Category: Advertising

How soon will TV networks move to paid-streaming model?

Harsh Taneja

March 14, 2025 | The News-Gazette

Slowly but surely, streaming is becoming the preferred method of watching television and increasingly there is little content that is not available on streaming. Slowly but surely, the trend is that all content is migrating to become available on streaming, and on occasion exclusively so.

Harsh Taneja, Associate Professor of New and Emerging Media in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising

Harsh Taneja

Harsh Taneja, associate professor of new and emerging media in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising, was quoted in The News-Gazette’s “Kathy’s Mailbag” series on March 14.

Addressing how soon TV networks would move to a paid-streaming model, Taneja says there is no reason to believe that network shows belonging to the biggest broadcast networks will become streaming-only. At least not yet.

“Broadcast and cable TV is very much alive, (and) will be in fall 2025. However, it isn’t thriving,” he said.

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American Advertising Federation at Illinois boasts largest student chapter in the nation

AAF- 24-25

February 12, 2025 | Kelly Youngblood

The American Advertising Federation at Illinois is the largest student chapter in the nation, currently boasting more than 400 members. Caroline Burns, a senior in advertising and president of the AAF at Illinois, knows why.

AAF- 24-25
Pictured at left, Caroline Burns, senior in advertising and president of AAF at Illinois, credits the student organization with helping her find success and community. (Photos courtesy of Caroline Burns.)

“I think it’s a combination of we’ve been around for so long at the University of Illinois so there’s the legacy there, but it’s also just the people are so great. I think once you join, you find your tight-knit community and you find your people,” Burns said.

AAF at Illinois, which is one of more than 1,000 registered student organizations on campus, helps to equip members with the tools, skillsets, and experience to make an impact in the advertising field. It’s open to any major but the majority are advertising focused.

There are 13 separate agencies that operate within AAF that specialize in different areas of advertising, including video ad production, consumer insights, and experiential marketing.

While each agency has a different purpose, they all provide members with the opportunity to work with real clients, tour ad agencies, and gain insider knowledge about the industry.

Many of the agencies include student teams partnering with clients, who are typically from the Champaign-Urbana area, and helping them execute an advertising campaign.

Last semester, an AAF agency worked with the Libman cleaning supply company and created a video ad for them. This semester, a team carried out a full-service ad campaign for Atomic Wings, which recently opened on Green Street in Champaign.

AAF has just set me up for so much success—jobs, everything, I owe it all to AAF.

Caroline Burns

Senior in Advertising, President of AAF at Illinois

Burns likes to think of AAF as a mini-internship that gives students “a little peek of what your life might be like in the advertising industry.”

Some of the agencies are considered “open,” which means they are designed for any experience level, while others require an application process.

In addition to agency experiences, AAF members participate in competitions, take trips, and plan social events throughout the year.

The annual National Student Advertising Competition will be held in South Bend, Indiana, on April 12, with an Illinois team presenting an ad campaign for AT&T. The Illinois team earned second place at the district level competition in 2023.

Carrie Wilson-Brown, lecturer of media and cinema studies and of advertising, and faculty advisor for the NSAC team, said the competition is an opportunity for students to apply their classroom knowledge and skills in the advertising industry.

In addition, Wilson-Brown said preparing for the competition allows students to gain confidence and find talents and leadership abilities they didn’t know they had.

AAF meeting
AAF students at a meeting.

“There is an excitement and comradery that builds throughout the year as the team sees their ideas, plans, and goals take shape into a real-world marketing campaign,” Wilson-Brown said.

Burns thanks AAF for helping her find her first internship during her sophomore year at a networking event held in Chicago. She interned last summer at Pepsi, which led to a job offer after graduation in Boston as a customer account manager.

“AAF has just set me up for so much success— jobs, everything, I owe it all to AAF,” she said.

AAF’s spring registration opened on February 10 for new members. Burns recommends students review the agency descriptions on the website and then try different ones for a few weeks.

“[Students should] see what fits their schedule and their interest and then by the third week, they should have a pretty set idea about what they would want to stick with for the semester, whether that’s one agency, two, or even three,” Burns said.

She also advises prospective members to talk to students in the agencies and those running it. 

“There are so many opportunities to grow and network, not only personally but professionally,” Burns said. “Community is what we’re all about.”

Read more about the AAF at Illinois or follow them on Instagram @aafillinois.

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New experiential learning opportunities for Media students include international, domestic trips

Students film in Sierra Leone

January 13, 2025 | Kelly Youngblood

Three experiential learning opportunities are being offered to students this spring including two new trips—one to the nation’s capital and another to two Scandinavian countries—as well as a return visit to the West African country of Sierra Leone.

Washington, D.C., March 19-22

Capitol Hill

Colleen King, clinical assistant professor of journalism and director of the Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media, will be taking eight students to Washington, D.C., to visit news outlets and key government locations. 

In addition to participating in newsroom tours, students will receive journalism advice for coursework and career planning; learn to identify local journalism beats; and understand the basics of how professional newsrooms and control rooms operate.

