Note: The Monday Memo will not be published during the semester break; it will return Jan. 15. 

Undergraduate students - the deadline to apply for School of Journalism and Mass Communications scholarships for the 2024-25 academic year is less than two weeks away! Last spring, the school offered over $860,000 in scholarships and awards to current and incoming students, and 93% of students who applied received at least one scholarship. All students pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications are encouraged to apply. 

Apply here (Click the red Sign In button at the top, 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.

The application deadline is December 15, 2023. Recipients will be notified in March 2024. 

Strategic campaigns students pose after presenting to their client, the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, last week.  

Students from the JMC School Strategic Campaigns classes presented their projects to real-world clients last week. The projects are the culmination of a semester’s worth of research and teamwork. Each class is asked to produce a campaign to solve a strategic communications problem for an established organization. Students work with the client to develop a campaign from the initial research to the final recommendation. 

Sporting KC's Senior Brand Director Chad Reynolds and KC Star's Assistant Managing Editor for Engagement & Experimentation Hannah Wise were panelists for final presentations Thursday in Assistant Professor Chris Etheridge's JMC 345: Audience Experience class. They listened to audience engagement presentations and provided feedback to students in the class.

Reminder: Nutrition Nook is a resource for JMC Students: Reminder: For students experiencing food insecurity, the JMC School can provide grocery gift cards that have been donated by alumni. Please contact Associate Dean Scott Reinardy at reinardy@ku.edu, 
Assistant Dean Frances Lyons at
flyons@ku.edu, or email jschool@ku.edu for additional assistance.  

Apply for the Elizabeth Miller Watkins Scholarship by February 15 here. During the 2023-24 academic year, the scholarships were awarded to 20 students. 

The scholarship is currently $4,000 per year with eligible funding for up to an additional three years of undergraduate studies. Selections are made based on academic achievements, a short essay on the life and influence of Elizabeth Miller Watkins, transcripts and financial information. Qualifying students must be female identifying students enrolled as full-time undergraduates at the University of Kansas, have a 3.0 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale, have a demonstrated financial need and demonstrate community and collegiate involvement. Special consideration will be given to Watkins or Miller Hall residents. Recipients may reapply annually.

Professor Hyunjin Seo is one of the two recipients of the 2023-2024 Louise Byrd Graduate Educator Award. The award honors the dedicated work of “most outstanding graduate faculty mentors” at KU. This year’s recipients are recognized for their “quality of concern for graduate students as individuals and scholars, as well as their sincere dedication to graduate education” at KU. Seo will be recognized at the KU Doctoral Hooding Ceremony on May 11, 2024. 

Professor Hyunjin Seo gave a presentation on the Center for Digital Inclusion project aimed at developing sustainable ecosystems for technology education for justice-involved communities at the National Science Foundation Awardee Meeting in Arlington, VA on Dec. 6.  

Professor Hyunjin Seo

Invitation to speak at 2024 KSPA Winter Workshops: The Kansas Press Association (KSPA) needs speakers at the February 14 workshop at KU. The Winter Workshops are a great opportunity for professionals to team up with experienced educators, sharing valuable insights and skills in media and journalism. These workshops provide students with hands-on experience in a single media or journalism skill. If you're interested in presenting a session, please submit a description here. 

Career and outreach coordinator Steve Rottinghaus presented "All Aboard the Careers Services Train!" at the Kansas Association of Colleges and Employers annual conference on Dec. 1 in Wichita. It focused on how faculty and staff can become advocates for career services offices in the state. He also received the 2023 KACE outstanding committee member award for coordinating the summer drive-in conference for career advisers across the state in July at Stauffer-Flint Hall.

Associate professor Teri Finneman co-authored an article for Editor and Publisher, "Real Solutions from News Desert U."

Associate Professor Teri Finneman, Assistant Professor Vaibhav Diwanji, Assistant Professor Melissa Green-Blye, and Chloe Martens, j'23, recently had their paper "Is it Smart to Be Thrifty?: How Advertisers Navigated Message Strategies During the Great Depression," published in Journalism History. 

Internships and student jobs

Job opportunities

Winter break is when many college students seek job shadowing opportunities.  More than 1,100 alumni on KU Mentoring+ have chosen “Job Shadow” as a help topic.  Students are encouraged to use the platform and its pathways to seek out either in-person or virtual shadowing opportunities over the break.

More than 50 new reporting corps positions across the United States are available through Report for America. The deadline to apply is Jan. 31, 2024. Follow the link here for more information.

The William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications has an opening for a student assistant in the Resource Center. Students will be paid between $11.50 and $12.50 per hour and are expected to work 10-20 hours per week. Applications must be submitted by Sunday, Dec. 17. More details on the position and how to apply are available here. 

Drop in schedule for finals projects

Monday Dec. 11 
9-11 a.m. JMC304 Drop in
1-3 p.m. JMC300 Drop in

Tuesday, Dec. 12
2-4 p.m. JMC 104 Drop in

Virtual Lab open at https://rockcha.lk/VirtualJBar

Monday, Dec. 11 5-8 p.m.
Tuesday Dec. 12 5-8 p.m.

Resource Center Open evenings as usual 
Sunday 1-5 p.m.
Monday - Thursday 5-8 p.m.

Equipment checkout: Final day to check out equipment is Monday, Dec. 11/ All checkouts need to be returned to the Resource Center by 8 pm Thursday, Dec. 14. 

Alumni job updates

James L. Stevens died Nov. 21 at age 82. Read his obituary.

Calendar

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

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