John Winn Miller Joins UK as First Journalist in Residence

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 16, 2015) — Experienced journalist John Winn Miller joins the University of Kentucky today as the first Journalist in Residence in the College of Communication and Information’s School of Journalism and Telecommunications.

The new Journalist in Residence program was created to give students and the professional community at UK more exposure to professionals in the journalism field.  Miller will work part-time at UK while continuing his work as a consultant, producer, screenwriter and entrepreneur.  This combination will allow him to bring insight from the professional world to students and faculty at UK.

“I view my job as being a bridge between the profession and academic communities,” Miller said.

As part of this pilot program, Miller will consult with academics and professionals, assist the journalism faculty, give guest lectures in classes and meet with students for guidance and mentoring.  He will also work with Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues.  In addition to his work as a journalist, Miller has experience in editing, publishing, advertising, marketing, public relations, screenwriting, production and starting his own company.  He hopes students of all majors will come to him for advice because of his wide range in experiences.

“I will be available to discuss career paths, internships, the business of journalism, writing and reporting techniques, social media trends, web site design, management issues — basically anything any student needs to succeed,” Miller said.

Miller and his family have a long history at UK.  His grandfather Gerald Griffin was the editor for the Kernel and a journalism professor at UK in the 1920s and 30s.  Miller got his start at UK with the Kentucky Kernel, too.

“I've been extraordinarily lucky in my career, and a whole lot of my success was due to the people who mentored me, starting at the Kernel. So I’m most excited about my new job because I can return the favor to the students,” Miller said.

Miller has started many media organizations, and his experience in the field will be a great resource for the School of Journalism and Telecommunications.

“We are looking forward to being able to leverage his experience for our students and faculty,” Dean of the College of Communication and Information Dan O’Hair said.

As the founding Journalist in Residence, Miller will serve a critical role in furthering and developing the position for future professionals in the position.  He already has ideas about new courses and has one in the development stages.  He hopes to launch a residency-style course that allows students to gain real world experience and form connections with influential professionals in Lexington.

“In particular I want to help students prepare for, receive and succeed at internships, which are key to getting a job after graduation,” Miller said.

“Our new curriculum in journalism, which was implemented two years ago, now requires that all journalism majors complete an internship before graduation," said Beth Barnes, director of the School of Journalism and Telecommunications. "The assistance Mr. Miller will provide in this area will be very helpful.  I know our students will benefit from Mr. Miller’s insights and experience and enjoy working with him as a mentor.” 

Miller holds a Bachelor of General Studies degree from UK.  After working for the Kernel during his time at UK, he worked for The Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal in Rome, Italy.  Since then Miller has held various publishing and editing positions with the Lexington Herald-Leader, Centre Daily Times, Tallahassee Democrat, The Olympian and Concord Monitor.

Miller is married to Margo, UK graduate, artist and former professor of English at UK.  Their daughter, Allison, is an actress and can be seen on the television programs "Kings" and "Selfie," in the movie "17 Again" and in various other television shows and films.

In his free time, Miller helps run Friends2Follow, writes screenplays and produces indie movies.  At 62 years old, he holds a second-degree black belt in Shaolin style martial arts.

A selection committee of two faculty members and two professionals chose Miller for this position. 

Miller will be located in the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues in 122 Grehan Journalism Building and encourages students to stop by his office for a visit during his afternoon office hours.

To contact Miller, students can email him at johnwinn.miller@uky.edu, friend him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter (@jwinnmiller) or connect with him on LinkedIn.  To learn more about his career, visit friends2follow.com and read about his Indie films on IMDB.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sarah Geegan, (859) 257-5365; sarah.geegan@uky.edu