The selected students participated in an industry immersion program with the highest-level industry executives and companies in New York on February 4-9, 2024. The program included professional development and personal branding workshops, the “Building Bridges for Our Future” Awards Ceremony and Luncheon, and Recruiter’s Expo.
“A really big highlight was attending the different agencies and hearing about their work culture, and what they do, and how much they love what they do in the industry,” Davis said. “I think realizing that going into this industry, it’s going to be filled with passion, it’s going to be filled with excitement…really solidified my knowledge [that] this is what I want to do.”
In 1997, the American Advertising Federation created the Most Promising Multicultural Students program to connect the advertising industry with the nation’s top multicultural college students. Since the program’s inception, the AAF Illinois chapter has had more winners than any other university or college.
Recognizing the top 50 multicultural college seniors across the nation, the Most Promising program promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion within the advertising industry, giving advertising, media, communications, and tech companies the opportunity to tap into high-achieving talent of diverse college students from across the country.
Each year, students of racial or ethnic diversity from the AAF’s 140+ college chapters apply to the program. Advertising leaders select the highest-achieving diverse seniors to participate. This year’s judging panel included thought leaders with a range of backgrounds and experience and from companies such as Amazon Ads, Ogilvy, Snap, The Trade Desk, Vox Media, and Whirlpool.
The event serves as a recruiting opportunity for industry leaders to develop a diverse group, representing the best from the country to serve as the next generation of advertising leaders. It also offers students invaluable network, learning, and immersion experiences with professionals from top advertisers, media companies, and advertising agencies.
As a CAS Associate, Maslowska will take time off from teaching in Fall 2024 to focus on her research of fake online reviews.
Consumer reviews on many e-commerce and travel websites, social media platforms, and entertainment pages have been shown to play a crucial role in consumers’ purchase decisions. As a result, companies started motivating consumers to write reviews by providing various incentives. However, there’s been little research on the process of review generation or review perception, depending on the different levels of review incentives.
Maslowska said her project “aims to investigate how incentives affect reviewers’ motivations and their reviews.” She also plans “to identify textual markers of incentivized and fake reviews and investigate whether it’s possible to train consumers to recognize such reviews, or at least make them more skeptical about them.”
Maslowska, who also serves as faculty lead of the computer science + advertising degree program in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising, was appointed a CAS Associate in the Spring 2024 semester upon the recommendation of CAS professors and with concurrence of campus and university administrations.
CAS Associates are tenured Illinois faculty members whose project proposals are selected in an annual competition. They are granted one semester of teaching release to pursue an individual scholarly or creative project.
The Center for Advanced Study works with every department on campus to identify and support the most productive, high-achieving, and innovative faculty at Illinois, providing them with connections and funding to pursue their work. Members of this accomplished community are invited to participate in CAS activities throughout the year and given opportunities to present their work to the CAS community. See CAS’s upcoming events.
One of his main roles as VP will be to manage AAA’s annual conference in March 2025. Active in AAA since 2009, Ham recently served as chair of AAA’s research committee from 2021-23; he has also been a member of AAA’s diversity and inclusion committee, global and multicultural committee, communication committee, and research committee for many years.
Ham’s research focuses on how consumers cope with diverse persuasion tactics through the lens of the Persuasion Knowledge Model. He has published more than 40 journal articles and book chapters. He has served as an associate editor for the International Journal of Advertising and the Asian Journal of Communication, as a special topic guest editor for the Journal of Interactive Advertising, and as an editorial review board member for multiple publications.
With more than 600 members, AAA is the oldest and the largest academic association dedicated to advertising research in the U.S. The University of Illinois has a history of leaders serving in AAA officer roles. Sela Sar and Michelle Nelson, both professors of advertising, have each served as past presidents of AAA, as have several alumni from the College of Media’s Institute of Communications Research.
November 9, 2024 | Vivian La, Communications Intern
The 2023-24 Roger Ebert Fellows, pictured with mentor Michael Phillips, are Stephanie Wayda, Caroline Tadla, and Hanna Brazas-Mata.
Three College of Media undergraduate students were chosen for this year’s Roger Ebert Fellows program, named after the late Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic and University of Illinois journalism alumnus Roger Ebert. The fellows will work closely with Michael Phillips, film critic at the Chicago Tribune, to hone their writing and interview skills, sharpen their critical eye, and host a screening in 2024 with the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies.
This year’s Ebert Fellows are Hanna Brazas-Mata, Caroline Tadla, and Stephanie Wayda.
“With my help, they can learn to be their own best editors, no matter what kind of writing they end up doing in the future. And I hope I can introduce them to at least one or two terrific films they might not otherwise have discovered,” Phillips said.
The Ebert Fellows will participate in various activities throughout the year, such as developing their podcasting skills by working with the producers of the Filmspotting podcast in the studios of Chicago Public Radio. They’ll also cover Ebertfest for Illinois Public Media. And for the third year in a row, the Ebert Fellows will attend and cover the True/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri, writing for RogerEbert.com.
Phillips is excited to work with the students’ strengths, making them “better, sharper, more persuasive versions of the writers and thinkers they are already,” he said.
He’ll be paying attention to each fellow’s particular interests, who might be especially valuable for them to meet, and what to experience first-hand.
Meet the 2023-2024 Ebert Fellows
Hanna Brazas-Mata is a junior in media and cinema studies who is looking forward to exploring different career paths through this fellowship.
“I love working with people, production, and writing, and I know all of those aspects of work will be explored in this fellowship,” she said. “Honestly, I see myself having many jobs in many different areas of the industry and this fellowship will give me a taste of that diversity in experience, and work that makes me so excited about my future.”
Brazas-Mata said being an Ebert Fellow is her biggest academic accomplishment and it’s a privilege to work with Phillips and the other fellows.
Her favorite film is Heathers, which reminds her of watching it on her mom’s VHS player.
“Heathers truly never gets old to me; it’s clever, funny, and is a dark twist on classic teen comedies. It also has some great one-liners and costumes,” Brazas-Mata said.
Caroline Tadla is a junior in media and cinema studies. Her dream is to become a screenwriter since she’s always had a passion for writing.
“It’s so encouraging to see the things you’re passionate about manifest into something serious. I’m very excited to gain exposure in the world of film and critical writing,” Tadla said.
After meeting the other fellows and Phillips, she said she’s happy to work with people with similar goals and interests.
She’s also looking forward to attending the True/False Documentary Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri.
Tadla’s favorite film is The Social Network because, as an aspiring screenwriter, “I love how fast-paced and clever the dialogue is as well as the unique narrative structure.”
Stephanie Wayda is a senior in journalism and said she’s interested in the film and entertainment space and this fellowship will help her see what she wants to specifically do.
“It will open the door to meeting new people and sharpen my skills,” Wayda said. “So I think it’ll be a really great, well-rounded experience.”
Wayda is interested in film production and development and is a part of Illini Film and Video Club.
“I am really honored to be a part of the program and uphold all of the history and meaning with Roger Ebert,” she said.
Wayda’s favorite films are those centered around women like Don’t Worry Darling and Promising Young Woman.
Chang-Dae Ham, associate professor of advertising and associate head of graduate studies, was selected to become the next Charles H. Sandage Scholar in Advertising Research.
Ham was chosen based on his research proposal, “Reflexive Persuasion Game between Human Intelligence (HI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Marketplace: Exploring Consumers’ AI Literacy and Coping Mechanism with AI as Persuasion Agents.”
