S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is the communications school at Syracuse University. It has programs in print and broadcast journalism; music business; graphic design; advertising; public relations; and television, radio and film.
![]() | |
Established | Department of Journalism founded in 1919; School of Journalism founded in 1934; Newhouse School named in 1971 |
---|---|
Parent institution | Syracuse University |
Dean | Mark Lodato[1] |
Academic staff | 120 |
Administrative staff | 60 |
Students | Approximately 2,163 |
Undergraduates | 1,900 |
Postgraduates | 250 |
13 | |
Location | , , |
Website | http://newhouse.syr.edu/ |
The school was named for publishing magnate Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr., who provided the founding gift in 1964.[2]
Mark J. Lodato is dean of the Newhouse School.[1] The school includes about 80 full-time faculty members and about 50 adjunct instructors.[3] Enrollment includes some 1,900 undergraduate students; 200 graduate students; 200 online master's degree students; and 13 doctoral degree candidates.[3] Undergraduate admissions are highly selective.[3]
In December 2011, NewsPro ranked Newhouse as the top journalism school in the country.[4]
History

Early years
The Department of Journalism was established at Syracuse University in 1919 as a part of the College of Business Administration.[5][6] The Theta Sigma Phi (ΘΣΦ) journalism sorority was established in 1920.[7] SU produced a radio show over WSYR-FM in 1932 and the production studio was housed in the Crouse College.[8]
Formation of the School of Journalism
The Department became a separate School of Journalism in 1934,[6][9] with Matthew Lyle Spencer serving as the founding dean.[10][11] The new school was housed in the Yates Castle (Renwick Castle) from 1934 until the buildings demolition in 1954.[12][13][14]
In the same year, Syracuse University became the first university in the nation to offer a college credit radio course. In 1947, SU launched WAER, one of the nation's first college radio stations.[8][15][16] With the emergence of television, SU was the first to offer instruction in the field in 1956.[8]
Construction of the Newhouse Complex

In 1964, supported by a $15 million gift from Samuel Irving "S.I." Newhouse Jr.,[17] the Newhouse Communications Complex was officially inaugurated in Newhouse 1, an award-winning building designed by architect I. M. Pei, which housed the School of Journalism.[18] The building was dedicated by President Lyndon B. Johnson, who delivered his famous "Gulf of Tonkin Speech" on the Newhouse Plaza.[18][19]
In 1971, the School of Journalism merged with the Department of Television-Radio and was renamed the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.[17][20] A second building, Newhouse 2, was dedicated in 1974 with a keynote address by William S. Paley, chairman of the board of CBS.[21][22] It cost $7.2 million to build.[8]
In 2003, the Newhouse School received a $15 million gift from the S.I. Newhouse Foundation and the Newhouse family to fund the construction of the third building in the Newhouse Communications Complex. The $31.6 million 74,000-square-foot (6,900 m2) modern structure, designed by the former Polshek Partnership,[23] features the First Amendment etched in six-foot-high letters on its curving glass windows. Newhouse 3 was dedicated on September 19, 2007, with a keynote address from Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts[24][25]
In September 2014, the school completed an $18 million renovation of the Newhouse 2 building, creating the Newhouse Studio and Innovation Center, which features Dick Clark Studios, the Alan Gerry Center for Media Innovation and the Diane and Bob Miron Digital News Center.[26] Oprah Winfrey attended and spoke at the dedication ceremony.[27]
In January 2020, Donald E. Newhouse donated $75 million to the School through the Newhouse Foundation.[28][29]
Student Activities
Most Newhouse students participate in extracurricular activities to gain experience in their chosen field of study. On-campus publications include The Daily Orange, an independent student-run newspaper; The Newshouse, an online news site; and numerous magazines. The university has three radio stations on campus: WJPZ, a Top 40 station that broadcasts to the Syracuse market; WERW, a free-format station; and WAER, one of the two NPR stations in Syracuse, which has an entirely student-run sports department. On-campus television stations include Orange Television Network and CitrusTV, the largest entirely student-run campus TV station in the country. Newhouse student-run agencies include Hill Communications (public relations) and TNH (advertising).
