“Our win for Magazine Program for the second year in a row is a real thrill for the Prairie Fire team” said host and producer Sarah Edwards, “because it really underscores the excellence and thought we put in to making every episode as good as it can be. Prairie Fire represents the best of PBS programming produced at the local level.”
The team, which was nominated for 10 awards, also earned regional Emmys in the following categories:
Informational/Instructional – Short Form Content (up to 10 minutes): “Fresh Press Paper”
The Prairie Fire Emmy-winning production team includes Edwards, fellow producers Taylor Plantan, DJ Roach, and Tinisha Spain, along with cinematographer Daniel Clarke, and audio engineer and cinematographer James Treichler. (Pictured below: Producers Tinisha Spain, Taylor Plantan, and Sarah Edwards, who also hosts Prairie Fire, with one of the Emmys they won for their program.)
“As producers of the show, we carefully curate and construct the stories of Illinois’s local characters to highlight the very best creatives, small business owners, and innovators our state has to offer,” said Plantan. “The success of the program is a testament to the charisma and talent of the Central Illinois community.”
Spain pointed to the significance of the work done by the Prairie Fire team. “Being honored with an Emmy is a deeply humbling reminder that local storytelling is important—that the stories we tell do matter,” she said.
“We’re incredibly proud of the Prairie Fire team and their dedication to telling authentic, locally grounded stories,” said Moss Bresnahan, Illinois Public Media’s executive director. “These awards reflect the quality, creativity, and heart that exemplify Illinois Public Media’s work.”
About Prairie Fire
Reimagined and brought to life once more, Prairie Fire is a new take on WILL-TV’s beloved magazine program from the mid-1990s. Rooted in storytelling, Prairie Fire brings viewers cinematic documentaries, profiles, and performances from downstate Illinois. The show airs on local PBS stations across the state of Illinois, including Nine Network St. Louis and WTTW Chicago.
Illinois Public Media is a not-for-profit public media service of the College of Media at the University of Illinois, enriching people’s lives through programs and services that educate, entertain, inspire, empower, and address community needs and concerns. Additional services include WILL-AM 580, Illinois Soul (FM 101.1) WILL-TV, Illinois Public Media News, and many more.
The 2025 Roger Ebert Lecture and Screening will be held October 23-24 in the Knight Auditorium of Spurlock Museum.
Join us in person or via Zoom on Friday, Oct. 24, at 2 p.m. for the 2025 Roger Ebert Lecture, “A Yellow Spot on the Silver Screen”—Anna May Wong’s Performative Pleasure, given by Yiman Wang, professor of film and digital media at UC Santa Cruz. Wang’s lecture will present from her recent book To Be an Actress, on early Hollywood Chinese-American performer Anna May Wong and her work in cinema, theater, radio, and American television. Anna May Wong forged a four-decade media-crossing, border-crossing career largely during the U.S. segregation era. Her recent return to public attention testifies to her indelible legacy. Yet, how we might reanimate her legacy remains a question.
Viewing Wong as a performer and worker, not just a star, Wang invites a reconsideration of racialized, gendered, and migratory labor as the bedrock of the entertainment industries.
Presented by the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies and co-sponsored by the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies and the Asian American Cultural Center.
As part of the annual Roger Ebert Lecture and Screening, join us for the screening of Piccadilly (1929) on Thursday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum. E.A. Dupont’s film starring Chinese-American pioneer Anna May Wong is a formative cinematic entry in the transition from silent to sound films. Part crime drama and part thriller, Piccadilly uses its technical advances to tell the story of a dancer framed for murder in the London nightclub scene. Don’t miss this fascinating entry in classic British cinema.
About the Presenter
Yiman Wang is Professor of Film & Digital Media at University of California, Santa Cruz. She is author of Remaking Chinese Cinema: Through the Prism of Shanghai, Hong Kong and Hollywood (University of Hawaii Press 2013), and To Be an Actress: Labor and Performance in Anna May Wong’s Cross-Media World (University of California Press 2024).
She has published numerous articles in journals and edited volumes on topics of feminist media histories, ethnic border-crossing stardom, eco-cinema and environmental media, Chinese cinema, independent documentary, film remakes and adaptation. She is editor of a special issue of Feminist Media Histories on Asian Feminist Media (2019), co-editor of an InFocus Dossier on Queering Asian Media in Journal of Cinema and Media Studies (2023), co-editor of Chinese Animation: Multiplicities in Motion (2025), and co-editor of the Global East Asian Screen Cultures book series published by Bloomsbury. Presented by the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies.
From working on film production crews and meeting famous actors to interviewing congressmen on Capitol Hill, several College of Media students ended their summers on a high note after wrapping up internships that offered memorable learning opportunities.
Francisco Albarran (MACS), Film Production Intern, Chili Finger
When media and cinema studies senior Francisco Albarran heard Chili Finger—a new film starring John Goodman, Judy Greer, Sean Astin, and Bryan Cranston—was filming nearby this summer, he took a chance and emailed Rantoul-based Flyover Film Studios, asking if he could help out.
To his surprise, the words “perfect timing” quickly appeared in his inbox and the very next day, Albarran was on set, helping build scenes and soaking in hands-on production experience at locations across central Illinois.
In his second week of the internship, Albarran got a surreal assignment: pick up Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) from his rental house in Champaign. The next day, Albarran was in his driveway, watching with awe as the garage door slowly opened revealing one of his all-time favorite actors.
“It looked so amazing. It looked like Walter White [the character Cranston played in Breaking Bad] was actually right there in front of my eyes, which basically he was,” Albarran said.
During the 20-minute drive, the two shared a conversation about the Chili Finger production, life in general, and Albarran’s own film aspirations. Albarran asked Cranston to sign a plank of wood he had saved from the film set as a souvenir. The message read: “Francisco, thanks for the ride, my friend, Bryan Cranston.”
“One week you have dirty laundry in the back of your car, and then the next you have an Emmy Award-winning [actor],” Albarran mused.
Albarran said meeting Cranston and working alongside the film crew, as well as working with his MACS 480 classmates, helped reinvigorate his passion for storytelling and filmmaking. He hopes to write, direct, and act in a short film this year.
Nathan Gonzalez (Journalism), Assignment Desk Intern, FOX News Channel at the Washington, D.C., Bureau
As an assignment desk intern for FOX News at the Washington, D.C. Bureau, Nathan Gonzalez, a junior in journalism, produced coverage of protests, U.S. District Court cases, Senate and House committee hearings, live shots, interviews, and press conferences with members of Congress.
Some of the content he produced even aired on shows like Fox News Live, TheBig Weekend Show, The Story, America Reports, America’s Newsroom, Special Report with Bret Baier, and The Will Cain Show.
“That was a huge moment,” Gonzalez said. “It reassured me that even as a rising junior, I’m capable of producing content that meets national standards.”
Gonzalez learned how national political reporting is structured, the importance of fostering relationships with fellow reporters, and that national and local reporting aren’t as different as they seem.
“While national outlets have far more resources, the core skills—approaching officials and asking questions—apply at every level. If you can interview municipal officials, you can press congressmen on Capitol Hill, without a doubt,” Gonzalez said.
Jonathan Mathew (Journalism), Entertainment Promotions Intern, Chicago Dogs
Whether he was working in the team store, ushering VIPs, overseeing the team’s Kid Zone, or dressed up as “Squeeze” the mustard mascot, Jonathan Mathew, a junior in journalism, had a great experience as an entertainment promotions intern with the Chicago Dogs baseball team this summer.
Mathew said the opportunity to intern with the independent professional baseball team taught him a lot about sports business and entertainment, including different marketing techniques, as well as how to interact and engage with the public.
“I learned a lot of life lessons that will be valuable to me in the long run, and I am confident the return on investment I have with this internship will be more than I can imagine,” he said.
Mathew recalls one day working behind the mic as a gameday co-host tasked with entertaining the crowd between innings.
“That [is] an experience I will hold closely to my heart and have as a reminder to keep me motivated in achieving my career dream,” Mathew said.
Sarah Juan (Advertising), Social Media Content and Video Intern, Glow Recipe
Sarah Juan, a junior in advertising, went above and beyond to secure an internship at the global skin care company Glow Recipe, crafting a mock-campaign proposal highlighting a celebrity partnership. Her hard work paid off as Juan was awarded the internship as a social media content and video intern.
In her role, Juan assisted with content development, conducted market research, tracked metrics, and helped the social media team with new product launches, which was the highlight of the experience for her.
“Supporting the content team on set in NYC, I was able to work directly with models for new product launches and help direct filming for social content! Being on set was the most rewarding experience,” Juan said.
Juan recalls an important lesson her supervisor shared that will stick with her: “We’re all storytellers, no matter the industry you market in.”
“The beauty industry is tough and requires thick skin, but if you are passionate about supporting a mission through storytelling, that is what will get you far,” Juan said.
Cherie Chick, an MS advertising student, applied to more than 80 positions and interviewed with eight different companies before securing an internship with her top choice, Rakuten Advertising. Rakuten provides advertising technology and consumer insights to global brands and retailers with a core focus on affiliate marketing, acting as the bridge between advertisers and publishers, including content creators, media outlets, and loyalty platforms.
