Ann Brill Photo: Earl Richardson

Classes: Online Journalism, E-Commerce and the Media, Survey of Mass Media and Popular Culture, Research Methods

First year at KU: 2000

Degrees: B.A., Journalism, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; M.A., Journalism, Marquette University; Ph.D., Mass Communications, University of Minnesota

Honors: Nominated for University of Missouri Provost Outstanding Junior Faculty Teaching Award, School of Journalism, 1996 and 1997; Outstanding Faculty Member, University of Missouri Panhellic Council, 1997; profiled in University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication Alumni Publication, 1995

“I've been teaching Online Journalism for seven years, and this is THE place to be for that. At the same time, I long admired KU for its excellence in the area of editing. That mixture gives KU students a huge advantage in the job market.” - Ann Brill

When Ann Brill was 4, she wrote on the kitchen wall with a green crayon. She got some advice from her mother: "If you want to write, you'd better find a better place to do it."

She followed Mom's advice and got a degree in journalism. Brill says the most exciting aspect of journalism is storytelling.

"I love to tell stories -- stories about people I know, or I have at least heard their story," she says."I always love to have a story that I can communicate with my students about the topic of the day."

Brill says she always had teachers who encouraged her to pursue a career in journalism, and she knew several people whose careers were in journalism and thought they had great jobs.

"I wanted to be a street reporter before changing that idea to a business reporter," she says.

After several years of reporting, editing and public relations work, she returned to school to take up graduate work and teaching. Brill came to KU after eight years teaching at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

She says, "I saw that KU was doing better in terms of their integration with the curriculum, and I wanted to be a part of that."

She says she hopes her students learn to make connections and to think about what they are hearing and to respond to it.

"I hope they have fun, and if nothing else, I want them to be better consumers of the media," she says.

Brill says life's most important lesson is to strive for a balance between professional and personal life. She and her husband Larry are avid gardeners and have a very spoiled little dog. She also is active in a variety of community activities.