2025: The year in review
COLUMBIA, Mo. (Dec. 23, 2025) — 2025 at the Missouri School of Journalism saw the world’s first and finest journalism school excel in the realms of community reporting, impactful research and the Missouri Method of hands-on learning.
“The Missouri Method continues to be the gold standard for preparing students for success in the industry,” said David Kurpius, dean of the School of Journalism. “As students learn by doing, the School is leading by doing — our faculty and students continue to gain national recognition for their work as they light the path forward for an evolving industry.”
This year, the School of Journalism welcomed a few new faces to its award-winning team of faculty and staff. Karen Brophy, a 20-year veteran of news product management and digital strategy, became the Reynolds Chair in Journalism Strategy and Business Operations in October. SportsCenter icon John Anderson, whose hiring was announced in 2024, officially began his role as the Leonard H. Goldenson Endowed Chair in Radio and Television Journalism in January.
Haijing Ma joined the faculty as an assistant professor of science communication, further bolstering the School’s science communication team. In addition, the storied Journalism Library gained a new head librarian in Jennilyn Wiley, while KBIA-FM welcomed Najifa Farhat as its new health reporter. At the Columbia Missourian, Mark Saxon came aboard as an associate sports editor and assistant professor.
At the School’s Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI), former Boston Globe Senior Digital Editor Leah Becerra became product director for the News Media Help Desk, which officially launched earlier this month.
And with the help of a $10.3 million gift from the Murray Center for Documentary Journalism’s founding donor, Jonathan Murray, BJ ’77, the center added Adam Dietrich, BJ ’17, as its alumni coordinator.
Dietrich’s hiring wasn’t the only benefit of the historic gift. The Murray Center launched its Method M Film Fund, which supports alumni of the center as they work on film projects post-graduation.
There were many other examples of the School supporting its community throughout the year, from RJI’s Potter Ambassadors Program assisting local news organizations with digital strategy to the Columbia Missourian’s purchase of the Boone County Journal in neighboring Ashland, Missouri.
Support also took the form of research breaking new ground for the news industry; from a fresh take on news desert research and a look at how audiences inadvertently build their own filter bubbles, to guides that illustrate how state legislators across the country are taking action to protect local news and free speech, faculty and students conducted research with real-world impacts — as evidenced by the long list of researchers and alumni recognized at AEJMC 2025.
That work didn’t end within the pages of academic journals, either. Associate Professor Jared Schroeder, for example, hosted a podcast for Mizzou’s Teaching for Learning Center about incorporating AI ethically and responsibly into teaching, turning his research and experience around the subject into a tool for educators. Associate Professor Joy Jenkins co-authored the U.S. page of the 2025 Reuters Digital News Report to contextualize some of the fast-paced changes and trends in the industry.
Hands-on student experiences were another important source of impact. Journalism and strategic communication students attended the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing in late September through early October, with participants reporting on daily matches, creating social media content and filling public relations roles over the course of the tournament.
Another example came from the world of statehouse reporting. The School led the creation of the new Statehouse Reporting Project, which brought together more than a dozen student statehouse news programs at colleges and universities all over the country.
For strategic communication students, there was the return of the NY Campaign program, which offered the opportunity for two weeks of intensive immersion in campaign creation at VML and Weber Shandwick.
And after years of learning by doing at the Murray Center, documentary journalism students showcased their capstone films in May, with four of the films earning awards that will grant them a screening during the First Look Festival at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York in 2026.
In fact, there was recognition aplenty for both faculty and students this year. Professor Shelly Rodgers earned the Eleanor Blum Distinguished Service to Research Award from AEJMC, honoring a 22-year research career at the School. Professor Mark Horvit earned the Scripps Howard Teacher of the Year Award.
Furthermore, there was recognition for more specific areas of academic work. In August, Associate Professor Keith Greenwood won the National Award for Excellence in Teaching from the American Journalism Historians Association. And in May, the National Press Photographers Association honored Professor Jackie Bell, Pictures of the Year Director Marie D. De Jesús and RJI Director of Innovation Kat Duncan with awards recognizing their contributions to the field of visual journalism.
Faculty and staff also earned honors closer to home. Colleen Cutts and Jon Stemmle were this year’s recipients of the School’s Amy Lenk and O.O. McIntyre Awards for staff and teaching excellence, respectively.
University-wide recognition highlighted the depth of excellence among our faculty this year. Professor Amy Simons became the third School of Journalism faculty member in the last five years to win the Kemper Award, Mizzou’s highest teaching award. Additional campus awards went to Associate Professor Kathryn Lucchesi (Provost’s Outstanding Junior Faculty Award), Professor Elizabeth Brixey (Ann K. Covington Award for Mentoring), Amanda Hinnant (Graduate Faculty Mentor Award) and Professor Martha Steffens (Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching). and five journalism and strategic communication faculty also earned entry into prestigious professional development programs.
When it came to the School’s professional learning-lab newsrooms, staff and students alike at KBIA-FM — the School’s NPR-member radio station — were recognized by the Gracie Awards. The station also added a national Murrow Award and a first-place honor from the Public Media Journalists Association, as well as three awards from the Missouri Broadcasters Association (MBA). KOMU-TV, the School’s NBC-affiliate TV station, earned eight MBA Awards. The Missourian, Columbia’s community newspaper of record, won 45 awards from the Missouri Press Association.
Adding to the chorus were students at culture publication Vox Magazine, which won five regional Mark of Excellence Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. Both a regional and national Mark of Excellence Award also went to KBIA.
Once again, students made a strong showing in the annual Hearst Journalism Awards, including a first place win from Nathan Lee in the National Television Championship after another first place finish in the preceding Television I – Features competition. Overall, the School secured first place in the Intercollegiate Broadcast competition for the third time in five years, and students earned a host of top finishes across several categories.
And representing the collaborative ethos at the heart of the School’s community newsrooms, ad agencies and other organizations, the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk — an environmental journalism network based at the School — took home the Collaboration of the Year Award from LION Publishers.
In strategic communication, students finished with a win for Best Creative and second place overall in the National Student Advertising Competition’s District 9 competition.
MOJO Ad, the student-staffed ad agency specializing in the youth and young adult market, prepared their annual State of the YAYA report and delivered three prospective advertising campaigns for Bath & Body Works, presenting their proposals to the company’s chief marketing officer, Jamie Sohosky, BJ ’93.
Of course, 2025 was too eventful to fit everything in this review, and 2026 promises to be even more jam-packed with excellence in teaching, student success, research and industry leadership. When the new year arrives, don’t miss a thing; stay up to date on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Updated: December 23, 2025