The trip is designed to help students gain invaluable knowledge about U.S. history and the First Amendment to better cover politics, campaigns, and elections, as well as the day-to-day workings of the U.S. government.

Some of the sites the students will visit include the NBC News/MSNBC Washington bureau, the CBS News Washington bureau, Politico, the Albritton Journalism Institute and its website NOTUS (News of the United States), a tour of Capitol Hill, and a visit to the National Archives.

(Update: See photos from their trip to DC.)

Sierra Leone, West Africa, March 14-22

Sierra Leone
Students film in Sierra Leone in Spring 2024. (Photo by Charles “Stretch” Ledford.)

Charles “Stretch” Ledford, associate professor of journalism, and Alison Davis, lecturer in journalism, will lead a return trip back to Freetown, Sierra Leone, with six students in the “Globally Focused Advanced Documentary Filmmaking” class. 

Under the supervision of Ledford, Davis, and Dr. Francis Sowa, dean of communications, media, and information studies at the University of Sierra Leone’s Fourah Bay College, Illinois and Fourah Bay journalism students will continue production of the documentary film Uman Tok: Tailoring Hope, Reclaiming Futures. An early cut of the film won first place in the 2024 Illinois Broadcasters Association Student Silver Dome Award for Television Photojournalism.

The multi-year international reporting project tells the story of Uman Tok, a small, woman-led nonprofit in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital city. Uman Tok (“woman talk” in the local language) employs 15 marginalized women at a living wage to produce reusable, washable menstrual pads for schoolgirls around the country who otherwise would not have a means of managing their monthly periods.  

In addition to collaborating on the documentary film, students will be working on a virtual reality experience, a podcast, and an ink-on-paper comic book for readers of any level.  

The media the journalism students produce will be used in an advertising campaign for Uman Tok created by students in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising’s capstone course this spring. 

This year, both Illinois journalism students and their peers from Fourah Bay College will not only work together in the field, but also live together on the same compound, in an environment designed to foster organic collaboration, shared learning, and more authentic and deeply reported stories. 

Read more about the origin of the documentary and the students’ first trip to Sierra Leone in 2024.

Scandinavia Tour, May 26-June 4

Scandinavia

Marisa Peacock, senior lecturer in advertising, is planning a 10-day study abroad trip for 21 students to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden.

Designed to give students a deep dive into the branding, advertising, and cultural strategies of major global companies, the trip will also provide a broader exploration of Scandinavian design, architecture, and culture. 

Students will visit corporate headquarters of iconic companies like LEGO, IKEA, H&M, and UNIQLO to understand their global marketing strategies and meet with alumni working with these brands in fields of design, marketing, and communication.  

Additionally, the itinerary includes visits to renowned cultural and design sites such as the Swedish Museum of Architecture and Design, Nyhavn harbor, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

Peacock said she pitched the idea of visiting the area due to an interest in Scandinavian design, which blends functionality with simplicity and modernity, and because brands like IKEA, LEGO, and UNIQLO incorporate corporate responsibility with a dedication to diversity, inclusion, and sustainability, which is also an important hallmark of brand building. 

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Guolan Yang

Guolan Yang

Assistant Professor

Affiliations

  • Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising
  • Institute of Communications Research

Education

  • Ph.D. in Mass Communications, Pennsylvania State University 

Course Specialties

  • ADV 310: Introduction to Public Relations

Background

Yang joined the Sandage Department of Advertising in the fall of 2024. She has been actively engaged in academia, teaching a diverse range of advertising and public relations courses. Yang serves as a committee member on the American Academy of Advertising (AAA) Research Committee and as a reviewer for several advertising and marketing journals. She is on the editorial review board of the International Journal of Advertising.

Research and Creative Endeavor

By and large, Yang’s research interest focuses on persuasive communication with a keen focus on social media advertising and influencer marketing. Specifically, Yang investigates how message appeals (e.g., storytelling, humor, comparison) can be consolidated with innovative features of digital technologies to enhance the effectiveness of persuasive communication. Additionally, Yang’s work examines the role of sponsorship disclosures in how consumers react to covert advertising messages on social media. 

Yang has recently published research in the International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Interactive Advertising, Journal of Media Psychology, Journal of Health Communication, Corporate Communications, and more.

Related Links

Guolan Yang

Contact

gly3@illinois.edu

217-300-8603

Excerpts from ‘Bridging Divides’ series: Reaching Across the Aisle: Advertising and Messaging in an Age of Polarization

Jason Chambers and Michael Strautmanis

November 13, 2024

As part of the College of Media’s three-part webinar series this fall, “Bridging Divides: Conversations on Media and Disagreement,” faculty from the Departments of Advertising, Journalism, and Media & Cinema Studies led Q&As to explore how productive discussions occur across lines of disagreement and difference.

Jason Chambers and Michael Strautmanis

Below, read excerpts from “Reaching Across the Aisle: Advertising and Messaging in an Age of Polarization.” Note: Answers have been condensed for length and clarity.