The Charles H. Sandage Scholar in Advertising Research was established in 2021 to honor outstanding associate professors in the department who are accomplished researchers in the field of advertising, media, or communication research with the potential for continued achievement. The Sandage Scholar designation is for two years, with recipients receiving $12,000 per year in discretionary funding for research.
In line with the fund’s guidelines, full professors in the department provided evaluations on the research proposals. Based on the positive feedback received, Ham was selected as the Sandage Scholar recipient for the next two-year term (2023-2025).
Victor Font, lecturer of media and cinema studies, and Cristobal Bianchi, assistant professor of studio art, created the three-minute film-poem Factories at Sea. The Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies screened the film followed by a Q&A during a welcome event. (Photo by Isabella Pennebaker, photography intern.)
An interdisciplinary collaboration between two College of Media and College of Fine & Applied Arts faculty members has led to an award-winning visual poem that’s been selected to be screened at five film festivals worldwide.
Victor Font, lecturer of media and cinema studies, and Cristobal Bianchi, assistant professor of studio art, worked together to create a three-minute film-poem titled Factories at Sea.
Described as “a beautiful accomplishment” and an “interesting reflection on our relationship with nature and violence,” Factories at Sea has been accepted in the official programs of the International Festival of Films on Art (Montreal), the London Short Film Festival, Fotogenia Festival (Mexico), and the Chroma Art Film Festival (Miami). It has been selected as a semi-finalist in the Zed Fest Film Festival & Screenplay Competition in California. The film is also pending submission in the Oakland Short Film Festival, with results announced in February.
Going up against thousands of entries, Font said having their film merely selected by the festivals is an honor.
“In the beginning, the goal was whatever comes from that combination of words and images, if it was good, we would submit it to a festival,” Font said. “But we weren’t sure that was going to happen.”
Bianchi reached out to Font in the spring to see if he would be interested in helping to convert Factories at Sea, a poem he wrote and published in his poetry book Avistamientos (Editorial Aparte, 2022), into a short film.
Font, whose course specialties include Introduction to Digital Media Production, Cinematography and Sound Design, Smartphone Cinema, Film Production, and Advanced Filmmaking, said that to “visually tell something that would match the poem” was a challenge.
“It’s not like when you grab a script or storyboard for advertising. For me, with a background of non-fiction and fiction, I have never done this before,” said Font, who has been in the production business for more than 25 years. “I’ve never had a poem that I could transform [into] images or find the images that suits well for the poem.”
Font and Bianchi began the project in May and devoted much of the summer to bringing the visual poem to fruition. Both were abroad for the summer—Font in Barcelona, Spain, and Bianchi in Santiago de Chile—but they worked together over Zoom to complete the project.
Still image from Factories at Sea.
Bianchi, who provided narration as well as video clips of his son and father for the film, said Factories at Sea touches on personal topics such as becoming a father, and the passage of time. It also addresses community life and contemporary scenarios full of crises, people, and their possessions.
Bianchi says unlike mainstream narratives, he appreciates projects that “break the rules.”
“I like it when I don’t understand things, when they are left open [to interpretation],” he said.
For Bianchi, poetry is more than just literature but also a performative act. In 2000, he founded the Casagrande art collective in Chile, which has developed a series of editorial and public art interventions in the public sphere.
The Bombing of Poems, one of the collective’s internationally renowned works, consists of dropping 100,000 poems printed as bookmarks from an aircraft in cities that have experienced aerial bombing during military confrontations, such as Santiago de Chile (2001), Warsaw (2009), London (2012), and Madrid (2018).
This project is currently in a solo exhibition in Santiago de Chile called “Bombardeos de poemas: Volver a mirar el cielo (Bombings of Poems: Looking Again at the Sky),” in the context of 50 years since the Chilean coup d’état. Font helped Bianchi edit and produce the main video that is projected in one of the gallery rooms at Palacio Pereira’s art gallery.
Although the film-poem was a novel venture for Bianchi and Font, the duo already foresees a future collaboration, offering another opportunity to see what transpires.
“The art arrives in the process—it’s not before it starts and not when it’s finished,” Bianchi said. “The process is so important like that. In the process arrives the piece.”
Factories at Sea was also completed with the help of Elizabeth Zuba of Brooklyn, who translated the poem into English.
Congratulations to these College of Media students who received campus and college awards and honors, and scholarships and fellowships that were made possible thanks to our donors.
HONORS
Bronze Tablet Inscription on the Bronze Tablets in the Main Library recognizes students ranking in the top three percent of their graduating class.
Enji Erdenekhuyag
Madison Glass
Ethan Grinberg
Elizabeth Kelly
Jacqueline Leveille
Michal Szczepaniak
Megan Wilbur
Catherine Willenborg
Highest Honors For 2023-2024, the Highest Honors status in the College of Media is awarded to graduating seniors with a 3.98 to 4.0 GPA. (Ranges are based on percentages and may change slightly each year.)
Enji Erdenekhuyag
Madison Glass
Ethan Grinberg
Elizabeth Kelly
Jacqueline Leveille
Natalie Meier
Ivana Salto Lopez De Llergo
Joana Salto Lopez De Llergo
Michal Szczepaniak
Yanglu (Viola) Wang
Megan Wilbur
Catherine Willenborg
Kaien Xia
Julia Youman
High Honors For 2023-2024, the High Honors status in the College of Media is awarded to graduating seniors with a 3.94 to 3.97 GPA. (Ranges are based on percentages and may change slightly each year.)
Demi Apostolakos
Joshua Brown
Hailey Cooper
Anneliese Cornejo Garcia
Sizhe (Cynthia) Huang
Vivian La
Matthew Lay
Joanna Lee
Jinghua Liu
Regina Papadatos
Gabriella Spizzirri
Shannon Thornton
Michelle Wang
Mattie Weaver
Joshua Witte
Honors For 2023-2024, the Honors status in the College of Media is awarded to graduating seniors with a 3.86 to 3.93 GPA. (Ranges are based on percentages and may change slightly each year.)
Farrah Anderson
Caroline Azzo
Mary Beaulieu
Julia Blockinger
Brooke Button
Camryn Crowell
Aniya Davis
Chloe Davis
Aidan Finn
Lucy Ganser
Yiru Guo
Natalie Heilmann
Eli Hopkins
Payton Jarzyna
Clarke Jones
Shannon Kelly
Brianna Logvinsky
Isabella Martin
Stacey Mau
Katherine Moy
Jiawei Pei
Clare Regelbrugge
Jane Rogers
Edward Rong
Danielle Rowaiye
William Schermer
Olivia Sims
Maxwell Szykowny
Ziqi Wang
Stephanie Wayda
Brendan Yerkes
James Scholar This university-wide honors program encourages James Scholars to develop skills in leadership and service, research or honors coursework, service learning and global studies, and professional development.
Demi Apostolakos
Elizabeth Cooke
Hailey Cooper
Enji Erdenekhuyag
Aidan Finn
Lucy Ganser
Madison Glass
Ethan Grinberg
Sizhe (Cynthia) Huang
Vivan La
Stacey Mau
Danielle Rowaiye
Ivana Salto Lopez De Llergo
Joana Salto Lopez De Llergo
Carter Smith
Shelby Stajszczak
Shannon Thornton
Megan Wilbur
Catherine Willenborg
Kappa Tau Alpha This college honor society recognizes academic excellence and promotes scholarship in journalism and mass communication.
