Ruth Brown, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Advertising

Contact:
332 Andersen Hall
402.472.2221
rbrown15@unl.edu

Bio:
A UNL College of Journalism graduate, Ruth Brown worked on both the news and advertising sides of the business, in print and in broadcasting. 

She got her start in newspapers, working on the copy desk of the Lincoln Journal Star, then as reporter and editor of the Brookings (SD) Register, and later as a freelance photojournalist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. These experiences led her to public relations, serving as news editor of the South Dakota State University News Bureau and doing freelance PR assignments for Daktronics, Inc.

While working on her master’s degree in journalism at Ohio University, Brown applied her expertise as editor of Athens Magazine. Another shift in media came when she moved back to Nebraska, started doing copywriting for KRVN Radio in Lexington, and then took over writing, designing and producing the station’s print ads, publications, and collateral material.

This breadth and depth of experience led to the University of Nebraska at Kearney journalism head asking her to apply for a teaching position there. “The rest is history,” Brown said, referring to the 15 years she spent at UNK, first teaching reporting, PR and publication design classes. Later she was asked to direct the advertising program. She added Ad Campaigns and Integrated Marketing Communication classes to the curriculum and taught them as well as principles, design and copywriting classes.

Brown started the UNK Ad/PR Club, affiliated with the AAF, and was advisor for it, coordinating trips to large metropolitan agencies, and helping students get grants, scholarships, state and national awards and internships.

Taking classes primarily online, she earned a Ph.D. from UNL in Educational Administration/ Curriculum & Instruction. Since her dissertation was “Theory About the Process of Community Building in Distance Learning Classes,” she decided to test her theory by putting some classes online and teaching them during summers. Her theory held up, and her publication credits mounted.

Recipient of the Outstanding Professor of the Year award from the UNK Greek Community, and UNK Faculty Mentor of Student Research Award, both in 2005, Brown was also selected nearly annually as an Outstanding Faculty Member by the Xi Phi Chapter of Mortar Board.

Brown joined the UNL CoJMC faculty in 2008, teaches a variety of classes from writing to research, and also puts classes online.  “It’s exhilarating to be at UNL where so much is happening: agencies are just a few blocks away, speakers are abundant, the faculty motivate and inspire one another, and the students are extremely competitive.”

The president of Nebraska Press Women, Brown was selected as its Communicator of Achievement in 2007.  She is also an active member of the NET Foundation Board of Directors and Cather Circle.