film tells the story of Fitz Hill, a former Arkansas assistant football coach and current president of Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, whose efforts there have brought growth and stability to the college as well as the surrounding Little Rock neighborhood.

James Greeson, professor of composition and theory in the department of music, was nominated in the Programing (Non-Newscast) for Cultural Documentary category for Conlon Nancarrow: Virtuoso of the Player Piano. The 57-minute feature explores the life of an Arkansas-born musician who won a MacArthur Genius Gant for his compositions for the player piano. Nancarrow eventually moved to Mexico after being ostracized in the U.S. for his communist politics.

The awards will be presented during the 36th Mid-America Emmy Gala on Sept. 22 at the Midland Theatre in Kansas City.