A Day in the Life at Newhouse

Morning: Starting Across Campus 

My day begins at Maxwell with U.S. Defense Strategy from 8 to 9:20 a.m. I am not alone in crossing the street for this class—several of my Newhouse colleagues are also pursuing this dual degree, highlighting the growing intersection between public relations and international policy. In international affairs, effective and strategic communication is crucial—it’s the foundation of how messages are received between governments, states and countries.  

Mid-Morning: Diving into PR Leadership 

By 9:30 a.m, I’m immersed in Public Relations Management and Leadership with Steven Pike, a professor of public relations and public diplomacy and global communications. What makes this class particularly enriching is its mixed composition of graduate and undergraduate students. While I’ve grown comfortable with my graduate cohort, collaborating with undergraduates from across Newhouse’s programs—broadcasting and digital journalism; magazine, news and digital journalism; and public relations—brings fresh energy to our discussions.  

A cornerstone of this course is our work in teams monitoring real organizations and preparing CEO briefings—analyzing media presence, communications and reputation management. And we get to do it all in the new Newhouse classrooms adjacent to food.com. Our class mirrors modern offices with their agency-style setup. 

Afternoon: Career Development and Study Time 

As morning classes wind down, my afternoons include coffee chats at the Career Development Center with our wonderful advisors. They make the career search feel a lot less intimidating. Then, after refueling and catching up with friends, I settle into one of Newhouse’s study rooms from 1 to 3 p.m. With my classes concentrated on Mondays through Wednesdays this semester, I maximize my time on campus for homework and projects, and the building really puts me in a productive mindset. 

The Newhouse environment sets itself apart, as master’s student and GSO president pro tempore Avery Welna explains.

“I love the Newhouse environment, genuinely,” she said. “It feels so different from the other schools; it feels like you can pop into a professor’s office at any time or find a place to sit and study for a few hours throughout the different buildings. When you walk through the halls or food.com all you see is groups of people coming together and connecting, so many passionate and dedicated students, and an environment that makes me feel like I’m home.” 

This sense of community is enhanced by the building’s thoughtful design, as Avery notes: “There is nothing more relaxing than sitting in the big orange chairs between Newhouse 1 and Newhouse 2 overlooking Schine student center and writing a paper or doing other work. In other schools there are student lounges as common areas, but in Newhouse there are common areas everywhere.” 

Coming from a small liberal arts college, she found that the transition from undergrad to grad didn’t feel as different as one might expect.

“Even though the size of Newhouse is over four times bigger than my undergrad institution, I still feel like we maintain a sense of community, partially facilitated by the openness of the faculty, staff and students. The first time I met with my program advisor, I got a full tour of all three Newhouse buildings where I met more Newhouse faculty that I still talk to today despite not having any classes with them. I really enjoy that it feels so welcoming, especially because I’m a thousand miles from home.” 

Unlike Avery, I came from a Big Ten school twice Syracuse’s size but experienced the same welcoming environment. The facilities and faculty made Newhouse feel like home immediately.  

Evening: Looking Ahead 

Back home, I focus on polishing my digital portfolio and working on upcoming projects. While the semester is just beginning, I know we’ll soon be deep into crafting exciting projects like PR campaigns, developing crisis communication strategies and creating multimedia content.  

And of course, no day is complete without documenting it all for Newhouse Insider—sharing these experiences with prospective students is part of what makes this journey special.