TMU 9(1), January 24, 2012

Alumna named editor. UNO School of Communication alumna Josie Loza was appointed editor of Momaha.com, a site operated by the Omaha World-Herald. "I couldn't be more thrilled," she said. Momaha, which provided this photograph, is an online community for moms to share ideas through blogging. Loza is a mother of two girls and a boy, and she brings her experience to the job of editing the targeted site. Loza added, "And yes, I think our site will rock your socks." She was a social media panelist during the School's award-winning Omaha 10-10-10 Conference in 2010. Loza is an award-winning journalist with an eye for Omaha night life, entertainment and features.

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Journalism major Brittany Young, under the direction of instructor Kevin Warneke, had this article at the end of last smester published in the Bellevue Leader. Several current students are working with the newspaper on projects.

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Professor will deliver Great Plains lecture. Associate Professor Hugh Reilly has been selected to deliver a prestigious Paul A. Olson Lecture this spring at the Center for Great Plains Studies in Lincoln. Reilly's research includes books detailing newspaper coverage of Native Americans during the 19th Century. He teaches in journalism and advertising and also serves as coordinator of all internships in the School of Communication. The lecture is scheduled for Feb. 15.

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Next issue: Metropolitan Campus  

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UNO speech team on the road to Nationals. Four students qualified for Nationals Saturday, as UNO won the team championship at Kansas State. Stephanie Larsen (persuasion), first-year competitor Tunnette M. Powell (persuasion), Stephanie Lanai Henderson (after dinner speaking), and Dan Cutter (prose) qualified. The results guarantee that the entire 13-member team with compete at Nationals in April. Individual and team results at UNO Forensics can be found on Facebook during every weekend of all competition. Our competitive public speakers, fifth in the nation with four national champions in 2011, are challenging for another top national finish in 2012. In recent competition at Austin, Texas, Niveditha Rajagopalan was awarded a first place in persuasion. UNO Forensics had a third place team finish.

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For the latest news, please visit the UNO School of Communication Facebook page, and follow @CommUNO on Twitter. 

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Excellence in action. Associate Professor Teresa Trumbly Lamsam and Haskell Indian Nations University journalism instructor Rhonda LeValdo are collaborating on a research project to understand media portrayal of skyrocketing type 2 diabetes rates among American Indian/Alaska Native adults. Their data analyses focus on framing through the medical community. Lamsam is a visiting professor at the University of Kansas and returns to UNO in August.

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New graduate students met with Graduate Chair and Associate Professor Barbera Pickering at the start of the semester. They received tips from graduate faculty members Jeremy Lipschultz, Adam Tyma and Chin-Chung Chao. The half-day Saturday morning event also featured an alumni panel. Students entering the program in August participated in a full-day workshop. 

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The School's Mass Communication (broadcasting and journalism) Division Head and Associate Professor Sherrie Wilson organized a dinner with area high school media advisers. Ben Vankat from the Omaha World-Herald spoke about the future of journalism. Dean Gail F. Baker and Director Jeremy Lipschultz also offered brief remarks. Advisers will bring about 350 students to campus in April for the annual High School Media Conference.

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Alumna Rose Ann Shannon and KETV staff hosted the first 2012 meeting of the North Omaha Media Alliance (NOMA). School Director Jeremy Lipschultz coordinated the visit, which included sitting in on the 5 p.m. newscast, speaking with reporters and anchors, and asking Shannon questions about news management and decision-making. Shannon, a veteran Omaha news director, has worked in media 39 years.  High school students from Benson, Northwest and Girls Inc. collaborate with UNO School of Communication faculty, staff and students on broadcasting and new media projects. They have also studied interviewing with UNO students taking the speech course. NOMA seeks to help brand North Omaha as a positive community. The project began in 2008 with blogging on the presidential election. It has received funding from Cox Cable Omaha and the UNO Service-Learning Academy. 

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Jeremy Lipschultz published an invited article in JURIST, a magazine targeted at the legal community. He wrote about recent U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments in a challenge to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) broadcast indecency rules.

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Brandon McDermott previewed the UNO Hockeyseason on KVNONews.com(Photo courtesy UNO Athletics)

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 Alumnus Tom Becka

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Events and photos. Find daily news on the School's Facebook page.

The North Omaha Media Alliance (NOMA) high school 
project met at KETV in January

Marlina Davidson offered an eLearning
workshop for School faculty

Aksarben Village has become a popular
campus dining and social spot

The campus has had little snow this winter

The calendar.

January

27 -  Digital Measures Faculty Refresher, AS 110, 10 a.m.  

February

 3  - Captivate Software Workshop, AS 183, 9 a.m.
10 -  Captivate Software Workshop, AS 183, 9 a.m.


March
18 - 25 - Spring Break


April
19 -  High School Media Conference, MBSC, 9 a.m.
24 -  Maverick PR/PRSSA Presentations, MBSC, 4 p.m.
26 - Alumni Panel, MBSC, 12 p.m.; Reception, Thompson Alumni Center, 4:30 p.m.; and 57th Annual Communication Awards Banquet, Thompson Alumni Center, 6 p.m.