Panelists: 

  • Jason P. Chambers, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Professor, Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising; author of Advertising Revolutionary: The Life and Work of Tom Burrell
  • Michael Strautmanis (BS ’91, advertising; JD ’94, law), Executive Vice President for External Affairs, Obama Foundation 

 
Chambers: We live in a world in which people either love the AFC or the NFC, you either like Coke or Pepsi, Apple or Samsung, Democrat or Republican. We live in a world of these bifurcations and find your tribe and all of that. So how do you deal with those differing belief systems when you’re trying to establish a message? How do you present a core value or what might be some of those core values that you try to illustrate for people?

Strautmanis: If there is something that is a part of your identity, that is core to who you are, from which your values stem because of your experiences or because of the people that have taught you things, then I think in some ways it’s not [just] okay, it’s necessary to articulate them, to make them known, to make them seen.

But I guess the question is, what’s your goal? These things that divide us—and it could be our political parties, it could be our race, it could be our beliefs—could be used to build a connection, even if the connection comes from a different and opposing place. 

Our identities don’t have to be fixed and that can be an interesting story to tell that can often create common ground as well.

Chambers: I like the way that you put that, that our identities don’t necessarily have to be fixed. Does it sometimes feel as though we hold to things as though they must be a moment of learning for me? But if I accept that then I’m somehow being inauthentic to my tribe or I’m somehow being a traitor to the things that I’ve, at least up until this educational moment, thought that I believed in. So how do you approach those environments where you may be entering a space where you’re thinking [you’re] really going to have to work hard to find the points of common ground for folks, because at least in terms of belief system we may be on such wildly different planes?

Strautmanis: I think for me, when I’ve struggled with that, it’s because I’m afraid. And I might be afraid for good reason. I might be afraid because I’m in an environment where I feel like people are making assumptions about me based upon my identity that will hurt my ability to be successful.

I’d say one of my most basic values is learning and education. A fixed mindset that leaves you having a base—if you can think about it visually like a permeable fence that you can stand in—where you’ve got your people who love you, the people who know you, the people who you can be yourself completely with. The core of who you are. You’ve got that. And I think that really helps you then let things in and out of that fence and be able to shift and change along the way, based upon the different experiences that you’ve had. 

Literally, I can’t imagine this, but if you are mentally in your mind the same person at 50 that you are at 20, I just can’t think of anything more sad than that. That you have not been able to live a life [where you] grow and change and evolve. There is no better place to do that than in college. That’s what college is for—to come to an environment with a bunch of other people who don’t come from where you come from, who don’t look like you, who have different experiences than you have, and be in an environment that the whole point of it is to learn.

Chambers: As one who deals with audiences and creating messaging and dealing with folks of different perspectives, belief systems, politics, and other ways of thinking about messaging, do you have guidance or insight for thinking about some of these social media tools and this awesome power that we now have as individuals, as well as organizations, in a broader society? 

Strautmanis: We had this experience often, particularly in 2008, where part of the strategy to defeat [Barack Obama] politically, was to make people afraid of him, to connect him to things that were scary, and to play on a lot of very old tropes around Black men, very old tropes around Chicago, and try to find ways to have people leap over the intellectual part and go to something very core, like, ‘I need to be afraid.’

So, what we had to do is try to find a way to stimulate the ‘Is that true?’ instinct in people. If you ask yourself, when you see something, you read something, [and wonder] ‘Is that true?’ it kind of gives you the opportunity to do some of your own research.

I think that kind of messaging and strategy that has people connect to their best selves can really work across lines of difference. Our belief and our experience has been that people don’t really like hating everybody and being mad at everyone.

So, we do like to give people an opportunity to say: ‘You are a hopeful, optimistic, capable person who sees the best in others.’ And what we found is most people are like, ‘Yeah, that is me.’


Read excerpts from the other “Bridging Divides” Q&As:

Engaging with People, Perspectives, and Policies When You Don’t Agree: Lessons from Journalism

What Does it Mean to Be an Informed Critic?

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2024-2025 student award and scholarship recipients

South Quad

October 3, 2024

Updated May 13, 2025

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.

  • Daniella Braun
  • Hanna Brazas-Mata
  • Ju-I Chang
  • Lily Cohen
  • Talia Duffy
  • Francesca Dumitrescu
  • Tunga Jois
  • Ethan Kasdan
  • Lily Kelly
  • Michael Leshock
  • Katherine Oates
  • Caroline Thies
  • Mariah Trujillo
  • Emily Wojcik

Highest Honors
Highest Honors status in the College of Media is awarded to graduating seniors in the top five percent of their graduating class.

  • Daniella Braun
  • Hanna Brazas-Mata
  • Ju-I Chang
  • Emily Chen
  • Lily Cohen
  • Talia Duffy
  • Francesca Dumitrescu
  • Tunga Jois
  • Ethan Kasdan
  • Lily Kelly
  • Michael Leshock
  • Katherine Oates
  • Caroline Thies
  • Mariah Trujillo
  • Emily Wojcik

High Honors
High Honors status in the College of Media is awarded to graduating seniors in the top 10 percent of their graduating class.

