Director's Note

As we wrap up the year, I want to share the news that I will be returning next academic year as the permanent Director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. I’m looking forward to leading the school with our dedicated faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends. We have a lot to look forward to as we approach the School’s 100th Anniversary in 2024. We will be hosting several events in Iowa City and planning visits to cities in the U.S. I hope to see many of you in 2024 as we reflect on our history and look to our future.

We ended the year on a high note with SJMC student Eleanor Hildebrandt’s selection as a CLAS commencement speaker. Eleanor spoke during the afternoon ceremony and received her degree along with graduates from SJMC and across CLAS. It was a joyful event, and we’re incredibly proud of the Class of 2023 for all their accomplishments.

                                                                             Eleanor Hildebrandt

Several SJMC faculty and graduate students traveled to Toronto, Canada to participate in the 2023 International Communication Association (ICA) Annual Conference. The ICA conference is the largest in our field and attracts researchers from around the world.

This is our final e-newsletter of the 2022-2023 year. You’ll be hearing from us again in August. In the meantime, stay up to date by following us on social media and look for a print newsletter in your mailbox this summer. If necessary, please update your mailing address and other contact information so we can keep in touch.

If you have a story to share, please send it to sjmc@uiowa.edu.

Melissa Tully, Interim Director

Faculty News

Melissa Tully has been promoted from Associate Professor to Professor! She has also been named a CLAS Collegiate Scholar for 2023-2025. 

Tom Oates received an Arts and Humanities Initiative Award to support the Fall 2023 Obermann Arts and Humanities Symposium, “Sports, Power and Resistance: Legacies and Futures.” In addition to panels and lectures, the event will include screenings and discussions of recent documentary films on the topic of sports and politics. Professor Oates is co-organizing the event with Travis Vogan, professor of American studies and journalism and mass communication. The symposium is scheduled for September 21-23, 2023. Visit the conference website to learn more.

Rachel Young and Melissa Tully explore the reasons why parents may choose not to monitor or restrict their kids' media use in their recent research published in the Journal of Children and Media.

Brian Ekdale and members of the Algorithms and Culture Research Group co-authored an article published in Communication, Culture & Critique that offers a way to study racial bias in personalization algorithms that recognizes the complexity of race as a social construct. 

Gigi Durham received the 2023 Michael Brody Award for Faculty Excellence in Service! Gigi was also featured in the highly acclaimed Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields documentary for her work on media sexualization.

Graduate Student News

Tessa Adams and Patrick Johnson have been selected recipients of John F. Murray awards. Adams received the John F. Murray Outstanding Doctoral Student Award for Teaching. Johnson received the John F. Murray Outstanding Doctoral Student Award for Research.  

                                                                Tessa Adams and Patrick Johnson

Frankline Matanji won the Carl J. Nelson Memorial Research Award for his service as Managing Editor of the Journal of Communication Inquiry.

Patrick Johnson and Mir Ashfaquzzaman accepted their Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards.

                                                        Patrick Johnson and Mir Ashfaquzzaman

Ugochukwu Madu received a 2023 Graduate Engagement Corp Grant for a community-engaged project in Nigeria.

Congratulations to Tessa, Patrick, Mir, Frank and Ugo!

Undergraduate News

Hannah Pinski, outgoing Executive Editor of The Daily Iowan, won the 2023 Dan Harrison Memorial Student Editor of the Year from the Great Plains Journalism Awards. Several other students were recognized as award winners and finalists.

Eight seniors were inducted into Kappa Tau Alpha this spring. Kappa Tau Alpha is a college honor society that recognizes academic excellence and promotes scholarship in journalism and mass communication. Congratulations to Alexandra Kautzman, Gretchen Lenth (top scholar), Lally Morales, Rin Swann, Eleanor Hildebrandt, Carly Dalberg, Maizie Lawrence, and Kathryn Shumaker!

SJMC students Eleanor Hildebrandt and Carly Dalberg received an honorable mention from the 2023 Gracie Awards for their "On the Record" podcast. The Gracies are awarded by the Alliance for Women in Media.

At the end of April, a group of Event Management students traveled to Denver, Colorado to meet with event professionals and to visit several venues, including the Broncos Stadium, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and the Colorado Convention Center.

We’re Hiring

We’re currently accepting applications for an open-rank tenure-track position in Journalism Studies. Review of applications will begin September 15, 2023.