For award-winning photojournalist Julia Rendleman, success isn’t measured by awards, although she has plenty of those in her young career.
For Rendleman, an SIU Carbondale alumna and fourth-year assistant professor of journalism in the Charlotte Thompson Suhler School of Journalism and Advertising, success is much simpler — but requires dedication and work.
“Being a good photojournalist isn’t about winning awards. It’s about putting everything you got into pictures that tell a story,” Rendleman said. “It’s about being a part of your community. It’s about spending the time, making pictures every single day. I am still learning too, and I am still waiting to take the best photo I’ve ever taken.”
The drive to bring her professional experience to students, help transform SIU’s photojournalism program, and succeed in her own work outside of the classroom earned Rendleman the university’s 2026 Excellence Award recipient for tenured and tenure-track faculty.
Rendleman was surprised “and very excited” when she learned of the award.
“It’s a big honor to be recognized for teaching. I am happy because I love my job so much and I love our students at SIU,” she said.
Rendleman works to incorporate her students into the profession. That includes going with her on assignments and having the same editors who critique her work also critique theirs.
“I care about their learning and beyond that, their success after school. Journalism is hard work and the industry is changing. Traditional jobs are disappearing,” Rendleman said. “I strive to prepare my students for that reality while pushing them to make outstanding photojournalism portfolios. We take learning outside of the classroom and engage with industry professionals at every opportunity.”
‘At the top of her career’
Jan Thompson, director of the School of Journalism and Advertising, wrote that Rendleman “is at the top of her career right now.” Even while teaching, Rendleman’s photos have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, ProPublica, Capital News Illinois and internationally in Finland’s “Helsingin Sanomat.” She resurrected Weekend Photoshop Workshops, where outside photojournalists from major news outlets work with students as they cover a nearby town over three days.
Along with colleague Molly Parker Stephens, Rendleman created “The Saluki Local Reporting Lab,” as students report on issues in the region. Those stories have also appeared in ProPublica, the Chicago Sun-Times, National Public Radio, Capitol News Illinois and other media outlets in the state. Thompson noted that Rendleman also collaborates with students to have their work shown in the community, and that their work is winning awards, including fellowships with the Pulitzer Center.
“Julia constantly has students hanging in her office. Her students arrive to her class 10 minutes before class starts and are waiting for her,” Thompson wrote. “Because of her reputation across campus, she has quadrupled the photojournalism majors in our school.
“Julia has the reputation as being a serious, dedicated and caring teacher that goes beyond the classroom and into real-world situations,” Thompson wrote. “She is making an impact on her student’s work and in their lives.”
Saluki alumna
Rendleman earned her master’s degree in media management/journalism from SIU Carbondale in 2011 and while at SIU, received a fellowship from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting. Her career includes stints as a staff photographer at newspapers including the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, along with work as an independent photojournalist and adjunct professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and SIU.
“I have been so proud to watch Julia develop from one of our star students to a noted national photojournalist and into a sparkplug in our rebuilt journalism program, where students work
side-by-side with journalist/professors with national connections and reputations,” wrote William Freivogel, a professor and former director in SIU’s journalism and advertising program.
“Our students have never had such close mentorship from journalists in their prime as top professionals,” Freivogel wrote. “Julia’s youth and vigor generate enthusiasm among the students. At the same time her professional journalism activities on the statewide and national level burnish the journalistic reputation of the School of Journalism and Advertising and attract opportunities for our students.”
Get to know JULIA RENDLEMAN
Name: Julia Rendleman
Department and job title: assistant professor of photojournalism, Charlotte Thompson Suhler School of Journalism and Advertising, College of Arts and Media.
Years at SIU Carbondale: Currently in her fourth year.
Give us the elevator pitch for your job:
I teach students how to communicate visually and how to tell stories through still images. We make pictures, critique work vigorously and strive for ever-better images.
What is your favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of my job at SIU is the students.
Why did you choose SIU?
SIU is home. I am from Southern Illinois. I have my graduate degree from the same journalism school I now teach in. I’m not trying to be dramatic when I say SIU is the only place I want to teach.
At the top of my bucket list is:
Probably my entire bucket list is places I want to go, things I want to see. It’s hard to narrow it down, but I want to go to Mexico City and see Frida Kahlo’s house. I want to travel to North Africa. Why? I am a curious person and the more I see, the more I will know for certain.
The world needs to …
Focus on climate change. It’s what we share — the earth — we need to care for it. This is not a political statement.
