New JMC dean Judith Rosenbaum-Andre and the concentration chairs greeted new students during the annual Academic Welcome on Sunday at Stauffer-Flint Hall. | Photo by Steve Rottinghaus

Calling it the "honor of the lifetime to be here," Judith Rosenbaum-Andre, the new dean of the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, greeted approximately 150 students during the Academic Welcome on Sunday at Stauffer-Flint. The students learned more about the four JMC concentrations — Sports Media & Society, Media Arts & Production, Multimedia Journalism and Digital Marketing Communications, Advertising and Public Relations — and student clubs, organizations and student media opportunities during the afternoon event.

Welcome back, JMC Jayhawks! We hope you had a wonderful summer and are excited to start the fall semester. Throughout the semester, the Student Success Spotlight will highlight offices and services to build awareness and understanding of available resources across the university. It will also feature select important dates and deadlines, as well as relevant events within and outside our school that support student success. 

Help inspire the nearly 700 high school and middle school students who will come to campus on Sept. 29 for the Kansas Scholastic Press Association Fall Conference. KSPA is seeking speakers who can offer 35-minute sessions at the event. Students benefit from inspiring stories, examples and specific tips they can take back and implement in their own newsrooms.Submit session proposals by Aug. 28 and share the link with other area journalists.

Director of Professional Graduate Studies Michelle Keller recently became a certified Agilities Coach through the DeBruce Foundation in Kansas City. She pursued the certification to help students in the DIMC program think more intentionally about their strengths, career goals, and next steps. The Agilities framework includes several career exploration tools, including the Agilities Profiler, which helps students identify how they are wired to work and consider how their strengths might translate to different roles and career paths. 

The KU Ad Club is kicking off the fall semester off the fall semester and welcoming new members. Open to students of all majors, Ad Club is a way to explore the advertising industry and strengthen professional connections. Through bi-weekly meetings at 6 p.m. Wednesdays, members hear from guest speakers, visit agencies, attend networking events and get hands-on experience. Members can also participate in organized Ad Crawls to cities such as Kansas City, Chicago, Austin, and more. There are plenty of opportunities to network locally, too. Ad Club’s relationship with the Kansas City chapter of the American Advertising Federation gives members another way to get involved in the KC advertising community. Join the GroupMe for updates on meetings, events and membership.

Assistant Professor Melissa Greene-Blye is the principal investigator of a $7,500 grant from the Solutions Journalism Network. The funding will be used to support a team of student journalists covering mental health issues among Indigenous youth with a solutions-based focus. “Good Morning Indian Country” will take part in this year’s Solutions Journalism Network Student Media Challenge. In July, Greene-Blye, a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and director of the Center for Indigenous Student Media, was part of a panel discussion at the Indigenous Media Conference, where panelists challenged journalism schools to rethink how they prepare students through historical context, community accountability, and stronger partnerships with Indigenous communities.

Professor Teri Finneman received the Pam Parry Award for service to the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications History Division. Finneman's latest book, News Desert U, is now available in the e-book version. The actual book releases Sept. 3. During the summer, Finneman also worked with three Nebraska weekly newspapers and one in Tennessee to revise their business models.

Career and Outreach Coordinator Steve Rottinghaus is the president of the Kansas Association of Colleges and Employers, an organization of 80-plus career advisers and hiring managers across the state, through July 2027. He presided over the KACE summer drive-in conference on July 15 in Salina.

Professor of the Practice Matt Tidwell was interviewed by Fox-4 TV in Kansas City for a story on how content creators can be blocked by social media platforms.

William Allen White Foundation trustee Lewis Diuguid, left, was recently inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame.

The William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications welcomes its 2026 first-year doctoral students (above). Congratulations to Fally Afani, Aya Fayed, Gulash Gonulsen, Jonathan Jacobson, Hana Khan, Bebe Sultana and Tahura Tari for their admission to the PhD program. We look forward to working with you and helping you become the teachers, professionals and scholars of tomorrow.

JMC doctoral student Michaella Barros Coelho will defend her dissertation, “Voices That Inspire Giving: How Multivoice Narrative Shape Monthly Donor Giving,” on Aug. 28.

