Congratulations to Associate Professor of Practice Nicole Kraft for being recognized as The Scripps Howard Fund and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s Teacher of the Year. The Scripps Howard Awards is recognized as one of the nation’s most prestigious American journalism competitions.

Recipients are recognized for innovative teaching practices, influences on curriculum, mentoring of students and faculty, scholarship as it relates to teaching, leadership in educational activities and ongoing industry engagement inside and outside the classroom.

Among her ongoing contributions to the School, Kraft has pioneered several courses such as COMM 3403: Sports Journalism, COMM 3414: Sports Media Relations, COMM 4221: Data Journalism in Enterprise Reporting and COMM 4202: Feature Writing, and continues to stay active in the industry as a renowned sportswriter for the Associated Press, a contributor for The Columbus Dispatch, and a writer for Forbes.com covering sports trends. 

Kraft also spearheads research, develops programming and cultivates career opportunities and readiness for students in the sports industry through her role as director of the Sports and Society Initiative at Ohio State.

Kraft has been the recipient of numerous teaching awards from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in the past.