A roundup of recent research and creative activity by Newhouse students, faculty and staff, along with accolades and other highlights.
The Newhouse Impact podcast is a collaboration of the Newhouse School and WAER 88.3 to showcase research and creative work. The Oct. 31 episode explored the growth of the advanced media management master’s program and its focus on emerging technologies. Below is part of a conversation between program director Adam Peruta and host Kevin Kloss.
To listen to the show, please visit the Newhouse Impact episode page.
Q: We hear the words “advanced media management” and maybe have an inkling about what’s being studied, but what does is actually mean?
Peruta
Advanced media management is a graduate program that places students at the intersection of media, technology, and business. (A few of its required courses are actually from the Whitman School.)
The program has been around since the early 2000’s. It’s just gone through a number of evolutions and name changes to keep up with whatever is going on in the industry at the time. Other schools also have media management programs, but ours (with the “advanced” in front of it) is really supposed to emphasize how emerging technologies are impacting the media industry.
Q: Adam, you’ve been in charge of this program for about two years now. What are some of the specific directions you’ve tried to focus the programming toward?
Peruta
First, a name change was in order. The program was previously called “new media management,” and that term was a little bit dated. So, that needed a refresh, along with various aspects of the curriculum. For example, we now have a course that consists of rotating topics. It can be changed to reflect what’s actually happening in the industry or to further align with the expertise and background of the person teaching it. Last year, the focus was on blockchain crypto, virtual reality and the metaverse. This year, it is on artificial intelligence.
Along with the curricular stuff, we have created some really unique experiences for students outside of the classroom and brought on some world-class instructors.
Q: Is it a challenge to have that much of a shift in focus from one year to the next? Is it a difficulty in terms of curriculum and preparation?
Peruta
If we’re not teaching what’s actually happening in the industry, then what’s the point, right? So, on the behalf of myself and all our other instructors, a lot of learning and a lot of doing is required. I spend a good portion of every day just reading different materials to stay up-to-date.
Many mornings, I wake up with heart palpitations because we’re at such a big inflection point right now. Things are moving very quickly and changing very fast. And, sometimes, I wish they could slow down a bit, just so I could catch-up. It is a real challenge.
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