Carol Zuegner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, News Track
CarolZuegner@creighton.edu
402-280-4059
Dr. Carol Zuegner worked extensively as a reporter and editor before before becoming a college professor. She worked for 10 years as an editor and reporter for The Associated Press in Des Moines, Iowa; Omaha and Lincoln, Neb. Part of her work for the wire service included covering the Nebraska Legislature, politics, sports and broadcast writing. She also worked for the Fremont Daily Tribune, for the Omaha Sun Newspapers and as a weekend world and nation pages editor for the Terre Haute (Ind.) Tribune-Star. She currently works part-time for the Omaha World-Herald as a copy editor.
A journalism graduate of Creighton, Zuegner was one of 10 fellows in the Kiplinger Investigative Reporting program at The Ohio State University in 1990-91, where she earned a master’s degree. She earned a doctorate in communications from the University of Tennessee in 1999 with an emphasis in science writing.
She has published in Journalism History, the Journal of Magazine and New Media Research and other publications.
Her research emphasis has evolved to new media, social media and how news organizations adapt to the changing environment.
She also was part of a collaborative team with the Department of Theology Professor John O’Keefe and JMC Professor Tim Guthrie that took a group of students on a backpack studies/journalism trip to the Dominican Republic in June 2010. The students worked on a website and video documentary on Pedro Almonte, a Roman Catholic deacon who works among the poorest of the poor in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
She has been adviser to Creighton’s weekly newspaper, the Creightonian, which has won numerous national, regional and statewide awards for excellence.
“My philosophy of teaching is simple. I believe the work of people in the media is vital to society. I want to help students develop the skills, their own talent and creativity and the ethical base to report, edit and present the news accurately and fairly no matter what the platform. I want them to see how important it is to tell the stories of people from all segments of society.
My own background is a combination of professional and academic. I draw extensively on that background and my current work as a copy editor to develop classes that keep pace with a changing media environment. It also helps me place students in internships and part-time jobs where they can gain valuable experience to help land that job after college.
My study and research have helped me step back from the professional world and look at the practice of journalism more critically.
The hands-on approach here fits my own personal teaching style, which is informal and open. I want the students to feel comfortable in class and to respect their colleagues while pushing themselves to do the best work they can.”
My Classes
| JMC 322 | Feature Writing A | 3 credits |
| JMC 327 | Social Media A | 3 credits |
| JMC 331 | Editing A | 3 credits |
| JMC 365 | International Mass Communication A | 3 credits |
Office Hours
TBD
Ph.D., Communications, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
M.A., Journalism, The Ohio State University
B.A., Journalism, Creighton University