  • Jalynn Bugaj
  • Jack Cook
  • Jon Costello
  • Dalila Divanovic
  • Anna Fedczuk
  • Adelina Garcia
  • Madison Holcomb
  • Grace He
  • Margaret Knutte
  • Maeve Mosbrook
  • Stephanie Mosqueda
  • Emilio Reyes
  • Luke Routson
  • Maddie Sneddon

Honors
Honors status in the College of Media is awarded to graduating seniors in the top 20 percent of their graduating class.

  • Caden Bargowski
  • Lucy Bridges
  • Christina Calas
  • Anna Chang
  • Andrianna Ciszek
  • Allison Garlin
  • Anjana Gulapalyam
  • Jiahua He
  • Lillian Hyland
  • Charlene Huang
  • Qianzi Huang
  • Emma Huget
  • Emma Johnson
  • Cassidy Koretz
  • Jennifer Lee
  • Elizabeth Licona
  • Hannah Lonergan
  • Nour Longi
  • Ellen McGinnis
  • Luke McKenna
  • Rong Mu
  • Ethan Oskroba
  • Kruti Patel
  • Pranav Penaganti
  • Greta Prepejchal
  • Diya Thomas
  • Julian Trujillo
  • Abigail Vidmar
  • Alyssa Villegas
  • Ellen Wagner
  • Charlotte Watson
  • Andrew Yang
  • Nicole Zgrzebski

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.

  • Caden Bargowski
  • Jalynn Bugaj
  • Ju-I Chang
  • Natalie Cline
  • Heather Conti
  • Jack Cook
  • Talia Duffy
  • Francesca Dumitrescu
  • Adelina Garcia
  • Emma Huget
  • Emma Johnson
  • Tunga Jois
  • Simran Karamchandani
  • Ethan Kasdan
  • Lily Kelly
  • Brigid Kissane
  • Faith Lee
  • Nour Longi
  • Isabel Mercado
  • Kruti Patel
  • Caroline Thies
  • Diya Thomas
  • Julian Trujillo
  • Alyssa Villegas
  • Evan Walker

Kappa Tau Alpha
This college honor society recognizes academic excellence and promotes scholarship in journalism and mass communication.

  • Lily Cohen
  • Jack Cook
  • Talia Duffy
  • Tunga Jois
  • Ethan Kasdan
  • Lily Kelly
  • Michael Leshock
  • Katherine Oates
  • Maddie Sneddon
  • Caroline Thies
  • Mariah Trujillo

Senior 100 Honorary
This campus honor recognizes academics, leadership, service, and engagement at the University of Illinois.

  • Courtney Dillon

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 and attend an Industry Immersion program with top industry professionals and organizations. In 2025, AAF launched the Most Promising Symposium and Alumni Engagement program at the event.

  • Anna Chang
  • Rachel Ellis

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.

  • Alexandra Ehrhart
  • Yan (Anna) Liu 
  • Zixuan Lu

Barton A. Cummings Academic Excellence Award
These are academic research awards given to master’s in advertising and Institute of Communications Research doctoral students who demonstrate great promise in research. 

  • Cherie Chick
  • Kirby Cook
  • Kundi (Claire) Dai
  • Weiting Du
  • Michelle Garcia
  • Ruochong (Alice) Ji
  • Muskan Khowaja
  • Chao-Yan (Janice) Lin
  • Yan (Anna) Liu
  • Mackenzie Lyerla
  • Zoe Randolph
  • Ruiheng (Rachel) Sun
  • Jiayi (Joy) Wang
  • Shuang (Aurora) Wu
  • Shiyue (Jennifer) Zhang
  • Zixuan (Melodie) Zhao

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.

  • Cherie Chick
  • Adam Goodreau
  • Zoe Randolph

Betty Hinckle Dunn Memorial Fund in 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.

  • Maggie Knutte
  • Faith Lee
  • Piper Pascarella

Bob Reid Minority Student Recruitment Fund
Bob Reid began teaching journalism at Illinois in 1979 as a visiting lecturer, then joined the journalism faculty as a professor in 1980. He retired in fall 2003. The fund was established in December 2004 so his friends, former students, and colleagues could help perpetuate his passion for journalism teaching and scholarship.  It provides general scholarship support for students enrolled in the Department of Journalism.

  • Nathan Gonzalez

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.

  • Sijie (Jenny) Lin

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.

  • Karys Boeriu
  • Anjana Gulapalyam
  • Yash Jagtap
  • Sofia Kanda
  • Christopher LaPorte
  • Rory McFadden

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.

  • Felicity Abbott

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
  • Ethan Kasdan
  • Kris Modi
  • Julia Rivera

Cardiss Collins Scholarship for Advertising Studies Fund
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.

  • Kayla Robinson

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 Fund
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.

  • Madison Holcomb
  • Mary Piacente

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.

  • Benjamin Somerville

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

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.

  • Brianna Alvarado
  • Eli Kennel
  • Danielle Mitchell
  • Sophia Negrete
  • Rein Phone
  • 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.

