Contact: Kay Fike Jones
A Mississippi State University art student's national advertising design award is resulting in a summer internship with Rolling Stone magazine.
Senior graphic design major Timothy D. Morton of Pearl River, La., is in New York City for eight weeks of work with advertising professionals who design for the internationally circulated popular culture publication.
During the spring semester, Morton won third place and $500 in the USA Today Collegiate Challenge.
His entry-a takeoff of a Morton's salt box-continues a winning streak. Since 1996, Mississippi State art students have won at least one of the top three Collegiate Challenge awards, more than any other U.S. art program.
Now in its seventh year, the 1999 competition included the entries of more than 150 students. Enlisting volunteers to teach others to read was this year's design theme.
Morton's Rolling Stone internship is one of only three the magazine is offering this summer. Two other internships went to students at New York's School of Visual Arts.
In addition to Morton's third-place finish, six other MSU art students received honorable mentions for their entries in the national design competition. They include Wade Acuff of Hollandale, Nikki Bane of Starkville, Melissa Buford of Vicksburg, Melinda Hearn of Jackson, Tenn., Jenny Rutledge-McMillan of Starkville, and Dana Sollie of Meridian.
Morton, who plans to graduate next May, said he is "pleasantly surprised" by the honor.
"I wanted to go to a big, expensive art school and looked for the best in the U.S.," he said. "Because my sister was in fashion merchandising at MSU, my parents convinced me to come up here and take a look.
"Now I'm sure," he added with a big smile. "There's no better place to study graphic design."
Joining USA Today in sponsoring the competition are the ARAMARK, a facilities management service, and Follett College Stores.