Class of 2020 Commencement events to be held Sept. 17-19

Syracuse University will host a Commencement ceremony—delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic—and other celebratory events for the Class of 2020 during the weekend of Sept. 17–19.  

Commencement will be held Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. at the Stadium. This University-wide ceremony, where Syracuse University Chancellor and President Kent Syverud will formally confer degrees, is for all undergraduate, graduate and doctoral candidates. Doors open at 8 a.m.

Following Commencement, all 2020 Newhouse graduates and their families are invited to join Dean Mark J. Lodato and the faculty and staff for a celebratory reception. The event will include a dean’s welcome, recognition of participating graduates and an opportunity to reconnect with faculty. A precise time and location will be announced soon; stay tuned for details.

For more information about Commencement activities for the Class of 2020, see the event listing.

Renowned Editor Marty Baron Speaks to Next Generation of Journalists

Renowned journalist and author Marty Baron has overseen Pulitzer Prize-winning investigations, election coverage and countless other major stories during a distinguished career that spans four-plus decades.  

Safe to say, Baron knows a thing or two about writing and reporting. But his advice to Newhouse School students about their post-graduation job search is to focus on the things they don’t know. 

“I like [to hire] people who like what they don’t know more than what they do know,” he said. 

Baron spoke Sept. 19 to a packed Hergenhan Auditorium for the Deanne Gebell Gitner Storytelling Symposium, examining journalism’s past, present and future. Aileen Gallagher, professor of magazine, news and digital journalism and associate dean of academic affairs at Newhouse, moderated the discussion. 

The executive editor of The Washington Post from 2013-21, Baron spoke about his experiences at the newspaper and his recent book “Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and The Washington Post.” In October 2013, nine months after the start of Baron’s tenure, the Post was sold to then-Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Donald Trump was elected president three years later.  

Before the Post, Baron was editor of The Boston Globe. Under his leadership in 2002, the paper published groundbreaking reports uncovering rampant clergy sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. The Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning work became the inspiration for the film “Spotlight,”  which won the 2016 Oscar for Best Picture. 

Baron’s resume also includes top or senior editing roles at the Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. 

Most of Baron’s talk at Newhouse focused on better and more accurate coverage of the upcoming presidential election. It starts with being direct with readership, he said. The industry, according to Baron, can’t just tell people what’s happening, but also needs to show them. By allowing the public to fact-check the work of journalists, a level of trust is established. 

As the conversation shifted to student questions, Baron discussed the future of journalism, including the impact of artificial intelligence on the industry. Baron said he sees the ways AI can be helpful in the newsroom.  

“I don’t think that reporters are going away,” Baron said. “[AI] just means that reporters need to do their job and do it well.” 

Baron said he sees opportunities for newsrooms to use generative AI for tasks such as data analysis and creating SEO-friendly headlines. But, he said, it’s important to be cautious.

“I think in the past, with a lot of good that’s happening in the digital world, [the journalism industry] has been slow, stubborn and clumsy,” Baron said. “And I think there’s some indication now that we won’t be slow or as stubborn [with AI].”

While Baron talked primarily about the struggles that the journalism industry has had, there was a hopeful tone throughout as he addressed the next generation of journalists. 

“Do I think that people are looking for independent journalism?” Baron said. “I do.” 

The key for young journalists, according to Baron, is to just keep on learning.

“Let’s really work at it and work at it in the right way,” Baron said in an interview earlier that day. “Do the right thing, but do it in the right way. And that is to be righteous, to be honest, to be honorable, to be professional, be determined, to tell people facts in a fearless and unflinching way when we know for sure that we’ve got them.”

And for Baron, that all starts with curiosity in the next generation of journalists.

“One great thing about journalism is you get to learn and they pay you for it,” Baron said. “I mean, right here, [you] pay to learn. But later, when you graduate, they’ll pay you to learn. And so it’s great and you get to be a lifelong learner … that’s the great joy of journalism.”

NCA Honors Ramasubramanian with Distinguished Scholar Award

The National Communication Association (NCA) is honoring Srivi Ramasubramanian with a Distinguished Scholar Award, the latest accolade recognizing the Newhouse communications professor’s pioneering work addressing contemporary global issues related to media, diversity and social justice.

