Department of Media, Journalism & Film

Congratulations to STC major Natalie Janssen, who was selected as a 2026-2027 CAS Dean's Scholar.

Janssen will receive a $500 professional expense stipend to conduct independent research studying how women in conflict zones use clandestine journalism to navigate digital authoritarianism. She will then present her work at a professional conference and Miami's Undergraduate Research Forum next April.

Link: https://miamioh.edu/cas/news/2026/06/cas-deans-scholars-2026-2027.html

MJF's own Dr. Phillip Arceneaux recently visited Cape Town, South Africa, attending the International Communication Association’s 76th annual conference.

He presented a research paper addressing Sierra Leone’s strategic communication campaign while serving in the UN Security Council, and received an award for the top scholarly peer reviewer in the Public Diplomacy Interest Group.

Dr. Arceneaux even ran into MJF alumn Dr. Ashley Muddiman, who is now an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas!

Miami's Alumni Weekend included a reception for The Miami Student's 200th anniversary at the archives at King Library. Several groups celebrating 60th, 40th and 20th anniversaries. Great to have alumni back on campus.

Five years ago, MJF Production & Technology Manager Matthew Crum set out to design and engineer a world-class, multimillion-dollar studio in the new Bachelor Hall, built to inspire and empower the next generation of storytellers.

In just a few months, we’ll welcome our first students into a space he helped bring to life, ready to learn, create, and share stories that inform and connect.

The Oxford Free Press wrote about our move from Williams to Bachelor...
https://www.oxfreepress.com/students-professors-say-goodbye-to-williams-hall/?fbclid=IwY2xjawR1ndlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFNUFFPdGZPeDB3R1hvZDdqc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHqOpqTVZppF0n_YHoJSR1WIpOahkqZxj8ppCq8XelB8OQoSEfW5ScbzDZI_E_aem_k87txtKDKyWvaxsXXytdHw

‘Place is important': Students, professors say goodbye to Williams Hall “That history of Miami nurturing a public radio station and supporting local news – that legacy is going to be physically gone.”

After 67 years of service to Miami University and the Oxford community, MJF officially says goodbye to Williams Hall today.

Love and Honor old friend.

Today, we celebrated the career of Jim Tobin, who retired after 20 years at Miami. He was a major influence over thousands of students in his tenure .
The journalism professor worked with Writing Scholars and Prodesse Scholars as well as served as adviser to both The Miami Student and The Miami Student Magazine. He also headed up the Committee for Student Media Organizations for several years.
He mentored many students over the years, some who now work at national news organizations like The New York Times, CNN, USA Today and NBC News.
“Year after year, Tobin continues to make an impact on his students and he will be incredibly missed at Miami,” said 2026 graduate Taylor Stumbaugh.
Olivia Patel, a 2026 graduate said his “pool of wisdom” was always welcome advice. “Of all the journalism faculty, Tobin has worked tirelessly to make me feel seen and heard, and he has been constantly in my corner since we met,” she said. “He's always kept it real with me, and he is one of those people I know I won't fall out of touch with.”
Besides the professional help, students also developed personal relationships.
“Professor Tobin made me change how I think about myself,” said Kethan Babu, a 2026 graduate. “He was the first person at Miami to really make me think twice about my mental health and pushed me to seek help when I should have long ago. Above all else, he was there for me even after I was done with his class, meeting with me and staying in contact when it wasn't required for him. That shows the kind of person he is, and he's a perfect example of how people should look out for one another.”
Tobin said his favorite experiences at Miami has been working with Miami Student staffers in the classroom and at the newspaper at the same time.
His final thought to students is what we all expect from Tobin. “Keep reading, keep writing, and fight for the worth of deep storytelling in this age of distraction.”
The alumni honored Tobin with a reception at the TMS 200 celebration in April and MJF celebrated his retirement at the end of the year luncheon.

As the classes end in Williams, we will be packing up and moving to Bachelor Hall in the next few weeks. For the last two weeks, we have allowed our students to write on the walls. Whether it was to show love to Miami, our professors, our student media organizations or just to leave their mark, please enjoy this graffiti. Williams will be demolished this summer.

MJF bid farewell to our graduating seniors this evening in the Rick Ludwin TV Studio!

It's not goodbye, simply until we meet again!

On Saturday, May 9, at 12:30 pm, MJF's Dr. Andy Rice will participate in a faculty and staff roundtable discussion on the history of race-based projects at Miami University.

The "Miami and Slavery Student Symposium" caps off the yearlong 2026 Humanities Lab. In collaboration with the Walter Havighurst Special Collections, students returned to the university archives to explore Miami's founding history, bringing into view the longer, overlooked history of African American presence, contributions, and experiences at Miami and in Oxford.

From these investigations, they created campus tours, digital exhibits and collections, and individual research projects to share with the broader community.

RSVP here to attend: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFs3kL6tnomOHUqa2PlhGdjPH8V2kaPyPOBuLM6CiSGAoGgw/viewform