University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications

Degrees offered

The College of Journalism and Mass Communications offers undergraduate degrees including a Sports Media and Communication program, added in 2017, which has nearly surpassed Advertising and Public Relations as the college's most popular major, alongside a graduate program available to distance students since the 1970s via satellite and internet technologies.

Programs and emphasis

The college operates KRNU, a radio station established in 1970, and has long ties to Nebraska Public Media (formerly KUON-TV/Nebraska Educational Telecommunications), which began airing in 1954. In 2025, alumna Cindy McCaffrey committed $4 million to support student workers amid a department-wide budget shortfall.

History

The University of Nebraska held its first journalism class in 1894, taught by longtime Nebraska State Journal editor Will Owen Jones. The School of Journalism was formally established in 1923, elevated from department to independent status in 1979 under director Neale Copple, and became the College of Journalism in 1985 following a change in Nebraska law; it adopted its current name, the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, in the early 1990s. The college moved into Andersen Hall, a former insurance company building, in 2001.

Key faculty and leadership

Adam Wagler: Interim dean, following Shari Veil's departure in December 2025 to become provost at North Dakota State University.
Shari Veil: Jane T. Olson Endowed Dean from 2020 to 2025.
Neale Copple: Director from 1966, later dean, known as the "father of Nebraska journalism."
Will Norton: Dean from 1990 to 2009, later national president of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Student-run media

The Daily Nebraskan, established in 1871, is the university's student newspaper; journalism students have long been primarily responsible for its operation, though the two have never been officially affiliated.

Location and contact info

Address
Andersen Hall
200 Centennial Mall North
Lincoln, NE 68588
Phone
(402) 472-3041
Email
cojmc@unl.edu
Website
https://journalism.unl.edu