Chick spent her summer in Chicago as an account specialist intern responsible for managing high-impact affiliate marketing campaigns by strategizing and negotiating publisher partnerships, optimizing creative placements to drive conversions, delivering performance insights to clients, and advising on quarterly spend strategies.
For Chick, the highlight of the internship was working with a diverse portfolio of client accounts spanning multiple countries and industries, from travel and finance to education and technology.
“This cross-regional exposure taught me how consumer behaviors, promotional calendars, and publisher relationships vary across markets,” Chick said. “For example, the way travelers research trips and the sites they interact with is entirely different from how consumers search for credit card offers or financial advisors.”
Congratulations to all 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 questionnaire forms completed by students during the Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 semesters. 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.
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.
Amanda Barry
Christina Kivarkis
Hailey Kotowski
Mallory Miller
Adelyn Mui
Layli Nazarova
Sydney Populorum
Konrad Przeczek
Lauren Redenius
Benjamin Shlau
Kara Yoo
Jiaying Zhou
Highest Honors Highest Honors status in the College of Media is awarded to graduating seniors in the top five percent of their graduating class.
Audrie Ballard
Amanda Barry
Emily Chen
Christina Kivarkis
Hailey Kotowski
Jenny Lin
Mallory Miller
Adelyn Mui
Layli Nazarova
Sydney Populorum
Konrad Przeczek
Lauren Redenius
Yingying Ren
Benjamin Shlau
Kara Yoo
Jiaying Zhou
High Honors High Honors status in the College of Media is awarded to graduating seniors in the top 10 percent of their graduating class.
Nicole Amrhein
Samantha Barajas
Sam Brody-Goldberg
Ruoxuan Chen
Reis Glover
Lauren Keith
Mattie Kennel
Ava Kolodziej
Caitlyn Land
Christopher LaPorte
Rory McFadden
Justin Meyers
Charles Michaels
Kendall O’Keefe
Caroline Pulford
Katherine Ratke
Heejae Shin
Lillian Paige Walk
Zhuoyi Wu
Honors Honors status in the College of Media is awarded to graduating seniors in the top 20 percent of their graduating class.
Thanistha Bisalputra
Natalie Circolone
Li Deng
Elie Dixon
Kyle Ehrenhaft
Rawan El-Bawab
Siyi Gao
Lillian Garski
Raegan Gooding
Jillian Grabowski
Megan Harding
Macy Hull
Eunsung Koh
Kate Lamb
Shirley Ma
Maria Mancero
Haley Maser
Ryan McGee
Connor Micklos
Drew Mutchnik
Kaitlyn Nichols
Kyu Ha Nick Park
Piper Pascarella
Mary Piacente
Humza Qazi
Mariana Quezada Marquez
Eduardo Quintana
Chen Tu
Sofia Walters
James Scholars 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.
Samantha Barajas
Amanda Barry
Diyosa Funk
Reis Glover
Raegan Gooding
Sofia Kanda
Eunsung Koh
Hailey Kotowski
Megan Krok
Christopher LaPorte
Peirong Li
Jenny Lin
Haley Maser
Mallory Miller
Nathan Murphy
Layli Nazarova
Kaitlyn Nichols
Kendall O’Keefe
Humza Qazi
Katherine Ratke
Madeline Santori
Sydney Spotts
Megan Ashley Wood
Kappa Tau Alpha This college honor society recognizes academic excellence and promotes scholarship in journalism and mass communication.
Jenny Lin
Mallory Miller
Layli Nazarova
Lauren Redenius
Jiaying Zhou
Senior 100 Honorary This campus honor recognizes academics, leadership, service, and engagement at the University of Illinois.
