Alumni

Nearly 6,000 CSU graduates hold degrees from from the Department of Journalism and Media Communication.  The Department began as the Technical Journalism Department in 1968. JMC alumni work in every conceivable communication venue, spread across dozens of countries and virtually every state in the nation.

The Department oversees the CSU Media Hall of Fame. Ten alumni were inducted into the inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2011.  In 2016 another 10 Hall of Fame members were selected by faculty and incumbent HOF members.

In Colorado, JMC alumni help to staff and manage hundreds of small communication entities and virtually every major newspaper, magazine, public relations agency, television station, production company, cable operation, radio chain, and corporate communications staff. They work as news writers, reporters, editors, producers, disc jockeys, sports announcers, sports producers, technical writers and editors, magazine publishers, corporate communicators, Web managers, news anchors, photojournalists, reality show producers, Hollywood script writers, copy editors, international correspondents, news managers, and more.

The Department has an active and involved alumni community, with Facebook and LinkedIn sites established for social and professional networking.

Here is a sample list of JMC alumni who work in a wide variety of careers

– Elizabeth Spayd, ’81, is a former public editor of the New York Times and currently works for Facebook as a news consultant.
– Charles D’Agata, ’90, is CBS News’ London-based international correspondent.
– Jeff Eastin, ’90, is creator of the White Collar and Graceland TV Series on the USA Network.
– Virginia Singarayar, ’10, is a news designer for the Washington Post.
– Gabriel Dance,’05, is on the New York Times investigative team after earning Pulitzer Prizes with the Guardian and The Marshall Project.
– Ryan Avery, ’09, is the youngest-ever World Champion of Public Speaking.
– Dave Samson, ’79, is vice chairman of Corporate Affairs for Edelman, and international public relations firm.
– Rebecca (Waddingham) Boyle, ’03, is a nationally-recognized science and nature writer.
– Joseph Akmakjian, ’13, is a former Goodwill Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
– David Freed, ’77, is a Pulitzer Prize winner, a Hollywood scriptwriter and novelist.
– Joseph Conrad, ’86, owns Cactus, one of Denver’s most influential advertising agencies.
– Mark Taras, ’84, earned the international Van Gogh award for video editing.
– Brian Weister, ’98 (B.A.), ’03 (M.S.), Four-time national TV news Editor of the Year
– Samantha Johnston, ’98, is General Manager of The Aspen Times.

And it doesn’t stop there.  Journalism and Media Communication alumni work in virtually every conceivable career tied to journalism, media, and communication. The department continually refreshes the curriculum to identify educational opportunities for emerging careers.

CSU ALUMNI MEDIA FESTIVAL

In 2009, the Department established a Colorado State University Media Festival to recognize the wide range of alumni-generated media for general audiences. Hundreds of alumni have returned to campus and submitted work for awards during the five festival events held to date.