Beth Randolph Taylor, left, a third-year PhD student, was named Teaching Chair for AEJMC's Committee on Graduate Education. In this leadership role, Taylor will manage the group's Teaching Innovations Webinar Series and the annual Graduate Teaching Showcase at next year's conference in Chicago in August, which highlights innovative and effective teaching practices led by graduate students to inspire and encourage instructors at all levels.

Professor Teri Finneman, right, and doctoral student Ethan Anadaloro, left, joined Sarah Kessinger, editor of the Marysville (Kansas) Advocate and member of the Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame, to discuss the future of community journalism at the Marysville Public Library. | Photo submitted by Teri Finneman

Professor Teri Finneman and PhD student Ethan Andaloro hosted a community event on Aug. 13 with Marysville Advocate editor Sarah Kessinger in Marysville. The panel discussed the state of journalism today and took audience questions. About 30 people attended.

Michelle Keller, center, and her cousins Jo Banner, left, and Joy Banner, right, presented a case study and workshop at AEJMC on the historic community of Wallace, Louisiana. | Photo submitted by Michelle Keller

Director of Professional Graduate Studies Michelle Keller and her cousins Jo Banner and Joy Banner presented a case study and workshop at Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications on the historic community of Wallace, Louisiana. The sisters, through their nonprofit The Descendants Project, were instrumental in mobilizing the residents to prevent a large company from building a grain elevator on land that has historical significance to the area. AEJMC is a nonprofit, educational association of journalism and mass communication educators, students and media professionals. 

Program Director and Senior Digital Media Trainer Heather Lawrenz presented on July 28 an Adobe webinar titled "Building a Brand System That Works: How to Rethink University Marketing at Scale." The session shared practical strategies for creating, reviewing, and distributing branded marketing assets efficiently across an institution. She demonstrated how organizations can use Adobe Express Brand Kits to empower faculty and staff to create on-brand content quickly — without requiring design expertise — while maintaining consistency across communications. Also this summer, Lawrenz joined members of the Adobe Higher Education Faculty Leadership Cohort at the 2026 Adobe Summit, where faculty leaders from universities collaborated with Adobe staff to explore new ideas and initiatives for the coming academic year. Centered around the Summit theme, "Your Story Matters," the cohort participated in discussions focused on supporting student creativity, strengthening teaching and learning, and building meaningful learning experiences across higher education. Heather's participation in the cohort helps bring new ideas, resources, and professional connections back to JMC, supporting faculty, staff and students as they continue to explore creative technologies and digital storytelling. Faculty interested in connecting with educators across higher education are invited to join the Adobe Higher Education Faculty Group.

Associate Dean for Student Success Lisa McLendon presented Aug. 5 on clear and engaging writing as part of a KUOR workshop for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral researchers on writing proposals for grants and fellowships.

Bremner Editing Center Coordinator and Lecturer Gerri Berendzen and McLendon presented a session at the 2026 KU Teaching Summit, with John Bricklemyer of the School of Professional Studies. Their session, “Influencing – and Grading – Student AI Use,”covered how to influence student AI use, including discussion of the AI Assessment Scale, and how to deal with grading without completely giving up or turning into the “AI Police.”

Distinguished Professor Hyunjin Seo, Macy Burkett (j’25, Ph.D.), Olga Morales (j’26, MSJ), and Ph.D. students Javiera Rossel, Hanbo Liu, Belal Hossain, and Samuel Muzhingi are co-authors of a research paper, “Countering misinformation about prenatal Tylenol use and autism: A study of U.S. women’s intentions and determinants,” which has been accepted for publication in Frontiers in Communication. 

JMC faculty and graduate students presented their research at the annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, held August 4-8 in New Orleans. A total of 25 JMC members were featured in the conference program, including 15 faculty members and 10 graduate students. 

Assistant Professor of the Practice Rebekka Schlichting is partnering with the Kansas City Indian Center on the Narrative Change Project. The project captures stories of people who identify as "Urban Native," or are Native Americans living in urban areas. The yearlong project will result in a series of short-documentaries and includes mentoring young Urban Natives to help tell these stories. Earlier this summer, Schlichting (below) instructed more than 80 youth and young adults, ages 5-22, in documentary filmmaking at the Kansas City Indian Center Summer Culture Camp. More shoots are scheduled this fall to include Urban Natives in Lawrence. Schlichting's fall JMC 440: Creative Producing and Directing course will continue the work by creating short documentaries for the Kansas City Indian Center.  