  • Sonja Aghakhan
  • Bria Baker
  • Curtis Beasley
  • Mariah Brooks
  • Sophie Cain
  • Junlin Chen
  • Cesar Ortiz Duran
  • Amber Graves
  • Brooklynn Hubbard
  • Alayna Irby
  • Khadijat Ismaila
  • Peyton Julius
  • Emma Martin
  • Samuel Mauch
  • Ryan McClenning
  • Giuliana Means
  • Glyce Mitchell
  • Alex Mrazek
  • Samantha Munoz
  • Michelle Park
  • Kevin Paul
  • Elijah Sain
  • Claire-Michelle Sweet
  • Aarav Walkay
  • Max Wertz
  • Sarah Xu
  • Jasmine Yau

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.

  • Elena Janeva
  • Abigail Vidmar

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.

  • Maria Emilia Mancero

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.

  • Emily Wojcik

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.  

  • Prayse Odomes

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.

  • Felicity Abbott
  • Lauren Castaldo
  • Nina Issel
  • Mariana Quezada Marquez
  • Jasmine Nichols
  • Stephanie Orellana
  • Jude Panlilio
  • Riley Shankman
  • Benjamin Somerville

Dana M. Ewell Memorial Fund
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.

  • Katie Ratke

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.

  • Edgar Nava Garcia
  • Evelyn York

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.

  • Nicholas Barbera

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.

  • Aaron Alexander

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.

  • Bo Ravanh

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. 

  • Aaron Anastos

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.

  • Hannah Lonergan

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.

  • TBD

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.

  • Adelyn Mui

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.

  • Brendan Gallian

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.  

  • 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.

  • Emily Chen

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 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.

  • Eli Mitzenmacher
  • Jean-Luc Charles
  • Said Nonoal
  • Emily Ritchie
  • 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.

  • Amitauja Basu

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.

  • Piotr Fedczuk

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.

  • Humza Qazi

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.

  • David Lyle

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.

  • Ju-I (Juliana) Chang
  • Talia Duffy
  • Lily Kelly
  • Michael Leshock

Harold R. Bruno, Jr., Fund for 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. 

  • Patricia (Penny) Bradford
  • Jonathan Mathew
  • Mallory Miller
  • Jahzara Norris

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.

  • Emily Huffman

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.

  • Jasmine Nichols

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.

  • Grant Chassy
  • Molly Hughes
  • Jennie Kearney

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. 

  • Yufan Du
  • Trent Miles
  • Jin Wang

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.

  • Patricia (Penny) Bradford
  • Ben Fader
  • Ethan Oskroba
  • Emilio Reyes

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 Strategic Communications and Marketing for the University of Illinois. 

  • Hannah Lonergan

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.

  • Valerie Oviedo

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.

  • Rheanna Lewis

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.

  • Irini Mihas

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.

  • Megan Harding
  • Megan Krok

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.

  • Jennifer Lee

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.

  • Rachel Johnson
  • Kaitlyn Klepec

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 of any major who demonstrates outstanding foregrounding representation in front of and behind the camera, as well as their skills as a filmmaker.

  • Ziyue (Bruce) Zhang, history major, for his film Some Year at the Rooster

Jonathan Laxamana Endowment Fund
Established in 2024 by Joseph Laxamana plus friends and family as the first College of Media endowed scholarship in the Department of Media and Cinema Studies, this scholarship is given in honor of Joseph’s younger brother, Jonathan Laxamana (BS ’92, English, LAS) who was passionate about film and film festivals.  The recipient of this award is a Media and Cinema Studies student studying film production or film studies, and can be used for scholarships, experiential learning, and internship support.

  • Benjamin Shlau

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.

  • Jasmine Nichols

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.

  • Felicity Abbott

Jvanne J. Hoelscher Memorial Fund
Jvanne J. (Henry) Hoelscher was born in Palestine, Illinois.  She grew up in Southeastern Illinois and graduated from Robinson High School. She was her high school valedictorian. Then she continued her education at the University of Illinois majoring in journalism, completing her degree in 1951. While there, she became one of the editors of The Daily Illini and was selected for the Mortar Board Honorary Society. Jvanne continued to use her freelance writing skills to benefit her church and community groups as she and her family frequently moved around the county. The Jvanne J. Hoelscher Memorial Fund is awarded to an undergraduate journalism student with financial need and academic merit and can be used for internships, scholarships, and experiential learning.

  • Nathan Gonzalez

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.

  • Kennedy Caldwell
  • 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.

  • Alfonso Castillo
  • Christopher Edison
  • Maureen Machado
  • Diego Miranda
  • Anthony Moreno
  • Emelly Soto
  • Emmanuel Tinajero

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.

  • Jacqueline Barba
  • Dalila Divanovic
  • Stephanie Mosqueda

Lynne Blanton Student Travel Fund 
Marilyn Dean DeRamus Blanton established this endowment to provide travel funds for graduate students in the Institute of Communications Research (ICR) in honor of her daughter, Lynne Blanton, who earned a Ph.D. in 1979 from the Institute under the direction of Professor Albert L. Kreiling.