Emma Biallas
Sofia Kanda
Shivam Patel
Katerina Souleles
Sydney Spotts
AWARDS, SCHOLARSHIPS, & FELLOWSHIPS
A-Mark Journalism Master’s Scholarship
Kaniz Fatema
American Advertising Federation Most Promising Students
Odinakachukwu (Odi) Ogbuefi
Claire-Michelle Sweet
Kara Yoo
Anthony J. Petullo Endowment in Design and Advertising Fund
Alexandra Ehrhart
Zixuan (Zia) Lu
Barton A. Cummings Graduate Assistantship / Richard and Audrey Christian Graduate Assistantship
Tunga Jois
Michelle Martinez
Betty Hinckle Dunn Memorial Fund in Journalism
Annisyn Krebs-Carr
Bill Geist Broadcast Journalism Writing Prize
Mary Piacente
Brett Lerner Memorial Scholarship in Journalism
Sijie (Jenny) Lin
C&U Poster Advertising Company Scholarship
Tomi Dugbo
C. Arthur and Eleanor Hemminger Scholarship
Karys Boeriu
Yueming Gong
Yash Jagtap
Sofia Kanda
Tiffany Liu
Rory McFadden
Diego Miranda
Konrad Przeczek
Claire-Michelle Sweet
C.O. “Doc” Erickson Scholarship in Journalism
Eunsung (Anna) Koh
Calvin Hugy Scholarship
Gabriella Blangiardo
Nevin McVicar
Kris Modi
Cardiss Collins Scholarship for Advertising Studies Fund
Kayla Robinson
Carl and Ruth S. Stephens Scholarship
Brendan Gallian
Isabella Lazansky
Maraya Petrova
Liliana Rodriguez
Madison (Maddie) Shaw
Charles G. Sotir Journalism Scholarship
Michael Sweeney
Clifford G. Christians Institute of Communications Research Career Advancement Fund
Tingyu Chen
College of Media Alumni Scholarship
Eduardo Quintana
College of Media Annual Fund Scholarship
Brianna Alvarado
Eli Kennel
Danielle Mitchell
Sophia Negrete
Livia Nigro
Josslyn Ostrom
Isabella (Izzy) Phillips
Rein Phone
Mary (Molly) Sloan
Elianna Williams
College of Media Dean’s Honors Scholarship
Thea Abang
Denise Aguilar
Maya Brito
Samantha (Sammy) Hernandez
Laila Hinton
Allison Ibarrientos
Jaelynn Isbendy
Quinn Isberg
Calli Kraft
Aria Manfroi
Jocelyn Melchor
Gabriel Montano
Noor Najjar
Isaiah Rohn
Yoselin Sanchez-Miran
Jenna Sissom
Joseph Tempel
Megan Weiss
College of Media Endowed Scholarship
Yufan Du
Elena Janeva
Ella Yoder
Cynthia Browne Placek Endowed Scholarship
Kennedy Caldwell
Daily Illini Journalism Scholarship Fund
Sofia Boddy
Qyler Bowie
Adam Edwards
Mariana Quezada Marquez
Alexandra Murphy
Emily Nnodi
Mary Piacente
Lillien Salas
Zachary Shapero
Evelyn (Evy) York
Daniel and Nancy Balz Endowed Fund in Journalism
Edgar Nava Garcia
Josephine (Richelle) Gunawan
Evelyn (Evy) York
David Shaul Endowed Scholarship in Journalism
Mariana Quezada Marquez
Dawn M. Turner and Kim D. Turner Endowed Scholarship in Media
Taya Brown
Deanna Frautschi and Alan Bedell Scholarship
Ben Shlau
Department of Journalism Scholarship
Faith Routley
Donald E. Chamberlain Journalism Scholarship
Prayse Odomes
Donald P. Mullally Internship at Illinois Public Media
Grace Merki
Ed Wilks Memorial Scholarship in Journalism
Giuliana Means
Florence Hood Miner Scholarship in Journalism
Jahzara Norris
Florence J. Johnson Scholarship
Yidan (Lisa) Hu
Peirong (Zoe) Li
Yuechen (Bonnie) Li
Nathaniel Murphy
Odi Ogbuefi
Atharva Sindwani
Zakk Wolovich
Megan Wood
Forsyth Family Endowed Scholarship
Karys Boeriu
George Will Endowed Scholarship
Emily Chen
Gerald P. Johnson Scholarship
Gabriel Alpher
Andrew Burkey
Eli Mitzenmacher
Gerald Robert Bland Scholarship
Amelia Benson
Glenn Hanson Scholarship in Visual Communication
Knox Mynatt
Glenn Holman Roberts Journalism Scholarship
Piotr Fedczuk
Goldie Maxine Cord and Marcus Franklin Cord Scholarship
Anthony Geritano
H. Maxine Gladding Greenwood Scholarship
Temitola (Temi) Akinyemi
Harold E. and Dorothy Johnson Sortor Journalism Scholarship
David Lyle
Harold Gustave Roettger Memorial Award
Amanda Barry
Mallory Miller
Adelyn Mui
Layli Nazarova
Sydney Populorum
Konrad Przeczek
Jiaying Zhou
Helen C. and Theodore B. Peterson Scholarship
Sarah Slattery
Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Scholars Graduate Fellowship
Dwayne Banks
Rocio de la Rosa Vasquez
Kaniz Fatema
Reed Lofstedt
Ian Fleming Foundation Undergraduate Research Scholarship
Yufan Du
Yidan (Lisa) Hu
Yuhan Zhou
Illinois Broadcasters Association Scholarship in Broadcast Journalism
Liliana Rodriguez
Iris Chang Journalism Award
Katie Dalton
J. Christopher and Robin N. Kaler Scholarship
Jonathan Mathew
James Webb Young Travel Fund
Jiyeon Chang
Kirby Cook
Yujin Lee
Jiayi (Joy) Wang
Jay Lin Scholarship
Valerie Oviedo
Jenny Lenzini Memorial Scholarship
Adelyn Mui
Joe Sutton Honorary Scholarship
Evelyn (Evy) York
Joel D. and Analee Weisman Scholarship
Nathan Gonzalez
Megan Krok
John R. Foreman Scholarship
Emily Burciaga
Ashley Howerter
Layli Nazarova
Cooper O’Kelly
Ella Peterson
Fernanda Romero
Alyssa Thomas
John H. and Sylvia N. Schacht Memorial Scholarship
Paige Walk
John Russell Heitman Fellowship
Farah Bassyouni
Jonathan Laxamana Award in Student Filmmaking
Aidan Allenfort, molecular and cellular biology major, for his film Health. Hope. Peru.
