Stephen Bloom and David Dowling received awards for their recent books at the 2025 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual conference.

Six SJMC faculty were promoted last year. Brian Ekdale and Tom Oates were promoted to full professor. Joanna Krajewski, Lillian Martell, Charles Munro and Kevin Ripka were promoted to associate professor of instruction.

AJ Reisetter, fourth year student who is studying journalism and mass communications and minoring in sports and recreation management, created a profile video of Jaecee Hall and the story behind Unbreakable Female Athlete.

Rachel McLaren and Rachel Young hosted a workshop to help local parents enhance communication skills with their teenagers during the digital age.

Stephen G. Bloom, professor emeritus recently won the Knudson Latin America Prize from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication for his memoir The Brazil Chronicles

Melissa Tully, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, received the Mental Health Champion Award for her commitment to creating a safe space for her faculty and students.

Alice Cruse will serve as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Taiwan for 2025–26.

Max Willis is a storyteller — a multifaceted one, at that. “I can write, I can work in front of and behind the camera, I can do graphic design, I can do video editing or photo editing, I can fly a drone — I feel really well prepared,” says Willis, who will graduate with a BA in journalism and mass communication, BA in African American studies, and minor in sport and recreation management.

After an award-winning stint as a photographer with The Daily Iowan and the opportunity to document a historic women’s basketball tournament run, Grace Smith is continuing to pursue creative visual storytelling — and to photograph a favorite Iowa baller.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication hosted its annual Student Exhibition and Scholarship Celebration on April 10, 2025.