  • Jennifer Cintron
  • Kirby Cook
  • Weiting Du
  • William Helmke
  • Seo Jeong Heo
  • Jorge Rojas Alvarez
  • Mengqing (Maggie) Zhang
  • Nansong Zhou

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 undergraduate students judged to have reported and written the best student feature articles during the academic year. 

  • First prize: Madison Holcomb, “Millions of livestock die each year while being transported. Those cases are rarely investigated by the USDA.” 
  • Second prize: Faith Lee, “A Life Divided: Reflections of Jobie Taylor’s Journey to Prison.” 
  • Third prize: Layli Nazarova, “Accessibility blocked: U of I senior dropped disability studies minor over inaccessible bathrooms.”

Marilyn Miller Kaytor Fellowship
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 fellowships for graduate students enrolled in the Department of Journalism.

  • Nazala Salauddin

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
  • Chloe Barbarise
  • Amelia Benson
  • Kathryn Dalton
  • Dennis Dearing
  • Tess Fecarotta
  • Piotr Fedczuk
  • Isabelle Gil
  • Faith Lee
  • Hannah Lonergan
  • Nour Longi
  • Patrick Mahoney
  • Haley Maser
  • Giuliana Means
  • Mallory Miller
  • Cooper O’Kelly
  • Addison Petrinos
  • Humza Qazi
  • Katherine Ratke
  • Sam Rink
  • Luliana Rodriguez

Mark L. Brandt Public Engagement Fellows Program Fund
This fund was established in December 2021 in memory of Mark L. Brandt (BS ’86, GIES, finance) to benefit in particular first-generation College of Media students and those from underrepresented populations, to gain skills and experiences in public engagement activties through the College of Media to make a positive impact in their professional and personal lives.

  • Mariah Brooks
  • Amogh Donthi
  • Jakob Stutz
  • Faith Lee

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. 

  • Rhea Moozhayil – Best Single Ad
  • Brigid Kissane and Luke Routson – Best Campaign
  • Greta Prepejchal – Best Portfolio

Nancy Ronald and Ronald L. Hartshorn Internship Fund
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.

  • Felicity Abbott
  • Katie Dalton
  • Mazie Gierat
  • Ashley Howerter
  • Piper Pascarella

Neil and Lynn Gissler Experiential Learning Fund
This experiential learning fund, created in 2023 by D. Neil Gissler (BA ’87, Economics) and Lynn A. Gissler (BA ’86, Communication), supports College of Media undergraduate students with experiential learning and industry immersion opportunities. Preference is given to students majoring in Advertising. 

  • Lauren Barjami
  • Emily Campos
  • Eli Kennel
  • Mattie Kennel
  • Brigid Kissane
  • Ava Kolodziej
  • Sasha Kumar
  • Alessandra Lugo
  • Odinakachukwu (Odi) Ogbuefi
  • Darren Wojdyla

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.

  • Emily Huffman

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.

  • Michael Leshock
  • Eduardo Quintana

Paula L. Gottschalk Scholarship
The estate of Paula Gottschalk (BS ’66, advertising) provides fellowships for advertising students and scholarships for undergraduate students in journalism.

  • Maria Emilia Mancero

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.

  • Diamond Steward-Hutton

Raymond Clamage Prize in Journalism
In 1947, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Clamage established a fund with the University of Illinois 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. 

  • Chloe Barbarise

Richard Tuttle and Lois Marie Orr Endowment 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.

  • Grace Bernstein
  • Nathan Gonzalez
  • Annisyn Krebs-Carr
  • Jonathan Mathew
  • Katherine Ratke
  • Emilio Reyes
  • 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.

  • Eunsung Koh

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.

  • Stephanie Mosqueda

Roger Ebert Fellows in Media Criticism
In recognition of Roger Ebert’s (BS ’64, journalism) career in journalism, the Roger Ebert Fellows program was established in 2015 to provide learning experiences that focus on critical thinking and interpretative journalism. Professor Denise Bielby (BS ’71, MA ’72, ACES; PhD ’75, University of Wisconsin, Madison), Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Emerita at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who specializes in culture, gender, work and social psychology, was instrumental in providing the generous support of the Roger Ebert Center, Roger Ebert Program for Film Studies, and Roger Ebert Fellows in Media Criticism so that these programs can continue benefiting College of Media faculty, staff, and students well into the future. As a key component of the Roger Ebert Fellows in Media Criticism, 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.

  • Aaron Anastos
  • Kennedy Caldwell
  • Diamond Steward-Hutton

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 in December 1994 by Dr. and Mrs. Dunn to honor his legacy.

  • Shiyue (Jennifer) Zhang

Suzanne Bates and Drew Yanno Experiential Learning Scholarship Fund
This scholarship fund, created in 2021 by Suzanne Bates (BS ’77, journalism) 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.

  • Nathan Gonzalez

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.

  • Hailey Kotowski

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.