Demi Apostolakos
Elizabeth Kelly
Vivian La
Joshua Witte
Senior 100 Honorary This campus honor recognizes academics, leadership, service, and engagement at the University of Illinois.
Kelly Colbert Adam
Madison Glass
AWARDS, SCHOLARSHIPS, & FELLOWSHIPS
American Advertising Federation’s 50 Most Promising Multicultural Students Each year, the American Advertising Federation selects the 50 Most Promising Multicultural Students in the nation. Since the program began in 1997, the AAF Illinois chapter has had more winners than any other university or college. Winners participate in a three-day industry immersion program with the highest-level industry executives and companies in New York City. They are also recognized at the annual Building Bridges for Our Future awards luncheon with top industry professionals and organizations.
Aniya Davis
Lauren Jenkins
Naomi Muuzic
Olivia Wallace
Anthony J. Petullo Endowment in Design and Advertising Fund This fellowship, established by Anthony J. Petullo (BS ’61, Gies Business) in 2007, encourages and promotes continued scholarship related to the changing methods of reaching and delivering messages to consumers/society on every level.
Michelle Garcia
Barton A. Cummings Graduate Assistantship / Richard and Audrey Christian Graduate Assistantship The late Margaret K. Cummings provided funding for advertising graduate assistantships in honor of her late husband. Barton A. Cummings, the retired CEO of Compton Advertising, was a member of the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame and served as chair of the James Webb Young Board at the University of Illinois. One of the awards is named the Richard and Audrey Christian Graduate Assistantship.
Paris Baptiste
Xinyue Dong
Naufil Faisal
Masashi Fukada
Michelle Garcia
Yujin Lee
Chao-Yang (Janice) Lin
Mackenzie Lyerla
Zoe Randolph
Betty Hinckle Dunn Memorial Fund for Journalism Mr. Lyman Dunn, a graduate of the University of Illinois, established this scholarship in memory of his wife at the time of her death. Mrs. Dunn was a journalism graduate and a longtime officer of Women in Communications. Mr. Dunn died in 1986. The fund supports experiential learning, funding for undergraduate and graduate journalism students, and an annual public lecture by a distinguished journalist.
Dalila Divanovic
Margaret “Maggie” Knutte
Faith Lee
Rheanna Lewis
Nour Longi
Piper Pascarella
Bill Geist Broadcast Journalism Writing Prize This endowment was established in 1998 by alumnus Bill Geist, CBS correspondent and best-selling author. This award is presented to an undergraduate student majoring in broadcast journalism who demonstrates extraordinary ability and creativity in writing and reporting news for radio and television.
Michal Szczepaniak
Brett Lerner Memorial Scholarship in Journalism This scholarship celebrates the life of Brett Lerner whose untimely death in 2015 lead to an outpouring of support from the campus community and across the country. Brett was a junior studying journalism who inspired many with his tremendous talent, professionalism, and drive to succeed. Those closest to Brett knew him as a very bright young man with an amazing future ahead of him in the sports broadcasting field. His parents, Richard and Susan Pomerantz, were instrumental in establishing the fund and providing a way for family members, friends, and Brett’s many professional and personal connections to honor his legacy. The Lerner Scholarship is awarded to a talented undergraduate student with a passion for journalism and demonstrated experience working for a high school or college newspaper or other journalism work experience.
Jacqueline Barba
C&U Poster Advertising Company Scholarship This scholarship is awarded to a senior majoring in advertising. It was created by Kip Pope to honor Robert P. Pope and Barbara G. Pope and in memory of Fred and Bertha Gillingham. Mr. Pope is the former president of C&U Poster.
Isabella Martin
C. Arthur and Eleanor Hemminger Scholarship The late Eleanor Garm Hemminger was a 1939 graduate of the University, and established this endowment through her estate. Arthur Hemminger was a 1930 journalism graduate. Scholarships are presented to deserving undergraduate media students.
Hanna Brazas-Mata
Anjana Gulapalyam
Sofia Kanda
Edward Rong
Leopold Smat
Gabriella Spizzirri
Atlas VanZanten
C.O. “Doc” Erickson Scholarship in Journalism This scholarship was established in 2006 by the late University of Illinois alumnus and film producer C.O. “Doc” Erickson, who worked with many Hollywood directors, including Alfred Hitchcock on “To Catch a Thief” and “Vertigo,” and with John Houston on “The Misfits.” The scholarship is presented to undergraduate students enrolled in journalism.
Emily Huffman
Calvin Hugy Scholarship This endowment was established from the Calvin E. Hugy estate. Mr. Hugy was a 1950 journalism graduate. He retired as vice president of Pacific Eurpac Service, Inc., of Greenwich, Connecticut. The scholarship is presented to deserving undergraduate media students.
Gabriella Blangiardo
Kris Modi
Bo Ravanh
Charlotte Watson
Emily Wajcik
Cardiss Collins Scholarship for Diversity in Advertising Established by the American Advertising Federation in 1996 to honor Illinois’ first black congresswoman, Rep. Cardiss Collins, this scholarship is awarded to a minority student intending to pursue advertising studies.
Evan Walker
Joshua Watson
Carl and Ruth S. Stephens Scholarship The Stephens family bequeathed a farm to the College of Communications in the mid-1980s. Proceeds from its operation and eventual sale in 1990 have been used to endow this scholarship for journalism students who demonstrate academic merit and/or financial need.
Jacqueline Barba
Brendan Gallian
Stephanie Mosqueda
Charla Krupp Journalism Student Support As a 1975 journalism graduate, Charla Krupp was an inspiration to students, faculty, and professionals alike with her ambition, enthusiasm, and accomplishments. She had a strong desire to help students establish careers in major media markets, such as New York City. It was Ms. Krupp’s wish that the College of Media develop a valuable and practical internship program on her behalf, delivering a rich, diverse multimedia learning experience to allow students to gain hands-on skills for a successful career in journalism. In 2024, this fund expanded its scope to provide scholarship and experiential learning support of Media students. Internship and experiential learning support shall be in the journalism industry.
Jacqueline Barba
Anneliese Cornejo Garcia
Emilio Reyes
Charles G. Sotir Journalism Scholarship This scholarship is made possible from funds donated by alumnus Charles G. Sotir and his wife, Mary, of Evanston, Illinois. The award is given to a journalism undergraduate student with academic merit.
Lillien Salas
College of Media Alumni Scholarship Established in 1943 by alumni donations, this endowment provides awards to outstanding College of Media students, based on scholarship, character and professional achievement.
Francesca Dumitrescu
Vanessa Murillo
College of Media Annual Fund Scholarship These scholarships are funded through contributions to the College of Media Annual Fund from alumni and friends. They are awarded to students based on their scholarship, character and professional achievement.
Demi Apostolakos
Felipe Arrequen Nunez
Evelyn Cabrera
Danielle Mitchell
Sofia Pulido
Nicolas Roacho
Emma Shepherd
Mary Sloan
College of Media Dean’s Honors Scholarship These scholarships are awarded to incoming students based on their prior academic achievements and extracurricular involvement. They are funded by contributions from donors to the College of Media Annual Fund.
