THIS MONTH'S HIGHLIGHT

RESEARCH, PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS

Assistant Professor Judy Watts and Associate Professor Mugur Geana's applications for the 2023 Course Design Institute have been selected for funding by the KU Center for Teaching Excellence. As instructors for the two sections of JMC 460 offered in the fall, Dr. Watts and Dr. Geana will work together and receive guidance from CTE specialists to redesign JMC 460. The new course structure and content will focus on critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and research ethics as the three pillars of the new framework for teaching strategic communication research methods to undergraduate students.

Gerri Berendzen and Lisa McLendon did training sessions Friday, April 14, for the editorial staff of the KU Office of Marketing Communications. Berendzen did a presentation called "Fact Checking Beyond the News" about verification and information credibility. McLendon presented "Can They Say That? When 'wrong' may actually be right," about the shifting line between standard language and evolving words and usages. They were invited to speak by Debra Graber, associate director for editorial services at KU.

Professor of the Practice Angie Hendershot and Assistant Dean Matt Tidwell presented their research titled “Lessons from five years of immersive and experiential condensed capstone courses” at the Marketing Educators’ Association 2023 Annual Conference on April 14 in San Francisco.

STUDENT NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES

Community Journalism presentations

Students Camryn Robbinson, Annie Gallup and Katie Hanney were among those to present newspaper management reports in their Community Journalism course last week. The class, which also works for The Eudora Times, was assigned to weeklies in Kansas to learn about circulation, advertising, the newsroom, the business community and overall operations to decide if they wanted to "buy" their assigned newspaper. Associate Professor Teri Finneman said the goal was to expose students to the unique opportunities in rural newsrooms. These students decided to "buy" the Iola Register.

Congratulations to freshman Aliya Kisivo, who has been awarded a $5,000 scholarship from Signal Theory, in partnership with The BrandLab. With offices in Kansas City and Wichita, Signal Theory is focused on animal health and the foodways system, including agriculture, food production and processing, consumer packaged goods and restaurants. The BrandLab works with organizations to ensure that the work, workplace, and workers allow for inclusive and equitable environments for all talent to thrive. 

Journalism student Victoria Garcia Unzueta was named Student Employee of the Year for 2022-23 during a ceremony last week at the KU Memorial Union. Garcia Unzueta, who works for the History of Black Writing in the English department, received $500 for the recognition. The award was established to recognize the student employees that embody service excellence, dedication and whose academic achievements remain stellar. Other journalism and mass communications students nominated for the honor were Riley Braswell, Transition to Postsecondary Education; Natalie Lindsey, Journalism and Mass Communications; Shamaria Massenburg, Student Affairs; and Gabby Tappan, Education and Human Sciences. Aisha Malik, a speech pathology language and hearing major, was nominated for her work at the J-School.

Several KU students have been named finalists for Great Plains Journalism Awards. The University Daily Kansan staff is a finalist for best website. Lily Witkowski and Caroline Soro are finalists for Student Broadcast of the Year, as is the staff of The Playmakers. The winners will be announced and all finalists will be honored at an event May 5 at the Tulsa Press Club.

The Kansas Association of Broadcasters and KAB Foundation are helping to guarantee the future of broadcasting in Kansas with a scholarship fund to aid in the higher education of promising students who are pursuing a broadcast or a related curriculum. Deadline is May 1. Apply here.

Congratulations to Caroline Zimmerman, who was recently was chosen to receive the White House Correspondents’ Association scholarship. The WHCA scholarship is awarded annually to a J-School student who excels at media information management. Student winners are chosen for their reputations for accuracy in fact checking and the ability to access databases, government documents and personal sources. Scholarship winners are invited to the annual WHCA dinner in Washington, featured at a scholarship luncheon the day before, and paired, when possible, with volunteers from the White House press corps for a year of mentoring. Caroline has worked for The University Daily Kansan and currently works for The Eudora Times as the City Commission reporter.

CAREER & OUTREACH CENTER

VMLY&R is providing a virtual educational experience for college students. During a series of 10 weekly seminars from June 15 to Aug. 16, participants will learn about the different disciplines within VMLY&R, what each does, and the part each plays in creating connected brands. Additionally, it offers valuable interaction with leaders from the organization. Apply here. Deadline is April 20.

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.

Direct Action and Research Training Center will hold an online info session at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 12, to discuss careers in community organizing. All KU students and alumni are welcome, particularly those graduating before August 2023. DART trains professional organizers and community organizations how to work for social, economic and racial justice. RSVP here.

JOBS & INTERNSHIPS

Job opportunities

▮ Digital site producer, WJTV (Hattiesburg, Mississippi)

▮ Technical media producer, KWCH 12 (Wichita, Kansas)

▮ Anchor/reporter, KAKE-TV (Wichita, Kansas)

▮ Sales account executive, KAKE-TV (Wichita, Kansas)

▮ Multimedia journalist, KAKE-TV (Wichita, Kansas)

▮ Manager of athletic communications and media, NAIA (Kansas City)

▮ Communications specialist, Orion Engineered Carbons (Lincoln, Nebraska)

Internships and student jobs

▮ Communications intern, SPM Communications (Dallas, Texas)

▮ Student hourly-design/communications, Kansas African Studies Center (Lawrence, Kansas)

▮ Student creative assistants, KU Athletics (Lawrence, Kansas)

▮ Editing for presentation, McClatchy (remote)

Find more job and internship postings on the J-School website.

EVENTS

The Dole Institute of Politics presents a Discussion Group series, “Building Democracy in the 21st Century.” The event, at 4 p.m. April 19, features J-School alumnus and 2022 Dole Fellow Jerry Seib moderating a conversation with Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and New Mexico’s Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who have both signed The Carter Center’s Candidate Principles for Trusted Elections. Seib will focus the discussion on The Carter Center’s Candidate Principles for Trusted Elections, and how they can help candidates, parties and citizens promote election integrity and confidence in the voting process.

The Center for Global and International Studies is hosting Leonardo Sakamoto, journalist and human rights activist, on Tuesday, April 18, for an informal discussion about the current state of Brazilian politics. This will include the recent election in Brazil and the post-election invasion of government buildings. The School of Journalism and Mass Communications is a sponsor of the discussion. The event is at noon in Alderson Auditorium.

Journalists and media lawyers are confronted with legal arguments and judicial opinions threatening to turn well-established First Amendment principles upside down. The 35th Annual Media and the Law Seminar will highlight issues in an increasingly gray First Amendment landscape. Register now for the 35th Annual Media and the Law Seminar: “Upside Down: First Amendment in Flux?” in Kansas City on April 20 and 21. The event is presented by the University of Kansas School of Law and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association Media Law Committee.

William Allen White School of Journalism

& Mass Communications

Stauffer-Flint Hall

1435 Jayhawk Blvd.

Lawrence, KS 66045

www.journalism.ku.edu