To expand access to a University of Illinois education, the College of Media now offers an online Bachelor of Arts in Media programfor adult learners who have taken some college coursework but have not completed their undergraduate degree.
Targeting working adults who want to upskill or re-skill their media knowledge and advance in or change their careers, the BA in Media is one of the first online degree completion pathways offered by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, along with a similar program at the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
“This new degree will give learners the advantage of earning their bachelor’s in media at their own pace. It comes at a time when valuable skills from advertising, journalism, and media and cinema studies are in high demand across industries,” said Tracy Sulkin, dean of the College of Media. “As we near 100 years at the College of Media, we’re pleased to offer an innovative, flexible option to access our world-class education, without disrupting learners’ work, family obligations, or other commitments.”
This offering reflects the university’s broader commitment to educational innovation, societal impact, and its land-grant mission to transform lives through education. The College of Media began developing the online BA in Media program in 2023. It’s designed to remove barriers for non-traditional students, across Illinois and beyond, providing an accessible, high-quality education that empowers graduates to contribute meaningfully to their communities and industries.
The interdisciplinary program will provide a broad foundation for understanding the contemporary media landscape, along with applied training in skills necessary for career success in media-related fields. Students will take courses from each of the College of Media’s three departments: the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising, the Department of Journalism, and the Department of Media & Cinema Studies.
This new degree will give learners the advantage of earning their bachelor’s in media at their own pace. It comes at a time when valuable skills from advertising, journalism, and media and cinema studies are in high demand across industries.
Tracy Sulkin
Dean of the College of Media
Students will learn media concepts, theories, and methods; use cutting-edge tools and technology to analyze and evaluate the media landscape; and create ethical and culturally relevant media content. Understanding that students will possess a wide range of experiences and coursework, the program culminates in a capstone experience where students will apply their knowledge to a significant project that highlights their skills to future employers.
Graduates of the program will be prepared for successful careers both inside and outside the media industry, including positions in the business, government, education, and nonprofit sectors that require media and communication skills, such as writing, editing, audio production, videography, strategy, and media research and analysis.
Unlike traditional undergraduate degree programs, students in the BA in Media program will not be required to enroll full-time, nor to reside on campus. Students must complete all classes online.
The BA in Media program is open to transfer students and to those applying for re-entry to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It is not available to first-year students or to current students seeking an inter-collegiate transfer.
The bachelor’s in media is the fifth bachelor’s degree offered by the college—which also offers master’s degrees and a doctoral degree—further expanding its academic portfolio to meet the needs of today’s learners. See all academic programs offered by the College of Media.
This fall, the College of Media announces two new department heads, seven faculty promotions, and one new faculty member.
In the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising, Sang-Hwa Oh has been promoted to associate professor with indefinite tenure. Carrie Wilson-Brown has been promoted to senior lecturer. Penne Heede joins the department as a new lecturer.
In the Department of Journalism, Professor Jeffrey Magee has been named interim head. He previously served in the College of Media as associate dean for academic affairs from 2019 to 2022. Alison Davis and Josh Heuman have both been promoted to senior lecturer.
In the Institute of Communications Research, Amanda Ciafone, associate professor of media and cinema studies, will serve as interim director of graduate studies for Fall 2025. Derek Long, associate professor of media and cinema studies, will return as director of graduate studies in Spring 2026.
Continuing for a second term within the college administration, Jason P. Chambers, professor of advertising, will serve as associate dean for access and engagement, and Stephanie Craft, professor of journalism, will serve as associate dean for academic and faculty affairs.
This will result in the creation of a new hybrid/flexible, state-of-the-art classroom (see architectural rendering above), which will open in Spring 2026, and a renovated main corridor, plus updated flooring throughout, including in faculty offices.
See photos depicting the original spaces, the renovation process, and the architectural renderings.
