Publishing magnate Donald Newhouse H’16, whose family’s philanthropy changed the face of Syracuse University and set the course for generations of communications students, died May 26. He was 96.

“Donald Newhouse was one of the most consequential figures in American media and one of the greatest benefactors this University has ever known,” says Chancellor J. Michael Haynie. “His generosity, leadership and vision have given generations of Syracuse University students the education, preparation and opportunity to pursue meaningful careers in journalism and communications. He built a media empire that pushed the industry forward, embracing the demands of modern storytelling while never wavering in his belief that local journalism is essential to informed and engaged communities. We are deeply grateful for everything he gave to Syracuse University, and our hearts are with the Newhouse family.”

“Donald Newhouse deeply understood Syracuse University—not just its history and mission, but its character,” says Chancellor Emeritus Kent Syverud, who worked closely with Newhouse during his tenure as chancellor. “Over the many years I knew him, I came to appreciate his abiding commitment to the idea that journalism done well is one of the highest forms of public service. Losing him is a profound loss for this university, and personally, for me. I am grateful for every conversation we had and for his great love and care for Syracuse University. My deepest sympathies go to Steven, Katherine, Michael and the entire Newhouse family.”

“Donald Newhouse set a standard for what it means to be a true champion of this university,” says Chairman of the Board of Trustees Jeffrey Scruggs. “As an honorary trustee, he inspired our board not just through his extraordinary philanthropy but through his genuine, tireless advocacy for Syracuse University—the kind that came from someone who believed in this institution with his whole heart and showed up for it in every way. My thoughts are with the entire Newhouse family, especially Trustee Michael Newhouse, as he and his family grieve an extraordinary man.”

Dedicated to Communications Education

The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is named for Newhouse’s father, Samuel I. Newhouse, who was born to immigrant parents in a New York City tenement in 1895 and by the time of his death in 1979 had built the publishing empire Advance Publications.

His $15 million gift to the University in 1960 supported the construction of the first two buildings of the Newhouse complex: Newhouse 1, dedicated by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, and Newhouse 2, dedicated by William S. Paley, chairman of the board of CBS, in 1974. In recognition of his philanthropy, the school was named for Samuel Newhouse in 1971.

Donald Newhouse and his brother, Samuel I. “Si” Newhouse Jr., took over Advance Publications following their father’s death. They continued his legacy as shrewd and successful publishers, and as dedicated supporters of communications education at Syracuse.

“Donald Newhouse’s impact on American media, and the school that bears his family’s name, is difficult to put into words,” says Newhouse Dean Mark J. Lodato. “He believed deeply in the core values of journalism, and in the importance of diverse voices in the newsroom as a way of strengthening coverage of the communities we serve. His generosity made it possible for Syracuse University to become home to the country’s top communications programs and train generations of journalists.”

Moving Into the Future

With continued philanthropy in the years following the naming of the school, the Newhouse family—through the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation led by Donald Newhouse—became the University’s largest benefactor. A $15 million gift in 2003 supported the construction of Newhouse 3, dedicated in 2007 by U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts.

An $18 million renovation of Newhouse 2, supported in part by the Newhouse Foundation, produced the Newhouse Studio and Innovation Center—featuring Dick Clark Studios, the Alan Gerry Center for Media Innovation and the Diane and Bob Miron Digital News Center—which was dedicated by Oprah Winfrey in 2014. In 2020, a $75 million pledge from the Newhouse Foundation marked the largest-ever gift in University history.

Donald Newhouse visited the school to announce the gift in January of that year. In a full-circle moment, he posed in the Newhouse 1 lobby, just as he had done alongside his father and the rest of his family on the day of the Newhouse 1 dedication. “The Newhouse School resulted from my father’s dream to establish the finest journalism school in the world,” he said. “In this era in which public communications is undergoing continual and radical change, my family and I expect to continue our long-term commitment to ensure that the school my dad helped found almost 60 years ago remains the leading communications school in the world for another generation.”

Lifelong Connection

Donald Newhouse’s vision for the school embraced technology and innovation while honoring the core values of journalism that remained key to its foundation. In this new era, the Newhouse family’s generosity was indeed a cornerstone of the school’s strength. “Without this Newhouse money, the school would not be what it is today,” says Newhouse Dean Emeritus David Rubin. The foundation’s gift in support of Newhouse 3, he says, “catapulted the school to the very top of communications education.”

Newhouse funds also supported technological advancements, endowed professorships, student scholarships and other areas of need. The Newhouse Dean’s Leadership Fund, established in 2007 with a $10 million matching challenge, provides discretionary funds allowing the dean to leverage opportunities to enhance the educational mission of the school. The Newhouse Foundation Fellowship, which began in 1994 as a partnership with the Advance-owned Syracuse Post-Standard, was undergirded by Donald Newhouse’s commitment to diversifying news reporting. “Donald recognized that the quality of journalism would only be as good as the people in the newsrooms who produced it,” Rubin says.

The family’s philanthropy touched other areas of the University as well, including Syracuse University Libraries, Athletics and the School of Information Studies, where a gift from the foundation helped establish the Chancellor Kent Syverud and Dr. Ruth Chen Endowed Chair in Applied Artificial Intelligence. Newhouse also gave to the fund for the Marley Building, which is named for the parents of his late wife, Susan Newhouse. And he delivered the Commencement address and was awarded an honorary degree in 2016.

Throughout his life, Donald Newhouse remained connected to the University, offering his quiet guidance and steadfast support—a presence that was appreciated by numerous deans, Rubin included.

“Despite his wealth and success, he was an idealist, a man devoted to the greater good, a man of warmth and empathy,” Rubin says. “Look around. How many such industry titans does one see who are like him?”