Alumni & Friends

Alma Mater.

Since its beginning in 1927, the College of Media has seen students become productive, distinguished alumni. Advertising, journalism, media studies and communications graduates share a lifelong connection with each other, the College and the University of Illinois. That connection is even felt by numerous alumni who earned their degrees in other colleges on the Urbana-Champaign campus. They value the work that is done in the College of Media and feel a special bond with our faculty and students.

The feeling is mutual.

It takes a special person to innovate, create and educate — processes that our alumni engage in every day as they navigate their careers. We watch that progress with pride and enthusiastic support, and we continually strive to make alumni proud of the College.

We hope these pages will be visited regularly by students, alumni and friends. It's the place to stay in touch with what's happening on campus and in Gregory Hall.

Please use our online form to send updates for your contact information:
illinois.edu/goto/update

Alumni News newspaper

Twice each year, the College publishes a 20-page newspaper for alumni, the Alumni News. Download the latest issues:

Alumni, if you want to tell us your latest news or would like to receive the hardcopy Alumni News and aren't currently on the College's mailing list, please contact Susan McKenna, director of publications for the College of Media.

The Media I e-newsletter

Stay on top of alumni, student and faculty news with the monthly e-newsletter from the College, The Media I.

Professional honors and awards

College of Media alumni have gone on to accomplished careers, and many have distinguished themselves by winning professional awards. Among the awards our graduates have received are the Pulitzer Prize, Peabody Award, Emmy Award and the Clio Award. Take a look at a list of some of our alumni honorees.

Distinguished Alumni Award

The award was created in 2006 to honor alumni of the College of Media who have distinguished themselves in their profession and in service to the College. Read more about the award and Morris R. Beschloss, the first recipient.

Distinguished Alumni Award

Illinois Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism

The Illinois Prize is awarded to individuals whose career contributions to public affairs journalism represent the highest and best achievements of American journalism, according to the Department of Journalism. The award, bestowed by the journalism faculty of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, honors work that has consistently served as a beacon for other journalists, set the highest standards of excellence in the field, and placed the public good and public awareness before all else.

Mike Wallace, distinguished "60 Minutes" correspondent, is the first recipient of the Illinois Prize. He received the award at a celebratory reception, dinner and ceremony in New York City on Oct. 13, 2007.

The next Illinois Prize will be awarded to Ben Bradlee in Washington, D.C., in October 2008.

University of Illinois Alumni Association

From the time students arrive on campus, they are part of the Illinois alumni family — part of a network of alumni that's half a million strong. The University of Illinois Alumni Association and its partner organization, the College of Media Alumni Association, are here to help connect students with alumni and build lifelong ties to their Alma Mater and each other.

The UIAA organizes events and programs such as the freshman welcome event, Homecoming, etiquette dinners, a job-shadowing program and other networking opportunities.

Maintain your connection to the College and show your Illinois pride as a member of the University of Illinois Alumni Association. Membership automatically includes membership in the College of Media Alumni Association. Among the benefits of UIAA membership are access to the online alumni directory, special discounts on alumni travel, events, merchandise and more; a customizable Web e-mail service and a subscription to Illinois Alumni magazine. For more information, see the UIAA Web site at www.uiaa.org or call 217-333-1471. To join and find out more about membership benefits, see www.uiaa.org/benefits/. When you fill out the membership application, enter the promotion code UD11 for the College of Media.

College of Media Alumni Association

The College alumni association plans and presents events for College of Media alumni and students, including the annual Fall Reunion in Chicago, Journalism and Advertising career nights, alumni guest speakers, professional site visits and more.

For more information about the College of Media Alumni Association or alumni events, please contact:
Mary Susan Britt
Associate Director for Advancement
College of Media
20C Gregory Hall
810 S. Wright St.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-244-0552
marsue@illinois.edu

And remember to send address/phone/e-mail updates via our online form:
illinois.edu/goto/update

 
Always Illinois, an Illinois InCircle community.

"Always Illinois" is a free virtual community exclusively for Illinois alumni, students, faculty and staff. Think of it as an Illinois version of Facebook or MySpace, with added features and security.

Always Illinois can help you:

  • Renew and maintain lifelong friendships with the Illinois family in a secure online commmunity
  • Network and search for career opportunities
  • Stay connected with the College, your department and student or alumni organizations

Visit www.alwaysillinois.org to register and log in.

Official University documents

The University's Office of Admissions and Records provides the following resources: