Master Class for Media Managers
Loyola Master Class for Media Managers
The 2026 Theme: Next Level Leadership
Loyola Master Class for Media Managers 2026
Online learning for today’s leadership challenges.
Instructor: Professor Jill Geisler, Loyola’s internationally respected expert in media leadership, ethics, culture, and inclusivity.
Video on YouTubeWho's the ideal Participant?
- You are a manager (or will likely become one) from any media platform or role.
- You are leading people through today’s challenging business, technological and societal changes.
- You want to make and keep your workplace productive, collaborative, and healthy.
- You want an instructor who knows your world and provides evidence-based, practical tools that you can put to work immediately.
- You’re busier than ever and need a class that fits your schedule and budget. You wouldn’t mind if it was fun, too.
Curriculum At A Glance
10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Central via Zoom
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
10 Must-Have Skills for Leaders |
Feedback with Lasting Impact |
Tough Conversations Made Easier |
Be a Coach, Not a "Fixer" |
What Inclusive Leaders Do |
|
Drill down on 10 key skills for today's unique workspace challenges. Assess your strengths and get practical guidance for growth. |
Learn the keys to focused, memorable feedback that sticks. It's the kind that teaches, motivates, and inspires. |
Find your voice for those challenging chats with staff, peers, and even your boss. Lower your risk and raise your rewards. |
Learn to coach people and improve work, rather than being a "fixer". This is game-changer! |
Upgrade your skills and your team culture so all staff feel they truly belong and can fully contribute. |
What to expect in the Master Class:
- Structure:
- Classes are taught on Zoom. Each two-hour and fifteen-minute class builds on previous sessions. Jill Geisler’s teaching is interactive and engaging, There’s time for idea-sharing and connections among participants. Her course content and the class atmosphere of trust and support receive extraordinarily high marks in class evaluations.
- Practicality
- The class provides resources but is not homework heavy. It features brief readings that prepare participants for the daily topics, along with practical handouts and references for future use.
- Connection
- All class participants become members of Professor Geisler’s global network of media leaders, who regularly connect with her for management guidance.
- Recognition
- Participants who attend all classes receive a certificate of completion.
Dates and Registration
2027 Class Schedule:
| March 15-19 | Registration deadline - March 11 | Link coming soon |
| June 21-25 | Registration deadline - June 17 | Link coming soon |
| October 18-22 | Registration deadline - October 14 | Link coming soon |
Master Class Fees
Master Class fees are $595 per person.
Fees are non-refundable.
Limited discounts are available:
- Team Learning: Organizations that register 3 or more people for 2027 programs are eligible for a 15% fee discount. To request the Team Learning option, contact Jill Geisler: (jgeisler@luc.edu)
- Loyola Employees: Employees are eligible for a 15% tuition discount. To request the Loyola discount, contact Jill Geisler: (jgeisler@luc.edu)
Feedback from Master Class Alums:
"It was a real eye-opener for me. My only regret is I didn't take it sooner."
"I feel like I'm a stronger manager today than I was a week ago."
"Your way of teaching made the whole experience even more worthwhile."
“What worked best of all for me was what only you can offer: You have a wonderful talent for using specific examples drawn from your wealth of experience—not to mention your warmth and good humor—to make potentially abstract, management-speak-esque concepts feel tangible, vital, and applicable to our daily work.”
“I also found the way you present and engage with people was rooted in curiosity and kindness, rather than judgment -- but you also didn't shy away from tough discussions. It was a masterclass just to watch how you present and interact."
About Jill Geisler
Jill Geisler serves as Professor of Practice - Leadership, Journalism and Ethics, after serving for a decade as the SOC’s inaugural Bill Plante Chair in Leadership and Media Integrity. Geisler is known internationally as a teacher and coach of leaders in media and beyond. She connects Loyola to the contemporary world of media issues through her Master Class for Media Managers and her service to journalism organizations.
Professor Geisler is the go-to expert when leaders need help managing change, improving their culture and teams, tackling ethical challenges or building their individual leadership skills. She is the author of the book. “Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know.”
Before joining Loyola in 2015, Jill Geisler developed and guided key management and leadership programs of the Poynter Institute for 16 years. Her first career was on the front lines of journalism, where she worked as a reporter, producer, photographer and anchor before becoming, at the age of 27, one of the USA’s first women to serve as news director of a major market TV network affiliate. She led an award-winning newsroom for several decades, defined by its commitment to enterprise and ethics, plus families and fun.
She holds an undergraduate degree in journalism, a master’s in leadership studies, and has been inducted into multiple media halls of fame.
Meet Jill Geisler, the inaugural Bill Plante Chair of Leadership and Media Integrity
Journalist, author, media trainer, and the voice of a podcast with more than 13 million downloads, Geisler has been around the communications world—and then some.
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Celebrating Journalism and Service: Jill Geisler, 2022 Winner of the Larry Burkum Service Award
What does it look like to craft a life of journalism into a life of service? For Loyola University Chicago’s School of Communication (SOC), they would declare with unyielding conviction "Jill Geisler ."
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