Ava Castle
Tony Chan
Emily Chen
Natalie Circolone
Emily Huffman
Kate Lamb
Jennifer Lee
Kalie Lomeli
Ashleigh Rappaport
Benjamin Shlau
Faiz Siddiqi
Lillian Walk
Megan Wilbur
Ella Yoder
College of Media Endowed Scholarship This scholarship is made available each year to outstanding undergraduate students within any college degree program and is based on financial need, academic merits, or both. Alumni and friends make gifts to the fund annually.
Ayesha Baweja
College of Media Underrepresented Scholarship Fund Endowed in 2020 by alumni donations, this scholarship provides awards to outstanding College of Media underrepresented students, based on scholarship, character, and financial need.
Lucy Ganser
Cynthia Browne Placek Endowed Scholarship The Cynthia Browne Placek Endowed Scholarship was established in November 2022 by Cynthia to benefit students who demonstrate financial need in the Department of Journalism at the University of Illinois.
Daniel Branand
Daily Illini Journalism Scholarship Fund This fund was established in 2020 by Sarah Min (BS ’93, journalism) and Matthew Pincus of the Sarah Min and Matthew Pinkus Foundation, to benefit undergraduate journalism students who are committed to working at least one semester at The Daily Illini. Sarah Min is a digital media consultant in New York City.
TBD
Dana M. Ewell Memorial Placement Awards Established in 2003, this award honors Dana M. Ewell in name and legacy. Ms. Ewell was an instructor, lecturer, academic programs coordinator, and placement/internship coordinator in the Department of Journalism. Whether in the classroom teaching a course on editing or reporting or in her office providing information and guidance on internships or job placement, Ms. Ewell was always accessible to students. She became a mentor and friend to many. This award is presented to a junior, senior, or graduate student who is studying journalism.
Shawn Sloan
Daniel and Nancy Balz Endowed Fund in Journalism In 2013, Dan and Nancy Balz brought their love of an Illinois education to life by establishing their first scholarship. Dan received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in journalism and went on to be an internationally recognized correspondent for The Washington Post. Nancy has degrees from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Library and Information Science. The fund from their endowment will be used for either scholarship or internship support for journalism students in the College of Media.
Stephanie Mosqueda
David Shaul Endowed Scholarship in Journalism David Shaul (BS ’63, journalism), personified what local television news should be. He was an integral part of Champaign-Urbana, as a professional broadcaster and citizen, for more than five decades. He was an ethical journalist known for his experience, professionalism and rich knowledge of central Illinois. He set the standard for quality television journalism and was honored by several friends and family who created this scholarship in his honor in 2018. The scholarship honors an undergraduate journalism student based on academic merit.
Rolando Mendez
Dawn M. Turner and Kim D. Turner Endowed Scholarship in Media Dawn M. Turner (BS ’87 journalism) a former columnist and reporter for the Chicago Tribune, established this scholarship in 2018 in honor of her late sister Kim. The fund supports undergraduate scholarships and experiential learning opportunities for College of Media students with a demonstrated financial need, giving preference to African American students. Dawn hopes to inspire students to seek out untold stories to counteract the negativity we often see in the media.
Selena Adetunji
Deanna Frautschi and Alan Bedell Scholarship This scholarship fund was established in 2018 by Deanna Frautschi (BS ’70, Advertising) and her husband Alan Bedell, to benefit College of Media juniors and seniors, regardless of their major. Deanna retired after a 33-year career as executive vice president of communications and human resources for COUNTRY Financial and wants College of Media students to reap the benefits of an Illinois education, just as she did.
Alexander Gallegos
Department of Journalism Scholarship This fund was established in 1982 by alumni donations to the Department of Journalism Scholarship Fund. It provides awards to outstanding College of Media students, based on scholarship, character and professional achievement.
Benjamin Fader
Donald E. Chamberlain Journalism Scholarship This award is presented to outstanding journalism students on the basis of academic performance and promise of success in the field. The award was established in 1956 by the Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association in memory of Mr. Chamberlain. The ILCA dates back to 1946. Mr. Chamberlain worked with state and legislative leaders to establish modern pressroom facilities for the association in 1947.
Adrian Carrasco
Donald P. Mullally Internship at Illinois Public Media A scholar and true visionary for public radio and television, Don Mullally served as General Manager at the NPR and PBS stations licensed to the University of Illinois from the early 1970s until his retirement in 2005 – well into the Internet age. The Donald P. Mullally Endowment was established with gifts made in his honor at the time of his retirement. Mullally passed away in early 2015. Interest from the endowed fund supports a paid internship at WILL in the fall and spring semesters each year.
Eldon Jones
Earl M. Cummings Advertising Education Research Award These are academic research awards given to Master’s in Advertising students who demonstrate great promise in research.
Zoe Randolph
Ed Wilks Memorial Scholarship in Journalism This scholarship was established in 1988 by the Ambassadors, a St. Louis charitable and civic organization. Mr. Wilks graduated from the University of Illinois in 1950 and went on to a fine career in journalism. He worked with The Associated Press and for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where he was executive sports editor for most of his 34 years in the business. This scholarship is for undergraduate journalism students interested in newspaper careers.
Jude Rivero Panlilio
Florence Hood Miner Scholarship in Journalism This endowment was established in 1998 by Florence Hood Miner of Castle Rock, Colorado. Scholarships are awarded to undergraduate students in journalism, with a preference to students working for The Daily Illini or a similar student newspaper.
Nathalie Murillo
Florence J. Johnson Scholarship The Florence J. Johnson Endowed Fund was created in July 2014 in memory of Florence J. Johnson, a 1945 journalism graduate who gifted the fund to the College of Media from her estate.
Sofia Cesarone
Grace He
Nathaniel Murphy
Megan Wood
Forsyth Family Endowed Scholarship Created in 2014 by Illinois alumni Bill and Martha Forsyth, this renewable scholarship is awarded based on academic merit. The Forsyths know that media is a rapidly changing industry. This scholarship will help students gain the experience they need to make an impact in the industry and be innovative leaders.
Olivia Sims
George Will Endowed Scholarship The George Will Endowment Fund was created in 2014 in honor of George Will, a local University Laboratory High School graduate and a 1977 Pulitzer Prize-winning political commentator for The Washington Post. Will was named a member of Uni High’s “Class of the Century” in 2022. The scholarship is awarded to an outstanding College of Media student.
Emily Hong Chen
Gerald P. Johnson Scholarship A 1951 graduate of Illinois, Gerald Johnson was an engaged community member and great enthusiast of local sports. To honor Gerry and his lifelong interest in sports broadcasting, his family established the Gerald P. Johnson Endowment Fund in the fall of 2013. The fund provides merit-based awards for either scholarships or internships to undergraduates with an interest in broadcast journalism.
Madison Holcomb
Jakob Stutz
Gerald Robert Bland Scholarship Established by Wilma R. Bland from her estate to honor her late husband, Gerald Robert Bland, this scholarship is presented to students in journalism.
Jonathan Mathew
Glenn Hanson Scholarship in Visual Communication Presented in honor of longtime journalism faculty member Glenn Hanson, this scholarship is awarded to a journalism student studying graphic arts.
Sijie (Jenny) Lin
Glenn Holman Roberts Journalism Scholarship This award was established by the late Glenn H. Roberts, a 1947 University of Illinois journalism graduate. Mr. Roberts retired after 39 years as the vice president of research for The Des Moines Register and then was the head of his own research firm. The fund provides scholarships to juniors or seniors who have proven ability in journalism courses, have extracurricular journalistic experience and demonstrate a particular interest in print journalism.
