DETROIT, MI, Sept. 15, 2004 - Wayne State University will celebrate the 28th Anniversary of the WSU Arts Achievement Awards at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 30, 2004. Seven outstanding alumni will be recognized for their dedication to the arts and achievements in their respective disciplines.

Each year, this award recognizes alumni from the following departments; Art and Art History, Art Education, Communication, Dance, English, Music and Theatre.

This year's recipients include:

• William Benoit (Communication) Ph.D. '79 - Nationally-recognized authority on political campaigns, editor of the Journal of Communication, University of Missouri professor of communication;

• Robert Brock (Theatre), MFA '81 - Accomplished actor, director and professor of theatre, Artistic director of the Kentucky Repertory Theatre;

• Helen Landgarten (Art Education), Attended 1938-39 - Pioneer in the field of art therapy, retired founder and director of the art psychotherapy program at California's Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, retired Loyola Marymount professor of art therapy;

• James Pallas (Art and Art History), BFA '62, MFA '65 - Internationally recognized master of electronic art, 1980 Michigan Creative Artist Award recipient, retired Macomb Community College professor of art;

• Charles Postlewate (Music), BM '69, MM '73 - Critically acclaimed international solo, chamber music and orchestral guitarist, widely published on the topic of classical guitar, University of Texas at Arlington professor of music;

• John Richards (English), BA '74, MA '03 - Head of worldwide creative services for Warner Home Video in Burbank, author of three books grounded in the culture of the American office worker;

• Sharon Unrau (Dance), BS '86 - Dance educator, choreographer and certified movement analyst, specialist in gifted education for Columbus Public Schools in Ohio.

The Arts Achievement Awards will take place in the McGregor Memorial Conference Center, located on the campus of Wayne State University. A reception will start the evening, followed by the presentation of the awards. Both the reception and the awards ceremony are free and open to the public. The evening will conclude with a private dinner honoring the award recipients. Tickets for the dinner are $35 and are available for purchase through the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts. For more information, contact Darci Anne Bryan at (313) 577-5336.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 12 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students.