Ramasubramanian has also been honored with a Service Engagement Award from the NCA’s Organizational Communication Division. She and other honorees will be recognized at the NCA’s annual conference next month in New Orleans.

The highest honor bestowed by NCA, the Distinguished Scholar Award recognizes association members for a lifetime of scholarly achievement in the study of human communication. Ramasubramanian received the award in her first year of eligibility, 20 years after receiving her Ph.D. (from Pennsylvania State University in mass communication).

She is the editor-in-chief of Communication Monographs, the flagship journal of the discipline and NCA publication, and is the first woman of color to hold the position.

Ramasubramanian, who joined the Newhouse School in 2021, is widely recognized for her pioneering work on race and media, media literacy initiatives, implicit bias reduction and scholar-activism. Ramasubramanian is the first woman and person of color to hold the Newhouse Professorship, an endowed chair position at the Newhouse School. 

Ramasubramanian has over 140 publications to her credit, including work in top-tier journals, books, encyclopedias and major media outlets. Ramasubramanian is also the founder and director of  CODE^SHIFT, a multidisciplinary research lab housed in the Newhouse School, which focuses on data justice, community-focused initiatives and critical media literacy

Ramasubramanian has won over 40 awards for her scholarship, including the IDEA Scholarship, Gerald M. Phillips Distinguished Applied Comm Award, Kibler Award, Presidential Citation from NCA and the International Communication Association’s highest honor of Fellow status and the Applied/Public Policy Award.

Ramasubramanian is the second Syracuse University faculty member in three years to win the prestigious honor. Charles E. Morris III, a professor in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies and affiliated professor of LGBT studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, was named an NCA Distinguished Scholar in 2022.

New Interactive Project Highlights Breadth, Scope of American Dream

The concept of the American Dream can mean so many different things to so many people.

A new interactive website and multimedia project highlights the breadth and diversity of goals and aspirations of Americans, while also seeking to inspire users to keep dreaming.

“Make America Dream” launched Oct. 7 with a series of events at the Hergenhan Auditorium, including a pop-up gallery and conversation between Charisse L’Pree, an associate professor of communications who created the initiative, and Ndidi Massay, vice president of cultural initiatives and diversity at CBS Sports.

“Make America Dream” also serves as the project that will culminate L’Pree’s tenure as the Newhouse Endowed Chair of Public Communications (2022-2025).

“Despite being coined in the 20th century, the sentiment of the American Dream has been present for over 500 years,” L’Pree said. “The notion of a physical place promising a better individual place, that one’s life will be better by simply being within the geographic, political or cultural confines of the United States.”

“But the power of the phrase ‘American Dream’ comes from the fact that it means different things to different people,” L’Pree added.

The only way to understand the concept of the American Dream is to engage with a multitude of dreams, L’Pree said. “Make America Dream” is a digital collection of 1-minute dreams that invites users to explore different dreams from many people. Each dream or media artifact comes from interviews conducted since 2020 by Newhouse students, who worked with L’Pree.

Users can explore more than 100 American Dreams from interviewees and sort by demographics like race, gender, sexuality and socioeconomic class across generations. Dreams can also be sorted based on geographic and thematic markers.

 “We need to dream the dreams we have not yet dreamt,” L’Pree said. “We need to dream the dreams that others are dreaming.”

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Note: Those interested in taking part in “Make America Dream” can sign up at  charisselpree.me/tellmydream.

Award-Winning Faculty: Milton Santiago 

One of the first tenets of Milton Santiago’s teaching philosophy puts an emphasis on encouraging students to take risks. Then, he’ll teach them the skills to master the field of cinematography. 

“Students need to take big creative swings free from the fear of failure. I want students to know that they can take creative risks in their projects and that I’ll support them every step of the way,” said Santiago, an assistant professor of visual communications. 

Santiago earned the Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Teaching Recognition Award for Early Performance this past spring; the honor symbolizes teaching excellence among tenure-track faculty in their first five years; promotes teaching excellence; and encourages a culture of collegial mentoring among members of the Syracuse faculty. 

