Source: Carol Shanklin, 785-532-3215, shanklin@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Beth Bohn, 785-532-6415, bbohn@k-state.edu
Monday, June 4, 2007
ELECTRONIC THESIS IS AWARD WINNER FOR PETE SOUZA, THE INTERNATIONAL PHOTOJOURNALIST, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHER AND K-STATE GRAD
MANHATTAN -- An electronic thesis by international photojournalist, former White House photographer and recent Kansas State University graduate Pete Souza is an award winner.
Souza, a December 2006 K-State master's graduate in journalism and mass communications, has received one of six 2007 Electronic Theses and Dissertations awards from the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations. Souza is being honored for his thesis, "A Photojournalist on Assignment." The thesis, in a PDF document, includes 37 photographs and captions from Souza's career as a photojournalist. The photos cover such diverse subjects as two young boys at a K-State child care center, Princess Diana dancing with John Travolta at the White House, the War in Afghanistan and the death of former President Ronald Reagan.
It's the third time in the last two years that a K-State graduate student has been honored in the Electronic Theses and Dissertations competition, which is sponsored by Adobe Systems Inc. K-State received two awards, for a thesis and a dissertation, in 2006.
The competition recognizes students whose electronic theses and dissertations make innovative use of software and serve to transform the genre of print dissertations and theses.
According to the awards committee of the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, Souza's "exemplary work has created a unique model of digital media research that will encourage further endeavors in this area. Souza's efforts have improved graduate education and raised the standard of scholarship on a global scale." The award will be presented at the organization's 2007 symposium, June 13-16, in Uppsala, Sweden.
"Pete's electronic thesis depicts his photographic expertise that enables him to capture the vast array of human experiences and emotions," said Ron Trewyn, K-State vice provost for research and dean of the Graduate School. "Pete effectively used Adobe InDesign to recreate his photography exhibit so it can be appreciated by countless others who were unable to visit the exhibit at K-State last December. Those who read Pete's electronic thesis can experience the life of former President Reagan through the lens of a talented photojournalist. Pete's work will serve as an example for other students in the arts and humanities as they consider various options for recording their creative endeavors for the electronic thesis or dissertation submission."
Souza, who is the national photographer for the Chicago Tribune's Washington bureau, originally worked on his master's studies at K-State from 1977-79. He went on to serve as White House photographer for President Ronald Reagan from June 1983 to January 1989 and published several books about the former president. He also has been a freelance photographer, with his work published in National Geographic and Life magazines.
Since joining the Chicago Tribune in 1998, Souza has covered many world events. He was one of the first journalists to record the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan, in November 2001. He also has covered the Washington political scene, including documenting the first few years of Barack Obama's term in the U.S. Senate.
Souza has received awards from the Pictures of the Year competition, National Press Photographers Association's Best of Photojournalism and the White House News Photographers competition. His work has been displayed at K-State and other universities, as well as at the National Archives, Smithsonian Museum of American History and Cocoran Gallery of Art. He also was selected as the K-State Graduate School's December 2006 commencement speaker. Originally from South Dartmouth, Mass., Souza graduated cum laude with a bachelor's in public communications from Boston University in 1976.
Souza's major professor at K-State was Robert Meeds, associate professor of journalism and mass communications. His thesis is available online at http://hdl.handle.net/2097/254
After a pilot test phase, K-State began requiring electronic submission of doctoral dissertations in fall 2006. Master's theses and reports must be submitted electronically beginning this fall.
"Electronic theses, dissertations and reports open new possibilities for students in creating their work," said Marty Courtois of K-State's Information Technology Assistance Center. "Along with the text of their paper, students can incorporate music, images, videos, data sets and other digital formats. Electronic theses, dissertations and reports are submitted to the K-State Research Exchange and are available to other researchers over the Internet. They also are searchable through Google and Google Scholar."
Courtois said the electronic submission process has gone well. "Each semester we administer a survey to all students who submit an electronic thesis or dissertation report," he said. "More than 85 percent of respondents have consistently rated the submission process as 'very easy' or 'easy.'''
"There have been 244 electronic submissions to the K-State Research Exchange at the end of the spring 2007 semester, said Angie Pfizenmaier, doctoral specialist at the K-State Graduate School. "Students have indicated to me that the overall process is quick and simple to complete, taking approximately 10 minutes for electronic submission."
The Information Technology Assistance Center is continually working with the K-State Graduate School to expand training and provide individual support to assist students in creating and submitting their papers, Courtois said.
Electronic theses, dissertations and reports submitted by K-State students can be viewed at:
http://www.krex.k-state.edu
Information about K-State's electronic thesis, dissertation and report program is available at:
http://www.k-state.edu/grad/etdr