An Iowa College in the Liberal Arts Tradition
Careers
Graduates who began their work in journalism at Luther College have gone on to careers in newspaper, television, and radio, winning awards that include a Pulitzer Prize in reporting. Others work in social media, marketing, public relations, and law.
Read below to learn more about how Luther prepared our alumni for careers in journalism.
Erin Alberty '01
Pulitzer Prize Winning Reporter, The Salt Lake Tribune
I started working for Chips when I was a sophomore at Luther. For one of my first stories, I had to call a member of the Board of Regents for comment on some financial development. She said she'd need to see the whole story before it ran in the paper. This had not been explicitly discussed at Chips — were we a real newspaper or more of a college newsletter, under the school's control? — so I called our advisor and asked what to do. He firmly said no, we do not give anyone else a first look at our copy. We discussed this at our next staff meeting. I later learned that after I refused to let the Board of Regents screen my story, the advisor got a phone call from the (unhappy) college president. It was my first lesson in journalistic independence, and also in the importance of having an editor who will back you up.
Mike Danforth '95
Executive Producer, "Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!”, National Public Radio
I loved working at KWLC, the student radio station. I co-hosted a show called The Articulate Spine. Senior year I was music director. That’s where I learned to schmooze record company reps on the phone. I didn’t know it at the time, but that was great practice for cold calling publicists to book radio guests.
I'm also grateful for the generous spirit of my professors. Because of them, I learned to be comfortable asking questions. Once I learned to be secure in what I didn’t know, I learned so much. As someone who works with journalists and has done my own reporting, I know the value of listening and asking informed questions.
Michael Grimm '93
Play-by-Play Voice of the Minnesota Golden Gopher Football and Men's Basketball Teams
"Outside of my classroom work, the experience that helped me most was my work at KWLC Radio. I began doing play-by-play of basketball games during my first year and added football duties my sophomore year. The hands-on aspect of getting in front of a microphone, learning how to prepare for a game, and understanding the craft of calling a game have been vital to my career. Covering the 1991 and 1992 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament still remains one of my career highlights. I estimate during my four-years on campus, I had called nearly 400 games, written more than 500 sports articles, and had a role in 500 news releases."