JMC alum Jun Pei  (j'25, Ph.D.) along with Assistant Professor Judy Watts and Professor Mugur Geana recently published "Vapor tales: the effects of narrative appeal on vaping cessation among American young adults" in Health Communication. The study examined whether message format (narrative vs. non-narrative) and content aspects (degree of threatening and efficacy-related info) influenced vaping cessation intentions.

This summer, Rebekka Schlichting mentored Native American youth on documentary filmmaking, including Lucus Crow Eagle, who is Lakota Sioux, and Asaiyai Brown, who is Navajo, Kiowa and Sac & Fox. | Photo submitted by Rebekka Schlichting

Elliot Akerstrom is a general assignment reporter at the Star-Herald in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

Nicole Asbury is a breaking news reporter for the Dallas Morning News.

Sarah Baker is the global marketing measurement manager at Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

Emily Baldwin is a production assistant at NBCUniversal.

Claire Barnes is a digital content specialist at Acosta Group in Rogers, Arkansas.

Emree Bell is a communications specialist at Essense of Australia.

Chandler Boese is deputy managing editor for digital and visuals at The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina.

Jolie Brown is social media coordinator at Social House Entertainment.

Taylor Burke is senior project manager at BCD Meetings & Events in Chicago.

Carolyn Carney is sales coordinator at JLL in Chicago.

Gabe Daniel is the new director of broadcasting and communications for the Oklahoma Warriors junior ice hockey team in Oklahoma City.

Samantha Halsey is director of hospitality at Allie Sports.

Emily Harter is a general assignment reporter at Community Impact in Texas.

Elise Heidrick is an account coordinator at MMGY Global.

Margo Hellman is a marketing communications specialist for SpencerFane.

Trenton Kraxner is the play-by-play announcer for football and basketball for KMZA 92.1 FM.

Kara Lyons is sports reporter and anchor for KEYC News Now in Mankato, Minnesota.

Abigail Moore is junior paid media buyer at Native Digital.

Claire Olmstead is talent acquisition specialist at KU Endowment.

Molly Overman is account manager at Walz Tetrick Advertising.

Lucy Perfitt is marketing coordinator and content creator at James Thomas Interiors in Chicago.

Andrea Ringgenberg is product manager at Imperial PFS.

Lindsay Ryan is multimedia director of athletics at the George Washington University.

Nick Sola is an Eligibility Center Representative for NAIA.

Rebekah Swank is a paid social senior lead at PMG in New York City.

Kasey Vena is director of operations at Evergreen Devco in Phoenix, Arizona.

Kelsey Weaver is business development manager at Holland & Hart LLP in Boise, Idaho.

Turn Course Materials into Student Study Resources. In this JSchoolTech session, we’ll explore Adobe PDF Spaces and ways faculty can turn existing course materials into more useful learning resources. See how PDF Spaces can help you work across documents, create summaries and develop resources that can be shared with students, including podcast-style content. Sign up here

Faculty and students are invited to attend a panel event "From the Desk of William Allen White: What Can Journalists Today Learn from the Sage of Emporia?" from 3:30-4:45 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, in Stauffer-Flint 303. Professor Teri Finneman will moderate the panel featuring opinion writers Clay Wirestone, a JMC alum, of the Kansas Reflector and Mará Rose Williams of the Kansas City Star, along with Knight Chair Steve Wolgast.

Jobs

Internships and student jobs

JMC alum Ethan Pflumm, communications manager at USA Today, was a recent guest on the Cheers to Careers podcast.

• Sept. 2: Donuts with the Dean, 9 a.m.-10 a.m., Stauffer-Flint Hall lobby

• Sept. 2: Student Success Series: Study Skills, noon-12:50 p.m., Clarkson Gallery

• Sept 18: Faculty and Staff meeting, 1-2:30 p.m., Clarkson Gallery

• Sept 23: Scholarship ceremony, 4-5 p.m., Burge Union, Forum C

• Sept. 24: Hail to Thee, JMC, all day, Stauffer-Flint Hall and Dole Center

• Oct. 8: Career Fair, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Stauffer-Flint Hall

• Oct. 23: Faculty and Staff meeting, 1-2:30 p.m., Clarkson Gallery

Next Monday Memo

• August 31

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

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