Carol Holstead

Classes: Multimedia Editing, Advanced Publication Design, Case Studies in Editing, Long Form Writing, Campus Media magazine courses

First year at KU: 1990

Degrees: B.S., journalism, Kansas State University; M.A., theater, Kansas State University

Honors: Outstanding Achievement as chairperson of the Magazine Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication

“I like the small classes in the J-School, and having the chance to watch students grow in skill and confidence. Our students are capable of remarkable work.” - Carol Holstead

By Karla Mencer

After teaching at the University of Kansas since 1990, Carol Holstead remains thrilled with the opportunity to teach journalism at KU.

Teaching wasn't always in the Wichita native's plans. Holstead once aspired to become a theater critic. Her undergraduate degree in journalism and her master's degree in theater from Kansas State were intended to provide the necessary knowledge to do just that. But a job with Vance Publishing, a Kansas City magazine publishing company, halted her career as a critic.

"When it comes down to it, life is about timing," Holstead says. "I took the job with the magazine because that was the opportunity given to me at that point in my life."

For seven years at Vance, Holstead found an outlet for her journalism skills through magazine editing and design. Floral Retailing, a magazine she created from scratch, was one of her major accomplishments while working at Vance. Yet, after all the work of getting the magazine up and running, Holstead jumped at the chance to come to KU and teach the skills she had learned.

"I was thrilled to get a job working at Kansas," Holstead says. "We teach a lot of magazine classes, and not many universities do that. The Kansas School of Journalism is a forward-thinking program that reinvented itself to allow students the ability to specialize in certain areas, but also get a general overview of journalism. It is an accomplishment to be a part of such a successful program."

Holstead teaches courses in magazine design, production, editing and writing.

Her list of former students who have advanced into magazine professions continues to grow after each year of teaching. Many of her students have gone on to work at prestigious magazines like Teen People, Redbook, Working Woman, People, Southern Living and Gear.

"I like all my courses for different reasons, but I particularly enjoy the Magazine Design and Production class," Holstead says. "Students come in saying 'I can't possibly design a magazine. I don't know the first thing about it.' When they leave, they have each designed a whole magazine. The learning curve is steep, and so is the sense of accomplishment."

Holstead says she tries to instill accuracy in her students as the highest ideal.

"I feel it is important to get the story right," Holstead says. "Every person doing an interview needs to treat the story as the most important one they have ever written. This allows each interviewee to be treated fairly."

As the years goes by, Holstead remains an influential figure in magazine journalism. She says she never second-guesses her decision to teach at KU because the rewards she gains from her job are priceless.

"I love the environment I work in and the stimulation I receive from working with people who are smart and push me to be at my best," Holstead says. "It is an enormous satisfaction to watch students learn and grow and go on to do great things, and being a part of that success is rewarding."