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Journalism Faculty

The faculty in the School of Journalism and Advertising work together to ensure our students receive a top quality education and the advice and support they need to land a top job in their chosen field after they graduate.

We are proud of our people. Each and every faculty member is a highly dedicated professional who is deeply committed to educating and mentoring the next generation of journalists.

William Freivogel, Professor

School of Journalism and Advertising

Professor Bill Freivogel served as Director of the School of Journalism from 2006-14. He came to SIU after 34 years at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He was a member of the newspaper's Washington bureau for 12 years, where he served as assistant bureau chief, focused on the Supreme Court and reported on such historic events as the assassination attempt on President Reagan and the confirmation fight over Clarence Thomas. He returned to St. Louis and became the deputy editorial page editor in 1997.



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Annie Hammock, Daily Egyptian Managing Editor

School of Journalism and Advertising

Annie Hammock has been working in newsrooms, both professional and academic, for nearly four decades. She began at CNN, where she spent 26 years writing and producing coverage of historic global and national events, such as the Challenger disaster, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine High School massacre, Hurricane Katrina, the siege at Waco, 9/11 and the resulting Gulf Wars. In the process, she shared an Emmy and two Peabody Awards with her colleagues.



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Annie Hammock

Phone: 618-536-3311
Office: COMM Room 1247
annie.hammock@siu.edu

Dong Han, Associate Professor

School of Journalism and Advertising

Dong Han’s education shifted from English language and literature to law and finally to media and communications research. From 1999 to 2004, he was a lawyer at the Legal Office of China Central Television, China’s national TV network. As a researcher, he is interested in how market relations expand and deepen in a wide array of media and cultural sectors. His papers appeared in journals including Media, Culture & Society, International Journal of Communication, and Television & New Media.



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Dong Han

Office: COMM 1226
donghan@siu.edu

Benjy Jeffords, Instructor

Benjy has been working in broadcasting and news for more than 20 years. After graduating from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale’s Radio and Television Broadcasting bachelor of arts program in 2002, he started as an Associate Producer at WSIL in Carterville, IL. He worked my way up to field videographer and then to Chief Videographer. In 2014, Benjy left WSIL to become a Digital Media Production Specialist at WSIU, where he stayed for 9 years until he joined the School of Journalism and Advertising as an Instructor.

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Jeffords Benjy

Kavita Karan, Professor

School of Journalism and Advertising

Dr. Kavita Karan is a Professor in the School of Journalism and Advertising. Dr. Karan received her PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom and the Master of Philosophy (M.Phil), Master of Communication and Journalism (MCJ) and Bachelor of Communication and Journalism (BCJ) from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India. Dr. Karan teaches a variety of courses that include; Communication research methods, several Advertising courses, politics and media, and health communication. Her research interests include, political communication, strategic marketing and advertising, new media technologies and development, health communication, women’s studies and Bollywood cinema.



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Kavita Karan

Office: COMM 1226
kavitak@siu.edu

Bridget Lescelius, Associate Lecturer

School of Journalism and Advertising

Bridget Lescelius’ career spans over 30 years in advertising and marketing, including vice president and partner of Spark in Phoenix, Arizona; senior associate of marketing at the Institute for Supply Management in Tempe, Arizona; co-founder and principal at The Big Idea, Inc. in Alexandria, Virginia; senior account executive at The Washington Agency in Washington, D.C.



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Bridget Lescelius

Phone: 618-536-3361
Office: COMM 1221
blescelius@siu.edu

Molly Parker-Stephens , Assistant Professor

Molly Parker-Stephens is a veteran journalist with more than 20 years of experience writing for regional and national publications. Her byline has appeared in national publications including ProPublica, the New York Times and Mother Jones and in numerous regional publications throughout Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina and Mississippi. Parker is a working journalist writing for Capitol News Illinois, the nonprofit arm of the Illinois Press Foundation whose stories about state government are distributed to more than 800 newspaper and broadcast media outlets. Parker is also a ProPublica Distinguished Fellow in its Local Reporting Network.



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Molly Parker-Stephens

Julia Rendleman, Assistant Professor

School of Journalism and Advertising

Julia Rendleman is a working photojournalist freelancing for national publications such as the Washington Post and New York Times. She freelanced full-time for six years in Richmond, Virginia where she covered politics, elections, the affordable housing crisis, substance abuse and rehabilitation, climate change and other topics relating to human health and community. Before that, she was a staff photographer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Houma Courier & Daily Comet in southwest Louisiana.



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Julia Rendleman

Office: COMM 1201
julia.rendleman@siu.edu

Jan Thompson, Director - Professor

School of Journalism and Advertising

Professor Thompson is a 3-time Emmy award winning filmmaker and composer.



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Jan Thompson

Office: COMM 1050J
janione@siu.edu

Jim Wall, Senior Lecturer

School of Journalism and Advertising

James A. Wall teaches within the Electronic Media Marketing and Management sequence. Prior to becoming a full-time educator, Jim worked in the commercial broadcast industry for over twenty years in sales and marketing. He earned both a B.S. in Radio-Television and an M.A. in Media Management from SIUC.



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Office: COMM 1050C
jwall@siu.edu

List of emeriti Faculty


Our Emeriti Faculty
Name Title Degree University Year
William Babcock Professor, Emeritus Ph.D Southern Illinois University Carbondale 1979
Mark Dolan Associate Professor, Emeritus M.A. Syracuse University 2008
Phillip Greer Senior Lecturer, Emeritus Photojournalist in Residence
Joey Helleny Senior Lecturer, Electronic Journalism. M.S.Ed. Southern Illinois University 2004
Walter Jaehnig Associate Professor, Emeritus Ph.D. University of Essex 1974
Dennis Lowry Professor, Emeritus Ph.D. University of Iowa 1972
Gerald C. Stone Professor, Emeritus Ph.D. Syracuse University 1975