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Division of Academic and Student Affairs 
Student Media

Phillips Award

In fall 2021, NC State Student Media created an Award for General Excellence named for long-time Board of Directors member Dean Phillips.

Award Criteria

  • The Dean Phillips Award for General Excellence is open to employees and volunteers active with Student Media during the academic year (May-April) in which the nomination occurs.
  • Students can nominate themselves or any other qualified student, except for the top editor/general manager of each media outlet. Nominators are strongly encouraged to include examples of the nominees’ work whenever possible and appropriate.
  • The call for nominations will go out by the first day of each spring semester and are due by the March board meeting date.
  • When the nominiation period closes, valid nominations will be sent to the full Student Media Board of Directors for consideration. All elected, appointed and ex-offico board members, except the Student Media Director, will receive one vote. If no nominee garners a majority of the vote, the board will re-vote on the two nominees receiving the most votes in the first round.
  • The winner will be announced at the April meeting each year.
  • The honoree each year will receive a $250 award from the Student Media Enhancement Fund, and their names will be placed on a perpetual plaque to be hung in a place of honor on the third floor of Witherspoon Student Center. They will also receive special recognition at the Student Media year-end celebration events in years when such events are held.

Nomination Form

The call for nominations will go out the first day of each spring semester and are due by the March board meeting date.

Award Winners

About Dean Phillips

In the resolution establishing the award, the board recognized Phillips’ achievements in both the media industry and as a senior lecturer in the Department of Communication. Before joining the communication faculty at NC State University, Phillips was an award-winning broadcaster for WXIA-TV in Atlanta and WNCN-TV in Raleigh, and also served as vice president of program development for Carolina Broadcasting.

After establishing his own media and public relations consultancy, Phillips joined the communication faculty in 2001, where he taught a host of courses and created two new ones. From 2010 until his semi-retirement in 2020, Phillips also served as the department’s undergraduate internship director, helping students gain experience through work for media outlets, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and other private-sector firms. He is currently a senior lecturer emeritus.