Frequently Asked Questions - Faculty

How many faculty members are in the School of Journalism & Mass Communication?
The School currently has 18 full- and part-time permanent faculty and instructional staff members. It also benefits from countless professional guest lecturers from southern Wisconsin’s communications community.

Do any faculty members have professional experience in communications?
Almost all of our faculty members have significant professional experience in reporting, broadcasting, advertising/public relations or another form of communications. Many continue to use their skills professionally. To learn more about professional backgrounds, visit our faculty search engine.

How diverse are your faculty members’ academic backgrounds?
Just as the field of journalism encompasses a widely varied base of knowledge, so does journalism education. Our faculty members bring a range of education into this program, from traditional journalism and communications to history, English, political psychology, sociology, computer science and more. This combination creates a strong multi-disciplinary approach that separates our program from the pack.

How accomplished is your faculty?
Our faculty members have made a name for themselves both academically and professionally. A sample of their achievements includes:

• Professor Deborah Blum’s Pulitzer Prize for her newspaper series “The Monkey Wars” and New York Times Notable Book of the Year recognition for her book “Sex on the Brain”
• Professor Lewis Friedland’s duPont-Columbia and Emmy awards for his work in documentary production
• Professor Jack Mitchell’s groundbreaking work in creating the National Public Radio show “All Things Considered,” which earned duPont and Peabody awards in its first year
• Professor Stephen Vaughn’s and Professor Sharon Dunwoody’s selection as Fulbright Distinguished Lecturers in the former Soviet Union and Brazil, respectively