jlinks fall 2006

What’s Inside...

Summer/Fall 2006

(Dean’s Letter – continued on page 2)

Faces in the J-School: from top, the first directly-admitted freshmen class; Carnez Williams, a multi-cultural scholar; and the Maxwell and Adams twins.

Letter from the Dean

Ear

l Rich

ards

on

Ann M. Brill

Meagan Kelleher

(Out of the Tap – continued on page 2)

Out of the Tap: Reporting class explores local water issuesBy Fred Davis III, Topeka senior

W ater was the theme of the summer forseven University ofKansas journalism stud-ents as they participatedin a summer reportingclass, taught by Prof-essor Rick Musser, thatexamined various as-pects of Clinton Lakeand its importance tothe city of Lawrence.

The class, fundedby a grant from theKansas WaterLINK pro-gram, worked with The Lawrence Journal-World to produce “Out of the Tap,” a two-dayseries that featured the students’ work.

The series included a variety of stories, from the history of Clinton Lake to the impactof sedimentation on the nearly thirty-year-old body of water. A multimedia approachutilizing both print and video packages highlighted the series that ran in The LawrenceJournal-World over the Labor Day weekend.

A key aspect of the class was that it marked the first time most of the students haddone any kind of environmental reporting.

+ New J-School Faculty and Staff+ Student Awards and Recognition+ Editors Day Review+ John Katich Creativity Award+ Calendar of Events+ Community Journalism Grant Update+ Middle Schoolers as Citizen Journalists+ Alumni Reunion Events+ Alumni News & Notes+ Alumni Profiles - Traci Carl: Associated Press Bureau Chief of Mexico and Central America - Walter Lietzen: Retired Newspaperman - Jennifer Volanakis: PR Practitioner

View of Clinton Lake

I t’s been a busy summer and fall at the J-School. As you will read in this issue, we have some new faces and we’ve had lots of visitors. Some of us also have spent quite a bit of time on the road talking with alumni and others about our exciting changes.

Let me tell you about some of the personnel joining us since our last J-Links. Thecampus has a new provost, who you’ve probably read about. What you may not knowabout is a challenge he issued soon after arriving on campus – he asked everyone toclearly and succinctly say why he or she is here. For me, that means sharing my skills,passion and integrity related to journalism and journalism education. As a faculty andstaff, we decided we are here because people need to know. Without information, citizenscannot make informed choices – and that applies to both theeditorial and persuasive aspects of journalism. We feel honoredto be able to be part of a great learning community at KU.

This summer, the School hired a new coordinator of studentrecruitment and retention, Sara Gillham. Part of her job is to definethe School for students making a decision about what universityto attend. She talks to them about the traditions that define thisSchool as well as our national reputation in the use of technology.She uses the Bremner Center as an example of the commitmentwe have to one important tradition — quality editing.

(Out of the Tap – continued from page 1)(Dean’s Letter – continued from page 1)

2 J-Links Summer/Fall 2006

Photos from a J-School graduate program student town hall meeting at the Edwards Campus.

“It was a chal-lenge talking withpeople who areexperts in their fieldand trying to under-stand the vocab-ulary,” said ErinCastaneda, Topekasenior, whose storyfocused on recreationat Clinton Lake.

Castaneda saidthat working withMusser helped andthat overall sheenjoyed the class. “He was more like a coach and made it feel like areal team effort. It’s the best class I’ve ever taken because it washands-on, we all worked together and became quasi experts onwater.”

Musser, who secured the grant from WaterLINK, was pleasedwith the partnerships. “It was a situation where virtually everybodywon; the students got a good educational experience, goodenvironmental reporting experience....I certainly think WaterLINKgot a heck of a deal for the amount of money that went into thegrant and The Journal-World got a pretty good two-day spread ofmultimedia,” Musser said.

Dennis Anderson, managing editor of The Lawrence Journal-World, also was satisfied with the paper’s joint venture with theSchool of Journalism.

“This was an outstanding opportunity to partner with theUniversity on a project that explained an important story to ouraudience and tell that story in a number of ways in print, onlineand television,” Anderson said.

Perhaps most rewarding were the project’s reviews from Musserand Anderson.

“The students’ work as a whole was beyond good: it was verygood, and in some cases it was absolutely excellent,” Musser said.

Anderson agreed. “The students first and foremost were tellingstories with the reader and viewer in mind,” he said. “Theyanswered questions such as ‘What’s in the water we drink?’ and‘What role does water have in determining a community’s abilityto grow?’ Those are questions whose answers can determineLawrence’s future. So in that vein, the project was a success. It wasalso a learning tool for our newsroom and the students – one wewant to repeat.”

Other stories in the series included the quality of Lawrence tapwater, the effects of atrizine in Clinton’s water and water’s limita-tions on population growth in a rural water district. “Out of theTap” is available at www2.ljworld.com/news/out_of_the_tap.

Prof. Rick Musser is pictured in the back row with mem-bers of his summer reporting class.

We hired Sue Novak to coordinate the Center,lead the development of a grammar test we willrequire for all students, and to take the BremnerCenter on the road during the summer.

Tradition and technology – an excellentcombination for today’s students and tomorrow’sjournalists.

That message is resonating well with ourstudents. For the first time in its history, the Schooladmitted freshmen this fall. You will be readingmore about them in future J-Links. They are alreadymaking their presence known at KU. One of themis among the select group of students who don theJayhawk mascot uniform for football games!

We have new faculty members this fall whocome from outstanding academic and pro-fessional backgrounds. Dr. David Perlmutter is ourgraduate and research director. He is an incrediblygifted and prolific scholar. His new book onpolitical blogging is a must read to understand thatphenomena. Dr. Tien Lee and Dr. Mugur Geanaare getting rave reviews in the classroom even asthey pursue rigorous research agendas.

Finally, we have a new development director.If you haven’t heard from Corrie Moore yet, wehope you hear from her soon. Many articles in thisJ-Links are about projects that we have had to fundwith private or grant dollars. Those dollars fundeda research and class project about Clinton Lake,honored an accomplished professor, created a Website about community involvement in media, andhelped support a class teaching middle schoolstudents to write and care about news.

Another profound example of donor gener-osity was our recent Editors Day. A gift fromRichard Clarkson, the 2007 William Allen Whitecitation recipient, made it possible for us to bringtogether a 2006 Pulitzer Prize-winning reporterand photographer, their editor and their source –a Marine major who as part of his commandbecame the casualty officer for a five-state region.The story was, simply, excellent journalism. Theevent was one of the most profound events I haveattended in my life. I wish you all could have beenthere.

As the holidays approach, I want to thank eachof you again for the many ways you support theSchool and to wish you peace this season.

J-Links Summer/Fall 2006 3

Faculty at work: Dean Ann Brill and Prof. Susanne Shaw visit with staff at The Chanute Tribune, The Pittsburg Morning Sun and The Iola Register. At right, Prof. Jimmy Gentry andProf. Max Utsler talk with graduate students at the Edwards Campus.

T he Jayhawk Journalist flock grew this summer with the addition of three new faculty members, two new staff members and a new coordinatorof the Bremner Editing Center.

