Local high school students look on during a panel hosted by KU athletes and media professionals. | Photo by JMC student Maya Smith

To celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the KU School of Journalism and Mass Communications hosted panels to allow female high school students interested in sports to meet with KU JMC students, KU athletes and media professionals on Feb. 2.

Senior award application now open: Each spring semester, the School of Journalism and Mass Communications distributes several student awards. For this application, students must be graduating in the 2025 calendar year with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. If this applies to you:

Good Morning Indian Country anchors Allison Levering and Shia Blackcloud are pictured with Academy Award-winning director Kevin Willmott last week during his visit to the studio. | Photo courtesy of Assistant Professor Melissa Greene-Blye. 

Academy Award-winning director and KU professor emeritus, Kevin Willmott stopped by the studio last week to discuss his work and an upcoming film festival to celebrate that work and his time at KU. Good Morning Indian Country Anchors Allison Levering and Shia Blackcloud and KUJH News Producer/Anchor Charley-Ann Ortiz interviewed Willmott. Both interviews will air during their respective newscasts next week.

The festival is set for Feb. 18-21 at Liberty Hall and will feature four of Willmott's films accompanied by panel discussions following the screenings. More information on the festival is available here. 

Braves communicator to speak with Sports Media Club on Thursday: JMC alum Mitch George, senior coordinator of baseball communications for the Atlanta Braves, will be the virtual guest at the KU Sports Media Club meeting at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 13 in the Clarkson Gallery. He will share his career story before a Q&A.

Apply for Creativity & Culture in Rome by Feb. 16: The program focuses on helping students develop the ability to immerse, observe, understand and connect with people and culture in context. In addition to structured, ethnographic exploration, the program includes a series of collaborative group intensive creative workshops. The program is open to all undergraduate and graduate students sophomore level and above with a minimum 2.5 GPA. Apply online here.

Study Abroad: Come join the fun in Stirling, Scotland this summer through the Study Abroad Program. Take a sports media course through KU and an additional, unique course through the University of Stirling. The four-week course runs from June 7 to July 5. Attend informational meetings on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 11 a.m. or Thursday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. For more information, contact Cal Butcher at calbutch@ku.edu.  

One Day One KU is next week! Join us Feb. 20-21 from noon to noon for #OneDayOneKU. For this year’s giving day, the JMC School is raising funds to support journalism scholarships, our sports media fund and students facing emergencies.

Help spread the word by signing up as a One Day One KU ambassador. More information is available here. 

Lecturer Gerri Berendzen was interviewed for an article on the International Journalists’ Network website titled “Effective self-editing tips every journalist should know.” The story covers the pitfalls of overlooking self-editing in an era of instant sharing, such as damage to a journalist’s credibility, and offers tips for journalists who are reviewing their own work.

Associate Professor Teri Finneman takes an in-depth look at the position of U.S. first lady and how the role has evolved in a new book. According to Finneman these women could be called the original influencers. Read the full release.

Professor of the Practice Lisa McLendon served as the official pronouncer for the Douglas County Spelling Bee on Saturday, Feb. 8. This bee is the first step for local elementary- and middle-school students on the route to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The first meeting of the Experimental Research Group (ERG) this semester will take place on Monday, Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. at the Center for Excellence in Health Communications to Underserved Populations - 2001 Dole. The agenda includes planning for new projects as well as continuing the work on papers using data from previous experimental studies. The meeting is open to all faculty and students (undergraduate and graduate) interested in experimental research. For any inquiries about the ERG contact Dr. Mugur Geana at geanam@ku.edu.

Lecturer Eric Thomas spoke at “Pizza & Politics,” a series sponsored by the Dole Institute of Politics and their Student Advisory Board. The topic of the Feb. 7 presentation was “Fame and Fortune: The Evolving Role of the Wealthy in Politics.” Thomas was joined by Misty Heggeness from KU to talk about Elon Musk, Taylor Swift and other celebrities, particularly in regard to their political influence.  

Donuts with the Dean: Stop by the Stauffer-Flint Hall lobby Feb. 11 between 9-10 a.m. for a donut and a chance to chat with Dean Ann Brill.

The JMC Colloquium session on science and environmental communication will take place on Friday, Feb 21, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Clarkson Gallery. Lunch will be provided. Dr. Bruno Takahashi, Brandt Endowed Professor of Environmental Communication at Michigan State University, and members of the JMC Science Communication Research Group (leader: Associate Professor Hong Tien Vu), will present and discuss their research projects in the field of science and environmental communication.

Lecturer Eric Thomas is one of the featured speakers at The Educate & Act series at KU hosted by The Commons and the Center for Service Learning on Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m. This is one of three virtual events this semester for students, staff and faculty. The series offers opportunities to learn about the relationship between specific domains and U.S. democracy through research and resources around civic participation. Register to attend on Zoom.

Career and Outreach Coordinator to host Feb. 25 event to prepare First-Gen Students: All KU Journalism and Mass Communications First-Gen Students are welcome to attend a “Supporting First-Gen Students for Internships and Postgraduation Success” session at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the Clarkson Gallery in Stauffer-Flint Hall. Steve Rottinghaus, the JMC career and outreach coordinator, will share tips on resume and cover letter development, internship and job searches, networking and preparing for the career fair on March 6.

Career Fair set for March 6 at Stauffer-Flint Hall: The Spring Journalism and Mass Communications Career Fair is set for 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Thursday, March 6, at Stauffer-Flint Hall. A plethora of organizations connected to multimedia journalism, digital marketing, communications, advertising, public relations, sports media and media arts plan to participate. A professional photographer will be available to take LinkedIn portraits between 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Submit your resume for review to Steve Rottinghaus, career and outreach coordinator, between Feb. 11-28 or drop off in Stauffer-Flint Hall, room 120.

Cheers to Careers podcast: JMC alums Leif Lisec, a longtime Kansas City sports broadcaster, and Kelly Wachel, chief communications officer at Park Hill School District, were recent guests.

Internship and student jobs

Job opportunities

Grant Overstake j’80, recently had his original full-cast audio drama, “The Real Education of TJ Crowley: Coming of Age on the Redline,” has been named a finalist for the 2025 Audie Awards, presented by the Audio Publishers Association (APA). The Audie Awards honor the highest achievements in audio storytelling. Read the full news release here.

George Mohrbacher died January 9 at age 81. Read his obituary here.

Calendar

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

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and procedures and is the Title IX Coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY. Reports can be submitted by contacting the Title IX Coordinator as provided herein or online and complaints can be submitted with the Title IX Coordinator or