Photo Gallery: The Alexia Fall Workshop

For more than two decades, the Alexia Fall Workshop has offered an opportunity for Newhouse visual communications students to hone and develop their multimedia skills under the guidance of coaches and faculty at the top of their fields. At this year’s workshop from Oct. 17-20, students spent that Friday uncovering stories nestled in the daily life of Baldwinsville, New York, from the bustle in village shops and restaurants to the entire day at C.W. Baker High School culminating with the Bees’ football team winning that night.

On Saturday morning, students fanned out around the village again to photograph scenes around Seneca River where Lock 24 still operates before spending the remainder of the weekend transforming these experiences into photo galleries and multimedia projects. A showcase of the workshop’s images and stories will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 14, at Baker High’s main auditorium.

Take a look back at the amazing work of students, faculty and coaches from this inspiring weekend.

The Alexia Launches New Scholar Initiative for Top Visual Storytelling Students, Young Professionals 

The Alexia is launching a new scholarship program designed to offer top-tier visual storytelling students or young professionals an in-depth opportunity to explore the world of visual communications while earning a master’s degree at the Newhouse School. 

Organizers named Md. Zobayer Hossain Joati, a photographer from Dhaka, Bangladesh, as the inaugural Alexia Scholar recipient. The announcement was made earlier this month ahead of this weekend’s Alexia Fall Workshop.  

Through grants, scholarships and special projects for photographers, filmmakers and other visual creatives, The Alexia promotes the power of visual storytelling to shed light on significant issues around the world.  

The Alexia Scholar recipients will receive full credits to complete their master’s degree, serve as a paid assistant to The Alexia endowed chair, participate in the Fall Workshop, and take part in The Alexia grant judging weekend in the spring.  

The initiative is made possible through the generous support of the Newhouse School and private donors committed to empowering promising talent so that they might become influential visual storytellers. The goal is to award a scholarship on a periodic basis—and ultimately each year—pending funding, said Bruce Strong, associate professor of visual communications and The Alexia Endowed Chair at the Newhouse School.  

The Alexia began in 1991 as the Alexia Foundation, created with the mission to promote cultural understanding and peace by supporting photographers as agents for change. Peter and Aphrodite Tsairis established the foundation in partnership with the Newhouse School to honor their daughter, Alexia Tsairis.  

A photography major at Newhouse, Alexia Tsairis was killed at age 20 in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. She was returning home from a semester abroad in London. 

In 2021, the program transitioned to the Newhouse School and became The Alexia.  

Joati’s work focuses on sociopolitical issues, gender equality, cultural norms and underrepresented communities. He is a contributor to Zuma Press, a member of the VII Community and an Up-Next member of the Diversify Photo Community.  

After earning a bachelor’s degree in engineering, Joati pursued his passion and graduated with a professional diploma in photography from Counter Foto – A Center for Visual Arts in Bangladesh.

Busy Week at Newhouse Highlights Commitment to Journalism Education, Future of Storytelling 

A busy week at the Newhouse School highlights Syracuse University’s commitment to journalism education and exploring new and innovative ways to tell stories. 

The eventful period starts Tuesday with the 2024 Empire State School Press Association (ESSPA) conference and awards ceremony for high school student journalists and advisers from across New York State.  

The Newhouse Mobile Journalism Summit begins Thursday, bringing together journalists, industry leaders, students and educators for three days of programming that explores emerging trends across mobile and social media platforms. 

The annual Alexia Fall Workshop also takes place this weekend, bringing in top professionals from around the world to join Newhouse faculty in encouraging students to  

use photography, audio, video, motion graphics, design and words to become exceptional storytellers who engage the community. 

In this 60^th anniversary year of the school, the series of events emphasize Newhouse’s steadfast dedication to its founding mission to provide the best journalism education in the country.  

Empire State School Press Association Conference 

ESSPA was co-founded in 1937 by M. Lyle Spencer, dean of what was then the School of Journalism at Syracuse University, and journalism professor Douglass W. Miller. The annual conference draws aspiring journalists from high schools across the state. As journalism evolves, ESSPA seeks to inspire scholastic journalists and recognize their work and creativity through the contest program.  

Newhouse Mobile Journalism Summit 

The Newhouse Mobile Journalism Summit is highlighted by the Mobile Me & You Conference, spotlighting cutting-edge mobile journalism practices from industry leaders and educators.  Now in its 10^th year, this marks the first time the Mobile Me & You Conference has traveled to a host institution beyond the Midwest. Members of the  Journalist Association of New York will be a part of the weekend events, conducting résumé and reel reviews for students. More than 100 industry leaders, journalists, students and educators are expected to attend as they explore emerging trends across mobile journalism.   

