Webster University Professor Recognized for Communications Education Achievement

ST. LOUIS, March 9, 2009 – Webster University Media Literacy Professor Art Silverblatt was recently awarded the ‘Virginia Betts White Quest’ award by Missouri Professional Communicators, a group affiliated with the National Federation of Press Women. The award recognizes individuals whose work reflects an ongoing commitment for the highest standards of professional ethics and excellence.

Silverblatt is national authority on media literacy and has written several books, many that have been translated into several languages and sold widely around the world. His book, “Approaches to Media Literacy,” (2008, M.E. Sharpe) is considered a leading teaching text in several college curricula nation wide.  Silverblatt is vice president of Gateway Media Literacy Partners, a local coalition of media literacy organizations, and he is a member of the Alliance for a Media Literate America.

Silverblatt will formally receive his award at a luncheon to be held April 18 in St. Louis, along with six other recipients, including: Suzanne Corbett, food writer and consultant; Bill Fronczak, public relations director for Mathews-Dickey Boys' and Girls' Club; Margaret Gillerman, columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Dan Martin, cartoonist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Kay Quinn, news anchor at KSDK-Channel 5; and Mary Ann Wagner, promotions director for the Suburban Journals.

The luncheon will be held at noon April 18 at Ces and Judy's in LeChateau Village in Frontenac. Christine Buck, news reporter for KPLR-CW Channel 11, will host the event. Proceeds from the luncheon support scholarships for journalism and communications students.

With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University is a worldwide institution committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence. Founded in 1915, Webster offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs through five schools and colleges, and a global network of more than 100 campuses. Its 20,000-plus student population represents almost 150 nationalities. The University’s core values include excellence in teaching, joining theory and practice, small class sizes, and educating students to be lifelong independent learners, fully prepared to participate in an increasingly international society.

Since opening its first campus overseas in Geneva in 1978, Webster has become a recognized leader and innovator in global education, with an international presence that now includes campuses in London; Vienna; Amsterdam and Leiden, the Netherlands; Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chengdu, China; and Bangkok and Cha-am, Thailand. Webster also has educational partnerships with universities in Mexico and Japan.

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