There are also a number of diversity-based organizations for students, including the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Study Abroad
The Newhouse School offers multiple study abroad opportunities in addition to the SU Abroad program offered by the University. Newhouse students have the ability to work in Dubai, India, and France annually, and the London SU Abroad center offers classes directed by Newhouse.[30]
Olympics
NBC, which owns the rights to Olympic television coverage in the United States, visits campus to recruit Newhouse students for internships every two years. The corporation normally conducts on-campus interviews one year before the games. Twenty-three students covered the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as paid interns for NBC.[31]
Degrees
- Advertising
- Bandier Program (music business)
- Broadcast & Digital Journalism
- Graphic Design
- Magazine, News and Digital Journalism
- Photography
- Public Relations
- Television, Radio & Film
Graduate
- Advertising
- Arts Journalism and Communications
- Audio Arts
- Broadcast & Digital Journalism
- Magazine, News and Digital Journalism
- Media and Education
- Media Studies
- Multimedia, Photography and Design
- New Media Management
- Public Relations
- Public Diplomacy and Global Communications
- Television, Radio & Film
Doctoral
Online Master's Degree Programs
Communications ManagementIn July 2015, the Newhouse School began offering an Online Master's in Communications, Communications@Syracuse.[32][33]
Controversies
In October 2014, the Newhouse School declined to allow Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist Michel du Cille to participate in a journalism workshop at the school because he'd returned three weeks earlier from covering the Ebola outbreak in Liberia.[34][35][36] Du Cille said at the time, "It's a disappointment to me. I’m pissed off and embarrassed and completely weirded out that a journalism institution that should be seeking out facts and details is basically pandering to hysteria."[34] Newhouse Dean Lorraine Branham said she made the decision to avoid panic and because she "was unwilling to take any risk where our students are concerned."[37]
Centers and Special Projects
- Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture
- Newhouse Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship
- Military Visual Journalism
- Mirror Awards
- Robin Toner Program in Political Reporting
- Newhouse in New York
- Newhouse Sports Media Center
- Student Startup Madness
- Syracuse University Los Angeles Semester
- Tully Center for Free Speech
- The Fall Workshop
- Center for Social Commerce
- Eric Mower Advertising Forum
- Media-Nxt
- Sportscaster U.
Notable Newhouse alumni
- Marv Albert, sportscaster, CBS, NBC, TNT, MSG, YES
- Lylah M. Alphonse, managing editor, U.S. News & World Report
- Michael Barkann, host/reporter, Comcast SportsNet and USA Network
- Richard Benedetto, retired White House Correspondent and Columnist, USA Today; Political Columnist, Gannett News Service
- Matthew Berkowitz, filmmaker
- Len Berman, Former Sportcaster (NBC)
- Contessa Brewer, journalist for MSNBC
- Dan Gurewitch, Emmy Award-winning television writer, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
- Steve Bunin, sportscaster, ESPN
- Ryan Burr, sportscaster, ESPN
- Craig Carton, sportscaster, WFAN
- Michael Cole, sportscaster, WWE
- Bob Costas, sportscaster
- Dennis Crowley, co-founder, Foursquare
- Deborah Curtis, vice president of global sponsorships and experimental marketing, American Express
- Shanti Das, owner, PressReset Me LLC
- Ian Eagle, broadcaster, CBS Sports
- Brian Frons, former president, ABC Daytime
- Jeff Glor, anchor, CBS Evening News
- Eric Gurian, president, Little Stranger Productions
- Kristina Hahn, director, Americas Partner Solutions and Innovation, Google
- Ariel Helwani, MMA journalist
- Deborah Henretta, senior advisor, SSA & Company; retired group president, Procter & Gamble
- Larry Hryb, director of programming, Xbox Live (Microsoft)
- T.J. Jagodowski, comedian, actor and improvisor
- Larry S. Kramer, former president of USA Today & Gannett, and current president of TheStreet.com[38]
- Ted Koppel, Former Anchor, Nightline (ABC)[39]
- Steve Kroft, correspondent, "60 Minutes" (CBS)
- Chris Licht, executive producer/showrunner, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- Rob Light, partner and Managing director/head of music, Creative Artists Agency
- Sean McDonough, broadcaster, ESPN
- Joe McNally, photographer
- Will Murray, producer, The Howard Stern Show
- Michelle Marsh, anchor, WJLA (Washington, D.C.)