  • Andrew Burkey

College of Media to hold three-part webinar series, ‘Bridging Divides: Conversations on Media and Disagreement’

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October 1, 2024

How are we teaching students, and the broader community, to disagree? It’s a question the College of Media hopes to address in a new three-part series, “Bridging Divides: Conversations on Media and Disagreement.”

Update 11/13/24: Read excerpts from the Q&As:

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Faculty from the Departments of Advertising, Journalism, and Media & Cinema Studies will host free webinars exploring how productive discussions occur across lines of disagreement and difference. All take place on Fridays at noon via Zoom, on October 18, October 25, and November 1.

“The College of Media’s ‘Bridging Divides’ series is an opportunity to foster civic preparedness through expert-led dialogues,” said Dean Tracy Sulkin. “We look forward to welcoming students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members to these important conversations.” 

The talk topics and panelists include:

Reaching across the Aisle: Advertising and Messaging in an Age of Polarization

October 18, 12-12:45 p.m.
Register to join via Zoom.

Jason P. Chambers

Jason P. Chambers, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Professor, Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising; author of Advertising Revolutionary: The Life and Work of Tom Burrell

Michael Strautmanis (BS ’91, advertising; JD ’94, law), Executive Vice President for External Affairs, Obama Foundation 

What Does It Mean to Be an Informed Critic? 

October 25, 12-12:45 p.m.
Register to join via Zoom.
Learn how to give criticism a good name. During this session, the panelists will share a how-to for every kind of writer.

Jenny Oyallon-Koloski, Assistant Professor, Department of Media & Cinema Studies; author of Storytelling in Motion: Cinematic Choreography and the Film Musical

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune Film Critic; College of Media Ebert Fellows Mentor

Engaging with People, Perspectives, and Policies When You Don’t Agree: Lessons from Journalism

November 1, 12-12:45 p.m.
Register to join via Zoom.

Leon Dash, Professor and Swanlund Chair, Department of Journalism; 1995 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Explanatory Reporting

Colleen King, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism; Director of the Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media; former Executive Producer for MSNBC’s The 11th Hour with Brian Williams  

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Media faculty and TAs make list of teachers ranked as excellent

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September 4, 2024

Congratulations to all the College of Media faculty and teaching assistants who were ranked as excellent by their students!

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This list is based on Instructor and Course Evaluation System questionnaire forms completed by students during the Spring 2024 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.

ADVERTISING

ANDREW GLEASON – ADV 490

STEVE HALL – ADV 150

TERRY KASDAN – ADV 409

EWA MASLOWSKA – ADV 594

SHACHAR MERON – ADV 250

MICHELLE NELSON – ADV 582

*MARISA PEACOCK – ADV 290, ADV 498

*ALLISON VANCE – ADV 350

CARRIE WILSON-BROWN – ADV 393

KEVIN WISE – ADV 588

*MIKE YAO – ADV 461 

JOURNALISM

*CHRISTOPHER BALL – JOUR 430, JOUR 451

STEPHANIE CRAFT – JOUR 205

*ALISON DAVIS – JOUR 215, JOUR 340

COLLEEN KING – JOUR 313

VINCE LARA-CINISOMO – JOUR 220

CHARLES “STRETCH” LEDFORD – JOUR 335

*CAROL LOMBARDI – JOUR 220

MARGARET NG – JOUR 425

MEDIA & CINEMA STUDIES

ANGELA AGUAYO – MACS 391

VICTOR FONT – MACS 480

JONATHAN KNIPP – MACS 282

SUSAN MUIRHEAD – MACS 372

M. QUINONES-RIVERA – MACS 375

STRATEGIC BRAND COMMUNICATION

EWA MASLOWSKA – SBC 505

RICH PIECZYNSKI – SBC 504

TEACHING ASSISTANTS

K. COOK – ADV 284

X. DONG– ADV 250

W. DU – ADV 150

*N. FAISAL – ADV 250

M. FUKADA – ADV 284 

*Y. LEE – ADV 360

A. LIU – ADV 150

*M. LYERLA – ADV 150

*S. PARK – ADV 360

Z. RANDOLPH – ADV 284 

*J. CINTRON – MACS 100 

Y. GAO – MACS 101

*Y. KANG – MACS 101

J. OH – MACS 100

*J. ZHANG – MACS 260

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New advertising professor Louvins Pierre centers research on social, psychological consumer factors

Louvins Pierre

August 21, 2024 | Kelly Youngblood

Louvins Pierre can trace his interest in advertising back to childhood. 

Louvins Pierre

“As a kid, I often watched advertisements because I found them funny. In hindsight, it may have been my underlying interest in the advertising and how [it was] effective that caused me not to change the channel,” Pierre said. “One ad that comes to mind is Apple’s original iPod commercial with music and dancing silhouettes, which directly influenced me to ask my parents to buy me one for either my birthday or Christmas. Another includes McDonald’s 2005 ad that used humor to communicate when you work hard for your money, you should spend it wisely on their value menu.”

Pierre will bring his long-time advertising interests and expertise to Illinois this fall as an assistant professor in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising with an appointment in the Institute of Communications Research.