• Mobile Me & You:  The conference, which will be hosted by Newhouse for the first time, explores how to think differently about storytelling on mobile and social media platforms to better reach the audiences of today and tomorrow. Since its inception in 2015, Mobile Me & You has helped more than 800 journalists and students learn how to better use mobile and digital tools in reporting. The conference highlights new and innovative techniques and best practices to look ahead at newsgathering in an ever-changing landscape.  

• Journalists Association of New York: Formerly known as the New York State Associated Press Association, JANY is focused on journalism training and advocacy for journalists across New York State. 

Alexia Fall Workshop 

Founded by Newhouse visual communications faculty in 1999, the Alexia Fall Workshop gives photography students the opportunity to tell visual stories about the world around them. Top professionals from around the world engage with students to identify, observe and artfully communicate enlightening stories and spotlight issues that Americans face in everyday life. 

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.

Newhouse Alumnus Chris Bennett G’22 Creates Award-Winning Short Film

In his time at the Newhouse School, multimedia, photography and design alumnus Chris Bennett G’22  worked on a short film that extended far beyond the classroom.   

For his master’s thesis, Bennett created “Level One,” a four-minute fully animated piece that takes the viewer through a video game race between two brothers. The project has received national recognition in the animation community, being selected to screen at over 20  film festivals and winning at the Cayuga Film Festival. From concept to final edit was a year-long process executed during the graduate program, Bennett says, and the short film was paramount in securing his current position as a motion designer at Trusted Media Brands in Wisconsin.

How did you develop the concept and storyline for your short film?

I wanted to do a fully animated film for my master’s thesis and knew that going in. It’s based on playing video games with my brother, and that’s how we bonded. He was six years older than me, so if we played sports, it’d probably be a little unfair. Video games were more of a level [playing] field to hang out. 

What lessons and skills did you learn while creating your short film?

I learned pre-production and production things from Professor Shaina Holmes’s visual effects class, from file management to the overarching production schedule. Scheduling, labeling, organizing and producing the shots is like her bread and butter. That translates to animation and was a way to really break down a project from scripts to storyboard. Then trying to come up with a story and writing it is the hardest part, and having a nice arc from a climax to rising action. So I felt like a race would just be as simple, like beginning, middle and end. 

What does the recognition that your film has been receiving mean to you?

It’s awesome. I went to grad school and was 26 years old. I thought it was kind of a career pivot, and now I’m working full time as a motion graphics animator and get to go to these festivals for animation for something I did. It’s kind of a dream come true. 

How have your Newhouse coursework and experiences impacted your development in animation and your career?

Newhouse gave me a lot of flexibility to learn what I wanted and also pushed me to know if you’re going to do it big, do it right. So I took the time to make this film what it could be, and it’s obviously still a student film, but I think it still shows a lot of skill sets, from writing to software use and design. Classes in motion design, typography, design and visual effects are huge pillars, but I still like harking back to my work every day. 

What advice would you share with other Newhouse students interested in or pursuing animation or a project like this?

I would say start small. Do a really short project and don’t shoot for the stars right away. And ask for help when you don’t know how to do something. Asking for help is really how you build your network.

Capturing Dreams

For Jiaxin “Joe” Zhao ’24, photography is more than a calling; it’s a way of life. One that she’s traveled more than 7,200 miles for. “I want to work as a photojournalist, focusing on social and political issues,” says the Shanghai native, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in art photography from Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Zhao is so committed to her craft that instead of returning home or entering the U.S. workforce, she’s remaining on campus for another year. In August, Zhao begins master’s studies in multimedia, photography and design in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. “It’s an intensive degree program that will help me launch my career in visual communications,” says the award-winning sports photographer. “I’m excited to study under such luminaries as Gregory Heisler, Paula Nelson G’21 and Bruce Strong.”

Being in the Newhouse School also enables Zhao to take advantage of special opportunities, like the four-day Alexia Fall Workshop (which brings in top professionals from around the world to collaborate with students), while working for The Daily Orange and Student Engagement.

Credit the Forever Orange Scholarship, which covers half of Zhao’s graduate tuition costs, for helping her pursue her dreams. “The scholarship makes everything easier,” she admits. “As a result, I can better focus on my studies.”

Newhouse Students Capture 2 National Championships at Hearst Journalism Awards 

Newhouse students John Perik ’24 and Ronald Parrillo ’25 captured first-place honors Thursday night in their respective categories at the Hearst Journalism Awards, capping a banner week for Syracuse University at the prestigious competition.  

