Beacon Magazine at Mississippi College Wins Grand Prize

Spring 2013 Beacon cover featuring Gregg Harper and his son, Livingston.

Mississippi College’s “Beacon” magazine received two major awards from the Baptist Communicators Association at its annual meeting in North Carolina.

Founded in 1953, the BCA represents communicators with Baptist universities, state conventions, newspapers and other media nationwide.

Distributed to more than 30,000 MC alumni around the USA, the “Beacon” was honored with the grand prize or the Albert McLellan Award in the magazine design division. The magazine also picked up a first-place award in the publications division at the BCA conference in Ridgecrest, N.C. April 9-12.

The Spring 2013 “Beacon” featured a cover story on Mississippi’s Third District Congressman Gregg Harper, his son, Livingston, a special needs student, and a life-changing internship program on Capitol Hill. It is a one-of-a-kind internship helping families facing similar challenges of developmentally disabled students. Harper and his wife, Sidney, are both Mississippi College graduates.

Other “Beacon” stories focused on scientists like alumnus Dr. Joe Hamilton making amazing discoveries as a longtime Vanderbilt University professor. Another must-read article profiled Sharion Aycock, a 1980 MC graduate who became Mississippi’s first female federal district court judge.

Sweeping the magazine awards at the BCA’s 50^th annual meeting was another prestigious national honor for a top-notch group of professionals, says “Beacon” editor Tracey Harrison. The Mississippi College graduate offered her congratulations to colleagues “on the well-deserved recognition for your excellent work.”

Staffers on the “Beacon” team include: contributing editor Marlo Kirkpatrick, designer Alecia Porch, photographer Robby Followell, web developer Justin Garcia, and videographer Chase Richardson. Others include Along College Street editor Andy Kanengiser and class notes staffers Amy Rowan, Hannah Wallace and Lisa Williams. Followell, Richardson, Rowan and Wallace are also Mississippi College alums.

“I am truly blessed to work with some extraordinary people,” Harrison said. Compelling storytelling, excellent photography and design plus technological innovations are all key ingredients, she said, in achieving success at Mississippi College.

America’s second oldest Baptist college, MC received four other leading awards at the BCA meeting at the Ridgecrest Conference Center.

In the Interactive Division, the Diana Reasoner Award or the grand prize went to the university’s NCAA Division II announcement in September 2013 for its athletic teams. In NCAA Division III ranks, Mississippi College will rejoin the Gulf South Conference this fall for the first time in nearly 20 years to renew rivalries with GSC teams like Delta State, Valdosta State, North Alabama and West Alabama.

The Mississippi College website of 25 pages or more received first place honors. The on-line “Beacon” magazine finished in third place.

For a website of 25 pages or less, Mississippi College received first place for the NCAA Division II sports announcement.

A University of Southern Mississippi graduate, Justin Garcia has been the creative genius behind MCs many successes with web design and content plus its growing outreach to audiences around the world.

President Lee Royce was delighted with the latest BCA awards.

“One would expect the Beacon to sweep the awards, but how nice to see the recognition for the on-line and web-based” categories, Royce said in an email to thank the Mississippi College team. “What a fine and even expected accomplishment and recognition.”

For a listing of all the BCA award winners go to http://baptistcommunicators.org/awards/2014.pdf.