Pierre said the reputation of the Sandage Department of Advertising, and the many prominent scholars within, helped inform his research and drew him to pursue a position at Illinois.

“I am looking forward to working with and learning more about the work of others throughout the College of Media and the university,” he said. 

The advertising department is well known nationally and internationally as a major outlet for advertising research. Being in an environment filled with bright and motivated students and faculty will be a truly rewarding opportunity.

Louvins Pierre

Assistant Professor in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising

This fall, Pierre, who earned a BA in communication at Tuskegee University in Alabama, and an MA and PhD in communication at the University of Connecticut, will be teaching ADV 284: Consumer Insight, a class designed to teach students how to build a brand strategy that puts the desires and needs of the consumers first—a subject with which he’s very familiar. 

Pierre’s dissertation examined how consumer evaluations of advertising about two similar, yet different, social issues, “Black Lives Matter” and “Stop AAPI Hate” could vary. 

Using both an in-person laboratory experiment with Gen Z consumers—who are believed to highly value brand activism—and a follow-up online experiment with older consumers from the general population, Pierre explored whether consumers evaluate advertising about these social issues differently; what multimedia components of the advertisement affect consumer evaluations; and what internal factors influence consumer evaluations.

One of his key insights included “evidence that when you visually feature people who are adversely affected by the movement, it can improve consumer evaluations of the ad.” He also found that brand authenticity mattered, and ads that facilitated a sense of transportation or immersion were viewed more positively. Learn more about Pierre’s research.

Pierre is equally passionate about the research process and his teaching, and he considers the opportunity to make an impact on students amongst the most fulfilling aspects of a career in academia. 

“It is humbling and rewarding to know I helped [former students] gain either some practical experience as a research assistant or conceptual knowledge in the classroom. I look forward to being able to continue these efforts and more with the talented students at Illinois,” he said. 

Pierre says his teaching objectives are to guide students to understand the “why” behind advertising before showing them how they may apply concepts, and he aims to make the classroom experience interactive and relevant. 

He also encourages students to share their interests and career goals, which helps him to make adjustments to lectures and classroom activities to meet students’ needs. 

At Illinois, Pierre will continue his research on how brands influence consumer decision-making through advertising, with a focus on the social and psychological consumer factors.

Some of his potential projects include studying how consumer attitudes and knowledge about new technologies that more precisely target them (AI, algorithms, machine learning, etc.) relate to their consumption decision-making. 

For now, he’s most looking forward to working with fellow thought leaders in the Sandage Department of Advertising, as well as the students.

“The advertising department is well known nationally and internationally as a major outlet for advertising research,” Pierre said. “Being in an environment filled with bright and motivated students and faculty will be a truly rewarding opportunity.”

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New advertising professor Guolan Yang focuses on effects of digital persuasive messaging

Guolan Yang

August 21, 2024 | Kelly Youngblood

Guolan Yang has studied and cited works authored by professors in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising since she was a doctoral student. So when she got the opportunity to meet those esteemed scholars in person at advertising conferences, Yang was further drawn to pursue a career at Illinois.

Guolan Yang

“Visiting the campus felt like a culmination of those years of study,” she said. “Many faculty members here share research interests similar to mine, which excited me about the prospect of collaboration.”

Yang said she’s eager to contribute to the distinguished and dynamic team at the College of Media this fall as an assistant professor in advertising with an appointment in the Institute of Communications Research.

She will be teaching “Introduction to Public Relations,” which covers a variety of topics such as the role of ethics in public relations as well as theories that guide research and practice.

Yang said her research takes a psychological perspective, investigating the effects of digital persuasive messages that do not look like traditional advertising, such as sponsored influencer content and in-feed native ads on people’s perceptions, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors.

I like seeing students finally grasp a difficult concept and watching their confidence soar as a result.

Guolan Yang

Assistant Professor in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising

Previously, Yang was an assistant professor in the Department of Communication, Journalism, and Public Relations at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, where she taught courses in advertising and public relations.

Her dissertation, titled “Advertising Recognition and Persuasion in the Context of Sponsored Influence Content: Effect of Disclosure Prominence, Message Involvement, and Persuasion Knowledge” investigated how sponsorship disclosures affect consumer understanding of sponsored influencer posts on Instagram, taking individual and situational factors into account.

Yang said her findings demonstrated that prominent disclosures are helpful to increase advertising recognition when people are low in advertising knowledge or less motivated to process the message.

“These findings offer recommendations on what practitioners could do to ensure advertising transparency and provide regulatory agencies with insights on how to improve their disclosure guidelines,” Yang said.

Her research also examined how messaging strategies such as storytelling and humor can be consolidated with innovative features of digital technologies to enhance the effectiveness of persuasive communication. One of her studies investigated how brands could use funny memes to increase audience engagement and sharing intention on social media. See some of her published work.

Yang said she’s excited to meet her students and cultivate their interest in the fundamentals of today’s advertising and public relations profession.

“I enjoy sharing with my students the most recent knowledge and skills in advertising and public relations,” she said. “I like seeing students finally grasp a difficult concept and watching their confidence soar as a result.”

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