Gregory Hall Lower-Level Corridor
Before Renovations
Substantial work in the lower level of Gregory Hall has not occurred since the 1990s. See photos of the original corridor and a faculty office.
Gregory Hall lower level corridor before renovations
Gregory Hall lower level corridor before renovations
Gregory Hall lower level faculty office before renovations
Renovation Progress
Renovations included painted walls throughout the entire hallway, including the east and west wings, new lighting, and new flooring, including in faculty offices.
Painting primer in the hallways
Painting in the hallways
Lights installed and floor removed
Floor removal process
Floor mitigated, walls painted, lights in, and portals built
Crown molding detail
New floor installed in hallway
New carpet installed in faculty office
Ceiling tiles installed
First day of Fall 2025 classes
Architectural Rendering
The corridor renovations will be complete by the start of Fall 2025. By Spring 2026, new digital signage will be installed in place of bulletin boards that previously lined the walls.
Gregory Hall Room 1
Before Renovations
Rooms 1, 2, and 3 on the east wing were two smaller classrooms and a faculty office.
Gregory Hall Rooms 1, 2, and 3 before renovation
Gregory Hall Room 1 before renovation
Gregory Hall Room 2 faculty office moving out before renovation
Gregory Hall Room 3 before renovation
Renovation Progress
Renovations included knocking down walls to combine Rooms 1, 2, and 3 into a new hybrid/flexible, state-of-the-art classroom.
Gregory Hall Room 1 after demo
Gregory Hall Room 2 after demo
Gregory Hall Room 3 after demo
Gregory Hall Rooms 1, 2, 3 after demo, from hallway
Gregory Hall Rooms 1, 2, 3 after demo
Gregory Hall Rooms 1, 2, 3 after demo, from northwest corner
Gregory Hall Rooms 1, 2, 3, looking south, with the last wall knocked down
Architectural Renderings
By Spring 2026, Room 1 will offer classes by all three departments in the College of Media, supporting activities such as advertising brand consultations, journalism press conferences, and media and cinema studies production, and will enable hybrid teaching and conferencing.
—Photos by Meghan Burnett and Holly Rushakoff. Architectural renderings by Reifsteck Wakefield Fanning.
Update May 29, 2025: Congratulations to the students who presented “Uman Tok: Tailoring Hope, Renewing Futures in Sierra Leone” for receiving an award for Outstanding Oral Presentation at the Undergraduate Research Symposium from theOffice of Undergraduate Research! Some of these students previously won an award in 2024 for Outstanding Exhibit on this same research topic, which they continued work on in 2025.
Updated April 28, 2025
Students from all four majors in the College of Media participated in the annual University of Illinois Undergraduate Research Week, held April 20-26.
The Undergraduate Research Symposium, the signature event held on Thursday, April 24, at the Illini Union, features presentations, posters, and performances from students across campus.
Below is a list of Media student presentations as well as acknowledgements of Media graduate students and faculty who have mentored students presenting at Undergraduate Research Week.
Oral Panel
Health Modalities
“Evaluating the Persuasiveness of LLM-based Chatbots in Health Communication”
Tuesday, April 22, 4-6 p.m., Illini Union Rooms A, B, C, and South Lounge
“Salesperson-Product Matching Recommender System”
Alexia Rendon, Junior, Computer Science + Advertising, COM
“Understanding High school Students’ Experiences in a Culturally Responsive Computing Program”
Skyla Jin, Freshman, Computer Science + Advertising, COM
“Virtual Reality Game for Interactive Motion Planning”
Grace He, Junior, Computer Science + Advertising, COM
Omosefe Edomwande, Freshman, Computer Science, ENG
Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program
The Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program offers undergraduate students with little or no research experience the opportunity to work with graduate students and postdoctoral scholars on their research projects, explore the culture and process of research, and build on their existing abilities within a community of scholars.
Nina Issel, Sophomore, Journalism (COM)
Media Research Mentors
Doctoral student Veranika Paltaratskaya (above right), Institute of Communications Research, was the research mentor for Alina Huang, sophomore in communication and psychology (LAS), who presented “Understanding Consumer Interactions with Product Transparency Apps (PTAs) Using the Persuasion Knowledge Model” as part of the Social Science & Human Behavior poster presentations.
Doctoral student Alice Ji (above right), Institute of Communications Research, was the research mentor for Ayushi Maskey, junior in statistics + computer science (LAS), who presented “The Effect of Message Fatigue on Attention to Mental Health Messages” as part of the Heath & Wellness poster presentations.
Kevin Wise, professor of advertising, was the research mentor for Pushti Vora, junior in brain and cognitive sciences (LAS) who presented “The Impact of Mindless Scrolling on Dopamine Regulation and its Parallels to Gambling Addiction” as part of the Social Science & Human Behavior poster presentations.