Enkhjin (Engi) Erdenekhuyag
Goldie Maxine Cord and Marcus Franklin Cord Scholarship This scholarship was established in memory of Goldie Maxine Cord, a 1936 journalism graduate. The scholarship is presented to a third-year journalism student.
Emilio Reyes
H. Maxine Gladding Greenwood Scholarship This award was established in 2001 by James Greenwood to honor his wife, Maxine, a 1938 journalism graduate. Mrs. Greenwood was a feature writer for the Moline Daily Dispatch and was the first woman on its display advertising staff. The fund provides scholarships, fellowships and teaching awards as appropriate. Students receiving scholarships are chosen for academic achievement and financial need.
Dalila Divanovic
Harold E. and Dorothy Johnson Sortor Journalism Scholarship This scholarship was established in 1988 by Harold E. and Dorothy Johnson Sortor of Savannah, Georgia, who wished to acknowledge their appreciation to the University of Illinois by providing financial recognition to outstanding journalism students. The scholarship is based on academic merit.
Eunsung (Anna) Koh
Vivian La
Harold Gustave Roettger Memorial Award This award is presented to outstanding graduating seniors in Media and is based on academic performance and membership in Kappa Tau Alpha, a national communications honorary society.
Ethan Grinberg
Jacqueline Leveille
Harold R. Bruno Jr. Fund in Journalism The Bruno Fund, created in 2011, provides unrestricted support for the College of Media. This year the income from the fund is being used to support internships. A 1950 graduate of the college, Bruno began his journalism career working for Chicago area news services and papers. At Newsweek he served as foreign correspondent and political editor before joining ABC News in 1978 where he retired a political director.
Evan Delong
Helen C. and Theodore B. Peterson Scholarship This scholarship was established in 1998 in memory of Theodore B. Peterson, former dean of the College of Communications, now the College of Media. Dean Peterson’s wife, Helen Peterson, passed away in 2007, and the scholarship now bears both of their names.
Zeno Jo
Hugh Hough Memorial – Media This fund was established in 1986 by Hugh Hough’s wife Ellen Wasemann Hough and other donors to honor Hugh Hough, a 1951 journalism graduate. Hugh Hough was an author who received a Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting with Art Petacque for uncovering new evidence that led to the reopening of efforts to solve the 1966 murder of Valerie Percy. The scholarship is awarded to a journalism student, who, based on professional interest and academic achievement, shows promise of continuing Hugh Hough’s legacy as a journalist.
Megan Harding
Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Scholars Graduate Fellowship In honor of the late Ted Peterson, former Dean of the College of Communications and magazine journalism giant, this fellowship is awarded based upon academic merit and professional promise to graduate students enrolled in the Department of Journalism.
Noah Nelson
Ian Fleming Foundation Undergraduate Research Scholarship The Ian Fleming Foundation (IFF) Undergraduate Research Scholarship has been donated by the Ian Fleming Foundation to honor the late Ian Lancaster Fleming, a journalist, critic, travel writer, and author of the James Bond novels. The IFF was formed in 1992 by Dr. Michael L. VanBlaricum, John Cord, and Douglas Redenies, and this scholarship was established by the IFF in 2014. The purpose of this scholarship is to provide incentive and support to outstanding undergraduate students to become involved in primary media and/or film research with College of Media faculty. Funds are offered each year to undergraduate students who possess an outstanding track record of academic achievement along with independent research potential.
Eve Cabrera
Trent Miles
Yuhan Zhou
Illinois Broadcasters Association Scholarship in Broadcast Journalism This scholarship was established in 2004 by the Illinois Broadcasters Association for an undergraduate journalism student majoring in broadcast journalism who demonstrates talent, commitment, excellence, and professional ambition in broadcasting. The student must have a superior record of academic performance and be the top student preparing to enter their senior year.
Vivian Lee
Iris Chang Journalism Award This award was established in memory of Iris Chang by her family and friends. Ms. Chang was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and grew up in Champaign-Urbana, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Illinois in 1989. She established herself as an invaluable source of information about Asia, human rights and Asian American history with her international best seller, The Rape of Nanking. Seniors in journalism are eligible.
Kayla Henry
Shawn Sloan
Stephanie Wayda
J. Christopher and Robin N. Kaler Scholarship This scholarship was established by Jon “Chris” and Robin Kaler in July 2005 and is split between the College of Media and the Main University Library. It provides unrestricted support to the journalism broadcast sequence in the Department of Journalism, awarded to undergraduate journalism students. Robin is a double alumna of the College of Media, with a B.S. in Journalism in 1983 and a M.S. in Journalism in 1992, and currently serves the Associate Chancellor for Public Affairs for the University of Illinois.
Liliana Rodriguez
James Webb Young Travel Fund James Webb Young was one of the great pioneers and most honored figures in advertising. Mr. Young, a self-educated man who authored four textbooks on advertising, enjoyed a distinguished career that lasted six decades and bridged two centuries. It began with the writing of direct response advertising and continued to include, among other achievements, the creation of several now-classic ads and the founding of the Advertising Council. The fund was established at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1959. One of its main goals is to improve advertising by attracting talented graduate students from all over the world.
Paris Baptiste
Jiyeon Chang
Alyssa Xinle Du
Masashi Fukada
Namita Gupta
Woo Jin Kim
Floria Yujin Lee
Ruiheng Sun
Nini Zhou
Jay Lin Scholarship Jay Lin (MS ’89, advertising), the first mainland Chinese student to receive a master’s degree from oversees, created the Jay Lin Scholarship Fund in 2018. It was his dream to someday give back to the University of Illinois’ next generation of advertising students after receiving support via the James Webb Young Scholarship when he was a student. This scholarship honors an advertising student in the college.
Ivana Salto de Llergo
Jenny Lenzini Memorial Scholarship in Journalism The family of Jenny Lenzini (BS ’16, journalism) established a scholarship to help make education more affordable for University of Illinois students, to fund their passions, and to honor her legacy. Jenny passed away tragically on November 15, 2020, at the age of 26. At Illinois, Jenny worked for The Daily Illini, was a member of Chi Omega sorority, and helped lead UI-7 News to a NATAS Crystal Pillar Award for the best college newscast in Mid-America. This scholarship supports an undergraduate junior or senior journalism student with undergraduate scholarships or experiential learning opportunities.
Darryl Norwood
Joe Sutton Honorary Scholarship This award was established by the late June Sleeman, University of Illinois journalism alumna, and her late husband, Tom Sleeman, who was president of Unocal Chemicals in Los Angeles, to honor Joe Sutton, former assistant dean, associate professor in journalism and editor of Illinois Alumni News. Joe was a key person in the instructional program of the Department of Journalism and had the responsibility for the core of news writing and editing courses. The award provides a scholarship to a female print journalism student enrolled in the College of Media—who is or has been on the staff of The Daily Illini—on the basis of academic performance and promise of success in journalism.
Ashley Gilbert
Joel D. and Analee Weisman Scholarship Established in 1999 by Joel D. Weisman and Analee Rudich Weisman, this scholarship is given to an undergraduate student who is working, either part-time or full-time, at a job that involves journalism, marketing or management. Students with financial need are given preference. Joel Weisman is an attorney, talent representative and Emmy Award-winning Chicago television host and commentator. While a student he met his wife, Analee, and worked as a sportswriter columnist for The Daily Illini and The News-Gazette.
