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C losing in on $4 Million. A plywood enclosure erected in February signaled the initial stages of construction on the Adler J-MC Building. Look for a webcam on our newly-redesigned website at http://www.uiowa.edu/~journal/ soon. You can watch the construction project daily!

Reaching our fund-raising goal of $6 million must take center stage over the next months. Jeff Liebermann, director of development, Social Sciences and Humanities, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and I traveled to California April 21-24, then to Chicago in June with events in New York and Washington, D.C., set for fall.

In addition to the wonderful naming gift from Lloyd and Betty Schermer, which was featured in IJ’s fall issue, we have received lead gifts from several media organizations with Iowa roots.
Gannett Foundation—$250,000 (Special thanks to Phil Currie, Senior Vice President, Newspaper Division, (1962 B.A., journalism); and Irma Simpson, foundation Manager, (1971 B.M., music). Gannett properties in Iowa include the Iowa City Press-Citizen and the Des Moines Register, where many J-MC alumni work.
Gazette Foundation—$100,000 (Special thanks to Gazette Company Chairman Joe Hladky (1962 B.A. sociology), President Chuck Peters (1974 B. S. psychology; 1980 J.D., law) and KCRG-TV9 reporter and anchor Liz Mathis (1980 B.A. communication and theatre arts; 1980 B.A., journalism).
Lee Enterprises Iowa Publishers—$100,000 (Special thanks to Michael Phelps, publisher of Lee’s Quad-City Times).
And, we have received personal naming gifts from several alumni including Phyllis Fleming, (B.A. 1956) (see page 20 for full story), Peter (1986 B.S., journalism and mass communication) and Kristin (1989 B.A. communication studies) Jeffries. Pete, who is a member of the Adler Building Campaign Committee, is the Communications Director for U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-IL. They have named the Conference Room in the J-MC Office ($35,000) and Jerry Hargitt, (1955 B.A., journalism and mass communication), has named a faculty office ($30,000). Jerry, also a member of the Adler Building Campaign Committee, is retired as vice president of public relations and public affairs at Northwestern Bell in Omaha.

We have a number of other gifts “in progress” toward naming opportunities, but the remaining $2 million is the key to our future success. Why? The state is providing $13 million to build the infrastructure and we need $3 million to equip the building to meet our current needs. It’s the remaining $3 million that will be used to endow equipment and other funds that will ensure our future. Ensuring that the Adler J-MC Building will serve student learning needs in the decades to come is our most important challenge.

The Iowa Dozen. No, it’s not ears of corn! It’s a set of professional values and competencies that Iowa undergraduates who enter in fall 2004 or later will be required to be aware of, to understand and to apply—if we plan to remain an accredited program. And, we do! They are central to the required assessment of student learning, which is now part of the revised standards of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

This spring Students met with Professional Advisory Board members to discuss career goals, as well as learning and professional portfolios. Overall, it was a great meeting, full of energy, interaction and ideas. As one board member said, “This meeting was by far the hardest, but the most beneficial I’ve had as a PAB member. I finally felt like I was able to do and to contribute something of value to the School.” A graphic showing “The Iowa Dozen” is on the cover. You will be hearing more about this initiative in future issues.

J-MC Mission Statement. The faculty approved a revised mission statement for the School in March. It begins: “The mission of our School is to educate journalism and mass communication professionals, scholars, and faculty. Through professional and creative research activities, they enhance a continually growing and evolving understanding of the social and cultural roles, responsibilities, and contexts for communicators in a demo-cratic society, as well as in diverse global contexts.” The full text is available at: http://www.uiowa.edu/~journal/mission.html

New Faculty. At this writing, we have three new faculty members who will join us this fall and hope to have at least one more colleague hired by May. Dr. Julie Andsager, associate professor, will join us from Washington State University. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Leo Eko, assistant professor at the University of Maine, earned his Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University. And, Dr. Sujatha Sosale, assistant professor at Georgia State, earned her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. A search for a faculty member with strong professional credentials is still in progress.

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