April 14, 2025 | Ruth Kwak, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Technology Services
When the Website Management Center of Expertise collaborated with the College of Media, the College of Law and the School of Social Work to solve the challenges on each unit’s websites, the result was three new websites and a roadmap for building more.
Launched just one year ago from the grassroots efforts of the Website Implementation Guidelines Group, the Web CoE was established as part of the universitywide Operational Excellence initiative. With a mission to streamline dedicated resources and centralize expertise, the Web CoE now serves as a vital resource for helping units campuswide create and manage secure, accessible, and Illinois-branded websites.
How does it work?
At the heart of the Web CoE is its Website Management Consulting Service, designed to serve any group on campus—regardless of their levels of web experience. Groups can submit a ticket to start the consultation process, whether they’ve inherited an outdated website or are building one from scratch. The consulting team meets with the group to understand their specific goals, audience, technical capacity and needs. Based on this consultation, the team provides expert recommendations and, when appropriate, full-service migration support. Visit the Website Management Consulting Service webpage to learn more about the details of the process.
One of the biggest draws of working with the Web CoE is that it guarantees the final product will meet the university’s standards for accessibility, privacy, security and branding.
Previous Website Implementation Guidelines Group co-leader and current program director for the Website Management Center of Expertise, Cordelia Geiken shared more about why the Web CoE was identified as a part of the Operational Excellence initiative.
“People have been making websites at U of I since Mosaic in 1993, but it’s been all over the place. Our goal is to make things more streamlined, and to enable people to get the help they need in order to be accessible, secure and also branded…. Illinois branding is still pretty new. People are really excited about it and want to improve the user experience on their sites. If you’re on a University of Illinois site, you should know you’re on one.”
People have been making websites at U of I since Mosaic in 1993, but it’s been all over the place. Our goal is to make things more streamlined, and to enable people to get the help they need to be accessible, secure and branded.
Cordelia Geiken
Program Director for the Website Management Center of Expertise
Early adopters
This spring, the Web CoE completed full website implementation engagements with its first three early adopters: the College of Law, the College of Media and the School of Social Work. These projects were not only impactful for the individual units, but also valuable learning experiences for the Web CoE itself. The Web CoE engaged in a full website migration for each early adopter.
Geiken said that the early adopters each had a unique situation that the Web CoE had to work through. “All of campus will benefit from the unique situations those units faced,” Geiken said.
The College of Media
Without a web developer on staff, Holly Rushakoff, director of communications for the College of Media, was seeking assistance to update the college’s site when she was connected with Cordelia Geiken.
The College of Media’s previous homepage.
Media’s previous website was on Drupal and was a redesign that had been completed in 2019. According to Rushakoff, the web design of their page had impactful landing pages, but the other pages were simple with limited design and functionality options. Rushakoff also explained that the photos had to be a certain width or else it would break the flow of the page. These limitations were addressed with the Web CoE.
“The new website has accessibility enhancements and an incredible selection of design and layout options, from buttons to call-to-action blocks to clickable cards, plus photo slideshows, pull-quotes, and many header styles—and of course Illinois orange and blue templates to choose from. These design features enable us to make our stories much more visually dynamic and pull readers through the story or a landing page in a more engaging way, with multiple entry points,” Rushakoff said.
Working on the site was a year-long process, with many working meetings between Rushakoff and her Web CoE liaison, Liz Shallenberger, user experience design specialist at Technology Services.
The College of Media’s new website adheres to campus brand guidelines.
“The Web CoE team offered a wide range of expertise in web, graphic and user experience design, information architecture, accessibility and more. There were no questions they couldn’t answer! It was incredibly helpful and reassuring to have guidance from the Website Management Center of Expertise team throughout the entire process,” Rushakoff said.
Throughout the engagement, the College of Media was responsible for tasks such as auditing and organizing their content, tracking accessibility reviews, redesigning past stories with the new story template, updating short URLs and testing the development site for any issues before launch.
“I had an excellent experience working with the team from the Website Management Center of Expertise! Although it was a lot of extra work, it was primarily a joyful process because we could see the exciting transformation as we worked on the development site and chipped away at our milestones,” Rushakoff said.
The final product is a new Illinois-branded, accessible and secure website hosted on the Tech Services server, with people from the College of Media ready to perform site maintenance.
Krista Gaedtke, senior director of strategic marketing and communications for the College of Law was always looking for ways to stay connected with what was happening with website design at a campus level. The College of Law had been needing a refresh for a while, and so when talks about the Website Management Center of Expertise reached Gaedtke, she immediately submitted a ticket requesting available resources.
“Our previous site was not in terrible shape – it was nicely designed, well-structured, responsive and accessible, but it was decidedly not ‘on brand.’ There were also a few features that we were using on our previous site that didn’t provide the level of customization or flexibility that we needed, so finding viable alternative solutions was also a priority for the migration,” said Gaedtke.
According to Gaedtke, WordPress had been meeting their needs sufficiently, and so they opted to migrate their old WordPress site onto another WordPress site, focusing on minor re-structuring instead of changing the host.
“The end result is a website that is now fully compliant with Illinois brand guidelines and accessibility standards and takes advantage of many of the design features and components available within the Illinois web theme,” Gaedtke said.
In addition, Gaedtke noted that they were able to complete the website migration at no cost to the College of Law.
“Having gone through the process for a full-service website redesign project within the past ten years, I am well aware of the significant cost savings we were able to achieve with this partnership,” Gaedtke said. “I think we can easily say that we saved the College of Law at least $50,000 on this project, if not more.”
Gaedtke also mentioned several other benefits to partnering with the Web CoE, including regular access to the developers who were building the tools, the ability to offer feedback at will, see adjustments being made in real-time and suggest future developments.
Geiken said that the Web CoE worked with the College of Law for a full migration, and the College of Law then opted to perform their own future regular maintenance. However, as an official user of the Illinois Web theme, the College of Law will now have first access to all new product releases on the Illinois Web theme and tech support whenever needed.
“There was a point person for the project on both the Web CoE team and on our team. Dena Strong was assigned as our Web CoE liaison for the project; her background is user experience design, but she had to wear many different hats throughout our project, and she was an absolute rockstar. We met on a bi-weekly basis,” Gaedtke said.
Dena Strong, the Web CoE liaison for the project, is a senior information design specialist at Technology Services.
Gaedtke explained that the Web CoE drove the overall management of the project, prioritized action items, migrated all the content over to a development site, worked with them to make it look how they wanted; they performed troubleshooting and also advised on how to utilize certain tools.
On the other hand, Gaedtke’s team worked on making sure all the content was accurate and up-to-date, structured as they wanted it to be, and designed consistently across pages. As the site was on the College of Law’s server, they were also responsible for ensuring that they were aligned to the College of Law’s privacy and security best practices.
“There were certainly some growing pains along the way… simply because this was the first time that either of our teams were engaged in this type of project,” said Gaedtke. “We are really pleased with the end result.”
Over the years, the School of Social Work has had many conversations with units on campus about their lack of internal web support. Without internal staff dedicated to web support, they had been working with an external vendor.
“We started with well-designed, accessible, highly customized site that was expensive to maintain. Through migration [with the Web CoE], we transitioned to a clean, fresh design with significantly improved content organization. The new site aligns with our brand, enhances user experience and will hopefully be much easier to maintain in the long run,” said Becky Ponder, director of communications for the School of Social Work.
The previous site was a vended site hosted on WordPress with extensive customization.
“We had to do custom scripting in order to export their site out from their old environment to their current one. They don’t have staff to maintain their site, so we came up with a solution to address that, working with field consultants at Tech Services. We were able to hire a part-time field consultant to do maintenance for them,” Geiken said.
According to Ponder, the Website CoE managed more of the technical aspects of the site, while the School of Social work’s team focused on content, design preferences and identifying functional needs.
Social Work partnered up with Web CoE liaison and lead consultant for the project Huaqi Zhang, user experience design specialist at Technology Services.
“It was a true partnership, with both teams working diligently to ensure the site met our goals,” Ponder said.
The result was a full migration to a fresh site with dedicated web maintenance support from Tech Services. Receiving overall website support from campus has resulted in significant cost savings for the School of Social Work.
“One of the biggest takeaways from this migration is how complex website transitions can be, even with a great support team. Every website has unique needs, and ensuring all integrations function properly takes time and patience. It was a learning experience for everyone involved! While it was a complex transition, we’re grateful to have the new site launched and are very happy with it,” Ponder said.
The Web CoE has created a list of campus web resources for anyone at the university. This list of resources will be ever-evolving, updated with resources to support groups with all web-related concerns.
“Not everybody needs someone else to set up or maintain their sites. So we wanted to provide some resources for those who do have staff who can do all this for them. This is where collaboration comes in, and this is what this resources page and what our group is all about. We are trying to create a place for people to collaborate, to use whatever resources they have to join in the efforts to unify and protect our websites. So far, it has produced a much better product across the board,” Geiken said. Following the work on the three early adopter’s websites, the Web CoE will be reflecting and refining the program processes while engaging with the College of Applied Health Sciences on a website migration. The Web CoE will be ready to work with more units in the later summer of 2025. If you’re interested in learning more or working with the Web CoE, submit a ticket to start a conversation or to get on the list.