- Jeanne Moos, national news correspondent, CNN
- Jim Morris, general manager and executive vice president of production, Pixar
- Eric Mower, chairman and CEO, Eric Mower and Associates
- Beth Mowins, sportscaster, ESPN
- Diane Nelson, former president, DC Entertainment
- Tonia O'Connor, CEO, Chopra Global
- Stanley J. Orzel, Writer/Director
- Scott Pioli, NFL executive, sports analyst and broadcaster
- Philip Quartararo, president, Filament Entertainment; former president, Warner Music Group
- Doug Robinson, founder, DRP Doug Robinson Productions
- Bill Roth, sports broadcaster
- Erin Ryder, co-host, Destination Truth
- Maria Sansone, co-host, Good Day LA
- Eli Saslow, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, The Washington Post
- Adam Schein, anchor, SportsNet New York (SNY)
- Andrew Siciliano, Sportscaster, NFL Network
- Fred Silverman, president, The Fred Silverman Company (deceased)
- Lakshmi Singh, midday newscaster, NPR
- Dick Stockton, sportscaster, Fox and Turner Sports
- John Sykes, president, Entertainment Enterprises, iHeartMedia
- Mark Tinker, Emmy Award-winning television director, NYPD Blue and Deadwood
- Mike Tirico, sportscaster, NBC Sports
- Robin Toner, political correspondent, The New York Times (deceased)
- Stephen Wilkes, photographer
References
- Breidenbach, Michelle (23 March 2020). "Syracuse University's Newhouse journalism school appoints new dean". syracuse.com. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- Marc, David (Fall 2003), "Advancing the Vision: Next Generation Communications – Newhouse expansion project will broaden student opportunities and enhance expertise in new technologies", Syracuse University Magazine, Syracuse University, 20 (3), retrieved January 27, 2017
- "Newhouse Facts". Newhouse/Syracuse University. S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- Loughlin, Wendy S. (December 16, 2011). "NewsPro Top Journalism Schools poll ranks Newhouse School No. 1 in the country" (Press release). Syracuse University News Services. Archived from the original on January 10, 2012.
- "History". Newhouse/Syracuse University. S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- "Syracuse Wonderful Site for Journalism School, Dean Avers". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, New York. AP. 5 April 1934. p. 17. Retrieved 25 December 2020 – via Newspapers.com
.
- "Journalism Sorority has a large program". University Daily Kansan. Lawrence, Kansas. 14 May 1920. p. 1. Retrieved November 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com
.
- "It began in 1932 for TV-Radio at SU". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, New York. 31 May 1974. p. 6. Retrieved 24 November 2020 – via Newspapers.com
.
- "SU Journalism School Celebrates 25th Year". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, New York. 27 April 1959. p. 6
. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- "Syracuse to Open School of Journalism; University Obtains Dr. Spencer as Dean". New York Times. February 25, 1934. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
Dr. Matthew Lyle Spencer, former dean of the School of Journalism at the University of Washington and president for a time of that university, has accepted ...
