Colleen King

"I was a news executive who didn't know how to teach," was how Colleen King, M.A. '21 described herself. A college internship at the Early Show on CBS was her door into journalism, leading to working as a booker on Fox News, then as a producer on "Hardball with Chris Matthews" and "Morning Joe" ultimately executive producing "The 11th Hour with Brian Williams." 

But after nearly two decades in the business, she wanted a change. "I didn't want to stray too far from news, but I also didn't want to work until 1:00 in the morning every night." Having grown up in the Cleveland area, she knew of Kent State's journalism reputation, so she went online and found our Journalism Education master’s program.

"I looked at the degree and realized how perfect it fit for what I was looking to do, which was take 17 years of TV news experience and translate it into something that would work in the classroom."

Now King holds the title of Clinical Assistant Professor in Journalism, and she is also the inaugural Director of the Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

"This degree focusing on journalism education made me a more well-rounded candidate. I recommend this program to any journalist who's even considering teaching. It's a wonderful, supportive community of educators who love journalism and what it stands for in this country."

To learn more about our Master of Arts in Journalism Education, visit https://www.kent.edu/mdj/journalism-education-ma