Prominent journalism alumni to return to campus for J-School Generations
LAWRENCE — Prominent graduates of the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications will be on campus for J-School Generations 2014, which will be Sept. 25-26.
“Each year we invite alumni to come back for Homecoming and a gathering of Jayhawk Journalists," said Ann Brill, journalism dean. “It’s a great opportunity to hear from some of the most successful people in media who studied here. Students share resumes with the alumni, do problem-solving scenarios and just get to know each other.”
Under the theme of Connect, Create, Unite, the School will host the fourth-annual event open to graduates and current students of the journalism school.
In addition, the public is invited to join the school at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Kansas Union. The school will officially open the Dow Jones Newscenter @ KU. The multimedia newsroom is part of the School’s Crossroads Media Center and the only such newsroom in the country funded by Dow Jones. Jerry Seib, Washington, D.C., bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal, and Barbara Rosewicz, former Dow Jones reporter now with the Pew Charitable Trust, will cut the ribbon.
“We have found Generations to be a very popular event for both alumni and students,’’ said Patty Noland, J-School Career Development Coordinator. “The alumni want to see the new concepts being taught, while students want to hear from those in the ‘real world’ how they transfer what they learn in the classroom to the job setting. We are excited with the speakers and panelists we assembled for the event."
Among those returning to Mount Oread include Gwen Cooke, marketing coordinator for The Walt Disney Company and 2011 J-School graduate.
“I accepted the invitation to come back because I can honestly say the connections I made at KU, and even those I've made after graduation with other Jayhawks, have played a huge role in getting me to where I am today,” Cooke said. “I remember when I was a student, having the opportunity to listen to young professionals' experiences in the workplace was extremely beneficial. It was refreshing and inspiring to find out how the things we were learning in the J-School directly translated to day-to-day business.”
Other confirmed presenters and panelists:
- Megan Do, Show Cobra
- Andrew Fillmore, YouTube
- Kameron Mack , A&E Television
- Gina Ford, Prince George’s (Md.) County State’s Attorney’s Office
- Roger Keys, Marketing Keys
- Gwen Cooke, The Walt Disney Company
- Mike Swenson, Crossroads
- Eric Morgenstern, Morningstar Communications
- John Nohe, JNA Advertising
- Joel Zeff, Joel Zeff Creative
- Mark McGreevy, Quest Products Inc.
- Jerry Seib, Wall Street Journal
- Barb Rosewicz, Pew Center
- Phil Bressler, Muller Bressler Brown
“The quality and diversity of our presenters is outstanding,” Noland said. “The mix from the public and private sector, large company and small offers the opportunity for good dialogue and exchange of ideas. Our strategy has been to provide oppportunity for our students to interact with professionals who are utilizing what they learned while at KU. Scheduling it during Homecoming week will make it more accessible to those who want to attend.”
Generations concludes Saturday with tailgating before the Homecoming football game as the Jayhawks host the Texas Longhorns at Memorial Stadium.
To register for J-School Generations 2014 visit journalism.ku.edu or contact at 785-864-4755 or jschool@ku.edu.