Do you remember what it felt like to walk across the stage at your Newhouse convocation ceremony? How you beamed from ear to ear as your family and friends yelled out your name from the stands as you held up your new diploma?
It’s one of my favorite days on the academic calendar. And this year’s celebration holds added meaning for me because of the special connection I share with the Class of 2024. Most of our graduating students started their journey four years ago in August 2020, a month after I began my tenure as dean of this great school.
Collectively, they handled with poise the challenges that came with living and learning on campus during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it all, Class of 2024 students still won awards, traveled abroad and covered high-profile events like the Super Bowl and the New Hampshire presidential primary. They set an example for what it means to succeed as students during the most trying of times. They served as an inspiration for me as I, too, acclimated to a new home.
As these remarkable students embark on their careers, I want to give you a peek into our future, too. In this issue of the Newhouse Network magazine, I provide an update on the new academic strategic plan that will serve as a blueprint for our school’s priorities for the next five years and beyond. The exhaustive process to assemble this plan included input from students, faculty and staff through committee discussions and schoolwide listening sessions.
You’ll also read about our exciting new Newhouse spaces in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., that will offer new avenues for students to learn in the field and build their professional networks. And you’ll hear from some of our faculty members whose research and creative activity touches on the emerging field of artificial intelligence.
And that’s just a glimpse of things to come at the Newhouse School, where we’re always keeping an eye on what’s ahead. As for our talented and resilient Class of 2024, I am eager to see how they grow and prosper as we proudly welcome these graduates into the Newhouse Network.
Mark J. Lodato
Dean