Katherine Ratke
John H. and Sylvia N. Schacht Memorial Scholarship John Schacht was a longtime journalism faculty member who was an editor of The Daily Illini as an undergraduate. His father was previously editor-in-chief of the paper. Sylvia N. Schacht taught English at the University for 25 years. This scholarship was created by the Schacht family in honor of their parents. It is presented to an undergraduate student who is a staff member of The Daily Illini.
Lauren Barjami
John Russell Heitman Fellowship Mildred Yates Heitman (B.A., LAS General Studies, ’26) of Rantoul, Illinois created this fund in 1992 in honor of her husband, John Russell Heitman, who taught journalism at the University of Illinois in the 1930s. Mr. Heitman owned the Lake Forester newspaper and Heitman Printing Plant in Lake Forest. The fund supports graduate fellowships and assistantships in journalism.
Alexander Winton
John T. Trebilcock Memorial Award This memorial fund was established to honor the late John Trebilcock, a journalism teacher. The award recognizes a Daily Illini reporter judged to have done the year’s best investigative reporting. The Daily Illini staff chooses the recipient and matches the College of Media award.
Lillien Salas
Jonathan Laxamana Award in Student Filmmaking Established in 2024 by Joseph Laxamana plus friends and family, this award is given in honor of his younger brother, Jonathan Laxamana (BS ’92, English, LAS) who was passionate about film and film festivals. The recipient of this award is a student who demonstrates outstanding foregrounding representation in front of and behind the camera, as well as their skills as a filmmaker.
Wuxing Warriors: An Asian American Epic by Daniel Zhang
Judy Blasdell Bligh Endowed Journalism Scholarship Judy Blasdell Bligh was a 1969 University of Illinois Advertising graduate who worked in journalism, primarily in copy editing and proofreading. She worked for University of Illinois Press, The Library at 190 S. Lasalle in Chicago, Fearon-Pitman Publishers in California, and Apple in Seattle, Washington, during her long career. The scholarship was named in Judy Blasdell Bligh’s honor upon her passing in April 2020. It recognizes outstanding students in the Department of Journalism.
Elizabeth Fawley
Jules and Jody Anne Becker Scholarship This scholarship was established by the late Jules Becker and Jody Anne Becker to assist journalism or advertising students. Mr. Becker, of Becker & Company Public Relations-Advertising in San Rafael, California, attributed his outstanding journalistic education and solid foundation for life to the college.
Emily Huffman
Karen Lucas Petitte Endowed Scholarship in Journalism Karen Petitte holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Illinois. While at Illinois, Karen was among the first women selected as editor-in-chief of The Daily Illini. She has worked for the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Daily News, Consumers Digest, Modern Healthcare, and Modern Physician, the latter two published by Chicago-based Crain Communications, Inc. She has served as the first woman president of the Chicago Newspaper Guild and as Chicago’s consumer affairs commissioner under Mayor Jane Byrne. In 2007 she was inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame and the Illini Media Hall of Fame. The award is given to a student majoring in journalism based on academic merit and financial need.
Megan Krok
Mallory Miller
Klues Scholars In 2015, the Jack M. Klues and Elizabeth F. Klues Family Foundation established an endowment in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising to fund scholarships and experiential learning opportunities for underrepresented students with significant financial need. The gift was initiated by Jack Klues, a 1977 advertising alum, who began his career as an account executive in the media department at Leo Burnett. In 1996, he was part of the management team that created Starcom, and in 2003, following the acquisition by Publicis Groupe, he served as global CEO for Publicis Groupe Media. From 2007 until his retirement in 2012, he served as global CEO and Directoire member with oversight of media agencies, as well as Digitas and Razorfish under Publicis’ holding company’s digital and media agency, Vivaki. Mr. Klues has served in many volunteer leadership roles for the College of Media, including the James Webb Young Board, and has served on the board of directors for the Off the Street Club in Chicago for more than 25 years. His family’s gift will assist the college in its goal of building a more diverse student population, which ultimately improves diversity within the advertising industry.
Gabriella Blangiardo
Aniya Davis
Sumer Hazeen
Alessandra Lopez
Kayla McLurkin
Bavya Sri Sai Inti
Alejandro Villa
Caitlyn Volsansky
Ivette Zuniga
Lulu Kelly Nardine Awards Three awards are given to journalism students who have demonstrated excellence in writing. The late Gretchen Nardine Doris of Tampa, Florida, established this scholarship in memory of her mother.
Farrah Anderson
Ethan Holesha
Anulika Ochuba
Marian and Barney Brody Creative Feature Article Writing Awards in Journalism These awards were established in 1996 through the generosity of Marian Boruck Brody, a 1937 journalism graduate, who passed away in 2016. The awards are presented to journalism graduate or undergraduate students judged to have reported and written the best student feature articles during the academic year.
1st place: Hannah Lonergan for “Notes on resistance: Claudia Lennhoff and the motivations of an activist”
2nd place: Madison Holcomb for “He used education to escape a violent childhood. Today, he wants to help kids in similar situations”
3rd place: Humza Qazi for “UIUC Beekeeping Club president says goodbye to her hive”
Marilyn Miller Kaytor Scholarships Established from the estate of Marilyn Miller Kaytor, one of the first journalists to make a career of writing about food for a mass audience, this endowed fund supports scholarships for undergraduate students enrolled in the Department of Journalism.
Felicity Abbott
Siona Ahuja
Chloe Barbarise
Patricia Bradford
Andrew Burkey
Kathryn Dalton
Talia Duffy
Elizabeth Fawley
Ryan Hastings
Kaylee Hill
Michael Kupiec
Vivian La
Kiel Ledin
Faith Lee
Hannah Lonergan
Nour Longi
Haley Maser
Nathalie Murillo
Matthew Murphy
Cooper O’Kelly
Ethan Oskroba
Humza Qazi
Mariana Quezada Marquez
Julissa Reyes
Sam Rink
Luliana Rodriguez
Adam Rosen
Thomas Rot
Angel Saldivar
Gwyneth Skiles
Julia Youman
Murray Kalis Awards for Creativity in Advertising Murray Kalis (BS ’61, advertising) had a long and successful career in the advertising business, creating Kalis, Inc. He spent most of his career as a creative director and established this fund in 2020 to emphasize to students the importance of creativity in advertising. The awards are given to students majoring in advertising in recognition of excellence in creativity in advertising. The criteria for these awards includes smart positioning, outstanding creative concept, strong execution, and a “wow” factor.
William Horvath – Best Single Ad
Hailey Cooper – Best Campaign
Ayden Van Harlingen – Best Portfolio
Nancy Ronald and Ronald L. Hartshorn Internships Nancy Ronald (BS ’70, journalism) and Ron Hartshorn (BS ’69, ACES) established this endowment in 2013 to support students pursuing internships in media. Preference is given to students with an interest in broadcast journalism.
Eve Cabrera
Elissa Eaton
Piper Pascarella
Yuhan Zhou
Neil and Lynn Gissler Experiential Learning Fund This experiential learning fund, created in 2023 by D. Neil Gissler (B.A. Economics, ’87) and Lynn A. Gissler (B.A. Communication, ’86), supports College of Media undergraduate students with experiential learning and industry immersion opportunities. Preference is given to students majoring in Advertising.