“I am incredibly grateful to have been tapped for this recognition,” Santiago said. “I love working with students, so what I have drawn from the award more than anything is encouragement. I am energized that the atmosphere I strive to create in my classroom is helping students find their power in visual storytelling.” 

After a 15-year career as a content creator, director of photography and then professor at Columbia College Hollywood in Los Angeles, Santiago brought his expertise east to the Newhouse School in 2021. 

Santiago is inspired by his students each day. He strives to have his students absorb lessons in the classroom and use all they’ve learned to tell moving stories.  

“Nothing we do [in class] goes to waste,” he said. He wants students to walk away from their time in his classroom by embracing their own abilities to confidently tell stories. 

“Cinematography and visual communication are powerful vessels for the telling of diverse stories reflecting a multiplicity of perspectives and experiences,” he said. “Through this discipline, students can learn to make the specific universal and in doing so evoke emotions in their audiences that lead to understanding, empathy and impact.” 

This is the fourth in a series of four stories about Newhouse faculty honored by Syracuse University in 2024 for teaching and research excellence.

A Step Ahead at Christian Louboutin

Alexandra Cuoco ’25 was determined to land an internship with Christian Louboutin, a luxury fashion industry leader known for its shoes’ signature red soles. Although no summer internships were available when she looked in December, she was not deterred. Cuoco connected with a hiring manager through LinkedIn and sent a pitch extolling her majors in public relations (PR) and French and Francophone studies, past internships and passion for the fashion industry. The hiring manager responded and, four rounds of interviews later, she was on her way to New York City for the summer.

“Christian Louboutin is a dream company of mine,” she says. “I have always wanted to work in the fashion industry since I was a little girl, and I was excited to use my French skills and love for fashion in this role.”

The internship proved to be the perfect fit. Cuoco worked with Louboutin’s editorial and VIP teams for PR and gained an inside view of the French company’s day-to-day operations. She visited Louboutin boutiques as well as its boutiques at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and other companies, acquiring knowledge about the buying and selling of its shoes and other accessories. She learned Fashion GPS software, which helps companies track sample inventory trafficking, worked on press releases and spoke French with some colleagues.

“The atmosphere of the company as well as my work made me wish I could stay 24 hours a day,” says the senior in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the College of Arts and Sciences. “I had the most supportive and amazing mentors, and I felt so lucky they chose me.”

Newhouse in the News

Beth Egan, Advertising

• Breaking Up Google Could Hurt Small Businesses (AdExchanger)
• Google’s Next Antitrust Trial Could Make Online Ads Less Annoying (Wired)

Milton Santiago, Visual Communications

• Syracuse University students debut documentary on Niagara Falls & Puerto Rico (WIVB)

Eric Grode, Goldring Arts, Style and Culture Journalism

• 2 Chinese Family Dramas (and a Family of 3) Broaden a Theater Festival’s Scope (The New York Times-subscription required)

Joey Gawrysiak, Esports Communications and Management

• Syracuse University to join new esports conference launching this year (CNY Central)

Susan B. Long, Civic Research Data Lab

• Threats and assassination attempts come with the office Donald Trump once held and is seeking again (AP)

Robert Thompson, Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture

• In Trump vs. Harris, It’s Reality-TV Ringleading vs. the TikTok Ticket (The Hollywood Reporter)
• Connie and Maury’s key to a 40-year marriage? Don’t take it seriously. (The Washington Post)
• Murdoch family fights to keep succession battle secret as Nevada hearings loom (The Guardian)

Roy Gutterman, Magazine, News and Digital Journalism

• What is lost when political discourse goes to the dogs (and cats) (Syracuse.com)

Makana Chock, Communications

• Behind the Parmesan Espresso Martini’s Improbable Rise to Internet Fame (Wine Enthusiast)

Shelly Palmer, Advanced Media Management

• NBC to use AI clone of Al Michaels’ voice for Paris Olympics: ‘This has vast implications’ (MSN)
• In Venezuela, AI news anchors aren’t replacing journalists. They’re protecting them (CNN)

