The Newhouse School has been lauded as one of the “very best schools” of mass communications in a report from the oversight organization that approved the school’s reaccreditation.
The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) formally reaccredited Newhouse at a meeting on Friday in Chicago. Accredited institutions provide an assurance of quality to students, parents and the public, with the performance of a school or college measured against national standards.
Newhouse, first accredited by the council in 1948, was once again praised for the top-notch education delivered to students. The accreditation recommendation is the result of a comprehensive review of areas including curriculum, diversity and inclusion, career placement, the quality of the faculty and the student experience.
“The Newhouse School remains one of our very best schools of mass communication,” the 89-page ACEJMC accreditation report said.
“Outstanding students, faculty, leadership, facilities, financial stability and a deep curriculum combine for an outstanding student experience and well-prepared future media professionals,” the report said.
An ACEJMC committee came to the Syracuse University campus to visit the Newhouse School this past fall. The accreditation process includes a voluntary self-study, with one site-team member describing the analysis as a “work of art.”
Said Newhouse dean Mark J. Lodato: “Having served on several ACEJMC site teams myself, I had great confidence in the Newhouse School’s position as we entered reaccreditation. Now that the process is complete, I am even prouder of what we accomplished.”
ACEJMC currently has 119 accredited programs. The council does not rank or compare programs individually with one another, but rather measures the program’s compliance with basic standards and how well it achieves its mission.
“The Newhouse School has long had a reputation for excellence, so it’s not a surprise that the reaccreditation report was highly complementary,” said Gretchen Ritter, vice chancellor provost and chief academic officer of the university.
“Given the talent and dedication of the faculty and staff and the strong leadership of Dean Lodato, I am confident that the school will continue to flourish as it attracts and trains the best communications students,” Ritter added.
Newhouse was previously reaccredited in 2016.