JMC junior Jaden Huehl (left) interviews USA Today Washington Bureau chief Susan Page, the William Allen White Foundation National Citation recipient, in the Stauffer-Flint Studio. | Photo by Maya Smith

The JMC School held William Allen White Day festivities last week, highlighted by native Kansan Susan Page, the USA Today Washington Bureau chief, receiving the 2026 William Allen White Foundation National Citation. Page, the 76th recipient of the WAW honor, stopped by Media Crossroads for an interview  with JMC student Jaden Huehl. More than 100 students were honored during the awards ceremony at the Kansas Union.

Susan Page Interview

Susan Page WAW Foundation National Citation keynote

Interim Dean Scott Reinardy, right, congratulates Assistant Professor of Practice Alex Treaster, left, for receiving the Tim Bengtson Faculty Mentor Award on April 9. JMC alum Mark Mears (center) created the award in 2012 to honor Bengtson. | Photo by Steve Rottinghaus

Assistant professor of practice Alex Treaster was honored with the Tim Bengtson Faculty Mentor Award during the William Allen White Day celebration on April 9 at the Kansas Union. The award recognizes faculty members who demonstrate Bengtson’s dedication by going above and beyond the classroom to inspire students. Bengtson mentored students for more than 30 years at KU. JMC alum Mark Mears established the award in 2012 to honor the longtime faculty member.

JMC students showcase their awards at the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Student Broadcast and Sports Seminar on April 9 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. | Photo submitted by Jude Gosse

Forty JMC students attended the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Student Broadcast and Sports Seminar on April 9 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, where they participated in activities and career fair luncheon, breakout sessions on careers behind the scenes, learning what employers want, and receiving their KAB student awards.

JMC students celebrate their induction into Kappa Tau Alpha, the national honor society for journalism and mass communications majors. | Photo by Steve Rottinghaus

Congratulations to the following students who were inducted into Kappa Tau Alpha, the national honor society for students majoring in journalism and mass communications, founded 113 years ago. The induction ceremony took place on April 9. The chapter advisor is Professor Yvonnes Chen. Honorees were: Katie Acosta*, Elena Akerberg, Macy Burkett**, Rim Hayat Chaif**, Culyer Dunn, Jackson Engle, Kaityn Gantenbein, Alexa Gomez, Sally Green, Elise Heidrick, Carly Herman, Jaden Huehl*, Azhar Iqbal**, Nazra Izhar**, Blessing Tapiwa Jona**, Jun Pei**, Molly Stover-Brown, Laney Turner*, Ashley Updike. *top sholars *graduate students

Three JMC students have received Undergraduate Research Award from the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships. Recipients are awarded a $1,000 scholarship as they work on mentored research and creative projects. The three students recognized were:
• Allison Muzzy, senior in journalism & mass communications and political science; “A Textual Analysis of People’s Daily Articles Mentioning International Organizations,” mentored by Jack Zhang, political science.  
• Hannah Loub, senior in global & international studies and multimedia journalism; “Policy in Practice: Exploring the Efficacy of Disability Policy Through the Lens of UK University Students,” mentored by Brian Lagotte, global & international studies. 
• Taylor Doyle, senior in political science, multimedia journalism and global & international studies; “Clean Curriculum: Menstrual Hygiene Education in Bangladesh's Secondary Schools,” mentored by Brian Lagotte, global & international studies. 

The AWM Foundation is partnering with Hallmark Media to support female students pursuing creative careers in entertainment through the Make Her Mark Student Scholarship. From the creators of Make Her Mark—an on-the-job mentorship initiative designed to support and increase representation of women behind the camera—this scholarship will provide one aspiring student with $7,500 toward her education and a mentorship opportunity with actor, creative partner, and program founder Ashley Williams. The recipient will be announced at the 51st Annual Gracie Awards Luncheon on June 16, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. To learn more and apply by May 1, visit https://allwomeninmedia.org/foundation/scholarships/.