Joshua Darr, Communications

• ‘I am afraid’: The aftermath of Springfield, Ohio, misinformation on Haitians who live there (PolitiFact)

Bill Werde, Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries

• How Taylor Swift became a billionaire (The Economist)
• No, Taylor Swift Did Not Coordinate Her Kamala Harris Endorsement With the Campaign (The Wall Street Journal-subscription required)
• Music Industry Moves: Syracuse University Launches Bandier Music Business Master’s Program (AOL)

Margaret Talev, Syracuse University Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship

• US slams RT as ‘de facto’ arm of Russian intelligence (Voice of America)
• Russia, Iran looking to snare, sway US voters (Voice of America)
• Undecided voters in focus groups reveal skepticism of both Harris and Trump (NPR)

Michael O. Snyder, Visual Communications

• They are the nightmare of Trump fans (Stern)

Anthony Adornato, Broadcast and Digital Journalism

• The Murdoch family’s legal battle over a media empire: What you need to know (Los Angeles Times)

Award-Winning Faculty: Kelly Leahy

Kelly Leahy’s favorite part about teaching at the Newhouse School is helping her students connect their interests and passions to the career they are cultivating.  

She wants to help them find what she calls their “uniqueness.”  

“Entertainment media is an enormous field, and there are a wide variety of jobs out there,” Leahy said. “Each student is unique and has their own gifts and contributions to make.” 

Leahy, an assistant professor of television, radio and film, was honored by Syracuse University this past spring for her dedication to students with a 2024 Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Teaching Recognition Award for Early Performance.  

“I was moved to be chosen for recognition, and very proud to be selected for such a prestigious honor at the university level,” said Leahy, who teaches media literacy, research literacy, and audience, business and content research. 

Her teaching philosophy celebrates and recognizes the uniqueness of each student, de-emphasizing letter grades in favor of robust feedback for each student; critique for assignments; and the creation of an environment where students feel comfortable asking questions about course content.  

“I emphasize connectedness, cultivate dialogue and encourage students to challenge one another,” she said. 

Whether learning in Leahy’s Development and Production of Children’s Media or Research for Entertainment Media course, her students “come ready to grow and develop, eager to move into their professional careers,” she said.  

“The most important skill I can teach and model is critical thinking because it gives one the ability to analyze and solve unforeseen challenges,” Leahy added. She began teaching at Newhouse in the summer of 2019 as an adjunct professor and moved to full time in fall 2020. 

When looking back on her experience so far, Leahy said that her favorite memory isn’t one moment but the continuous process of helping students find what makes them special in the field of entertainment media.  

“You don’t have to fit in a mold, and so you need to identify what you enjoy doing, what you are good at, and then figure out where there is work to do these things,” she said.  

This is the third in a series of four stories about Newhouse faculty honored by Syracuse University in 2024 for teaching and research excellence.

Extended Reality: What are We Seeing in Immersive Media and What is it Doing to Us?

Have you used a virtual reality headset for playing a video game or being transported to another place through the immersive visual experience? How about augmented reality where the technology uses the space you’re in and adds computer-generated images and features?

On this episode of Newhouse Impact, professor of communications Makana Chock discusses the Extended Reality Lab she directs where they’re looking into these technologies and the impacts they can have. On the plus side, the technology can improve learning for intricate and detailed training or education. Conversely, how do people react when messages involve your senses in such an immersive way?

Newhouse School Faculty Mark News Engagement Day

Newhouse School faculty are marking News Engagement Day on Tuesday, Oct. 1, with a series of videos aimed at encouraging viewers to analyze journalism through a critical lens and learn news reporting principles.  

A program of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), News Engagement Day is designed to inspire people to read, watch, like, post, listen to or comment on news, and learn news reporting principles. 

About 10 videos, each roughly 2-plus minutes, touch on a variety of topics including: 

• The relationship between gender and expertise in media sources by Charisse L’Pree, associate professor of communications  

• Viewing the news through a disability lens by Anthony Adornato, associate professor and chair of the broadcast and digital journalism department 

• Objective vs. subjective journalism and media bias by Greg Munno, associate professor and interim chair of magazine, news and digital journalism department. 