Dr. David D. Perlmutter is the associate dean forgraduate studies and research, a newly created position,and a full professor. Along with directing the J-School’sgraduate program, he works with faculty to furtherdevelop the J-School’s research mission. Previously he wason the faculty of the Manship School of Mass Commun-ication at Louisiana State University and a senior fellowat its Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs.

Dr. Tien-Tsung Lee is a new associate professor instrategic communications, teaching Marketing and MediaResearch and Strategic Campaigns. His research interestsinclude ideologies, values and attitudes in the context ofpolitical and mass communication. He previously taughtat Washington State University and Hawaii PacificUniversity. Lee is originally from Taiwan.

Dr. Mugur V. Geana is a new assistant professor,teaching classes in Ethics and the Media and StrategicCampaigns. His research interests include socialmarketing and health and medical communications.Previously he taught at the University of Missouri, wherehe completed his Ph.D. this past spring. He also holds amedical degree from his native Romania.

Susan Novak is the new coordinator of the BremnerEditing Center and will continue as a lecturer in the School.She taught for the J-School last year while working full-time at the Kansas State Historical Society. She staffs theCenter part-time, manages the student staff and teachesone class each semester. She also has begun work on aPh.D. in communication studies.

Sara Gillham became coordinator of studentrecruitment and retention June 19. She is a 2002 graduateof the J-School and is completing a master’s degree inmanagement at the University of Phoenix, for which sheserved as an enrollment counselor. She worked in KUadmissions from 2002 to 2004. Gillham focuses onrecruiting multicultural and high-ability students.

Corrie Moore became the KU Endowment Associationdevelopment director for the J-School on July 24. A 1998J-School graduate, she held editorial and development jobsin New York City before joining KUEA as a developmentofficer for the School of Business. As development director,Moore works with the dean and prospective donors tomeet a variety of the J-School’s needs.

For more information about J-School faculty and staff,visit the J-School’s Web site at www.journalism.ku.edu.

J-School welcomes new faculty and staff to the Jayhawk Journalist family

Novak

Lee

Gillham

Perlmutter

Geana

Moore


Photos from the April 2006 student awards ceremony. $212,000 in scholarships and $9,050 in awards were given to students.

J ournalism students continue to win prestigious national, regional and state awards. In fact, due to space constraints, only a handful of national honors are listed below. For a

complete listing of student awards and recognition, pleasevisit www.journalism.ku.edu.

NATIONAL NEWS HONORS:Hearst Foundation Writing Competitions – The J-School

placed third in overall points earned in the six monthly contests:Steve Vockrodt placed first in in-depth reporting; Nicole Kelleyplaced fourth in spot news reporting; Ryan Colaianni placedsixth in sports writing; Louis Mora placed ninth in in-depthreporting; Matt Wilson placed ninth in sports writing; MarissaStephenson placed 11th in feature writing; Mike Mostaffa placed17th in personality profile writing; Laura Snyder placed 20thin editorial/opinion writing. The stories are available to readonline at www.journalism.ku.edu.

The University Daily Kansan won a 2005 College MediaPacemaker Award. Judges evaluate coverage and content,quality of writing and reporting, leadership on the opinion page,evidence of in-depth reporting, design, photography, art andgraphics.

Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Editing Internship – TriciaMasenthin was awarded an internship at The Kansas City Starfor summer 2006.

Freedom Forum Chips Quinn Internship – CynthiaHernandez was awarded an internship for summer 2006 to bea copy editor for The Montgomery, Alabama, Advertiser.

Society of Professional Journalists – Marissa Stephenson’sfeature on Andy Marso won first place in the national competition.

NATIONAL MAGAZINE COMPETITION RESULTS:Association for Education in Journalism and Mass

Communication (AEJMC) Student Magazine Awards – KUstudents won all three awards for individual start-up magazinesin the 2006 competition and additional awards in othercategories. The awards are presented in August of each year.The start-up magazine awards went to: Jillian Baco, first placefor Stems, a business-to-business magazine with how-toinformation for retail florists; Heidi Fedak, second place forHome Again, a consumer magazine with decorating ideas forrenters; and Jacky Carter, third place for Presence, a consumermagazine with news and practical information for women.

NATIONAL BROADCAST HONORS:The Conclave’s Doug Lee Memorial Scholarship – Kyle

Geiken received the scholarship from the national associationthat teaches broadcasters how to better serve the public interest.

Society of Professional Journalists – KU students wonseven first-place awards for television, online and newspaperreporting at the regional convention April 8 in St. Louis.

NATIONAL ADVERTISING HONORS:College Newspaper Business and Advertising Managers

presented the national Trendsetter Award to The University DailyKansan. The Kansan also placed first for newspaper promotioncolor ad; second for its training program; and third for electronicbanner ad.

Newspaper Association of America Annual Marketingand Future Leaders Conference selected Sarah Connelly, fall2005 Kansan business manager and spring 2006 sales manager,as one of four students to attend the conference in Orlando.

OTHER NATIONAL RECOGNITIONS:Fulbright grant – Emily Howard, a May 2006 graduate in

journalism and sociology, received a Fulbright grant for studyand research at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch,New Zealand. She will conduct a content analysis of biofarmingin the media of New Zealand and the U.S.

Global Youth Partnership for Africa – Zak Beasley wasone of 15 students selected nationwide by the Global YouthPartnership for Africa to attend its August conference inUganda. The conference focused on ways to better presentAfrica in the media.

Dan Peters won the student paper competition in theTransportation Planning Division of the American PlanningAssociation.

Phi Kappa Phi honor society – Alexis Ali Bannwarthreceived a national scholarship for graduate school from thehonor society.

GRADUATE STUDENT NATIONAL PRESENTATIONS:AEJMC Conference – Kim Rubenstein spoke on

perceptions of media bias. Lisa Coble-Krings spoke on weeklycommunity newspapers to the National NewspaperAssociation in Milwaukee as well as at AEJMC.

American Political Science Association – KelleeKirkpatrick spoke on “The Public’s Confidence in Media: TheEffect of Political Events.”

Ohio University Institute for Applied and ProfessionalEthics Blogging and Online Journalism Conference – SuseGoericke spoke on journalism education and online news.

Brigham Young University’s Conference on MediaConvergence – Staci Wolfe, with Prof. Rick Musser, presented“Blogs Are Not Just for Blogging: Using Blogging Software toManage Online Course Content.”

National J-School student awards and recognition from the 2005-2006 academic year


Photos from Kansas Editors Day on Oct. 14.

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Dec. 10: J-School graduate recognition ceremony,1 p.m., Woodruff Auditorium, Kansas Union

Feb. 9: William Allen White Day, honoringphotojournalist Rich Clarkson, program at 1:30 p.m.,Woodruff Auditorium, Kansas Union

Feb. 21: J-School alumni event in Dallas, Texas

May 2: J-School alumni event in Kansas City

May 19: J-School graduate recognition ceremonytentatively scheduled, time TBA

May 20: KU Commencement

Aug. 8: J-School alumni event in Washington, D.C.

(See page 8 for more details on alumni reunion events.)

