Dean's Letter

Fellow Alumni:

I’m delighted to share with you a new development in the evolution of the Medill Magazine—one that reflects both the more dynamic ways in which we tell stories and what we hope will be a more engaging way to consume them. Today we launch a new digital platform for the magazine—one designed to bring the stories of our school to life through video, immersive photography and more expansive, long-form features that deepen your connection to our students, faculty and fellow alumni.

The heart of our mission has always been to educate and empower truth-seekers, storytellers and communicators who document all that is going on in the world. This new format allows you to see, hear and experience the work of our community in a richer and hopefully more engaging way.

Press Freedom Under Fire
In our cover story, "Truth Matters," we explore the escalating threats to journalism and the democratic ideals it sustains. Alumni such as Peter Alexander of NBC News, Omar Jimenez of CNN and Sabrina Siddiqui of The Wall Street Journal share candid insights about what it means to defend truth in an age of disinformation and division. Their perspectives remind us that a free press is not merely a professional calling—it is a public trust, essential to civic life.

Learning Beyond Graduation
Our commitment to lifelong learning is another theme in this issue. We know that professional growth doesn’t stop at graduation, and so our new Executive Education Series, led by Assoc. Prof. Danielle Robinson Bell, offers alumni the chance to return to the classroom for seminars of varying length that explore timely and transformative topics in journalism, marketing and strategic communications. Whether focusing on leadership in the digital age, mastering data-driven decision making or navigating how brands are evolving using emerging technologies, these programs are designed to help our alumni continue to lead and innovate in their fields.

Inspiring the Next Generation
Equally inspiring is our story about how the school is training high school students to find their voices through journalism and media. The Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute program (aka Medill Cherubs) has long been a premier training ground for budding reporters. A relatively new initiative is our Teach for Chicago journalism program. Led by faculty member and media literacy expert Michael Spikes and staffer Katie Fernandez, a former Chicago Public School teacher with a long history in scholastic journalism, this program convenes high school journalism advisers and their students in an effort to bolster scholastic journalism throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and beyond. We firmly believe that helping these young people discover the ability of storytelling to illuminate issues and hold power to account not only makes them better citizens but can alter the trajectory of their lives.

Opening the Doors to Medill and Northwestern
One of the most moving stories in this issue is a profile of a second-year student who took part in Northwestern’s Bridge Program, which is designed to help students hone the skills they will need to navigate the transition to college-level work with confidence. The program invites low-income, first-generation students to campus before their first quarter begins to do introductory coursework in reporting and writing and to experience life on campus.

In her story, Brielle Lowry (BSJ28) reflects on how that early experience gave her confidence and community—and how it set her on a path not just to succeed, but to thrive. Stories like Brielle’s are at the heart of our mission to ensure that every talented, determined student has the opportunity to fulfill his/her/their potential.

Join Us in Supporting the Next Generation
As you explore the new platform, I hope you’ll take a moment to reflect on what connects us all: a belief in the power of truth, creativity and education to move the world forward. That mission depends on the generosity and engagement of our alumni community. Your support helps fund student programming, sustain experiential learning opportunities and ensure that every young person with a passion for storytelling has a place here.

If you’re inspired by what you see, I invite you to make a gift to support Medill and our students. The programming we provide is only possible with the generous support of stakeholders and alumni like you.

And do feel free to share your thoughts about this new digital format. We’re eager to know what resonates with you and how we can improve. Our goal is to serve our alumni community better. Your input is key to helping us achieve that.

Thank you for being part of our story—and for continuing to help us write its next chapter.

Sincerely,
Charles