Four students were recognized by the Hastings College chapter of Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) for outstanding speeches presented December 10 during the Bernie Tushaus Memorial Speaking Event at the College.
LPH is a national collegiate honorary society dedicated to the study of human communication in a myriad of forms. Each semester the local chapter, Phi Omega, recognizes students for outstanding persuasive speeches that were developed in the first-year communication course.
This semester, approximately 150 undergraduate students were enrolled in the class. Each of the top speakers received a certificate and award for their presentation. The speakers were ranked in the following order by judges who juried the event:
- 1st Place: Michaela Bailey of Highlands Ranch, Colorado
- 2nd Place: Kelli Brichacek of Waterloo, Nebraska
- 3rd Place: Kyra Maguire of Wymore, Nebraska
- 4th Place: Autumn Teff of Freemont, Nebraska
“These speakers worked very hard to develop strong messages. They represented exemplary work in structure, research and emotional impact,” said Dr. John Perlich, professor of Communication Studies and faculty sponsor for LPH.
Each speaker worked with one of four professors, Dr. Kittie Grace, Dr. Jessica Henry, Dr. Austin McDonald, or Perlich, in the Department of Communication Studies.
Bernard (Bernie) Tushaus was the longtime co-owner of Prairie Books and Gifts. Tushaus served as an adjunct professor for the first-year communications class—teaching as many as four sections in a semester. The top speaker award is named in his honor. He died in October 2015.
Hastings College is a private, four-year institution located in Hastings, Nebraska, that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. With more than 60 majors and 15 pre-professional programs, Hastings College has been named among “Great Schools, Great Prices” by U.S. News & World Report and a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review. For more, go to hastings.edu.