The videos will also be shown in Newhouse classes for Reading the News Week, Oct. 7-11, as part of the Newhouse Home College Experience (NHHCE). NHHCE is an online media literacy program focused on inclusion and diversity taken during the Syracuse University First Year Seminar. 

Each Home College Experience class section will select a specific topic and analyze news artifacts collected by students from their favorite new outlet, using the prompts provided by Newhouse faculty in each video. The exercise encourages students to analyze media through a critical perspective.  

The Home College Experience media literacy program was created by L’Pree, whose work was recognized this past spring with the Syracuse University Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Student Experience and University Initiatives.  

Leaders in Film, Recruitment and Career Services Industries, Join Newhouse Advisory Board

The Newhouse School is welcoming leaders from the film and recruitment and career services industries as the latest members of the Newhouse Advisory Board. 

Dwight Caines ’87 serves as president of domestic marketing for Universal Pictures, while Valerie Workman ’86 is chief talent engagement officer at Handshake, which describes itself as the “leading early career community” in the United States.  

The Newhouse Advisory Board supports Dean Mark Lodato, faculty and staff in the school’s efforts to make Newhouse the country’s leading institution for education and research in communications. 

“I am thrilled to welcome Dwight and Valerie, two dynamic figures in their respective fields, to the Newhouse Advisory Board,” Lodato said. “They will offer invaluable perspectives to our school as Newhouse works to ensure that our students are prepared to thrive in media, entertainment and communications after graduation.”  

Caines and Workman will join the Advisory Board at its next meeting next week. 

“Dwight Caines and Valerie Workman will bring unique insights to the Newhouse Advisory Board that will help the school’s mission of training and developing the next generation of communications leaders,” said Sandra Cordova Micek ’91, chair of the board. Cordova Micek is president and CEO of WTTW/WFMT in Chicago.  

“I am so thankful that they have chosen to give back to their alma mater in such a meaningful way, and we look forward to their voices on the board and working with them,” she said. 

Dwight Caines 

As president of domestic marketing at Universal, Caines oversees media, digital marketing, multicultural marketing, data analytics and publicity. He previously served as  

president of marketing at Sony Pictures Entertainment. During his career, Caines has worked in various roles in marketing hundreds of movies, including global franchises such as James Bond, Spider-Man, Jurassic World and The Fast and the Furious. 

Caines is co-chair of the Universal Pictures Inclusion Committee, which strives to enhance a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion among the workforce and its creative endeavors. He has been an active member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences Marketing and Public Relations Branch since 2010. 

Holding a bachelor’s degree from Newhouse in television, radio and film (TRF) production, Caines serves as a mentor and teaches marketing in the Newhouse LA program. He delivered the keynote address at the 2022 Newhouse Convocation Ceremony.  

Valerie Workman 

As chief talent engagement officer at Handshake, Workman focuses on helping employers define and execute their talent acquisition strategies by providing thought-leadership on the future of work. She is a leading industry voice at the intersection of artificial intelligence, careers and global workforce planning,  

Prior to joining Handshake, Workman served as the vice president of people at Tesla, where she reported directly to the CEO and became known as “Tesla’s Top Diversity Advocate.” In that role, Workman led the doubling of the Tesla workforce from 50,000 to 100,000 employees, published the company’s first diversity, equity and inclusion report, created a comprehensive online employee guidebook, enhanced pay equity processes, expanded mental health benefits and led the design and rollout of Tesla’s companywide Respectful Recharge training program. She started with Tesla as head of compliance, leading the governance and legal compliance operations that paved the way for the construction of Tesla factories in Shanghai, Berlin and Austin, Texas. 

Workman’s two decades of executive leadership experience also includes stints in the hospitality and consumer packaged goods sectors. She is the author of the 2023 Amazon bestseller “Quantum Progression: The Art and Science of Career Advancement in the Age of A.I.” After graduating with a bachelor’s in communications from Newhouse, Workman earned a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law, which bestowed her a 2024 Diversity Champion Award.