Dear Alumni and Friends,
When we wrote our strategic plan, now almost four years ago, one of our biggest debates, among the 75+ faculty, staff, students, alumni and industry partners who helped write the plan, was whether to include "storyteller" as a descriptor of our professions.
The argument against including the word was that journalists don't tell stories, they report facts. The argument for including the word was that a list of facts is not as compelling as a well-written story.
Our alums also go on to careers in public relations, advertising, fundraising, health communication, sports promotion and many other areas that require strong storytelling. Many of our alums have gone on to tell their own stories, like Pam (George) Ungashick ('80), Van Jensen ('04) and Jane Olson ('64), to name just a few.
Ultimately, the committee decided to include the word as a descriptor of our graduates. Specifically, our plan states: "Our graduates thrive: Our alumni are engaged in every sector of the media and communication industries. They are ethically grounded and globally-minded leaders, creators, strategists and storytellers who live and work around the corner and around the world."
This month's newsletter highlights two incredible storytellers who have also become dear friends of mine over the last few years. Kimberly (Arms) Shirk ('94)shares her story of how optimism prevails in the face of trauma. Keri (Benell) Mesropov ('92) shares her story of enduring intergenerational friendship. Both of these women are beautiful storytellers, and I am proud to lift up their stories from the recent issue of Nebraska Quarterly.
Another great storyteller from the CoJMC has been winning big awards this year. Gilbert and Martha Hitchcock Professor Barney McCoy's documentary "Running Towards the Fire" was recently awarded the Grand Prize for best TV documentary at the Marina del Rey Film Festival.
Assistant Professor Kelli Boling also received some well-deserved recognition as the recipient of the Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Early-Career Woman Scholar Award. Professor Boling's research examines the critical challenges that women, especially women of color and victims of domestic violence, face in media representation today.
I'm pleased to welcome three new faces to the CoJMC Family this summer. Read more about Associate Professor of Sport Promotion Betsy Emmons, Assistant Professor of Practice in Journalism Leslie Klein and Academic Advisor Vannessa Killen.
If you're in Kansas City later this month or Philly in early August, I hope you'll join me for our upcoming networking socials and receptions.
Finally, check out all our Huskers on the Move, and let me know if you've made a career change or are looking for your next opportunity.
We are here to help!
Shari
