Jen Maxfield is an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall University in West Orange, New Jersey. Maxfield teaches Broadcast News Writing and Television News Production. Maxfield previously worked as an Adjunct Professor at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, where she taught Video 1 and On Air Skills. A graduate of the class of 2000, Maxfield enjoyed returning to her Alma Mater to educate the next generation of journalists. Maxfield completed her Master of Science with a Broadcast concentration and produced a documentary for her Master’s project about mandatory minimum sentences called “15 to Life: The Legacy of the Rockefeller Drug Laws.” The laws have since been repealed.
Maxfield began teaching at Columbia Journalism in 2016 after previously serving as a guest lecturer. For her first two years, she was part of a team that taught “Nightly News,” a course that mirrored a newsroom and produced an evening newscast, Columbia News Tonight. Maxfield helped guide the students in class in their respective roles, which rotated on a weekly basis. Whether the students were working as reporters, photographers, producers, anchors, or editors, Maxfield used her professional experience to explain how a story is crafted and how a newscast gets on the air.
In 2018, Maxfield began teaching Video 1, a class designed to introduce students to broadcast writing and reporting. Maxfield developed the syllabus for the class, which includes lessons on pitching a story, effective interview techniques, writing for the eye and the ear, and producing an engaging standup. Maxfield has drawn on her broad network of professional contacts to invite guest lecturers to visit her classroom and add to her students’ education and contacts. Visiting lecturers have included Morgan Radford (NBC News), Jamie Nguyen (TODAY show), Meredith McGraw (Politico), Daniel Rodriguez (NBC News), Armando Garcia (ABC News), Amy Morris and David Ushery (NBC NY), and James Ford (WPIX).
In 2023, Maxfield began teaching at Seton Hall University, where she works with undergraduate students to develop their broadcast writing and on-air skills.
Maxfield’s students from her first nine years as an adjunct professor have gone on to work for ABC, NBC, CBS, NewsNation, Politico, Miami Herald, The New York Times, and many other news organizations. Maxfield continues to mentor her students long after graduation and is always urging them to “send links,” so she can follow their work. She enjoys providing career advice and guidance, and finds it truly rewarding to work with young people as they launch their journalism careers.