Susan Page, Washington Bureau chief of USA TODAY and best-selling author, will receive the 2026 William Allen White National Citation. The award, which recognizes individuals for outstanding journalistic service, comes from a vote of the trustees of the William Allen White Foundation, which is named in honor of White. 

Page will accept the award in person on Thursday, April 9, in the Kansas Union to celebrate William Allen White Day. She will give an address at 3 p.m. in the Kansas Union Ballroom. The event is free and open to the public. Read the full press release. 

Undergraduate student scholarship deadline is Jan. 25: Be sure to get your application in before the deadline! Current JMC undergrads can apply by going to 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. Please do not complete the application for incoming students. 

Application deadline extended for JMC professional development opportunity: A few spots remain in the school’s Ad Astra Alpha Generation@JMC program, a special initiative for up to 20 freshmen and sophomores during the Spring 2026 semester. Participants will be selected to attend coaching sessions and supervised professional activities related to their majors in the School. Students who complete the sessions and activities will receive a cash award. Applications will be accepted until noon, Thursday, Jan. 22. View eligibility requirements and apply here. 

Journalism and Mass Communications Opportunities Fair: Please join us on Jan. 21 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for the Journalism and Mass Communications Opportunities Fair in the first-floor lobby of Stauffer-Flint Hall. 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, and the event is come-and-go.

Participating groups include:

University of Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson dribbles the ball while stepping into the spotlight at Big 12 Media Day at the T-Mobile Center on Oct. 22, 2025. This is one of seven photos Lazenby submitted in the competition. 

Congratulations to JMC School student Katelyn Lazenby on earning a tie for 19th place in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program. Her photos were submitted in the Photo One Competition, which allows students to submit images of sports, news and features.

Originally from Liberty, Missouri, Lazenby began her photography career by taking photos for her brother’s travel baseball team four years ago. As a freshman, she got involved right away by joining the University Daily Kansan (UDK) photography staff as well as the Carole Jackson Monroe Resource Center staff. Now, as a junior, she serves as the UDK multimedia co-editor for news.

Apply to represent your JMC School concentration on Technology Committee: This service leadership opportunity is a great way to get involved with student leadership in the school and help improve technology resources and training at the school. Email halawrenz@ku.edu and include a short paragraph on why you would be an excellent candidate. Please include the name of a professor in your concentration who will vouch for your leadership potential. 

KC Ad Club Foundation scholarships available: The $2,500 scholarship supports educational costs for sophomores and juniors interested in advertising. Scholarship recipients also receive industry mentorship with a Kansas City advertising professional and KC Ad Club membership with complimentary access to all events. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is Feb. 28. The scholarship application form can be found here.

KAB accepting entries for Student Broadcast Excellence Awards: The program offers an opportunity to showcase student talent and recognize exceptional work. The entry deadline is 11:59 p.m., Monday, Feb. 23. More details.

Nominations open for Dr. Ian Punnett Media Educator Award: The annual honor recognizes exceptional college educators who have made significant contributions to media education and inspired the next generation of media professionals. The honoree will be announced and celebrated at the KAB Student Broadcast and Sports Seminar. Nominations are due March 1. 

Interested in studying abroad in Scotland? An informational meeting for the Study Abroad in Scotland program will be on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 4 p.m. in the Clarkson Gallery.

Students are pictured in Scotland last summer. | Photo courtesy of Cal Butcher. 

Judges needed for high school contest: The Kansas Scholastic Press Association needs your help as we prepare to judge nearly 1,800 entries across 27 categories. Our regional contests will gather student work in photography, video, design and writing. For journalism students across the state, this is an opportunity to learn, receive expert feedback and earn recognition. For our judges, we offer gift cards and the sweet benefit of knowing you’ve made a difference! Please volunteer to judge by Jan. 23 using this form.

KU Blood Drive Jan. 26 and 27: January is National Blood Donor Month, and winter is one of the most challenging times of the year to maintain an adequate blood supply. With holidays, cold weather and seasonal illness, donations are especially critical. The KU Blood Drive is Jan. 26 and 27 at the Kansas Memorial Union. Sign up to donate.

Join JMC 201 for movie nights this semester: This semester's JMC 201 class, Journalism in the Movies, will be watching journalism-related movies all semester on Monday nights. Everyone is welcome to join for the movies, which start at 6:30 p.m. in Stauffer-Flint 100. On Monday, Jan. 26, is the Oscar-winning “Spotlight” from 2017. 

Assistant Professor Tamar Wilner and Associate Professor Alyssa Appelman each published chapters in the new edited volume "Evolving Journalism Research Methods: Applications, Trends, Analyses." Wilner co-authored "Focus Groups in Journalism Research," and Appelman co-authored "Stimulus Creation for Experiments."

Professor Mugur Geana was a keynote speaker at the inaugural lecture “Challenges of Health Communication in Times of Disinformation, AI, and Algorithms for the Diploma in Strategic Health Communication,” a joint venture between the Schools of Communications and Public Health at Universidad Catolica in Santiago, Chile, on Friday, Jan. 16. His talk addressed the use of technology to develop successful health interventions with vulnerable populations. The webinar was attended by over one hundred professionals in health, marketing and communications.

The study "Vapor Tales: The Effects of Narrative Fear Appeal on Vaping Cessation among American Young Adults,” by Dr. Jun Pei (2025 PhD graduate), Assistant Professor Judy Watts and Professor Mugur Geana, has been accepted for presentation at the 76th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, to be held June 4-8, 2026, in Cape Town, South Africa.

Professor Teri Finneman is co-hosting an America250 event with the Harry Truman Presidential Library and Museum in March. "Exploring the Past, Present & Future Influence of First Ladies" is a free in-person event set for March 21 at the museum in Independence. Register here.

Internship and student jobs

Job opportunities

Professors: The JSchoolTech team would love a few minutes of your class time to introduce members of our team and talk to students about the services we offer. This is especially important for 100-300 level courses. If this interests you, please send date/time/location/class to halawrenz@ku.edu. We are collecting deadlines from all classes, which will help us target students with our Quick Tips, workshops and other content. Please email halawrenz@ku.edu with key dates. 

Students: Want to build your Adobe skills and your portfolio? Let us know what you need.

We already have a few fun workshops on our calendar - join us for Social Media Graphics to Build your Portfolio and From Idea to Identity — Logo & Brand Kit Basics. Both events have an in-person and Zoom option. Sign up. 

Stop by the JBar this week and say hi to our JBar team or drop by the Virtual JBar and leave us a message. You can also follow us on Instagram @jschooltech and send us a DM. We can't wait to help you with Adobe and WordPress skills and projects or just offer you some tips on how to make your work or portfolios look better. 

JBAR Spring 2026 Hours
Monday: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Tuesday: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Wednesday: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; 2-4 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Jenni Carlson, a columnist and sports enterprise reporter at The Oklahoman, was recently named the National Sports Media Association Oklahoma Sportswriter of the Year.

Alumni Job Updates

Scott Reinardy
Interim Dean

Mugur Geana
Interim Associate Dean
Research & Faculty Development

Lisa McLendon
Interim Associate Dean
Student Success

Calendar

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

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