Pictured from left to right: Associate Development Director Marlys Shulda, Elyce Arons, Associate Professor Ann Brill and Interim Associate Dean for Student Success Lisa McLendon pose for a photo in the Stauffer-Flint Hall lobby on Friday. | Photo by Evan Riggs.

Elyce Arons, co-founder of the Kate Spade and Frances Valentine brands, visited the JMC School last Friday. It was Arons' first visit to the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence in more than four decades. Arons and Kate Spade both attended the JMC School for two years before transferring to Arizona State to finish their degrees. Arons hosted a fireside chat later that day in the Burge Union to discuss her new book, “We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship with Kate Spade,” published in June.

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. 

Have you thought about getting involved in campus media or joining a JMC student club? Getting involved not only helps you meet other students, but it also allows you to explore areas of interest and build job-related skills. All academic levels are welcome, and even freshmen are encouraged to try anything from the University Daily Kansan to Media Crossroads, attend a Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) or KU Ad Club meeting, or join the Sports Media Club. 

Students - How is your overall health and well-being? Taking care of your physical and mental health is an important part of your academic success. The demands of projects and exams, balancing multiple responsibilities and managing your stress level is not easy. KU students can find support and care through Watkins Health Services and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), both located in the Watkins Memorial Health Center (located by the Student Rec center and Capitol Federal Hall). 

Congratulations to lecturer Al Wallace on his induction into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame! The Enshrinement in Kansas is set to take place at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23, at the InterContinental Kansas City on the Plaza. Wallace covered sports for WDAF-TV in Kansas City for 33 years, from 1985 to 2018. Now he brings that knowledge into the classroom to guide KU JMC School students. Read more about Wallace and the rest of the inductees.

Los Angeles Times Opinion Editor Philip Gray visited with University Daily Kansan staffers and students in Professor of the Practice Lisa McLendon’s JMC 553 (Advanced Editing) class and University Daily Kansan Director of Strategy Nick Jungman’s JMC 551 (Advanced Reporting) class on Wednesday, Sept. 24. Gray discussed his career path, which began in Wichita and included time at the New York Times and Bloomberg News. 

Phillip Gray

Ellen Jovin is pictured with Michelle Keller (top left) and then with her husband and director of the "Rebel With a Clause" documentary, Brandt Johnson, talking to a member of the KU community on Monday. 

Ellen Jovin of “Grammar Table” fame set up the Grammar Table right outside of Stauffer-Flint Hall on Monday morning.

Search process begins for dean: Stephen Mazza, dean of the School of Law, and Mary Banwart, associate vice provost for Faculty Affairs, will co-chair the search for the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications dean. A full list of the search committee can be viewed online.  

Sign up for the CSIS bootcamp: The application for this year’s CSIS bootcamp is now open! You can find it along with other important details here. The travel dates are from March 14-21. Applications and recommendations are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24. The bootcamp will be a five-day program during KU’s spring break in 2026 in Washington, D.C., and Professor of the Practice Patricia Gaston will accompany students. You can read the reporting from last year’s group here.  

Director of Professional Graduate Studies Michelle Keller spoke before a sold-out crowd at the Digital Women KC MiniCon recently. She encouraged attendees to consider enrolling in our Digital & Integrated Marketing Communications program as a way to distinguish themselves from others in an increasingly competitive career field.

Assistant professor Yunwen Wang joined the editorial board of BMC Public Health (5-year Journal Impact Factor: 4.2), handling manuscripts on public health informatics and health communication. 

“To an anxious friend.” Kansas Reflector re-publishes William Allen White editorial: Throughout the editorial, White deals with the fundamental tensions in our democratic society: the freedom of speech, the fear of disorder and the worry that misguided ideas will triumph. Read the editorial.  

JMC School Career Fair approaching: 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. 

Cheers to Careers Podcast: JMC alum Jenna Barackman, professional sports, tourism and outdoors reporter for the Denver Business Journal, was a recent guest on the Cheers to Careers podcast.

Resource Center hosting camera workshop: Learn the basics of using a camera at this workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. in the Stauffer-Flint Hall Resource Center.

Internship and student jobs

Job opportunities

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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