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.

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, Hallmark, Walz Tetrick, Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, WIBW-TV, KMBC-TV, Kansas Association of Broadcasters, Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence.

Attention, new KU students! Have you completed all of the items on New Jayhawk Checklist? To avoid enrollment holds, you must complete the required AlcoholEdu and RespectEdu trainings soon. Enrollment holds will prevent you from enrolling in Spring 2026 classes, so don’t delay. 

Did you know that KU has an Emergency Aid Network? If you are experiencing an unexpected financial hardship or crisis, aid may be available to help reduce or alleviate the obstacle. Emergency aid can be in the form of food pantries, housing assistance, grants, loans, services or other student resources. Review the emergency grant application guidelines. If you have questions or need guidance, you can contact the network at emergencyaid@ku.edu.    

Jayhawk Finances has four workshops this month, with topics on Managing Debt & Credit and Advanced Saving & Investing. All four are offered virtually over Zoom. Check out the full schedule.

Drop-in advising is available through the rest of the semester in 117 Stauffer-Flint from 12:30-4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Any enrollment, current semester, sequencing and other questions you have, we are here to answer.

KSPA Director Barb Tholen is a recipient of the Pioneer Award, the National Scholastic Press Association announced on Saturday. The Pioneer Award is presented annually to individuals who have provided outstanding service to student media through their leadership, mentorship and commitment to press freedom. The honorees will be recognized during the National High School Journalism Convention in either November 2025 in Nashville or in April 2026 in Minneapolis. Read more about the award winners.

Barb Tholen

KU hosts KSPA Fall Conference: High school students from across Kansas traveled to the University of Kansas for the 2025 Kansas Press Association Fall Conference. The Fall Conferences are a KSPA tradition, inspiring student journalists across the state at the beginning of their year on their publication staff or at the start of their journalism classes. The conference featured breakout sessions hosted by KU School of Journalism and Mass Communications students, faculty and staff. 

High school students gather for the opening of the KSPA Fall Conference in the Kansas Memorial Union. | Photo by Maya Smith.  

Did you know you can submit work from your summer internship for entry into the Hearst Journalism Awards? Work by students that was published in professional publications is eligible if you get a letter from the editor attesting that the entry is the student’s work. To be considered, see Gerri Berendzen at the Bremner Editing Center, Stauffer-Flint Room 112, or email gberendzen@ku.edu. The contest has entry deadlines throughout the year. Deadline for submitting in the feature writing category is Nov. 4, news and feature photography is Nov. 11, television features is Nov. 18 and sports writing is Dec. 16.

PRSSA to meet Oct. 8: The club will be joined by guest speaker Cozetta Smith, director of public relations at BarkleyOKRP. 

Sports Media Club to meet Oct. 7: Learn more about opportunities in the JMC School and student media from members of Run it Back, KJHK Radio and the UDK. Pizza will be provided. 

Volunteers needed for NCAA Volleyball Championships in Kansas City, Dec. 17-21: This is an excellent opportunity for hands-on experience to add to a resume and to get your foot in the door. The sign-up sheet is here. Volunteer roles: 

A sneak peak at the William Allen White printing press. | Photo courtesy of Teri Finneman.

Professor Teri Finneman and Assistant Professor Melissa Greene-Blye received a behind-the-scenes tour of the ongoing renovation at the Kansas Museum of History. The museum plans to reopen to the public Nov. 22 after the three-year renovation and includes a William Allen White printing press on prominent display. A special exhibit gallery will recognize 80 years of Kansas magazine.

Professor of the Practice Lisa McLendon’s article “AI is everywhere. Editors should be, too” was published by the Poynter Institute.

Professor Stephen Wolgast, Knight Chair of Audience and Community Engagement in News, was selected to participate in a year-long series of discussions with instructors from across campus in an effort to implement KU’s Irise values in classes. Led by Dr. Nancy Snow, professor of philosophy, the cohort is discussing virtue ethics as a framework for including integrity, respect, innovation, stewardship and excellence in redesigned courses. Last semester, student scholars at KU identified JMC408 Media Law and Ethics, which Wolgast teaches, as a promising candidate for the character development program. The series is funded by an institutional impact grant from the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University.

Assistant Professor Megan Denneny’s recent collaborative research was published in Violence Against Women. This study analyzes 50 episodes from nine Spanish-language TV series set in Latin America, finding that 90% of episodes depict gender-based violence. However, few portray positive behavior modeling (e.g., victims seeking help) or include educational content. These findings underscore the need for research and interventions addressing how entertainment media shape discourse around gender-based violence. Read the full study. 

Megan Denneny

Professor Mugur Geana presented his talk titled "Measuring What Matters: Monitoring and Evaluating Health Interventions in Justice Settings" to the HE4Her International Conference in Helsinki, Finland on Oct. 2. The event, attended by representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations from the European Union who work with women involved with the criminal justice system, was made possible through an Erasmus+ grant. The event culminates two years of research, planning, development, and pilot-testing of a highly successful educational intervention focused on increasing health literacy and knowledge about sexually transmissible infections among this at-risk population. Dr. Geana collaborated with teams from Romania, Greece, Turkiye, and Finland, and provided scientific advice to the project, which was co-funded by the European Union.

Doris Truong, a journalism inclusion expert, will present a program called “Centering a range of perspectives” from noon-1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, in the Clarkson Gallery. She will cover ways to ensure that your journalism and mass communication work captures life experiences that reflect your multidimensional audience. The presentation will include small breakout sessions and examples of how to include all parts of your audience. Truong led teaching and diversity strategies for the Poynter Institute and has two decades of daily news experience at The Washington Post and The Dallas Morning News. 

The Washington Press Club Foundation is hosting a series of webinars connecting aspiring journalists to Washington, DC reporters, editors and bureau chiefs. These programs are specifically designed for journalism students to gain practical insights into the changing culture and practices of media organizations as preparation for their future job search. Visit www.wpcf.org for more information.

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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