Alyla Ditiangkin
Mary “Bekah” Douglas
Ethan Kopec
Macy Miller
Rebekah Phaiboun
Benjamin Riseman
Nelio A. Florio and Patricia M. Florio Scholarship in Journalism Patricia Florio established this scholarship in honor of her husband, the late Nelio Florio, a 1938 journalism graduate. Nelio was a sports writer on The Daily Illini and served as sports editor of Trans-Radio News, the Southtown Economist, the Garfieldian, and the Austin News. Later he joined Western Electric and served for 31 years as editor of its newspaper and then at the Oak Park Journal as sports editor. The award is presented to an undergraduate journalism student.
Zeno Jo
Paul C. Fulton Scholarship This scholarship fund was created by Mrs. Ester Fulton to honor her late husband, Paul, a longtime advertising executive with the Chicago Tribune. The scholarship is awarded to juniors or seniors who maintain academic excellence and demonstrate proficiency in their field.
Brianna Logvinski
Yanglu (Viola) Wang
Raymond Clamage Prize in Journalism In 1947, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Clamage established a fund with the University in memory of their son, Raymond, who served on The Daily Illini staff from 1942 to 1943 and was killed in action in World War II. This award is presented to the member of The Daily Illini staff not holding a senior position who has contributed the most to the progress and quality of the newspaper during the year.
Jacob “Jack” Larson
Raymond O. Torr Memorial Scholarship in Journalism Illinois Journalism alumnus Raymond Torr was the public relations director for the National Fund for Medical Education. Upon his death, his colleagues established this memorial to honor his legacy. The award is presented to a graduating senior who shows promise of a successful professional career in journalism.
Ashleigh Kendrick
Richard Hildwein Memorial Photojournalism Award Presented in honor of longtime faculty member Richard “Dick” Hildwein, this scholarship is awarded to a journalism student with an interest in photojournalism.
Emily Ritchie
Richard Tuttle Orr Scholarship This scholarship was established in 1993 by Richard Tuttle Orr of Chicago, a University of Illinois journalism graduate. He was a Chicago Tribune staff member, and served as president of the Chicago Press Club and the Newspaper Farm Editors of America. The award provides scholarships based on academic merit and/or financial need to undergraduate students who are majoring or intend to major in journalism.
Farrah Anderson
Grace Bernstein
Ehkhjin (Engi) Erdenekhuyag
Katherine Ratke
Emilio Reyes
Mariah Trujillo
Samuel Yohnka
Robert N. and Lorraine M. Wilt Scholarship Robert and Lorraine Wilt were journalism graduates and later co-publishers of the Muncy Luminary in Muncy, Pennsylvania. Initially Robert Wilt established this scholarship in memory of his wife. After Mr. Wilt’s death, an additional bequest was added to the original fund, and now the scholarship honors them both. The scholarship is presented to an outstanding female journalism student.
Kelsie Choy
Robert O. Endres Endowed Internship at Illinois Public Media Robert O. Endres created this fund in 2017 to support internships with WILL. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degree from the College of Media and during his time at Illinois he worked at both WPGU and WILL. Endres had a long, distinguished career as a projectionist including 25 years at Radio City Music Hall.
Farrah Anderson
Roger Ebert Fellows in Media Criticism In recognition of Roger Ebert’s career in journalism, the Roger Ebert Fellows program was established in 2015 to provide learning experiences that focus on critical thinking and interpretative journalism. As a key component of the Roger Ebert Center, a select group of Illinois students experience in-depth mentoring by professional critics as they attend film festivals and write for Illinois Public Media and The Daily Illini—Roger’s beloved student newspaper.
Hanna Brazas-Mata
Caroline Tadla
Stephanie Wayda
S. Watson and Elizabeth S. Dunn Fellowship Samuel Watson Dunn was the first PhD graduate from the University of Illinois with an advertising focus. He later returned to the University of Illinois to head the Department of Advertising from 1966-1977. Dr. Dunn was a major force in advertising education, especially in the graduate arena. This fellowship program was created by Dr. and Mrs. Dunn to honor his legacy.
Woo Jin Kim
Schlueter Family Endowed Fund for Internships in Journalism James E. Schlueter is a 1980 graduate of the College of Media School of Journalism. A native of Edwardsville, Illinois, Schlueter was a sportswriter and columnist for The Daily Illini, and was a sportswriter and editor for five years before joining The Boeing Company. He is the second member of his family to earn a degree from the University of Illinois. He and his wife, Amy, are both grateful for the opportunities they have received as alumni from Big Ten universities and are proud and privileged to help future students secure future career success through internships.
Katie Dalton
Katie Ratke
Suzanne Bates and Drew Yanno Experiential Learning Fund This scholarship fund, created in 2021 by Suzanne Bates (B.S. JRN, ’77) and her husband Drew Yanno, supports College of Media undergraduate students with scholarships, internships, and/or other experiential learning opportunities. Preference is given to journalism students with financial need and academic merit.
Stephanie Wayda
Veronica Ponterelli Toussaint and Dr. Paul Toussaint Scholarship Fund Veronica Pontarelli Toussaint (BS ’92 and MS ’93, Advertising) and her husband, Dr. Paul Toussaint, a physician at Amita Health Medical Group, established this scholarship in 2016. Veronica was formerly Vice President of Scholarship for the Chicago North Shore Alumnae Panhellenic Association and started her career as an Account Executive at Shaker Advertising. This fund provides scholarships to outstanding undergraduate students in the Department of Advertising, with preference for residents of the State of Illinois.
Ethan Kasdan
Wilkey Scholarship for Print Journalism This scholarship was established by the Wilkey family in 2007 to reward a junior or senior enrolled in print journalism who displays good mentoring abilities, among other worthy attributes.
Hannah Lonergan
Wilma M. Haist Journalism Memorial Scholarship This memorial fund was a bequest by Wilma M. Haist to honor her late husband, Lt. Col Glade F. Haist, United States Air Force, Class of 1936. The scholarship is to assist journalism students in need of aid and who strive to report news as it really is.
Congratulations to all of the College of Media faculty and teaching assistants who were ranked as excellent by their students!
This list is based on Instructor and Course Evaluation System (ICES) questionnaire forms completed by students during the Spring 2023 semester. Only those instructors who distributed ICES forms at least once during this time period and who released their data for publication are included in the list. View the complete list.
Note: * denotes that the instructor ratings were outstanding. + denotes Summer 2023 course.
Herbert DaCosta, a graduate student in the journalism master’s degree program, was awarded the 2023-24 Thornton Tomasetti Foundation Technical Literacy Fellowship for his exceptional submittal to help the wider public understand and connect with climate change. DaCosta is a research development manager at the University of Illinois Office of Proposal Development.
The fellowship offers up to $5,000 in funding for projects that further the public’s technical literacy on environmental issues and other topics. Submittals were reviewed by Jim Glanz, New York Times international investigative reporter; Richard L. Tomasetti, consultant and founding principal; and Elisabeth Malsch, managing principal of Thornton Tomasetti, Inc.
DaCosta said he plans to use the fellowship to carry out the research needed to write about climate change in a way that a broader audience can understand.
“The fact that there is a significant percentage of the population who believes that climate change is a hoax means that we still have a large gap to reach when it comes to the academic community to reach [people’s] minds and hearts,” DaCosta said. “It is possible that although the academic community has sent out the message, it was not in a way in which the public could relate and understand. My goal is to give a small contribution to narrow that gap.”
