April 3, 2023 | Kelly Youngblood Jill Wine-Banks (BS ’64, journalism), MSNBC legal analyst, author, and podcast co-host, is excited to return to the University of Illinois to serve as the alumni speaker at the College of Media Convocation ceremony on Sunday, May 14—marking her first visit back to campus in 44 years. “Obviously the […]
March 27, 2023 Producer Lawrence Bender (‘Pulp Fiction’) brings ‘Fresh’ perspective to Ebertfest, along with Michael Morris with ‘To Leslie,’ and Shoah collaboration ‘My Name Is Sara’ Festival closes with empathic film ‘Forrest Gump’ with guest Mykelti Williamson Roger Ebert’s Film Festival is pleased to announce the full lineup of films and accompanying filmmakers who […]
March 23, 2023 | Kelly Youngblood It’s a toss-up for Mike VanBlaricum on which he loves more—anything related to James Bond and the fictional character’s creator, Ian Fleming, or his beloved Alma Mater, the University of Illinois. Luckily, he’s rarely had to choose. In fact, VanBlaricum has found opportunities over the years to combine his […]
March 14, 2023 | Kelly Youngblood Molly Cornyn recalls the time she and the cast of her musical just happened to run into Roger Ebert one night at a local Steak ‘n Shake after one of their high school performances. Ebert, the late Pulitzer-Prize winning film critic and Media alum (BS ’64, journalism), was a […]
March 9, 2023 A diverse selection of films that generate empathy have been curated for the 23rd Annual Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, running April 19-22 at the Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign. Ebertfest—co-founded and hosted by Chaz Ebert—will honor the 10th anniversary of her husband Roger Ebert’s death by screening films and bringing filmmaker guests […]
March 2, 2023 | Kelly Youngblood Students in the College of Media will have access to a state-of-the-art broadcast studio and newsroom this fall after nearly $2 million in renovations are completed at the Richmond Studio. Since 1999, the studio—connected to Campbell Hall, the home of Illinois Public Media—has served as the site for the […]
March 1, 2023 This year’s Chaz and Roger Ebert Symposium will feature a film screening, keynote speaker, and two roundtable discussions that address the theme of “Documentary, Violence, and the Media.” The events, which are free and open to the public, are presented by the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies. Chaz Ebert’s beloved grandson, Joseph London Smith, was […]
February 27, 2023 | Kelly Youngblood University of Illinois alumna Karen Lucas Petitte pursued a career in journalism at a time when barriers were common for women, and opportunities were few. But that didn’t stop the visionary trailblazer from building an illustrious career as an award-winning journalist—and helping to advance gender equality in journalism along […]
February 1, 2023 | Kelly Youngblood JR Reed considers himself a lifelong learner who enjoys meeting new people and exploring new places—just a few of the many qualities that will serve him well in his new role as assistant director of advancement at the College of Media. Reed, who officially began in January, is bringing […]
January 10, 2023 | Kelly Youngblood Since Mike Wychocki (BS ’83, advertising) graduated from the University of Illinois College of Media nearly 40 years ago, he has helped build and sell two advertising/marketing agencies, traveled around the world, and become Chief Marketing Officer of a global container-shipping transportation company. In all that time, Wychocki has […]