Columbia College Chicago : Journalism Department

News + Events

Grads Getting Great Jobs -- in Journalism and Beyond

Employers say Columbia's hands-on training and the variety of internships available in this news-rich city combine to produce graduates ready to be productive employees. May 2012 journalism grads Luke Wilusz and Sam Charles are working for the Chicago Sun-Times, while Ali Balgooyen and Fallon Glick are reporters for WLIO-TV in Lima, Ohio, Shereen Mohammad is on-air at KCAU-TV in Sioux City, Iowa, and David Anthony is at The Onion's A/V Club. Meanwhile, alums continue moving into impressive positions: Steven Yaccino is at The New York Times, Lauren Nisavic is at Comcast SportsNet and High School Cube, Lisa Chavarria is reporting for WFLD-Channel 32 Chicago and Diane Pathieu is at ABC7 in Chicago.

Unique Courses Broaden Student Experience

During J-term 2013, students explored Ireland, the "Museum Beat," social media for sports and smartphone photojournalism. In Spring semester, Jan. 28-May 15, students have opportunities to dig deeper into the entertainment beat by studying at Semester in LA: Journalism, based at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles. In Chicago, students will learn the latest journalistic applications in Data Visualization, taught by an expert from tribune.com and more about the business, sports, environmental, health, music and crime beats in advanced electives. In summer, students have an opportunity to study fashion journalism — in Italy. Our core provides the foundation for students to make the most of these unique courses. The combination produces resumes and experiences that are attractive to internship providers and news directors, editors and supervisors looking for qualified entry-level journalists.

Adjuncts Link to Working World

Columbia's award-winning adjunct faculty in the journalism department provide vital connections between the classroom and newsroom. Their highly regarded work, including this award-winning Chicago Tribune series co-authored by Pulitzer Prize-winning instructor Sam Roe, helps teach students the value of solid, ethical reporting -- and persistence.

Students, Alums Honored

Columbia students, faculty and alumni have been busy picking up journalism awards and nominations for their excellent work.
The Columbia Chronicle has been named the top non-daily college newspaper in the United States by the Society of Professional Journalists. Several students and alums have won prestigious Peter Lisagor awards, given by the Chicago Headline Club, Chicago's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. And Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin, associate professor of Journalism, was honored with the 2013 college-wide Excellence in Teaching award.
Fernando Diaz, a 2004 Columbia journalism grad who is managing editor of Hoy, has won a 2013 Studs Terkel Media Award, which honors journalists whose work reflects Terkel's "people-centered'' journalistic approach. Past winners of this honor have included Columbia full-time journalism faculty members Curtis Lawrence and Teresa Puente, as well as adjuncts Natalie Moore, Martha Irvine and Steve Franklin.
Meanwhile, two Columbia College Chicago broadcast journalism students won Crystal Pillar Awards in recent months from the organization that awards Emmys, and others were nominated.

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