Pulitzer Prize winners featured at annualKansas Editors Day event

P ulitzer Prize winners Jim Sheeler, reporter, and Todd Heisler, photojournalist, from The Rocky Mountain News, as well as Marine Major Steve Beck and John Temple,editor of The Rocky Mountain News, were the special guests atKansas Editors Day on Oct. 14. Sheeler and Heisler receivedthe feature writing and feature photo awards for their specialreport chronicling a year in the life of Maj. Beck as he notifiedfamilies of the deaths of their loved ones in Iraq, and helpedthem to begin to face life after their losses.

Their story, “Final Salute,” is available online at: http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/news/finalSalute/flash/index.cfm.

“Kansas Editors Day is held annually to show our ap-preciation to editors from around the state and to tell them aboutthe exciting things we are doing at KU,” Dean Ann Brill said.

More than 300 Kansas editors, publishers, students, faculty,members of the community and military representativeslistened intently, often wiping away tears, to the four speakersreveal the emotional experience they went through in tellingthe story. Editors Day was hosted by the J-School, with special

John Katich Creativity Award presentedto Professor Rick Musser

D ean Ann Brill presented the newly created John Katich Creativity Awardto long-time professor RickMusser at a May 17 ceremony.

Musser was recognized forhis role in establishing theStan and Madeline StaufferMultimedia Newsroom; forcreating and teaching J694 OnlineWriting, Design and Production;for speaking on convergence to amyriad of groups; for chairing theNews and Information track for the past two years; for obtaininga grant for his summer course, which explored and reported onthe water quality in Douglas County for publication in TheLawrence Journal-World (see page 1 article); and for other projectsin which he has shown leadership and creativity.

Laura Katich attended the ceremony. Her husband, JohnKatich, was on the faculty from 1986 until his death in Oct. 2001.He headed the radio-television sequence from 1990 to 1997,taught media sales and management, and was instrumental increating KUJH-TV.

Rick Musser

Jim Sheeler, Todd Heisler, Major Steve Beck, Dean Ann Brill and John Temple arepictured after the panel presentation at Editors Day. Additional photos from the eventare online at www.journalism.ku.edu.

thanks to Rich Clarkson for his sponsorship and to the Peterand Barbara Macdonald Professional-in-Residence Fund. Theprogram preceded the Kansas-Oklahoma State football gameand a pre-game buffet hosted by KU Chancellor RobertHemenway at his home.


Photos from the Sept. 28 student symposium on media coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, planned by the Covering Communities team.

By Heidi Fedak, Lawrence graduate student

T he Covering Communities project has entered a new

phase: feedback.Early this fall, Professor

Peggy Kuhr offered the project’sadvisory board a sneak peek atthe Web site that will serve as thecenterpiece of the two-yearCovering Communities initia-tive. The site is being developedto provide students, professorsand working journalists withtools, exercises, interviews andcase studies that will help themimprove their community cov-erage.

Funded by the Knight Foundation, the CoveringCommunities project draws on the work of Kuhr, the KnightChair on the Press, Leadership and Community; Richard

Harwood, president of The Harwood Institute for PublicInnovation; and John Creighton, a senior fellow at the HarwoodInstitute. The project, which ends in summer 2007, is aimed atimproving community journalism.

Kuhr and her team spent the past summer creating contentand uploading it to the Web before unveiling a portion of it tothe project’s advisory committee. The six members had anopportunity to see the overall site design as well as the KeyInsights section, which includes information drawn fromextensive research that Harwood conducted in newsrooms andcommunities throughout the country.

The Harwood materials are divided into four categories:Know Your Community, Engage People, Name YourAspirations and Act Publicly.

Throughout the rest of this semester, Kuhr and her graduateresearch assistants – Marion Hixon and Heidi Fedak – will workon creating lesson plans that illustrate concepts such as biasand framing. Erik Johnson, an undergraduate majoring in finearts, will continue working on illustrations for the site.

Once the content is almost complete, Kuhr plans to takethe material to newsrooms for feedback. If you know of anewsroom that might be interested in participating, contactKuhr at [email protected].

In addition to working on the Web site, the CoveringCommunities team held a Sept. 28 student symposium on mediacoverage of Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath.

Earlier in the year, in March, the project held its first studentconversation: “Beyond Facebook: Defining Your Community.”Sixty students have attended the two programs. The symposiaare designed to demonstrate how to conduct a communityconversation with college students on topics in the media.

Community journalism grant update:Team develops Web site, seeks feedback

The Covering Communities team held a Sept. 28 student symposium on mediacoverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Richard Harwood leads the discussionin this photo.

Above is a screen shot of www.coveringcommunities.org, the new CoveringCommunities Web site, which is currently under construction. The Web site is slatedfor completion next year.

Peggy Kuhr


Photos from the Rosedale Middle School community journalism project.

By Heidi Fedak, Lawrence graduate student

T hey may be in college, but a group of journalism seniors and graduate students headed back to middle school this semester.

The students are members of Professor Peggy Kuhr’sJournalism 500 class: “Citizen Journalism and CommunityWork.” The class brings together students from the J-School,the School of Social Welfare and Rosedale Middle School inKansas City, Kan.

The cornerstone of the project is a three-month “Excellencein Journalism Camp” offered to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at Rosedale Middle School. About 30 studentsparticipate in the program, which runs from 3-4:45 p.m. everyTuesday and Thursday.

It’s this one-on-one time with the middle-schoolers thatprompted many of the 13 journalism students to enroll in theclass.

“The kids are so refreshing to see because they are so eagerto learn and not afraid to ask questions,” said Kristen Jarboe, ajournalism senior. “We teach them and they teach us.”

Planning for the collaborative class began more than a yearago. Every year, graduate students from the School of SocialWelfare work with the Rosedale Development Association andHarmon High School in KCK.

“The value of the class, as I see it, is multifaceted,” saidDonna Devine, program manager for the KU RosedaleCommunity Project. “The KU Journalism class is creating atangible means for the rest of us to understand what communityjournalism is. Until the concept was brought forth in the creationof this class, I didn’t know of or understand the meaning ofcommunity journalism.”

The J500 students plan each journalism camp session andsteer the middle school students through it. The class is dividedinto a Tuesday group and a Thursday group. Tuesday’s studentswork with 14 seventh- and eighth-graders, while Thursday’sstudents partner with 16 sixth-graders. Each middle schoolstudent is equipped with the tools of the journalism trade: areporter’s notebook, a press pass and a computer.

With help from their college partners, the Rosedale studentsare expected to produce content for a Web site by the end of thesemester. Along the way, they will learn about everything fromnews writing to picture-taking. They also will learn aboutbroadcast news and work with a video camera.

But it’s not all fun and games, especially for the KU students. “Working with the kids has been a bit nerve-wracking, but

also exciting,” said Erick Schmidt, a journalism senior. “We’redealing with these kids who are on the cusp of not being kids

anymore. It’s such an amazing age, when literally every detailof their lives is potentially changing. It’s been tough learning totalk to them as teens instead of the children I’m used to beingaround – my 5-year-old nephew and 2-year-old niece. It’sexciting how much they know and also how much they’ve stillgot to learn. I remember that age.”

Kuhr selected Rosedale because of its connections to theexisting KU social work programs, and because of its racial andeconomic diversity. For at least one student, that alone wasreason enough to take the class.

