Journalism alum Angie Leventis Lourgos publishes ‘Life-Altering: Abortion Stories from the Midwest’

Angie Leventis Lourgos (BS ’03, journalism) has published a new book, Life-Altering: Abortion Stories from the Midwest, with the University of Missouri Press. Based on pieces that originally appeared in the Chicago Tribune, each chapter imparts one person’s experience with abortion. By looking at myriad factors that influence the decision to abort a pregnancy—whether socio-economic, religious, […]

Advertising alum Geno Schellenberger makes a difference for unhoused population through Havas Chicago campaign

Geno Schellenberger (BS ’20, advertising), senior communications manager at Havas and graduate student in the strategic brand communication master’s degree program, is making a difference for unhoused individuals in Chicago during the holiday season.  Through his role at Havas, Schellenberger has played a pivotal role in launching “The Donation Display” campaign, an innovative initiative that reimagines […]

Advertising alum Lacey Gilbert named to 2023 Rising Stars of Madison Avenue by ‘Business Insider’

Lacey Gilbert (MS ’11, advertising), vice president and strategy director of Leo Burnett advertising services in Chicago, has been named to Business Insider’s 2023 Rising Stars of Madison Avenue. Gilbert, who joined Leo Burnett in 2020, has led award-winning campaigns like Beam Suntory’s “Bourbon Time” and Coors Light’s “Clone Machine.” She has also directed the […]

Late ‘Laugh-In’ brothers Arte and Coslough Johnson share comedy history with Illinois

November 16, 2023 | Holly Rushakoff The late comedy legend brothers Arte Johnson (BS ’49, radio journalism) and Coslough Johnson (BS ’52, radio journalism) made sure to invest in the future of media by preserving part of its past.  (Gisela and Arte Johnson by Michael P. Maron Photography.) Both have donated artifacts to the University […]

Journalism alum Erika Hayasaki wins Nautilus Book Award in Journalism and Investigative Reporting

Erika Hayasaki (BS ’01, journalism), a writer and associate professor of literary journalism at the University of California in Irvine, won a silver Nautilus Book Award in Journalism and Investigative Reporting for her 2022 nonfiction novel Somewhere Sisters: A Story of Adoption, Identity and the Meaning of Family. Hayasaki’s book, which was also named one […]

Journalism alum Catherine Adel West’s novel selected as One Book, One Village community read

Author Catherine Adel West (BS ’02, MS ’04, journalism), whose most recent novel, The Two Lives of Sara, was selected as the Arlington Heights Memorial Library’s 10th annual One Book, One Village community read, will share the story behind her book at “An Evening with Catherine Adel West” at Forest View Auditorium in Arlington Heights […]

Anderson Cobb explores race, place, and history in performance at Allerton

Updated October 11: “Unsettled: An African American Reflection on The Potawatomi Trail of Death,” an interactive performance co-presented by Nicole Anderson Cobb (MS ’16, journalism) in April 2023 at Allerton Park, was featured in The Christian Science Monitor. The article, “Indigenous People’s Day: What the Potawatomi Taught Me,” explores Anderson Cobb’s collaborative presentation with Latrelle […]

Advertising alum Shawn Fojtik holds more than 150 medical device patents

Shawn P. Fojtik (BS ’85, advertising), CEO of Control Medical Technology and Distal Access, has more than 150 pending and issued medical device patents with over 1 million patients safely treated in cardiovascular, women’s health, cardiac electrophysiology, surgery, interventional oncology, and emergency medicine.  Fojtik’s previous work experience includes sales, marketing, product development, and general management […]

Advertising and ICR alum Ronald Taylor passes away

Ronald E. Taylor (MS ’71, advertising; PhD ’83, communications, ICR), devoted scholar, teacher, and mentor, passed away at his home in Tennessee on September 11.  After receiving his PhD from the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Taylor joined the University of Tennessee as the head of the Department of Advertising, […]

Journalism alum Jill Wine-Banks receives 2023 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award

Jill Wine-Banks (BS ’64, journalism), MSNBC legal analyst, author, podcast co-host, and former prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice, was one of five female lawyers to receive the 2023 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award this summer. The American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession established the award to recognize and celebrate the […]

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