Mary Wallace, assistant dean of the J-School, started her career at the University of Kansas as a part-time instructor teaching Reporting I and II. Although she no longer teaches, she handles a long list of duties.

Wallace works on faculty and staff hiring searches for the School. She arranges award ceremonies and coordinates the distribution of scholarships and awards by the School. Wallace also takes minutes of all faculty and committee meetings, writes the weekly staff newsletter, The Monday Memo, and prepares reports to the University and outside organizations.

“I do a variety of things,” Wallace said.

Wallace also advises students and meets with prospective students and their parents, and every six years she does research and writing for the School’s national accreditation report.

Wallace says that, a s a former reporter, she enjoys planning the schedules of the prominent journalists who receive the William Allen White Citation of Merit in February. In recent years, she has been able to spend much of William Allen White Day with the likes of Molly Ivins, Cokie Roberts and Arthur Sulzberger.

Wallace says she loves her job because of the people. No matter if she is working with faculty, staff or students, Wallace said, they are all wonderful to work with.

Wallace also has helped with regional and state competitions for the Kansas Scholastic Press Association. She has been associated with this organization since 1977 and is a member of the KSPA Hall of Fame. She now judges at the regional contests and tabulates results at the state contest.

“I feel that KSPA is very worthwhile,” Wallace said. “If I didn’t think it was worthwhile I wouldn’t have done it for 26 years.”

Wallace has long been interested in children’s services. She reported extensively on adoption and foster care for newspapers in Michigan and North Carolina before coming here. In Lawrence, Wallace was a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for a child in foster care for eight years.