- Ferguson, Colleen (25 October 2017). "Syracuse University's spookiest story? Human remains may be stored in a wall in Newhouse 1". The Daily Orange. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- "University Archives". library.syr.edu. Syracuse University Libraries. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- Price, Warren C. (1 March 1951). "News Notes". Journalism Quarterly. 28 (2): 285–297. doi:10.1177/107769905102800231. ISSN 0022-5533. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
Prizes are being awarded for the best paintings and photographs of the School of Journalism Building at Syracuse University... familiarly known as "The Castle."... The journalism building will be torn down soon to make room for an expanded Medical Center.
- "Paintings Of Clearwater Artists To Be Presented To Syracuse School". Tampa Bay Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. 19 April 1959. p. 37. Retrieved 26 December 2020 – via Newspapers.com
.
- "Syracuse's Infant FM Radio Industry Rapidly Growing into Lusty Giant". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, New York. December 7, 1947. p. 69. Retrieved 24 October 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Radio Station Offering Good Music Listed". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, New York. April 9, 1955. p. 4. Retrieved 24 October 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
The exception, of course, is our own Syracuse University FM station. WAER. at 88.1 on the dial. They give us much of the music of the great masters...
- "Separate School: Newhouse Unit Formed at SU". The Post-Standard. 5 June 1971. p. 5. Retrieved 28 December 2020 – via Newspapers.com
.
- "1964: Newhouse 1 dedicated". Newhouse 50. Syracuse University. 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- "President Johnson Delivers Gulf of Tonkin Speech, Dedicates Newhouse School". Onondaga Historical Association. 2016-08-05. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
- "New Chancellor Spearheads Syracuse Journalism School". Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News, Wilkes-Barre Record. 12 June 1971. p. 2. Retrieved 28 December 2020 – via Newspapers.com
.
- Cataldi, Paula (May 31, 1974). "Newhouse II dedication this Morning". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, New York. p. 6. Retrieved 24 October 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Newhouse 2 dedicated: Newhouse50". Retrieved 2020-01-14.
- Mortice, Zach (March 14, 2008). "Journalism 3.0—By Polshek Partnership: The third building in the Newhouse School of Public Communications takes it into a world of collapsing boundaries and converging media". AIArchitect. 15. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012.
- "Newhouse 3 dedicated: Newhouse50". Retrieved 2020-01-14.
- Loughlin, Wendy S. (Fall 2007), Photographs by Steve Sartori, "Newhouse III: Building the Future of Public Communications", Syracuse University Magazine, Syracuse University, 24 (3), retrieved January 27, 2017
- "Newhouse Studio & Innovation Center". Newhouse/Syracuse University. S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- Kulkus, Emily (September 29, 2014). "Newhouse School dedicates Studio & Innovation Center with Oprah Winfrey". Newhouse/Syracuse University. S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- "Newhouse Foundation Announces Intention to Pledge $75 Million to Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications". SU News. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
- "Syracuse University to Receive Record Donation". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
- "Studying Abroad". Newhouse/Syracuse University. S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- Loughlin, Wendy S. (June 21, 2016). "Newhouse students intern at 2016 Summer Olympic Games" (Press release). S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- "Newhouse School opens enrollment for new online master's degree program: Communications@Syracuse". Retrieved 2019-01-09.
- https://newhouse.syr.edu/academics/communications-at-syracuse/online/
- Bever, Lindsay (October 17, 2014). "Syracuse University disinvites Washington Post photographer because he was in Liberia 3 weeks ago". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- Kingkade, Tyloe (October 17, 2014). "Colleges Isolate, Disinvite People Out Of An 'Abundance Of Caution' Over Ebola". The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- Williams, Brian; Costello, Tom. "Ebola Fear Running Rampant In Many Communities". NBC Nightly News. NBC News. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- Mulder, James T. (October 17, 2014). "SU dean explains decision to disinvite photog just back from Ebola-plagued nation". syracuse.com. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse Media Group. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- Kramer, Larry (20 February 2011). "40 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE: Kramer: Defiance of oversight merges papers, creates independent DO". The Daily Orange. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- "WAER-FM opens Hall of Fame". Newhouse School|Syracuse University. Retrieved 2020-03-11.