“We’re extremely proud of Herbert for earning this fellowship where he can make an impact by improving how journalists communicate environmental issues to the public,” said Mira Sotirovic, associate professor and Karin and Folke Dovring Scholar in Propaganda, and head of the Department of Journalism. The Department of Journalism has prioritized the study of science and technology journalism, creating an online curriculum that begins Fall 2023.
In his current job, DaCosta supports the Illinois research community in the development of large and multidisciplinary grant proposals. The position, which he’s held since 2017, has been a great fit for DaCosta, who is a trained scientist with a passion for writing.
After obtaining a PhD in chemistry with minors in physics and computer engineering from the University of Florida and a Doctor of Science in chemistry from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, DaCosta worked as an industrial research engineer. He developed novel catalytic converters to decrease regulated emissions from diesel engines and new technologies to capture carbon dioxide and to convert it into useful products.
Realizing he liked writing more than research and development, DaCosta found a career in research development that allowed him to combine his science skills and his interest in writing.
DaCosta plans to complete his master’s degree in journalism at Illinois next year. He said his goal is to be able to “write about science for the wider community and to become better at assisting the Illinois research community in the development of large grant proposals.”
DaCosta feels it’s important to be able to communicate science and technology concepts clearly to educate others.
“Learning is more effective when the new lessons learned are built on previous knowledge,” he said. “Also, learning is enabling, in many ways. The more one learns, the more one can learn.”
The College of Media was well represented at the 73rd annual International Communication Association conference this summer in Toronto, Canada, with many faculty and graduate students presenting on the theme of “Reclaiming Authenticity in Communication.” The ICA aims to advance the scholarly study of human communication by encouraging and facilitating excellence in academic research worldwide.
ICA Hackathon 2023 Chairs: Jacob Fisher, Yee Man Margaret Ng
System in the Context of COVID-19 Vaccines Yee Man Margaret Ng
Using Conversational Agents to Correct Misinformation and Change Behavioral Intentions Leona Yi-Fan Su
Feminist Media Studies Editorial Board Breakfast Chair: Isabel Molina
Mediated Quinceañeras: Constructing a Public Facing Exhibit Angharad Valdivia
Legitimate and Appropriate Science Communication: The Effects of Anthropomorphic and Satirical Humor on Source Likability Leona Yi-Fan Su
Mobile Devices and Social Media Ewa Maslowska
Experiencing Climate Change Virtually: A Pre-Registered Experiment on the Effects of Virtual Reality on Climate Change Related Cognitions, Emotions, and Behavior Ewa Maslowska
Effects of Review Incentive Types on Review Writers, Content, and Readers Ewa Maslowska
The Impact of Cognitive Load on Recognition for Health Narrative Information Jacob Fisher
Faculty and student co-presentations
Context Matters: Teachers Talk Media Literacy in the Classroom Sakshi Bhalla (pictured at top) and Michelle Nelson
Intentions: The Roles of Message Format, Information Source, and Perceived Credibility Jennifer Shiyue Zhang, Ruochong Ji, Junqi Shao, Leona Yi-Fan Su
Exploring the Boundary Condition of the Proteus Effect: Improving Exercise Efficacy Using Immersive Technology Chen Chen, Yanyun Wang, Yuki Minamii, Mike Yao
Gender Identity and Influence in Human-Machine Communication: A Mixed-Methods Exploration Weizi Liu, Nisa Rahman, Mike Yao
An Initial Examination of the Role of Reward Proximity in Driving Attention during Media Processing Chen Chen, Jacob Fisher
Making Social Cues Invisible: How the Absence of Public Dislike Counts Affects YouTube Users’ Behavior Maggie Zhang, Yee Man Margaret Ng
What Is “Being There”? An Ontology of the Immersive Experience Chen Chen, Jacob Fisher
Predicting Streaming Audiences for a Channel’s On-Demand TV Shows: Choice Architecture, Content Attributes, and Consumer Agency Hritik Raj, Harsh Taneja
Time Perception, Cognitive Load, and Memory for Short Form Video Applications (SVAs) Veranika Paltaratskaya, Kevin Wise
Student presentations
The Effects of Trump’s Endorsements on Senate Republican Candidates’ Campaign Messaging Strategies in the 2018 US Midterm Elections JungHwan Yang, Ashank Tomar, Je Hoon Chae, Xiujia Yang
Exploring the Marginal Value of Visual and Textual Information in Online Shopping Chen Chen
Communication in Interorganizational Collaborations Organizational Communication Discussant: William Barley
Multi-Level Resilience Brokering: Refugee Organizations and Interorganizational Networks in the United States and South Korea Minkyung Kim
How Perceived Knowledge Insufficiency, as a Function of Ease of Retrieval, Affects Health Information Seeking Elisabeth Bigsby
Parasocial Relations and Embodied Social Presence on the Metaverse: An Exploratory Study of ZEPETO and Influencer-Follower Relations Jiwon Oh, Ji Yeon Chang
Can We Discern Misleading Messages in the Metaverse? An Effect of Parasocial Interaction and Virtual Presence Ji Yeon Chang, Jiwon Oh
Problematic Integration and Managing Uncertainty in Abortion Care and Disclosure Megan Jacobs Farnworth, Shaimaa Khanam, Emily Mendelson
Intuitions in Program Dialogue? A Computer-Assisted Content Analysis Stewart Coles
Audience Engagement in the US during COVID-19 Jenna Kim, Jana Diesner
When Artificial Intelligence (AI) Crosses Journalistic Boundary: The Audience’s Perceived News Credibility of AI-Written News Dongchan Lee, WooJin Kim, Jane Yeahin Pyo
Human Communication Research (HCR) Community Meeting William Barley
Latinas Be Like: A Critical Reflection on Identity and Authenticity of Latina Social Media Influencers Ariana Cano
Hurt Sentiments or Misogyny? Reading Partisan News Coverage of Agrima Joshua’s “Offensive” Joke Namita Gupta
Organizational Communication Research Escalator Session Discussant: William Barley
Authenticity Perceived, Authenticity Performed: How Inconsistency in Self-Presentations Influences User Engagement Maggie Zhang
Exploring How Personality Trait Affect Implicit Attitude towards COVID-19 Vaccine: An ERP Study Chen Chen, Yanyun Wang
How Do People’s Media Use Habits Affect Their Emotional Expression? Using EEG to Compare the Effects of Handwriting versus Typing Yanyun Wang
Sex Talks Between LGBTQ+ Parents and Children Emily Gerlikovski
Citizen Discourse about Climate Gentrification: The Complementarities of Online and Onsite Communication Minkyung Kim
Can Happiness and Sadness Overcome Organ Donation Barriers Following Exposure to Radio Ads? Minhey Chung, Brian Quick
How Organizational Resources Enable Interdisciplinarity: An Ego-Centric Comparative Network Approach William Barley, Lauren Johnson, Brian Allan
It Matters Where You Are: The Effects of Social Identity Salience on Group Interaction Maggie Zhang
Hybrid: Influencers, Mass Media, and Conflicts Popular Media & Culture Chair: Ariana Cano
Cultivating Copaganda: Black Audiences’ Consumption of Black Law Enforcement TV Characters and Attitudes toward Law Enforcement Deja Rollins
Right-Wing and Alternative Platforms Communication and Technology Political Communication Chair: Maggie Zhang
Algorithmic Subjectivity: The Care and Control of the Self and Communities through Chinese Algorithmic Platforms Ran Ju