Perik, who graduated last month, took first in the National Television Championship, while Parrillo, a senior, won the National Audio Championship. Broadcast and digital journalism (BDJ) majors Perik and Parrillo are the first Hearst national champions from Newhouse since Eric Wellman ’05 in 2004.  

Two more Newhouse students earned distinctions as runners-up at the ceremony in San Francisco: BDJ major Chilekasi Adele in the Television Championship category and Murphy McFarlane, a visual communications major, in the Multimedia Championship category. Both students also graduated in May.  

Institutional awards were handed out Wednesday, when Newhouse Dean Mark Lodato and several faculty members joined the students to pick up the award for Syracuse University’s first-place finish in the Intercollegiate Audio and Television category. Syracuse also took third overall in the prestigious Intercollegiate Competition, and third in the Intercollegiate Multimedia category.  

The Hearst Championships are the culmination of the 2023–24 Journalism Awards Program, which were held in 105 member universities of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication with accredited undergraduate journalism programs. 
  
The 29 Championship finalists were selected from 1,315 entries submitted in 14 monthly competitions this academic year. From June 1-6, finalists participated in the National Championship in San Francisco, where they demonstrated their writing, photography, audio, television and multimedia skills in spot assignments.  Assignments were chosen by media professionals who judged the finalists’ work throughout the year and at the Championships. 

To learn more about the awards program, please visit: http://www.hearstawards.org.

Newhouse Students Capture Excitement and Intensity of Empire State Winter Games

It was a tiring yet rewarding weekend for the nearly two dozen Newhouse School students who covered the Empire State Winter Games (ESWG) in Lake Placid, New York in early February. ESWG is the largest Olympic-style multi-sport winter event for amateur athletes. 

Twenty-two undergraduate and graduate students traversed the slopes of Whiteface Mountain, took in sled hockey games in Tupper Lake and worked early mornings and late nights to provide comprehensive coverage of the Games and its nearly 2,500 athletes through photography, videography, social media posts and website management. 

Picture Perfect Games 

With SONY-sponsored cameras in hand, 11 photographers captured everything from bobsledders barreling down the Mt. Van Hoevenberg Sliding Center tracks to the championship hockey games at the Herb Brooks Arena where the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” event transpired four decades ago.

The staff edited and captioned hundreds of photos daily before uploading them to the ESWG media website to be picked up by news outlets throughout the Northeast. 

“It was just so nice to be back in such a beautiful place like Lake Placid,” said Surya Vaidy, a graduate student in the multimedia, photography and design program who was participating for the second year. “The best part was just getting the chance to photograph future championship athletes.” 

In between sporting events, Vaidy found time for his side project called “Faces of the Games,” that captured athletes and their families between games, races and events. 

“I got a great set of photos that I think were evocative,” Vaidy said. “And I hope that the athletes and other people will think so, too.” 

Nonstop Action

Working alongside the photographers, four videographers had the task of capturing ESWG athletes in motion.  

Patrick Smith, a graduate student in broadcast and digital journalism and part of the sports media and communications track, rose before the sun to get video of daily skiing competitions. 

“Going up there was so much fun,” Smith said. “I learned a whole lot that I didn’t know about videography. Whether you’re a photographer, videographer, content creator, or producer, you gain so much from this experience.”  

Keeping Things Running

Once the opening ceremony concluded on Thursday night, there was non-stop action on the slopes, snow and ice. Five public relations majors kept up with the results, posting on the ESWG and Newhouse Sports Media Center social media accounts while also writing press releases and daily newsletters for the games. 

“For someone like me who wants to go into sports and social media, this experience has been really great,” said public relations graduate student Katie Miller. “I just feel like the immersive part of this trip is going to lead to a lot of growth.” 

With the students getting to put time into writing and social media, the three days served as a great taste of what a career in sports and public relations will be like. 

Traversing Mediums

As a digital producer for this trip, I  witnessed firsthand just how hard all of these students worked as I constantly shuffled their edited footage and photos onto our ESWGMedia.com website nightly. 

From a public relations perspective, it was impressive how the entire team was prepared to write or post on social media at a moment’s notice while also helping to tell the stories of participants involved in the games. 

I — along with professors Seth Gitner, Jon Glass, and Jordan Kligerman — just tried to keep it all going. In the end, I think we earned a spot atop the medalist podium when it comes to making the most of the Newhouse School experience.  

