Scholarship recipients pose for a photo at last week's dinner. | Photo by Evan Riggs

The JMC School hosted student recipients of the Roger N. Wooldridge Memorial Scholarship for a dinner in the Kansas Memorial Union last Wednesday. The scholarship will provide 88 students with more than $320,000 in support this academic year and has supported JMC School students since 1974.

Fall 2025 Student Success Series: Unfortunately, the two workshops for this week have been cancelled (Sept. 15: Reading & Note Taking and Sept. 17: Exam Preparation). We apologize for any inconvenience.

Next Monday, Sept. 22, students enrolled in JMC 101 Media & Society are encouraged to bring a buddy for the JMC 101 Exam #1 Study Session. The Clarkson Gallery is reserved from 6-9 p.m. for students to come together to study for the first test of the semester.  

Join alumni and faculty at our annual Getting Ready for the Career Fair workshop on Wednesday, Oct. 1, from 5-7 p.m. in the Clarkson Gallery.  Get tips on networking, scoring the interview, how to deal with impostor syndrome and more. Appetizers and mocktails provided! Please register here. Contact Himee Kamatuka (hkamatuka@ku.edu) with any questions.

Emergency fund application: Current JMC students experiencing a financial emergency can apply for one-time grants up to $500. The funding does not have to be repaid. Information about what qualifies as an emergency and the application can be found here.

Steve Rottinghaus (center) and Liz Hawks (right) are joined by Baby Jay on the set of Cheers to Careers for the 100th episode of the podcast. | Photo by Maya Smith.

Cheers to Careers reaches 100 episodes: Cheers to Careers, hosted by Career and Outreach Coordinator Steve Rottinghaus, celebrated its 100th episode on Tuesday with guest Liz Hawks, senior partner and global head of influencer relations at FleishmanHillard and an appearance from Baby Jay. Hawks received a master’s degree from KU’s integrated marketing communications program. Since the podcast began in March 2021, JMC alums from 25 states, Washington, D.C., England and Germany have shared their career stories. Hawks was the 45th guest to be interviewed in studio. 

Additionally, JMC alum Jennifer Nigro, senior public relations manager at Signal Theory, was a Cheers to Careers guest on the 99th episode. 

JMC School to host Career Fair on Oct. 16: All students are invited to the Journalism and Mass Communications Career Fair from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Oct. 16, at Stauffer-Flint Hall. A professional photographer will be available between 11 a.m.-2 p.m. to take portraits of students, faculty and staff. To prepare for the event, students are welcome to attend a Getting Ready for the Career Fair workshop from 5 to 7 p.m., Oct. 1, in the Clarkson Gallery. As of today, organizations that have committed to attend the career fair are the following: Division D, KSNT, Essense of Australia, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Spotlight, Fox4, Signal Theory, KAKE, Teach for America, Kansas City Star, Steel City Media, KOAM, KCTV5, Access Marketing and Hallmark.

Want to hang your poster on the classroom bulletin boards in the hallway of the second floor of Stauffer-Flint Hall? Please bring your poster to Communications Coordinator Evan Riggs in office 210 B1 to get it approved.

KJKH 90.7 FM won Best Radio Station in Lawrence for the third year in a row at the Best of Lawrence awards earlier this month.

The next meeting for the Science and Persuasion research group will be held on Friday, Sept. 19, from 10-11 am in Stauffer Flint Hall, room 312. Students interested in research related to science and health topics are welcome to attend. Contact Judy Watts (judy.watts@ku.edu) for questions. 

Stephen Wolgast is pictured above. | Photo courtesy of Wolgast. 

Stephen Wolgast, Knight Chair of Audience and Community Engagement in News, presented research at the Future of Journalism conference at Cardiff University, in Wales, UK, last Thursday. His topic was "Shared Press Distress: The Effects of a Police Raid on a Newspaper," which shared research he conducted with Dr. Nick Mathews of the University of Missouri.

Assistant Professor of the Practice Rebekka Schlichting was a panelist in “Community Conversation: Moments of Truth,” at the National WWI Museum in Kansas City on Sept. 10. The panel featured journalists and media experts and explored the key moments that shaped today’s media landscape and what comes next for news and information. View a recording of the panel here.  

Assistant Professor Judy Watts shared research conducted in collaboration with recent PhD graduate Jun Pei at the MediaPsych conference held in Duisburg, Germany. Their research, "Eudaimonic Responses to Fiction vs. Non-fiction Stories: Testing Dual Process Eudaimonic Entertainment Theories on Learning about the Opioid Epidemic" was presented on Sept. 11 at the University of Duisburg-Essen. 

Professor Hyunjin Seo’s project has been selected for funding by the Spencer Foundation to support a research study on how digital skills learning among economically marginalized women influences their civic participation.

Professor Teri Finneman will collaborate with the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum to host a First Ladies Scholars event in 2026 as part of America 250. 

Judy Watts.

On Monday, Sept. 29, Ellen Jovin of “Grammar Table” fame will set up the Grammar Table right outside of Stauffer-Flint Hall from 9:30-11 a.m. Stop by and ask a question or just chat about all things grammar!

Jovin is in town for a screening of her movie, “Rebel with a Clause,” which will be shown Sunday, Sept. 28, at 4 p.m. at Liberty Hall. Admission is free. Her visit is sponsored by the Lawrence Public Library and the Bremner Editing Center.

A group of 12 journalists from Central and South America will visit the JMC School on Thursday as part of a State Department program. They will hear about the Marion County Record raid and its effects from Professor of the Practice Stephen Wolgast. The presentation is at 3:30 p.m. in Stauffer-Flint 206, and everyone is welcome to attend. 

Elyce Arons, co-founder of the Kate Spade and Frances Valentine brands, will make her first return to the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence in more than four decades for a fireside chat for students and the broader KU community. The fireside chat will be moderated by entrepreneurship expert Elizabeth Embry, assistant professor in the KU School of Business. The event begins at 2 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Burge Union and will be followed by a book signing. There is an online RSVP for those interested in attending. Arons and Kate Spade both attended the JMC School for two years before transferring to Arizona State to finish their degrees.

Internship and student jobs

Job opportunities

Michelle Tyrene Johnson of Louisville Public Media won the 2025 Vernon Jarrett Medal for Journalistic Excellence and will be honored at the National Press Club next week. The Vernon Jarrett Medal is awarded to a journalist who has published or broadcast stories that are of significant importance or have significantly impacted some aspect of Black life in America.

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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