Julia Hanson 

JMC junior Julia Hanson was among 30 students nationally to receive a White House Correspondents’ Association scholarship for 2026. Hanson is the associate news editor the University Daily Kansan and a features reporter for the Eudora Times. She will serve as the editor-in-chief of the University Daily Kansan in 2026-2027. Hanson plans to become an immigration attorney and freelance writer.  Hanson and the other scholarship winners will be honored in Washington, D.C., on April 24, and be guests of the WHCA at its annual dinner the following day.

Elliot Akerstrom, a senior from Topeka studying journalism & mass communications and environmental studies, placed first in the Society of Professional Journalists' Region 7 Mark of Excellence contest for his reporting in the Kansan on science and the environment. Category winners from the SPJ regional contests advance to compete for a national award. Akerstrom’s entry featured two stories from 2025: "Federal funding cuts threaten Lawrence climate adaptation plans" and "Kansas scientists say National Weather Service cuts threaten storm forecasting." The Mark of Excellence Awards recognizes the best collegiate journalism in the nation. SPJ’s Region 7 comprises Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Akerstrom is serving as the head news editor of the Kansan.

Elliott Akerstrom

KU PRSSA president Gabe Carter (left) and secretary Valeria Solis (right) present Kelly Wachel with the PR Star award during the KU PRSSA's year-end meeting on April 8 at Stauffer-Flint Hall. | Photo by Steve Rottinghaus

KU PRSSA honored JMC alum Kelly Wachel, the chief communications officer for the Park Hill School district, with its second annual PR Star award on April 8 at Stauffer-Flint Hall. Wachel has led school public relations and communications teams for 20-plus years and is the president of the National School Public Relations Association. PRSSA president Gabe Carter and secretary Valeria Solis presented Wachel with the PR Star certificate.

Kansas Athletics Assistant Athletics Director - Strategic Communications Chris Theisen and Director - Strategic Communications Doug Self shared their experiences and memorable moments from their careers in Laurie Bollig’s JMC 430 Communicating Sports Info class.

Lawton Nuss, a retired chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court, was a guest speaker in Professor Stephen Wolgast’s Media Law and Ethics class on April 8. Nuss, whose bachelor’s and law degrees are from KU, spoke about the proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would make justices elected to office instead of appointed by the governor. He was joined by the civic engagement manager of Kansas Appleseed, Logan Stenseng, who is also a KU alumnus. Stenseng explained how the amendment would essentially turn justices into politicians.

The Eudora Times joined more than 1,300 newsrooms on April 9 to celebrate the first Local News Day. The initiative was organized to draw the public’s attention back to local news and highlight community connection.

Associate professor Genelle Belmas was quoted in an AP story on the demise of the last newspaper joint operating agreement in the country, as the Las Vegas Review-Journal ended its cost-sharing relationship with the Las Vegas Sun. Since 1989, the two papers have shared production and distribution costs while keeping their editorial functions separate, taking advantage of a 1970 law exempting such arrangements from antitrust violations. The LVRJ successfully sued to end the relationship, which was set to expire in 2040.

Assistant professor Sarah Cavanah and Ashley Muddiman, associate professor and director of graduate studies in Communication Studies, participated as community experts during a roundtable breakfast for American Public Square’s Civics Education Initiative April 9. Cavanah and Muddiman answered questions about how the media covers immigration for KC metro high school students in the yearlong civics education program. Along with Assistant professor Tamar Wilner, the team has been developing and testing a new media literacy intervention curriculum in conjunction with the program.

Professor Yvonnes Chen, an Honors Faculty Fellow, served as one of the masters of ceremonies at the Sharing Your Honors Path event held April 7 in the Kansas Union Ballroom. This signature event brought together more than 200 second‑year honors students, who shared with their peers one of the four enhanced learning experiences they have completed to extend their learning beyond the classroom and apply what they have learned.

Assistant professor Megan Denneny and colleagues recently published a multi-year study that provides the first systematic human-coded examination of Sinclair’s local video news quality. Data from 2,300 stories in 40 U.S. markets indicated lower overall quality at Sinclair-owned stations compared to competitors. However, Sinclair outperformed competitors on some quality metrics, and evidence of political bias was minimal. Findings provide insights into how corporate ownership affects local TV, the most trusted source of news in the United States.

