Welcome back! Don’t forget to apply for JMC scholarships. Current JMC undergrads can apply by going to https://ku.academicworks.com/. Click the red “Sign In” button at the top of the page, then log in with your KU online ID and password.

You may be asked to complete a general questionnaire before moving to the School of Journalism and Mass Communications Undergraduate Scholarship Application. Please be sure to complete the correct application, as there are two versions in the system right now. Please do not complete the application for incoming students.

The application deadline is January 24, 2025.

Kansas men's basketball player AJ Storr finishes a dunk in a November game against North Carolina. | Photo by Chad Cushing

Congratulations to JMC student Chad Cushing for placing fifth in the 2024-25 Hearst Photojournalism News & Features Competition. Cushing, a senior, is heavily involved with student media. He is multimedia editor for the University Daily Kansan, a member of The Playmakers TV show and a DJ for KJHK 90.7 FM. View the full list of winners.

Apply for the Kappa Tau Alpha Scholarship: The deadline to apply is Feb. 1. Send a letter of reference and a 500-word essay to kappataualpha@missouri.edu. The essay should discuss how the Kappa Tau Alpha scholarship will benefit you, including relevant aspects of financial need or status as a first-generation college student. Include details about your career goals in journalism and mass communication and explain how they fit with KTA’s focus on Knowledge, Truth and Accuracy. More details are available here. 

Feb. 15 deadline for Kansas Association of Broadcasters student awards: The Kansas Association of Broadcasters is accepting entries for the 2025 Student Broadcast Excellence Awards through Feb. 15. Enter here. 

Study Abroad: Come join the fun in Stirling, Scotland this summer through the Study Abroad Program. Take a sports media course through KU and an additional, unique course through the University of Stirling. The four-week course runs from June 7 to July 5. For more information, contact Cal Butcher at calbutch@ku.edu.

JMC Students pose for a photo at the University of Stirling in the summer of 2024. Photo courtesy of Cal Butcher. 

Media Arts & Production capstone: Led by Professor of the Practice Alex Treaster, students in the Media Arts & Production Capstone class collaborated with Kanbe's Markets to help them reimagine their volunteer center. Some of the students' creative concepts for Kanbe's and highlights from their interactive projects can be found here. 

KSPA seeking judges for Regional contests: Volunteer support enables KSPA to provide robust opportunities for journalism education in Kansas. Apply here. The contest schedule is as follows:

Associate Professor Teri Finneman's co-edited book, “A Cambridge Companion to U.S. First Ladies,” is set for release on Feb. 6. This unique book bypasses the standard way of examining first ladies individually and instead examines the impact of this position over time. Finneman also co-wrote a chapter in the book about first ladies and presidential mourning.

The Kansas City Star published an op-ed column by Stephen Wolgast, professor of the practice, on Dec. 29 describing how police in Kansas can harass journalists using the report from two special prosecutors on the 2023 raids on the Marion County Record. The column was also published in the Wichita Eagle.

Stephen Wolgast, Knight Chair for audience and community engagement in journalism, will discuss his research into the raids on the Marion County Record at the International Festival of Journalism in Perugia, Italy, in April. He was invited to lead a discussion of journalists’ protections against government overreach at the nineteenth annual conference.

Ph.D. student Hanbo Liu and Assistant Professor Steve Bien-Aimé won the Commission on the Status of Women's Top Abstract Award for the upcoming Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Midwinter conference for our submission “A comparative study of the media representation of Chinese female astronauts in the past decade.”

In a research article published in Drug Safety, Assistant Professor Yunwen Wang and co-authors reviewed current use of natural language processing and machine learning methods for adverse drug event detection in electronic health records, focusing on the unstructured free-text data such as clinical notes, discharge summaries, and patient narratives. 

Professor Hyunjin Seo and Ph.D students Macy Burkett, Huong Ha, Rim Chaif, Nazra Izhar, Michaella Barros Coelho, Blessing Jona and Azhar Iqbal are co-authors of a research paper, “Social Media Activism and Women’s Health: Endometriosis Awareness and Support,” which has been accepted for publication in Digital Health. 

Professor Hyunjin Seo and Ph.D students Blessing Jona, Azhar Iqbal, Macy Burkett, and MSJ student Hana Khan are co-authors of a research paper, “Comparative Analysis of AI Attitudes Among JMC Students in Brazil and the U.S.: A Mixed-Methods Approach,” which has been accepted for publication in Online Media and Global Communication. 

Please join us tomorrow, Jan. 22, for the Journalism and Mass Communications Opportunities Fair. Learn about how to get more involved in the JMC-School by talking with representatives from campus media and our student organizations. All new and continuing JMC students are welcome. 

The event is come-and-go, so even if you can only stop by for a few minutes, we hope to see you there!

Participating groups include:

Dole hosting kickoff event: The Dole Institute of Politics is hosting a kickoff event, Brinner, Monday, Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m. Open to all KU students, the event will feature congressional and policy reporter for the National Journal Lauren Green and Vice President and head of global news gathering of AP News Paul Haven. Free breakfast for dinner provided!

Dole hosting forum: The Dole Institute of Politics will host its first forum event of the year, “The Arc of Kansas Politics” on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. Open to the public and all KU students, the event will feature Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Katie Bernard and former Kansas governors Kathleen Sebelius (D) and Mike Hayden(R) to discuss recent Kansas politics.

Jayhawk duo honored by The Athletic: Congratulations to JMC alumni Rustin Dodd and CJ Moore, who are featured in The Athletic’s “Best of the Athletic 2024.”

Dodd is featured in the breaking news category for his co-authored story, “Yankees fans ejected for prying open Mookie Betts’ glove at World Series: ‘Mookie was swearing.’”

Moore is featured in the enterprise category for his feature story, “How Indiana State basketball’s Josh Schertz rose from ‘anonymity’ to coaching star.”

Alumni Job Updates

Internship and student jobs

Job opportunities

Gerald “Jerry” Blatherwick died Dec. 23 at age 88. Read his obituary.

Christina Clifford died Dec. 13 at age 61. Read her obituary.

Jack Honnold died Dec. 13 at age 98. Read his obituary.

Marmaduke Lambert died Jan. 6. No obituary is available at this time.

Patricia McCoy died Dec. 7 at age 66. Read her obituary.

Wendy Passer died Jan. 1 at age 61. Read her obituary.

William Walker died Aug. 6. No obituary is available at this time.

Calendar

William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications
journalism.ku.edu

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and procedures and is the Title IX Coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY. Reports can be submitted by contacting the Title IX Coordinator as provided herein or online and complaints can be submitted with the Title IX Coordinator or