William Allen White Day
Kevin Merida, executive editor at the Los Angeles Times, accepted the 2023 William Allen White Foundation National Citation award last week during William Allen White Day. Donors and more than 240 students also were recognized at the J-School's Scholarships and Awards ceremony, and Professors Carol Holstead and Angie Hendershot also received awards. (below)
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Bowling Award
Congratulations to Associate Professor Carol Holstead (right), who was awarded the Anne and Jack Bowling Family Excellence in Teaching Award during William Allen White Day. Anne (middle) is a School of Journalism and Mass Communications graduate, and Jack (left) is a KU School of Business graduate.
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Bengtson Award
Congratulations to Angie Hendershot (left), professor of the practice, who was awarded the Bengtson Faculty Mentor Award during William Allen White Day. J-School alumnus Mark Mears (right), who established the award to honor Professor Emeritus Tim Bengtson, helped present the award.
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RESEARCH, PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS | |
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Associate Professor Genelle Belmas served as a panelist at the 35th annual Media and the Law seminar in Kansas City on April 21. She discussed the legal challenges faced by university-affiliated reporters before an audience of media and First Amendment attorneys.
Belmas was elected to the AEJMC Professional Freedom and Responsibility committee. She will begin her term in August.
Belmas also was quoted in the Christian Science Monitor story on whether the Dominion v. Fox News case could case be weaponized against freedom of press.
Two interviews with Stephen Wolgast, Knight Chair for Audience and Community Engagement in News, have been viewed more than 1,000 times each by students at Beijing University. The interviews, part of a MOOC on English for Journalism through the Beijing American Center, were conducted in March by an English teacher working with the U.S. Department of State’s Virtual Educator Program. Among the topics were the history of the free press in the England and the United States and how the modern American press may choose to be disinterested or to follow a point of view. The videos were posted on a Chinese website through an account run by the U.S. Embassy.
Eric Thomas earned two awards from the Kansas Press Association for his work with the Kansas Reflector, a nonprofit news outlet covering news in the state. A selection of three columns earned first place in the state’s largest division. Also, a photo gallery of the KU men’s basketball pep rally after the 2022 national championship earned third place in the photo gallery category.
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Kansas Collegiate Media conference
Eric Thomas visited the Kansas Collegiate Media conference on April 17 as the keynote speaker for the final day of the Wichita event. Thomas spoke about his weekly column for the Kansas Reflector and how to “Cover now what you can never cover again.”
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Join us for the J-School Media Arts & Production Gallery Exhibition, 4-6 p.m. on May 4 in the Stauffer-Flint Hall lobby, where student work from the Media Arts & Production concentration will be on display. All are welcome, and refreshments will be served. A panel discussion will begin at 5 p.m. Come celebrate the creative accomplishments of these amazing students. | |
AMC Theatres VP visits classes
Ryan Noonan, vice president of corporate communications at AMC Theatres, spoke to Professor of the Practice Angie Hendershot’s Introduction to Strategic Communication and Strategic Communication II classes last week. Noonan described the importance of good writing, relationships and storytelling when working with reporters and news outlets. He also shared his own career journey from Kansas sports news reporting, agricultural public relations and social media operations leading to his public relations role at the global entertainment giant.
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STUDENT NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES | |
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KUJH News and Good Morning Indian Country have been chosen by the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education to participate in the Inclusive Storytelling Initiative for AP Network Newsrooms this May and June. Only nine news organizations nationwide were chosen to participate. Good Morning Indian Country and KUJH News will be in a cohort alongside the Las Cruces Sun-News and KLKN-TV.
Jobtest.org is offering a $1,000 scholarship to a student so they can continue to educate themselves and explore potential careers that align with their goals and bring them lifetime fulfillment. Deadline to apply is July 1. Learn more.
The Ensō Superfoods' Wellness Warriors Scholarship is a $500 annual scholarship that’s open to all students who are intentional about managing their personal wellness. The deadline to apply is July 1. Learn more.
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Students cover Kansas Relays
The JMC 610 Advanced Visual Media class covered the Kansas Relays last week, creating 10 photo albums on the University Daily Kansan page on Instagram. The 13 students provided coverage all three days of the event. (photo by Eric Thomas)
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The National Sports Media Association’s Sports Media Convergence Summit, featuring more than a dozen seminars and panels presented by some of the top professionals in the sports media industry, is set for June 25-26 at the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Marriott. The early-bird fee is $129 (through May 1; $149 after that) and includes a boxed lunch each of the two days. Students may elect to attend the rest of the Awards Weekend & National Convention. Register here. | |
Cheers to Careers: Kelly Conkright
Kelly Conkright, brand strategist and founder of The Brand Terminal, was a recent guest with Steve Rottinghaus on the Cheers to Careers podcast. Watch on YouTube.
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Job opportunities
▮ Digital and social media marketing coordinator, Newcomer Funeral Service Group (Topeka, Kansas)
▮ Traffic director, Eagle Communications (Junction City, Kansas)
▮ Part-time administrative assistant, Eagle Communications (Salina, Kansas)
▮ Multimedia reporter/journalist, KCEC Univision Colorado (Denver, Colorado)
▮ Multimedia communications specialist, Lawrence Public Schools (Lawrence, Kansas)
▮ Manager-Emerging Tech and Digital Products, Kansas City Royals (Kansas City)
▮ Communications coordinator, Hall Center for the Humanities (Lawrence, Kansas)
Internships and student jobs
▮ Content writer/marketing intern, City Wide Facility Solutions (Lenexa, Kansas/hybrid)
▮ Summer reporting intern, MinnPost (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
▮ Marketing and engagement intern, Whole Parent Foundation (Kansas City)
Find more job and internship postings on the J-School website.
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Devan Burris is a digital producer at CNBC in New York City.
Ryan Liston is the Note & Comment Editor at Minnesota Law Review.
Alison Young has published “Pandora’s Gamble,” which examines the troubling history and enormous risks of leaks and accidents at scientific labs.
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Calendar
April 27: ACEJMC Accreditation Informational Forum, 2-3 p.m., Clarkson Gallery
April 28: Graduate Committee meeting, noon-1 p.m., Stauffer-Flint Hall, Room 119
May 5: Faculty and staff meeting with lunch afterward, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Clarkson Gallery
May 5: ACEJMC Accreditation Informational Forum, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Clarkson Gallery
May 13: J-School Recognition Ceremony, 8:30 a.m., Lied Center
May 14: KU Commencement, Memorial Stadium
Aug. 16: Bootcamp for incoming Ph.D. and MSJ students, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., location TBD
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William Allen White School of Journalism
& Mass Communications
Stauffer-Flint Hall
1435 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045
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