“I grew up in an environment similar to most of thesekids…, so I want to show them that it’s possible to make it amidstthe chaos at home,” said journalism senior Fred Davis. “Also, Iwould have loved the opportunity to be a part of somethinglike this when I was in middle school instead of chasing skirtsand getting into trouble.”

Kuhr said she hopes at least one of the Rosedale studentswill think about a career in journalism after attending the camp.

“I think that we in journalism can develop the concept ofcitizen journalism, where so-called everyday people can bejournalists,” she said. “This is an experiment where we can teachmiddle school students to tell their own stories and tell others’stories.”

Otto Scholl, captain of the 1956 Rosedale High School basketball team, talks to sixth-graders at the Rosedale Excellence in Journalism Camp. Scholl was in town for a 50th

reunion of his class and a tribute to Coach Bill Heitholt, who took the team to a statechampionship that year. The team’s trophies were returned to the school, now a middleschool, and accepted by Principal Connie Horner.

Middle schoolers learn to becomecitizen journalists, thanks to KU class


Photos from the May 17 J-School alumni reunion event in Kansas City.

2007 William Allen WhiteNational Citation

T he William Allen White Foundation has selected Rich Clarkson as the recipient of the 2007 William AllenWhite National Citation. Clarkson is a 1955graduate of the J-School and is the founderof Rich Clarkson and Associates in Denver.The company creates projects based on finephotography in many forms, includingphotographic books, exhibitions and inter-active multimedia.

Clarkson will speak and receive thecitation at a public ceremony on WilliamAllen White Day, scheduled for 1:30 p.m.,Friday, Feb. 9, in Woodruff Auditorium,Kansas Union.

Clarkson has been director of photo-graphy and senior assistant editor of theNational Geographic Society, assistantmanaging editor of The Denver Post and acontract and contributing photographer forSports Illustrated. He organized photo-graphic coverage of the Munich andMontreal Olympics for Time and of theMoscow Olympics for Sports Illustrated, andhe was overall coordinator and director ofphotography in the main Olympic stadiumfor the Atlanta games.

Last year’s recipient was noted photo-journalist, author, filmmaker, artist andcomposer Gordon Parks. A panel of WilliamAllen White Foundation trustees selects thecitation recipients. It has been presentedannually since 1950 to journalists whoexemplify the ideals of William Allen White,a nationally influential Kansas editor, pub-lisher and the J-School’s namesake.

Rich Clarkson

School of Journalism alumni reunite at events inKansas City and San Francisco

M ore than 100 Kansas City-area journalism alumni and faculty attended a reunion May 17 at Mission Hills Country Club. The School was represented by Dean Ann Brill, David Guth,Bob Basow, Sharon Bass, Tim Bengtson, Kerry Benson, John Broholm,Ted Frederickson, Jimmy Gentry, Malcolm Gibson, Carol Holstead,Jennifer Kinnard, Peggy Kuhr, Denise Linville, Rick Musser, Dick Nelson,Patty Noland and Susanne Shaw. Representatives of the KU EdwardsCampus administration spoke on the journalism graduate program there.Faculty introduced themselves and gave updates on developments at theJ-School.

Nearly 40 J-School alumni and faculty gathered August 2 for anevening of networking and fun at the Grand Hyatt in downtown SanFrancisco. Dean Brill and Professors Barbara Barnett, Jimmy Gentry, CarolHolstead, Peggy Kuhr, Susanne Shaw and Max Utsler attended the eventon behalf of the J-School. The J-School also welcomed new facultymembers Dr. David Perlmutter, professor and associate dean for graduatestudies and research, and Dr. Tien Lee, associate professor in strategiccommunications.

Thank you to all of our loyal alumni who make our gatherings ofJayhawk Journalists so special. Stay tuned to www.journalism.ku.edu forcoverage and photos of alumni gatherings, as well as detailed informationon upcoming alumni events. Scheduled events include Feb. 21 in Dallas,Texas; May 2 in Kansas City; and Aug. 8 in Washington, D.C. An eventwas held Nov. 8 in New York City. Photos will run in the next J-Links.

Dean Ann Brill, second from the right, poses with alumni at the San Francisco gathering.

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES Where are they now?


(News & Notes – continued on page 10)

2006Leigh Ancona works for anadvertising agency in Omaha,Neb.

Kim Andrews is a productionsupervisor for Ascend Media inOverland Park, Kan.

Alexis Bannwarth attends theKU School of Law.

Erin Beaton is a businessdeveloper for KONE Corp. inSan Francisco, Calif.

Tyler Beaver is a reporter forThe Herald & News in KlamathFalls, Ore.

Katherine Boyd is with ZenithOptimedia, buying radio andtelevision spots for Toyota andLexus.

Brian Brewer is a financialadviser in Overland Park, Kan.

Katie Bushouse is with StarcomMidwest Group in Chicago, Ill.

Allison Cluen works in salesand marketing for TheIndependent magazine in KansasCity, Mo.

Sarah Connelly works inadvertising sales for TheVirginian Pilot, in Norfolk, Va.

Kristy Croom, MSJ and BSJ2004, is the regional marketingmanager of Webster College inTampa, Fla. She manages allpublic relations, advertising andbranding issues associated withits two campuses in CentralFlorida. Webster recentlyaffiliated with RasmussenCollege, a larger chain of careercolleges in the northern U.S., soshe also is managing a re-branding campaign.

Corinne Fetter is with BostonAmericorps/VISTA.

Jacqueline Frye works forTLConcepts, a Leawood, Kan.,firm that builds showcase homesall over the U.S. She coordinatesshow homes tours that raisemoney for charities.

Stefanie Graves, MSJ, is thecommunications director for theOffice of the House MinorityLeader in Topeka, Kan.

Colleen Grosch is pursuing amaster’s degree at theUniversity of South Carolina.

Tim Hall works for 610 Sportsin Kansas City, Mo.

Madinah Hazim-Adams, MSJand BSJ 2000, is a writer/editorfor the U.S. Air Force Academyin Fort Collins, Colo. She assiststhe cadets’ yearbook staff.Previously she worked for theKansas Lottery.

Sonja Heath is in the PeaceCorps.

David Heller works in LosAngeles, Calif., for a publishingcompany.

Emily Huffhines is an accountexecutive for Nicholson KovacInc. in Kansas City, Mo.([email protected])

Katherine Humpert is teachingfor one year in Spain.

Katy Ibsen is the assistant editorfor Chalk Magazine, a newstudent magazine produced byThe World Co. in Lawrence. Seeit online, www.chalkonline.com.

John Jordan is in the PeaceCorps in Madagascar.

Maria Kaminska is in lawschool.

Nate Karlin is a reporter for TheClarksville Leaf-Chronicle inTennessee.

Nora Kellam is an accountexecutive for WeberShandwick Public Relations inChicago, Ill.

Kellee Kirkpatrick attendsKU Graduate School,studying political science.

Derek Klaus is acommunication specialist forthe Kansas City Conventionand Visitors Association.

Sara Koven is an accountcoordinator at Walz TetrickAdvertising in Kansas City,Mo. She works with J-Schoolalumni Charlie Tetrick andShannon Jeffries.

Angela (Kris) Lazar works forThe Wall Street Journal inDallas, Texas.