Assistant professor Rebekka Schlichting and her documentary production company Deer Women Productions, were impact producers for a documentary that was nominated for two Emmys. "Bring Them Home" tells the story of the Blackfoot people striving to re-establish wild buffalo on tribal land after 100 years of absence. It was nominated for "Outstanding Writing" and "Outstanding Music Composition."

Assistant professor Yunwen Wang presented a research poster titled Dementia in U.S. news: A network analysis of journalistic topics, priorities, and gaps, in the Media Systems session at the 2026 Kentucky Conference on Health Communication April 2-4 in Lexington, Kentucky. The coauthor on the research is Dr. Yuanfeixue Nan (University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine). KCHC and its sister conference D.C. Health COMM Conference (DCHC) are the two leading health communication conferences nationally. The conference theme this year is Health as a Human Right: The Role of Health Communication. 

A promotional image for "Bring Them Home," an Emmy-nominated documentary produced by Rebekka Schlichting's Deer Women Productions. 

Get Real community journalism experience before you graduate. The award-winning Eudora Times is hiring two reporter interns for the 2026-27 academic year. These are paid internshps with potential coverage including City Hall, schools, features, business and senior citizens. Applicants must have a least junior standing entering the fall 2026 semester and reliable transportation. To apply, send resume and clips to eudoratimes@gmail.com by April 20.

Internships and student jobs

Job opportunities

The University Career Center is hosting a Just In Time Job Fair from 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 at the Kansas Union.  The fair is open to all students – freshmen through graduate level. Forty-plus employers are registered for the event. For more information. 

The JMC School is launching a Student Portfolio site to highlight exceptional undergraduate work. This is an opportunity to showcase your work to employers and community partners, increase your professional visibility, and publicly document your growth and experience. Submit your portfolio here for the showcase.

Don't forget to get a head start on that portfolio with help from our JBar Associates. They are available 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-noon Friday.

Started your Tech Tools classes? Stop by the JBar to get help running Creative Cloud or get support as you work through your first assignments!

Make sure you are following @jschooltech on Instagram. JSchoolTech is offering quick tips to help students build portfolios all week.

JMC alum Joshua Smith recently became the senior social marketing manager for Google. | Joshua Smith LinkedIn

• Lauren Farrar is assistant director of marketing at Careington International Corporation.
• Katarina Knoff is a senior technical recruiter at Revel, headquartered in Los Angeles.
• Katie Kutsko is audience engagement manager for The Daily Catch.
• Courtney Lane is a reporter for the Lawrence Times.
• Jackson Schneider is a social media manager and social marketing consultant for EPSN Wichita 92.3.
• Joshua Smith (left) is senior social marketing manager for Google.

Scott Reinardy
Interim Dean

Mugur Geana
Interim Associate Dean
Research & Faculty Development

Lisa McLendon
Interim Associate Dean
Student Success

Calendar

• April 13: JMC dean finalist No. 3, Cory Armstrong, Lawrence L. and Ruth E. Pike Professor in Journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, at faculty forum, 10:45-11:30 a.m., Clarkson Gallery
• April 13: JMC dean finalist No. 3 presentation, 2-3 p.m., Watson 3 West
• April 14: JMC dean finalist No. 3 at staff forum, 11:10-11:55 a.m., Watson Library, Clark Instruction Center (third floor)
• April 16: JMC dean finalist No. 4 at staff forum, 9:45-10:30 a.m., Watson Library Clark Instruction Center (third floor)
• April 16: JMC dean finalist No. 4 presentation, 2:15-3:15 p.m., Capitol Federal Hall 1020
• April 16: JMC dean finalist No. 4 at faculty forum, 3:30-4:15 p.m., Capitol Federal Hall, 3056A
•  May 8: Faculty and staff meeting, lunch and awards, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Clarkson Gallery
• May 16: JMC School Recognition Ceremony, 8:30 a.m., Lied Center
• May 17: KU Commencement, 10:30 a.m., David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium

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

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