Dear Alumni and Friends,
We have so much to be thankful for in the CoJMC! Our Bateman Case Competition students received their first-place trophy at the International Public Relations Student Society of America Conference, Seaton Professor Valerie Jones won the university-wide research slam, we hosted the Flatwater Free Press Forum: Nebraska’s Prisons at a Crossroads, cut the ribbon on the Don and Lorena Meier Studio and launched the Only in Nebraska Campaign. And that was just last week!
Next week, esteemed CoJMC alumna and human rights activist Jane Olson will give a public talk about her new book, World Citizen: Journeys of a Humanitarian, at the International Quilt Museum. I hope you can join us! We will also be recording Jane’s talk to share with our alumni community. You can view the recordings from the Meier Studio Ribbon Cutting, Flatwater Free Press Forum and our recent Experience Lab Showcase. Whether you are right here in Lincoln or around the world, we want you to know what’s happening at Dear Old Nebraska U.
I continue to be humbled by the incredible dedication of our college alumni. CoJMC alumni Elizabeth Austin, Steve Chatelain, Mary Jo Chatelain, Carla Engstrom, Mark Getzfred, Alisa Miller and L. Kent Wolgamott recently launched a letter writing campaign while grieving the loss of professor and friend, Mike Stricklin, who passed away this September. The letters encourage others to continue Stricklin’s legacy by giving to the Michael Stricklin Scholarship Fund to help students pursue a career in journalism.
Six CoJMC alumni were recently selected for the Young Alumni Academy, a professional and personal development program devoted to enhancing the connection between young alumni and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Congratulations to Mia Azizah, Cara Brackett, Alex Fernando, Casey Venema, Caelan Debban, Morgan Holen and all our Huskers on the Move.
Congrats also go out to alumnus Rick Bettger who was named to the inaugural class of Entrepreneurship Fellows, alumni Beverly Deepe Keever, David Luebke, Matt Waite, Kent Warneke and Jeff Zeleny who were inducted into the Daily Nebraskan Hall of Fame and to Professors Emeritus John Bender and Tim Anderson who were inducted into the Nebraska Journalism Hall of Fame. Alumnus Mark Matousek highlights why he gives back to the college in this Scholarship Spotlight.
Earlier this month, several of our students attended the SPJ Media Fest22 in Washington D.C. They returned to Lincoln inspired, and we had over 80 students providing extensive election night coverage! Nebraska News Service, our statewide wire service, was the central hub for the coverage, while 90.3 KRNU and streaming broadcast Nebraska Nightly went live with cut-ins throughout the evening over the airwaves and on our YouTube channel. Through a partnership with the Public Insight Lab, students also monitored social media insights throughout the evening.
This issue of the alumni newsletter highlights the incredible work of our faculty and students in our sports media and communication major, including stories on Associate Professor John Shrader and the hands-on experiences our students Regan Vaccaro, Ashley Beckman and Ethan Weldon have gained working with Husker Athletics. We also feature stories on faculty super stars Ciera Kirkpatrick and Jessica Walsh, our new afterschool program with Bay High, our support of the Nebraska High School Press Association, the winners of the Bailey Lauerman Design Diversity Challenge, professional development opportunities for Jacht and our October Student of the Month.
Lastly, we say goodbye to alumnus Wayne Charles Kreuscher. A graduate of both the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Journalism and the University of Nebraska School of Law, Wayne was the editor of the Daily Nebraskan and a member of the Innocents Society.
Happy Thanksgiving. Hold your loved ones tight and go Big Red!
Shari