Allison Lepp attends theUniversity of Nebraska LawSchool.

Kelly Lively works in customhome building in Denver,Colo.

Brian Loftus is in brandmanagement for The RichardsGroup in Dallas, Texas.

David Lucas works for Pfizerin pharmaceutical sales.

Whitney Mathews is a Webproducer for KTKA-TV inTopeka, Kan.

Theresa Montano works forThe Dallas Morning News.

Katie Moyer is an editorialassistant at Kansas Alumnimagazine.

David Ochoa is a graduatestudent in the KU School ofEducation.

Dan Peters is a researchassistant in the audienceresearch department ofNational Public Radio,Washington, D.C.

Demetrius Peterson attendsWashburn University LawSchool in Topeka, Kan.

Heather Plante works in salesfor 95.7-FM, in Kansas City, Mo.

Sarah Roberts is an accountexecutive at SprengerMcCullough & Co. advertising,marketing and public relations.

Kim Rubenstein, MSJ, is a copyeditor for The Sun in Bremerton,Wash.

Maria Salcedo attends the KUSchool of Law.

Adam Sechrist is now the studioweather producer for “GoodMorning America” in New YorkCity, where he started workingin May. ([email protected])

Jessica Sherrets is an accountcoordinator for GlynnDevins inKansas City, Mo.

Ashley Smith is an accountcoordinator for Sturges WordCommunications in Kansas City,Mo.

Amanda Kim Stairrett is on themilitary reporting staff for TheKilleen, Texas, Daily Herald.Killeen is next to Fort Hood,home of two Army divisions.She reports issue-orientedstories for the daily and writesfeatures for the weekly.Previously she reported for TheJunction City Daily Union thatalso serves Fort Riley.

Adam Strauss attends lawschool.

Meghan Swallow is with TheRichards Group in Dallas, Texas.

Meghan Tetwiler is on theaccount planning team of Ogilvy& Mather in Chicago, Ill.


Grad combines two passions into career with the AP



Lisa Tevis is the marketingcommunications specialist forCapitol Federal Savings.

Jessica Virtue works inadvertising sales for CumulusBroadcasting.

Brian Wacker attends St. LouisUniversity Law School.

Christopher (Drew) Wedelattends graduate school at theUniversity of Tulsa inOklahoma.

Aaron Whallon is a Webvideographer with MSN in NewJersey.

Kelly Wilder is an accountexecutive for The Austin, Texas,Business Journal.

Carla Woody is an assistantmanager of LonghornSteakhouse, Lawrence.

Paige Worthy is the assistanteditor for Harris Publications inNew York. She works on thecompany’s gardening,decorating, and hair and beautymagazines.

Mark Zillman is a radiobroadcaster in Dodge City, Kan.He does play-by-play for theDodge City Community CollegeConquistadors, sports updatesfor AM 1370 and some sales.

2005Kristina Belstner is an accountmanager with SummitMarketing in Overland Park,Kan.

Viva Bolova is an assistantaccount manager at BarkleyEvergreen & Partners PublicRelations in Kansas City, Mo.

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES(News & Notes – continued from page 9)


Traci Carl with her eight-month-old daughter, Elly Grace,who was six-weeks-old in this photo. Carl met her husband,Jorge Melchor, a broadcast and multimedia journalist, a fewmonths after moving to Mexico.

T he greatest joy of Traci Carl’s job as Bureau Chief for the Associated Press in Mexico and Central Americais being able to tell people what it is reallylike in Mexico, a country she calls “complexand interesting, with many layers.”

“It is still a third world country in manyways, but a first world country in others,”Carl said. “Mexico is very important to theUnited States. People need to understandthe huge impact it has on the U.S.”

As bureau chief, she is in charge ofnews coverage for Central America andMexico. She has been with the bureau forsix years and covered her second pres-idential election in July.

Carl joined the AP in 1995, while shewas finishing her degrees in journalism andSpanish. She started covering the legislaturein Topeka and then worked in the KansasCity bureau for a year. She then moved toWichita as a correspondent for two years.Next, she was off to New York City whereshe was an editor on the international desk.After two years there, she was offered thejob as a correspondent in Mexico City, andwas promoted to news editor in 2003, thento bureau chief in 2005.

Carl had taken Spanish throughouthigh school and college. Susanne Shaw, heradvisor in the J-School, persuaded her to geta degree in Spanish as well.

“I had always wanted to work overseasand in Latin America. The AP seemed likea natural choice,” Carl said.

She writes stories in English but takesquotes in Spanish. The finished product ispublished in both languages, translated fromEnglish to Spanish by a translation desk.

Carl notes there is really no “typicalday” at work for her. “Every day isdifferent, which is the great part of the job,”she said. “That is what I love about Mexico.It is so varied. Some days you are doingimmigration stories and other dayscovering the elections.”

Carl loves the excitement that goesalong with her job. She often works fromhome and encourages her staff to call her.

“It is exciting to be walking my dog inthe park one day and get a call and be on aplane an hour later heading to El Salvadorto cover an earthquake,” she said.

Carl is heading to Nicaragua inNovember to cover Sandinista leader DanielOrtega’s possible return to the presidency.She spent four weeks in Iraq last year as themain desk editor in the Baghdad Bureau. Shemanaged the bureau, edited stories andmade many phone calls.

“Movement is so limited there. I stayedon the fifth floor of the Palestine Hotel theentire time. It was my job to stay there andcoordinate it all. They switch people out alot in the bureau, because it is hard foranyone to do it for a long time. There arehigh security risks,” Carl said. “The AP is areally cooperative effort though, which I likea lot. Bylines are important but I like the ideaof people coming together to get the storydone, and putting their egos aside for thesake of the story.”

Carl’s next big challenge? “I want tolearn more about multimedia and adapt tothe changing industry,” she said. “I’mhoping that will become the next great joyof my career.”



(News & Notes – continued from page 10)

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES

Amy Marie Cox is thecommunications director for theGilbert, Ariz., Chamber ofCommerce. Previously she wasthe communications director forthe Overland Park, Kan.,Chamber of Commerce.

Manon Eilts, MSJ, is director ofmarketing communications forthe United States TennisAssociation in Overland Park,Kan.

Leighann Foskey is with thecustomer service department ofRodale Inc., a book andmagazine publishing firm inEmmaus, Penn.

Jennifer Haase is an assistantmedia planner with Saatchi &Saatchi advertising in OverlandPark, Kan.

Meredith Hauck is a graduatestudent in public administrationat KU.

Amanda Hays is an onlinemedia assistant with BarkleyEvergreen & Partners in KansasCity, Mo.

Jeremy Jacobs is a salesassociate with Cbeyond Com-munications in Oak Brook, Ill.

Nicole Jupe, MSJ, is themarketing manager forOverland Solutions insuranceand financial services.

Meagan Kelleher works forWDAF FOX 4 as a Webproducer in Kansas City, Mo.She previously worked forKPLC in Lake Charles, La.

Kathryn Millsap is customerservice manager for Bank of theWest in Overland Park, Kan.

Dave Rombeck is a juniorcopywriter for MMG Worldwidein Kansas City, Mo.

