Above: Marion County Record editor Eric Meyer delivered the keynote speech at the KSPA fall conference. Below: A student views a presentation at the fall conference. Photos by Eric Thomas, director of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association. 

The Kansas Scholastic Press Association hosted almost 500 student journalists and teachers for a day of learning and connecting with the campus on Sept. 27. Eric Meyer, the editor of the Marion County Record, delivered the keynote speech explaining how he and his weekly newspaper have responded to a law enforcement raid that captured international attention and threatened to silence his newspaper. 

Meyer, a graduate of the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, also led a Q&A session with attendees and toured Stauffer Flint-Hall. The annual KSPA fall conferences have been a landmark event for young journalists in Kansas for decades. Teachers gathered to make plans for upcoming events and share their teaching experiences. 

The following sessions were hosted by Jayhawk faculty and staff: 

Associate Professor Teri Finneman recently discussed The Eudora Times on a panel about news deserts at the National Press Club. Finneman also attended a reception at the White House that included a welcome from Jill Biden during the Presidential Sites Summit. Finneman also presented her research in progress about media coverage of First Lady Frances Cleveland at the American Journalism Historians Association conference.

Assistant Professor Chris Etheridge was quoted last Monday in a story in The Topeka Capital-Journal about police policy on issuing safety alerts. With so many channels now to notify the public, he said police departments need to develop clear policies, let the public know about those policies, and follow them.

Pasquale Trozzolo, founder and Chairman of the Trozzolo Communications Group in Kansas City, visited JMC 320 last Thursday to share his expertise on the creative process they use at the “Gee Whiz Factory” to identify meaningful and actionable insights to create successful brand strategies! Pasquale founded the Trozzolo agency in 1989 and has served as an adjunct professor in the JMC IMC program. 

Assistant Professor Chris Etheridge was interviewed for a story on FOX 4 in Kansas City on sports marketing. In the piece, he says that part of what is contributing to the Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift hype is that they're both savvy business people.

KSPA will celebrate its 50th anniversary in the spring of 2024, with many of those years headquartered at KU. The Kansas Scholastic Press Association is a non-profit organization composed of Kansas scholastic journalism students and their teachers. The organization is committed to excellence in journalism at all levels and views its focus as one of providing journalism education leadership for Kansas teachers and students. The KSPA provides a support system through its contests, conferences and scheduled activities.

Assistant Professor Melissa Greene-Blye is an invited panelist at the 2023 American Journalism Historians Association annual convention in Columbus, Ohio. The panel is titled "From Talk to Action: Making Journalism History More Inclusive.” Greene-Blye addressed issues relevant to doing work in the realm of Native Media History.

Introducing the Fall 2023 JMC School Ambassador Team: They meet with prospective students and families, lead building tours and represent the School at events and other programs. Their ability to connect with prospective students is a vitally important piece of the recruitment process. Thank you to our ambassadors for their commitment to giving back to the JMC School.

*Indicates a returning ambassador

The JMC School will host a virtual open house for the Ph.D. program on Oct. 27 from 2-3 p.m. U.S. Central Time. To attend the virtual open house, please register in advance here.  Attendees will hear from faculty and graduate students in the School. If you have any questions, please contact Graduate Program Coordinator Jammie Johnson (jamjohn@ku.edu). 

More information on our Ph.D. program, which is currently accepting new applications, is available on our website. 

Drop-in advising available: If you have any questions or need to meet with someone to discuss your classes or goals, an advisor is available from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in Stauffer-Flint Hall, Room 117.  

Job opportunities

Internship and student jobs

The JMC School Career Fair is less than three weeks away! All students are welcome to attend from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 19 at Stauffer-Flint Hall. Learn more about internships, part-time positions and full-time positions. A professional photographer will take portraits from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the third floor. For more information, contact Steve Rottinghaus at steve_rottinghaus@ku.edu.

More information on the career fair and companies attending is available here. 

Career Fair Prep: Stop by the Clarkson Gallery on Oct. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m. to prepare for the career fair, which will take place on Oct. 19. Register for the workshop here. 

Attend Adobe Max online for free: Adobe Max is Adobe's creativity conference. You can attend events virtually Oct. 10-12. Sign up at here.  Follow @jschooltech on Instagram and TikTok and watch digital signage for our teams suggestions and watch parties the week of Adobe Max. 

Adobe Afternoons is a Friday workshop series for Faculty, Staff and graduate students. Contact program director & senior digital media trainer Heather Lawrenz at halawrenz@ku.edu if you are interested in attending. Please see the JSchoolTech September Newsletter for more details. 

More free stuff ... Get Adobe Express Premium 

To access Adobe Express premium features:

1. Visit Myidentity.ku.edu.
2. Select the button to “View licensing” in the lower right corner.
3. You should see information about Adobe Express. Select “Claim your license.”
4. You can now use Adobe Express with premium features on your mobile device or through a web browser.

To log in:

1. Choose the email option (if prompted).
2. Enter your KU email address.
3. If prompted, choose “Company or School Account.”
4. Sign in with your KU Online ID and password.

Work with Heather or Natalie on tech projects: You can find them at the JBar in the Clarkson gallery. Labbies are also available to help in the lower level of the Resource Center and in the control room and photo studio in Dole. Reminder: we are not a substitute for going to class.

Faculty, if you have a tech project in your class, please email the assignment requirement and any examples or resources to halawrenz@ku.edu. This helps set our labbies up for success in helping students. 

Lean Adobe Skills: Build your portfolio with JSchoolTech. Make sure to visit the Class Hub. 

Stauffer-Flint

Sunday: 1-5 p.m. (enter through door closest to Wescoe)
Monday: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Tuesday: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; 4-8 p.m.
Wednesday: 8-11 a.m.; 12-8 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; 4-8 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Dole

Monday: 8 a.m.-8p.m.
Tuesday: 11 a.m.-24 p.m.; 5-7 p.m.
Wednesday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Students can get help on projects, use the editing bays or photo studio or checkout equipment. 

Calendar

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

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