Yong Volz

Yong Volz is an Associate Professor and the Roger Gafke Distinguished Faculty Fellow at the University of Missouri's School of Journalism, where she also serves as Chair of the Journalism Studies faculty. With over 16 years of service at the institution, she has established herself as a leading scholar in journalism history, particularly focusing on the experiences of women and Asian American journalists throughout history.

Dr. Volz earned her B.A. and M.A. in Journalism from Renmin University of China, an M.Phil. in Communication from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a Ph.D. in Mass Communication with a minor in History from the University of Minnesota. Prior to her doctorate, she self-studied law and passed China's National Judicial Exam.

Her research centers on journalists and their place in society and history, working primarily in the tradition of historical and comparative sociology. She explores the formation of journalists as a distinctive occupational group, with particular attention to gender, race, and the impact of social movements on journalistic identity. Her empirical research spans three centuries and includes cases from both the United States and China, examining topics such as elite formation of U.S. foreign correspondents, gender disparities among Pulitzer Prize winners, American women journalists in the post-feminist era, and pioneering Chinese women journalists in the early twentieth century.

Volz's research output shows a consistent focus on marginalized voices in journalism history, particularly women and Asian American journalists. Her methodological approach combines qualitative, quantitative, and historical methods including archival research, oral histories, interviews, and various forms of statistical analysis. Recent work has increasingly focused on documenting the history of Asian American journalists through projects like her AAJA research funded by the American Journalism Historians Association.

• 2022 O.O. McIntyre Professorship for Teaching Excellence
• 2021 Faculty-Alumni Award from Mizzou Alumni Association
• 2021 Ann K. Covington Award for Undergraduate Mentoring
• 2020 Jordan Hoyt Tribute to Women Award
• 2018 William H. Taft Outstanding Adviser Award
• Asian Journal of Communication Best Paper Award

Dr. Volz has served on over 60 dissertation committees and 100 master's thesis committees, demonstrating her commitment to student mentorship. She created the Herstory project, an oral history documenting women journalists' experiences, and currently leads research on the history of Asian American journalists in the post-Civil Rights Movement period. Her service extends to leadership roles including serving on the Board of Directors for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (where she chairs the Standing Committee on Research), as immediate past president of the Chinese Communication Association, and on editorial boards of multiple academic journals.

Dr. Volz co-edits the 'Journalism in Perspective' book series published by the University of Missouri Press and is actively involved in research teams examining the historical development of journalism across cultural contexts.