Amy Schoenfeld is an executiveassistant for The Greater NorthMichigan Avenue Association inChicago, Ill., handling eventplanning and marketing.([email protected])

Andrew Vaupel is an editorialproducer with MLB.com, inaddition to his job as marketingcoordinator for Makovsky andCompany public relations andinvestor relations in New YorkCity.

Janice Walje is mediacoordinator and administrativeassistant with Bernstein-ReinAdvertising in Kansas City.

2004Nicole Chaikin is a marketingmanager for Allen Press, Inc., inLawrence.

Ann Erickson is the publicaffairs specialist for Winn ArmyCommunity Hospital at FortStewart, Ga.

Vonna Keomanyvong is onlineevening editor for The NaplesDaily News in Florida.

Marc Ricketts works for ExpressScripts in Minneapolis, Minn.

Jessica L. Scott was promotedfrom production assistant toassociate writer/producer withESPN Consumer MarketingDivision in New York City.([email protected])

Abby Sidesinger is a mediaplanner with Bernstein-Rein inKansas City.

2003Robert Flynn works for the lawfirm of Gates, Biles, Shields &Ryan in Overland Park, Kan.,specializing in litigation and realestate law. He graduated fromthe KU School of Law in May2006.

Erin (Osburn) Schreiner is acopywriter at GarminInternational in Olathe, Kan. Shewas previously an accountplanner at Harwood Marketingin Dallas, and a copywriter/marketing coordinator atHoulihan’s Restaurant Inc. inLeawood, Kan.

Sarah Wolak is a marketingprogram coordinator for theCerner Corp. She is one of fourmanagers who arrange nearly215 tradeshows a year all overthe world. Previously she waswith the Home BuildersAssociation of Kansas City, Mo.

2002Marlina Robertson is amarketing communicationsspecialist for Argus HealthSystems in Kansas City, Mo.([email protected])

Justin Scholtes is the play-by-play announcer and director ofmedia relations for the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs of theCentral Hockey League.Previously he was assistantprogram director at SportsRadio 810 WHB in Kansas City,Mo.

Betsy Spratlin graduated fromthe University of Missouri atKansas City Law School in May2005.

Leita Walker received theSamuel Mellinger Scholarship,Leadership and Service Award,presented to the graduate whohas most distinguished herselfor himself in those combinedareas at the May Law Schoolhooding ceremony at LiedCenter. She was editor of theKansas Law Review and wasinstrumental in making positivechanges. A top student, she alsowas selected by the faculty tocarry the Law School’s banner atthe KU Commencement. Shewas editor of the Kansan andgraduated in journalism withhighest distinction.

2001Thad Allender returned to TheLawrence Journal-World asdirector of photography for itsnews operation. He overseesthree full-time photographers, aphoto scanner and a number ofpart-time photographers. Healso coordinates visual effortswith World Online andcollaborates with affiliatedtelevision operations. He spentthe past nine months as afreelance photographer in NewYork after three years as a staffphotographer at The Journal-World and part-time work at thenewspaper in 2001 and 2002.

Livi Regenbaum is city editor ofThe Gardner, Mass., News.

2000Nancy Sherrer Beaton, MSJ, isdirector of leadership anddifferentiation for Sprint inKansas City, Mo.

Stacey Hansen is a loan officerfor Countrywide Mortgage inLenexa, Kan. Previously she wasan assistant editor for aveterinary magazine.

1999Danny Boresow is the seniormarketing specialist for 99.7KYYS and 98.1 KUDL withEntercom Radio in Mission, Kan.([email protected])

Jeffrey Phelps is the writer anddirector of an independent film,“Special Ed,” available atBlockbuster Video outlets. Anadvertising major, he went toHollywood after graduation. Hewas a production assistant forClint Eastwood’s company, thenacted in films and did standupcomedy before writing the“Special Ed” script. Now he iswriting three scripts.

Photos from the Aug. 2 J-School alumni reunion event in San Francisco.

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES


W alter Lietzen got his start in thenewspaper business a little laterin his life. The now 86-year-old

J-School graduate was an engineer withUnion Pacific Railroad for 43 years. Whileon a six-month leave to recover from healthissues during his 50s, Lietzen decided touse that time to go back to school.

While he worked for the railroad hespent hours in the library educating him-self when he was on layovers in JunctionCity. At age 54, while still working for therailroad, he came to KU and earned bothhis bachelor’s and master’s degrees fromthe J-School, in 1972 and 1973, respectively.

After graduation, he bought The SilverCity Record, a weekly newspaper based inthe Argentine neighborhood of KansasCity, Kan. He was owner, publisher andeditor, writing much of the content withhis wife, Kathleen. Lietzen was the sixtheditor in 100 years at the paper.

At a recent lunch gathering at the J-School, Lietzen and his long-time

Photos from Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist Leonard Pitts’ visit to KU and the J-School on Oct. 5.



Carrie (Honas) Robaina teachesbroadcast journalism to highschool students at the Vidal M.Trevino School ofCommunications and Fine Artsin Laredo, Texas, a magnetschool in the public educationsystem with primarily Hispanic,economically disadvantagedstudents. The school operates astudent-run radio station, withstudents broadcasting in bothSpanish and English. This fall itwill be a pilot school for radiocurriculum developed byRTNDF’s High SchoolJournalism Project.

Stacey Elder Tarkington waspromoted to vice president ofmarketing for TRI-KESWallcovering Source in Dallas,Texas.

1998Jeff Beringer was promoted tovice president of theGolinHarris Web RelationsGroup to lead the agency’sinteractive communicationspractice in North America. He isbased in Dallas, Texas, andsupports clients and accountteams throughout NorthAmerica.

John Kepley is now the seniorcorrespondence editor for theoffice of Governor ArnoldSchwarzenegger. He wasformerly a copy editor and pagedesigner at The Sacramento Bee.

Erin C. Veazey is the managerof Partnership Marketing &Sales in San Francisco, Calif.

1997Christie Appelhanz is theassistant to the dean of the KUCollege of Liberal Arts andSciences. She manages publicrelations and alumni outreach,and assists with fundraising.

companion, MaryJo, met with current andretired faculty to talk about his career as anewspaperman, the state of media todayand what life was like in the J-School 50years ago. Prof. Susanne Shaw and DeanAnn Brill, as well as retired facultymembers Calder Pickett, Lee Young andDana Leibengood, attended.

“I have an objection to the amount ofadvertising they throw into everything,”Lietzen said. “They use too much tabloidjournalism and sensationalism to selladvertising. Where’s the news?”

“My years at KU were my most joyfuldays. John Bremner was one of the mostinfluential professors I ever had. He wasthe sharpest guy I knew,” Lietzen said.

Bremner, a legendary journalismprofessor at KU, died in 1987. He wasgraduate program director at the timeLietzen was in school.

Lietzen lives in Kansas City, Kan., andhas three children, six grandchildren andfive great grandchildren.

Pictured clockwise from the top left are Walter Lietzen’s companion MaryJo, Ann Brill, Dana Leibengood, SusanneShaw, Lee Young, Walter Lietzen and Calder Pickett.

Railroad man turns newspaper owner, publisher and editor

Photos from the May 2006 Journalism Graduate Recognition Ceremony.




ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES

1996Derek Moscato, MSJ, is themedia and public relationsofficer at The University ofBritish Columbia-Sauder Schoolof Business in Vancouver,Canada. He also serves asCanada correspondent forSingapore-based Asia Inc., aperiodical devoted to PacificRim business and economicissues. ([email protected])

Mary Rupert, MSJ, is president-elect of the Greater Kansas CityChapter of the Association forWomen in Communications. Sheco-chaired the nationalconference held in Kansas CitySept. 15 and 16.

1995Liz Reese Hunt is the owner ofHunt Marketing and Media, inTulsa, Okla. She previouslyworked at WilliamsCommunications with theorganization’s executive team todevelop strategy for thecompany’s IPO and road show.Hunt recently was honored asone of Tulsa’s Twenty NewLeaders at a benefit for theCystic Fibrosis Foundation. Shewas named 2006 volunteer of theyear by the Salvation Army Boysand Girls Club of Tulsa.

1994John Becker is co-anchor of the11 p.m. News at WBIR-TV inKnoxville, Tenn. He had been atKGW-TV in Portland, Ore., since1998, most recently as weekendanchor. His reporting across theU.S., Canada and the MiddleEast earned multiple Edward R.Murrow awards as well as anEmmy. Earlier he had worked atKTKA-TV in Topeka, Kan., andKQ-TV in St. Joseph, Mo.

C. Jason Myers is publisher andeditor of BusinessDistrict, amagazine he founded insummer 2005, in Austin. Thecontent of the magazine iswritten and provided by thebusiness community. Themagazine Web site iswww.abdmag.com.

1993Richard Brack, a former Kansaneditor, has been promoted tochief of bureau for theAssociated Press in Trenton, N.J.He was assistant chief of bureaufor the Associated Press inChicago. He joined the AP in2005 from The Lawrence Journal-World, where he had beenmanaging editor since 1999 andwhere he had worked since1997. He also worked for TheDes Moines Register for six yearsand at The Kansas City Times.

Melissa Bulgren, MSJ and BSJ1991, has been promoted tohandset promotions manager bySprint Nextel in Overland Park.

Jacquelyn Witherspoon, MSJ, isthe publisher of Southeast KansasLiving magazine.

1992Julie Denesha has beenawarded a Fulbright Scholarshipfor the 2006-07 academic year tocontinue her documentaryphotojournalism work on theRoma minority in Slovakiabeginning in March 2007. Herhost institution is the Academyof Fine Arts and Design inBratislava, Slovakia. She ispicture editor for The WashingtonTimes. She worked previously asa photojournalist for The KansasCity Star and The Prague Post,and as a freelancephotojournalist in Prague.

Blaine C. Kimrey has joined thefirm of Sonnenschein Nath &Rosenthal in the litigation and

business regulation group. He isa trial lawyer whose practicefocuses on media, intellectualproperty, entertainment,telecommunications, technologyand commercial litigation. Hehas served as lead counsel indirect and class action cases infederal and state courts acrossthe country.

William Andrew Swisherworks for Point Inc., a companythat develops advanced GPSproducts for the surveying,mapping and constructionindustries.

1991Brad Bennewitz, former newsand sports reporter for WGIL-WAAG radio in Galesburg, Ill.,for 15 years, recently became anEnglish teacher at GalesburgHigh School.

Holly Lawton has beenpromoted to sports editor of TheKansas City Star. She is a formereditor of The Kansan.

1990Anita Meyer has rejoined TheAberdeen, S.D., American News tobecome city editor. Previouslyshe was editor of The Wadena,Minn., Pioneer Journal for fiveyears, and before that, she wasday content editor of TheAberdeen newspaper. She alsohas worked on newspapers inNebraska.

Leslie Reynard has been anassistant professor at SouthernIllinois University inEdwardsville for three years.She also completed her master’sdegree and Ph.D. at KU, both incommunication studies.

1989Timothy J. McNary is amarketing manager for SpencerStuart, an executive search firmbased in Chicago, Ill.([email protected])

Craig Welch has been named aNieman Fellow at HarvardUniversity. Welch is theenvironmental reporter at TheSeattle Times, where he hasworked since 2000. Last year hereceived a national first placeaward for beat reporting fromthe Society of EnvironmentalJournalists.

1988John D. Montgomery is theeditor and publisher of TheHutchinson News. He had beeneditor and publisher of The HaysDaily News. Both are HarrisNewspapers. He also has anMBA from KU.

1986Deneen L. Brown, of TheWashington Post, received thefirst place award for narrativefeature in the AmericanAssociation of Sunday andFeature Editors competition fornewspapers in the over 300,000circulation category.

1984Gillian (Logan) Hamilton tookjournalism classes and is afreelance editor for lifestylemagazines. She also has writtena book for quilters that waspublished in Australia last year.She is a former reporter forKAKE-TV in Wichita.

Mark Mears is senior vicepresident, marketing and sales,at Universal Studios Hollywood.He is responsible for the overallbrand direction of the entertain-ment landmark including thetheme park and the CityWalkshopping and entertainmentcomplex featuring 65 entertain-ment-themed restaurants, clubs,shops and movie theaters. He ischairman-elect of the PromotionMarketing Association of morethan 600 companies. Continued...

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES(News & Notes – continued from page 13)



by Abby Hughes, St. Louis senior

J enny Volanakis is energized. The energy started flowing during her seven-year- run at Sprint, her first job after grad- uating from the J-School in 1996. Sheworked with cutting-edge cell phonefeatures as they were first hitting the market.Almost ten years later, after working withcollege basketball, Super Bowls, Olympicsand boxing, she says Sprint is still herfavorite experience. The “atmosphere of astart-up” product allows your imaginationto run, Volanakis said.

Today, Volanakis enjoys her newposition with external communications forall Coors Brewing Company brands, whichshe started in October 2006. Before Coors,she freelanced for GroundFloor Media, Zestand CK1, among others.

Freelancing allowed her to work probono for organizations with which she hasa personal connection. Her mother, LindaStevens, and grandmother, Carolyn Saul,are both breast cancer survivors. Thisinspired her to work with the YoungSurvivor Coalition’s “In Living Pink,” acelebration of life, where guests learn howbreast cancer affects young women andhave the opportunity to donate to the cause.

Volanakis, a third generation journalist,has a strong tie to the men in her family too.

Previously, Mears was chiefmarketing officer for BlimpieInternational with 1,600restaurants. He worked with aCampaigns class of Prof. TimBengtson as a client in spring2005. He has a master’s degreein advertising fromNorthwestern University.

Mark Reddig is an associateeditor of Land Line Magazine andhost of “Land Line Now,” anightly news show on XMSatellite Radio, channel 171.Land Line is a publication forindependent truck drivers,based in Grain Valley, Mo.

Mi-Ling Stone-Poole writes ahome decorating column thatappears weekly in The DailyOklahoman in Oklahoma Cityand The Kansas City Globe. Shealso is a weekly guest on amorning radio show andrecently compiled a selection ofher columns for a book, “WhenYou Want the Truth aboutDecorating.”

1983Bill Raack is the news directorfor KWMU-FM Radio-TV in St.Louis, Mo.