Photo Gallery: Pixels & Print Design Workshop

The Pixels & Print Design Workshop at the Newhouse School always has the same mission: Teach the power of designing for good. Beginning on Feb. 22, which marked the 10^th year of the fully intensive workshop, 65 visual communications students came together for 48 hours to collaboratively provide a design makeover for a deserving organization.

In past years, the students have shown how the power of design can combat mental illness, support grieving children and more. This year’s client was The Baldwin Fund, which has taken on a new $50 million campaign initiative to help fund cancer research and establish a National Cancer Institute in Syracuse.

Broken up into teams, students helped The Baldwin Fund spread the word about this huge initiative by re-designing their website, designing a social media campaign, creating a variety of promotional materials, designing new merch and more. To aid students in this design challenge, the visual communications department brought in top industry professionals who led the teams as art directors and coaches. 

All photos by:

Kelsey Leary
Jess Van
Sadie Jones
Molly Mellinger
Sise Deng
Cassandra Roshu

Designing for Good: Newhouse Alumna Creates Mindful Work in Cape Town Internship

Shannon Kirkpatrick ‘23 wants her designs to make a difference. 

From high school art enthusiast to visual communications major to graphic designer at the Kolisi Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa, her journey encapsulates a narrative of continuous learning, evolving interests and the pursuit of meaningful design anchored in social impact.  

For Kirkpatrick, creativity in art has been a passion since childhood. Growing up in Syracuse, she leaned into her inclination towards visual modes of expression through printmaking, drawing and painting in high school. After her acceptance to the Newhouse School, she initially pursued a degree in television, radio and film, but the film industry didn’t feel like the right fit, she said.  

She attended a presentation about the power of design in storytelling by Bruce Strong, a visual communications associate professor, and “it sparked something deep down,” she said.  

Following a recommendation from Strong, Kirkpatrick met with Claudia Strong, a visual communications adjunct professor. The meeting steered her towards the realm of graphic design—a pivot that felt more aligned with her evolving interests. 

“I walked into Professor Claudia Strong’s office hours the same day, and she must have given a compelling case to join the vis department because I switched my entire career path shortly after,” Kirkpatrick said. 

She found the graphic design program in the visual communications department wasn’t just about aesthetics; it was about narrating stories, articulating ideas and creating a dialogue through design. As she delved deeper into the program, Kirkpatrick found a platform to hone her skills as a designer for The Daily Orange, a student-run campus newspaper. 

“The opportunity to apply my design and art direction skills to a fully functional, award-winning newspaper like The Daily Orange was an incredibly unique opportunity that you don’t get in other, more traditional design schools,” she said. “Being a part of the DO shaped the designer I am today.” 

In spring 2023, an exciting opportunity arose: a graphic design internship with the Kolisi Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa. The nonprofit organization’s mission is to combat inequality in South Africa, with initiatives focused on food security, education, gender-based violence and access to sports. 

“From the first moment I heard about the internship, to the following meetings and interview, I was feeling a mixture of disbelief, excitement and curiosity,” Kirkpatrick said.  

She graduated from Syracuse University in May 2023 and quickly moved to a new continent, living and working in Cape Town for 10 weeks that summer. As a member of the foundation’s graphic design team, Kirkpatrick assisted with a variety of print and digital design projects, including an annual report, promotional materials and animated social media graphics.  

“Working with the Kolisi Foundation team had that real-world connection I sought,” she said. “The work I made mattered, and I could see the communities where my designs went first-hand. I’m happy to know those designs will continue impacting people there, every day.” 

The initial days of living in Cape Town were challenging as she navigated through cultural changes, but an adventurous hike with newfound friends at sunrise to Lion’s Head—a mountain overlooking Cape Town—marked a shift.  

“At this point, about halfway through my time in South Africa, I was finally starting to feel at home,” she said. “I had established strong friendships, felt comfortable with my host family and started finding my favorite hikes and cafes in Cape Town.” 

As the internship came to a close, Kirkpatrick found that the designs she was producing, the intention behind them and her future were irrevocably changed. 

“Combining a new cultural experience with a design internship had a profound impact on me—I saw the true meaning behind ‘designing for good,’ where my designs would help this incredible nonprofit tell its stories,” she said.  

“Afterwards, I decided to strive towards this career theme: creating designs that make a tangible difference.” 

Now back in the United States, Kirkpatrick remains committed to designing purpose-driven work that creates positive change. She still designs for the Kolisi Foundation remotely and continues to shape the trajectory of her career as she blends her passions for art and social impact. 

“This three-month experience in South Africa broadened my creative horizon—I know what it’s like to design with heart and see the tangible results, and now there’s no turning back.”