Newhouse Studio and Innovation Center Dedication to Feature Remarks by Oprah Winfrey

Saturday, September 20, 2014, By Wendy S. Loughlin
An artist’s rendition of the exterior improvements as part of the Dick Clark Studios

An artist’s rendition of the exterior improvements as part of the Dick Clark Studios

The Newhouse School at Syracuse University will dedicate the Newhouse Studio and Innovation Center on Monday, Sept. 29, with a daylong series of events. Part of an $18 million renovation of Newhouse 2, the new facility will feature Dick Clark Studios and the Alan Gerry Center for Media Innovation.

The day will begin with a symposium on “The Future of Digital Media” at 9 a.m. in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium in Newhouse 3. Dan Pacheco, the Peter A. Horvitz Endowed Chair in Journalism Innovation at the Newhouse School, will lead the event, which will explore how data, branding and experience are reshaping storytelling for the digital age. Panelists will include Mitch Gelman, vice president of product at Gannett Digital; Kristina Hahn ’98, head of consumer packaged goods at Google; and Larry Hryb ’89, director of Xbox programming at Microsoft.

At 1 p.m., special guest Oprah Winfrey will make remarks at the Goldstein Auditorium in the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center. The event is free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be made available to Syracuse University students with a valid student I.D. (one ticket per student) beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 11 a.m. at the Schine Box Office. Any remaining tickets will be made available to the public beginning on Friday, Sept. 12, at noon. For more information, contact the Schine Box Office at 315-443-4517.

Winfrey will also attend the dedication ceremony, which will be held at 2 p.m. at the Waverly Avenue entrance to Newhouse 2. An open house will follow.

At 3 p.m., a symposium on the life and legacy of Dick Clark ’51 will be held in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium. Led by Robert Thompson, Trustee Professor and director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at the Newhouse School, “Dick Clark: A Discussion about a Great American Broadcaster” will include panelists Eric Deggans, TV critic with National Public Radio and author of “Race-Baiter: How the Media Uses Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation”; Mary Ann Watson, professor of electronic media and film studies at Eastern Michigan University and the author and editor of three books on radio and television history; and David Zurawick, TV critic at The Baltimore Sun, assistant professor of communication and media studies at Goucher College and author of “The Jews of Prime Time.”

The Newhouse Studio and Innovation Center will provide the school with a cutting edge media facility that gives students the best possible preparation for careers in the communications industry. Inside the building, highlights include the following:

  • Dick Clark Studios: Named for legendary entertainer and SU alumnus Dick Clark ’51, the studios will be a high-tech entertainment production environment rivaling many Hollywood studios.
  • Alan Gerry Center for Media Innovation: Named for Cablevision Industries founder Alan Gerry, the center will be the creative hub where Newhouse expertise in content development and production will meet the latest media technology and programming trends.
  • Digital News Center: This newsroom will be dedicated primarily to news, talk and magazine style production, with multimedia capabilities and a file-based digital media environment.

All alumni, students and friends of the Newhouse School are invited to attend the dedication, which will officially kick off the school’s 50th anniversary celebration year. Alumni are asked to register online to let the school know they’re coming to campus. Resources for planning a visit to Syracuse are also available online.

Parking for the event is available at University Avenue Garage. For more information about the schedule of events, contact Sarah Hope at 315-443-5711 or sehope@syr.edu.

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