John Reichley, MSJ, retired as aprotocol officer for the U.S.Army Command and GeneralStaff College at Fort Leaven-worth in 2005, after 41 years ofArmy service. He is a columnistfor The Leavenworth Times.

1982Gordon Gregory is a districtsales manager in the retailadvertising department at TheKansas City Star. He has beenwith The Star since 1982.([email protected])

Paul and Walter Stevens just finished a 112-page book onthe 150th anniversary of The Fort Dodge, Iowa, Messenger.The book is based on Paul Stevens’ 1973 KU J-Schoolmaster’s thesis, which covered the history of the newspaper.


“I like working with reporters. I can seewhere they are coming from throughosmosis from my dad,” she said.

She found herself back in the Midwestin September when her father, Paul Stevens,a 1973 J-School master’s program graduateand vice president of the central region ofthe Associated Press, was inducted into theMissouri Press Association Hall of Fame.

Her grandfather, Walter Stevens,worked for 52 years at The Fort DodgeMessenger, where he was managing editor,editor and now holds the title of editoremeritus.

As a second-generation Jayhawk, shefound her niche at the J-School. Theconnections she made through the CareerCenter gave her entree into the world ofpublic relations, Volanakis said. However,nothing made more of an impression on herthan the little “green book” from Prof.Chuck Marsh’s business writing class. Shestill carries it with her as a reference tool.

Although she misses her family,barbeque and Jayhawk football in the fall,she said she loves New York and “it feelslike home.” This is especially true since shemarried her husband, Andy Volanakis, twoyears ago.

Her rush these days? “Startingsomething out of nothing and having it besuccessful. It’s a pretty big achievement,”Volanakis said of her recent successful sprintthrough the world of freelance.

Grad benefits from versatilityof journalism degree

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES



1980Jim Bloom is pursuing graduatestudies in health servicesadministration in the KU Schoolof Medicine. He also has anMBA from KU. Previously hewas the editor and publisher ofThe Hutchinson News.

1979Barbara Ranf, MSJ and BSJ 1975,is government affairs directorfor BNSF Railway for Montanaafter serving four years in theadministration of MontanaGovernor Judy Martz and laterworking for the MontanaChamber of Commerce. Thegovernor appointed her to headthe state Department ofAdministration in 2000 and laternamed her chief of staff.

Caroline Trowbridge, editorand publisher of The TonganoxieMirror and editor of The BasehorSentinel, was elected president ofthe Kansas Press Association inJuly. Trowbridge has beenpublisher of The Mirror since1999, after serving as a reporterand editor at The LawrenceJournal-World. The Mirror wasnamed best non-daily in itscirculation category by theInland Press Association in 2001,2004 and 2005. It also has wonthe KPA sweepstakes award foroverall performance three timesduring her tenure. The Mirrorand Sentinel are owned by TheWorld Co.

1978Thomas Scott Cadden Jr. is apublic information officer for theArizona Game and FishDepartment in Phoenix, Ariz. Healso is a freelance writer forArizona Highways magazine andthe Arizona Sierra Clubnewsletter.

Howard Goller is the editor ofpolitical and general news forReuters for the U.S. and Canada,based in Washington, D.C.([email protected])

Eric Morgenstern received theinaugural Entrepreneur of theYear Award from the KansasCity Chapter of the InternationalAssociation of BusinessCommunicators (IABC) recently.The award recognizes hisleadership in the Kansas Citybusiness community. He ispresident of MorningstarCommunications Co.

1977Craig Allison is the generalmanager of KSHB-TV andKMCI-TV. He has been stationmanager of the ScrippsTelevision stations for four yearsand at KSHB since 1994. He hasbeen with Scripps for 26 years,most of them in sales.

Marilyn O’Connell is seniorvice president, BroadbandSolutions, for VerizonCommunications. She heads thecompany’s development of astate-of-the-art fiber opticnetwork offering television,Internet and telephone service inNew Jersey. She had been amarketing executive with GTE,which merged with Bell Atlanticto form Verizon in 2000.

1975Nann Goplerud, MAJ and BS1972, is an instructionalassociate professor, with a jointappointment in the Radio-TV-Film Department and theJournalism Department at theUniversity of North Texas. Sheled the faculty and staff indeveloping the new ElectronicNews major, of the R-TV-F andJournalism Departments. Sheteaches Introductory ElectronicNews Writing, AdvancedElectronic News Writing and

Reporting and Ethical Decision-Making in the Media.Previously, she was theexecutive producer of specialprojects at WFAA-TV Ch. 8 inDallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Shewas executive producer on twoinvestigative projects that wonthe Alfred I. DuPont-ColumbiaAward and the George FosterPeabody Award. She led theWFAA team that won theWalter Cronkite Award forExcellence in Television forpolitical journalism. She also haswon numerous other honorsduring her 30-year broadcastcareer. She was selected as a2003-2004 Ethics Fellow at thePoynter Institute in St.Petersburg, Fla. Previously sheworked as a news reporter atKDFW-TV (Channel 4) in Dallas-Fort Worth, a syndication newswriter/producer at CBS News inNew York City, and a newsreporter at WIBW-TV (Channel13) in Topeka, Kan.

Tim Tyson started his owncompany, Tyson Media, and hasbeen working for FEMA PIO inhurricane Katrina and Wilmarecovery. Previously he workedfor NASA.


Let the Journalism Career Centerhelp you find your next job

T he School of Journalism’s Career Center started a new service for alumni this year. The Center now provides information online aboutjournalism jobs that require at least two years ofexperience. The job listings are posted on the J-School’sWeb site, www.journalism.ku.edu, under the “Alumni &Friends” tab.

This new service is for jobs that require 2-4, 3-5,5-7 and 10 or more years of experience. The School andfaculty members hear about such positions on a regularbasis. The jobs are immediately posted online.

If you know of relevant job openings that shouldbe listed, please e-mail Patty Noland, the J-School’scareer development coordinator, at [email protected].

1971David R. Broyles, a retiredmajor in the Air Force Reserve,is working on self-publishing ane-book edition of his book“What Is Energy?”

1951Bob Sigman has been theopinion page editor and acolumnist for The Johnson CountySun since 2001, after retiringfrom The Kansas City Star as aneditorial page writer andcolumnist. This year at the Heartof America Journalism Awards,Sigman was a recipient of theJoe McGuff LifetimeAchievement Award from theKansas City Press Club. He wasalso the 2005 recipient of theJohnson County CommunityCollege Headline Award, givenannually to a local journalistwho has inspired JCCCstudents.

J-Links is a publication for the alumni and friends ofthe University of Kansas William Allen White Schoolof Journalism and Mass Communications.

EditorJennifer Kinnard, Communications [email protected], 785-864-7644

Printed byAllen Press Inc., Lawrence, Kansas

Financial support provided byThe Ward Family Foundation Fund in JournalismThe School of Journalism acknowledges, with gratitude,the support provided by the Ward family.

For More Information200 Stauffer-Flint Hall, 1435 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS66045-7575 • [email protected] • 785-864-4755

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Three photos at left from a Journalism Multicultural Scholars dinner. Two photos at right from an event welcoming the J-School’s first class of directly-admitted freshmen.

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