During 2023-2024, the college completed several events and initiatives to engage our alumni. The Dean’s Advisory Board, established in May 2023, completed its first year of work, providing advice and insight into current industry trends to Dean Veil. The committee met on Zoom three times: Aug. 18, 2023, Jan. 30, 2024, and April 23. Additionally, the group met in person in Lincoln on Friday, Oct. 27.
The college also hosted several social events for alumni. On Aug. 9, 2023, the college hosted a Nebraska Reception at AEJMC in Washington, D.C. and invited local alumni to mix and mingle with college faculty attending the conference. On Sept. 8, 2023, the college co-hosted a Nebraska Tailgate in Denver before the Nebraska vs. Colorado football game. During the annual NYC Media Tour on Oct. 16, the college hosted a reception for New York City alumni to engage with students participating in the career exploration trip. The college continued its tradition of hosting an annual alumni party on Oct. 27, inviting all alumni to return to Andersen Hall, engage in some Husker spirit and ask about the latest happenings in the college.
In the spring of 2024, the college hosted a Young Alumni Dean’s Dinner on April 11 in partnership with other UNL Colleges. On April 13, the college hosted a celebration of life for emeriti faculty member George Tuck, providing an opportunity for former students to return to campus, connect with each other and celebrate the life of this influential professor.
In addition to hosting alumni events, the college welcomed several prominent alumni back to campus. Charlie Arnot, founder and CEO of Look East, visited on Sept. 15, 2023, and then returned to campus from April 3 to 5, 2024, to be honored as our Alumni Master. Kris Malkoski, CEO of Newell Brands and member of the Dean’s Advisory Board, met with students on Sept. 29. Adrian Whitsett, tri-state anchor at WCPO in Cincinnati, visited campus from Oct. 26 to 27 and was celebrated as the college’s Multicultural Homecoming honoree.
In the spring, the college welcomed two alumni with a global focus on speaking in courses. Ronald Ng, Global Chief Creative Officer for MRM, spoke on global advertising on April 11, and Dionne Searcy, New York Times reporter, spoke on global journalism on April 18. Both are members of the Dean’s Advisory Board.
In addition to alumni, the college welcomed two prominent guest speakers with the support of our alumni.
Jen Urich served as the Work Visiting Professor in Market Research during the spring of 2024. She is the founder and CEO of Sparrow Strategy. Her position was supported by a generous donation from Dick Worick, former chairman of the MSR group and 1977 graduate.
On April 25, 2024, the college hosted the Seline Lecture, featuring former White House Press Secretary Todd Purdum and former New York Times Reporter Mike McCurry. The lecture was supported by a generous donation from the Seline Family, which counts multiple members as alumni.
To engage donors, the college continued to work with the Comprehensive Campaign Committee established in 2022-2023, hosting meetings on Oct. 27, 2023, following our Dean’s Advisory Board meeting and April 11, 2024. The College also hosted the University of Nebraska Board of Trustees Dinner on Feb. 15, 2024, where Dean Shari Veil presented about the college’s accomplishments. The college continued our tradition of celebrating scholarship donors at an annual Scholarship Brunch on Nov. 4, 2023, and engaged students and faculty in our annual Glow Big Red Fundraising drive, which raised a record $20,704.
To engage the community, the college offered media training to the College of Public Health to provide skills to current UNMC students and Public Health Directors throughout Nebraska. Training was held on Jan. 18, 2024, Feb. 23, 2024, and April 8, 2024.
The college also partnered with the American Marketing Association Lincoln Chapter to host the AMA Skills School in the Agency. Events were held on Sept. 22, 2023, Oct. 10, 2023, Dec. 15, 2023, April 19, 2024, and June 28, 2024.
Finally, the college engaged several donors in events that benefit our students. Bailey Lauerman continued to support the Bailey Lauerman Design Diversity Challenge. This year’s event began on Oct. 13, 2024. Philip Perry continued his support of the Perry Photojournalism Challenge. The winner was announced on March 2, 2024. The college hosted the Omaha Press Club Foundation Board of Directors on March 25, 2024, who provide CoJMC students with scholarships each year.
| Strategy | Status | |
| 1 | Create and build alumni affinity groups that regularly connect and engage with college activities in regional communities and online | Finished |
| 2 | Establish a professional development program for alumni and working professionals that provides skills and training on current industry needs | In Progress |
| 3 | Become a central source for alumni hiring and looking for their next opportunity | In Progress |
| 4 | Expand career development services to provide career coaching and advising for graduate students and alumni seeking to launch, advance or change careers | In Progress |
| 5 | Develop a college-wide mentoring program through HuskerConnect for students to work with alumni and industry partners | Finished |
| 6 | Engage alumni and industry partners in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the experiential learning lab | Finished |
| 7 | Increase engagement between scholarship recipients and donors (e.g., One-for-One, thank you videos, awards celebration) | Finished |
| 8 | Create content strategy that features current students within the college and the work they are doing that is supported by donor funding (e.g., Perry Photo Challenge or Summer Internship) | In Progress |
| 9 | Establish a capital campaign committee to help identify influential alumni and potential donors and cultivate mutually beneficial relationships | Finished |
Proposed Amendments
- Amend the target 2,” Establish baselines and increase year-over-year alumni utilization of career development services by 10% each year,” to “Establish a baseline and increase the number of professional development opportunities for alumni and industry professionals supported by the college.”
Review of the Targets
| Task Name | 20-21 | 21-22 | 22-23 | 24-25 | 25-26 (goal) |
| Increase year-over-year attendance growth at alumni events by 10%i | 322 | 490 | 536 | 738 | 319 |
Proposed Amendment | |||||
| Establish a baseline and increase the number of professional development opportunities for alumni and industry professionals supported by the college | |||||
| 30% of undergraduate majors will be engaged in a mentor relationship | |||||
| Increase the number of repeat annual donors by 15%[i] | 427 | 465 | 359 | 389 | 491 |
| Increase the number of new donors by 15%[ii] | 95 | 267 | 83 | 103 | 110 |
[i] The number of retained donors, plus the number of reactivated donors between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, as reported by the University of Nebraska Foundation.
[ii] The number of acquired donors between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, as reported by the University of Nebraska Foundation.
