Alum, Husker Fan Touted Idea for Sports Media Major

Hachtmann Spearheads New Sports Media Major

By Randy York, The N-Sider (Second in a 2-part series)

Last week, The N-Sider credited Dr. Frauke Hachtmann with being the primary force behind Sports Media and Communications as the fourth component of UNL's degree offerings in Journalism, Broadcasting and Public Relations.

Hachtmann indeed laid the groundwork for Sports Media and Communications to become a major for the first time in Nebraska's history. That remarkable milestone, however, never would have happened without the intervention of another UNL alum and diehard Husker fan.

Nebraska would not have created that benchmark major without UNL alum Sandy Dose, said College of Journalism and Mass Communications Dean Maria Marron. It was  Dose who touted the idea with Marron and Chris Anderson, a journalism alumna who has worked for Nebraska Athletics for nearly 30 years.

“I thought it was such a great idea that I decided we should produce the major,” Marron said. “I charged Frauke, our associate dean, with drafting the initial proposal, and she's working with me and others in the college to implement the major.”

Dose is proud to receive full credit as the originator of the idea to add a major in sports media.

Night at the Lied Gala Introduced an Idea that Got Traction, Gained Approval

Dose came up with the idea for the College of Journalism and Mass Communications while attending the 2015 Night at the Lied Gala, which celebrated the Huskers' 25th anniversary to honor success in academics, athletics and life skills.

“The idea came to me while I was watching the large number of outstanding student-athletes who were being honored,” Dose said. “I had the idea that finally got traction, but there are many in the college who worked hard to see the major become reality.”

A passionate, life-long Husker fan, one of Dose's earliest childhood memories was “listening to a Nebraska-Ohio State football game on the radio, wondering why Ohio State was winning,” she said. “I hope I don't feel the same way this fall when the Buckeyes play in Lincoln.”

A Nebraska football season ticketholder, Dose also has courtside Husker seats for women's basketball and enjoys talking with the referees whenever possible.

UNL Graduate Dose Was a Trailblazer for Managment in Large TV Markets

UNL graduate Dose worked mostly in television news management in several large markets, including Washington, D.C., for the Washington Post Company and its top-rated newscasts.

Dose was on the management team that elevated newscast ratings for the Hearst station in Baltimore from last place to first place in three years, despite a competing station hiring Oprah Winfrey. At one time, Dose was one of only four women listed in the Radio Television News Directors Association Directory that included 1,500 news and assistant news directors.

“I wish there had been a sports major available when I attended UNL,” Dose said. “I probably would have majored in it. But those opportunities were not available for women pre-Title IX.”

With a 1968 UNL bachelor's degree in broadcasting and an MBA from Indiana University, Dose is now a financial advisor and Senior Vice President/Investments for Stifel in Omaha.

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