Syracuse University will soon launch the new Center for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship in Washington, D.C. A joint effort of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the center will promote nonpartisan, evidence-based research and dialogue in the public interest and support the work of faculty and students.
Newhouse students toured the U.S. Capitol building in March as part of the school’s Robin Toner Program in Political Reporting. (Photo by Tom Brenner)
“At this point in the history of democracy, it is critical that our nation’s research universities lead dialogues that bring people together. We are educating the next generation of engaged citizens and producing knowledge that enables individuals, a free press and government institutions to work together in the public interest,” Vice Chancellor and Provost Gretchen Ritter says. “As a scholar and educator who has focused on the U.S. Constitution, I firmly believe that opportunities to study and work in our nation’s capitol provide an essential experience that shapes faculty engagement with key issues and students’ views of their purpose and career path.”
Ultimately, the center will create new knowledge, foster a more informed and engaged citizenry and better equip students for success in media, communications, policy, governance and citizenship.
“As a school that trains generations of future journalists, Newhouse is compelled to be at the forefront of these issues,” says Newhouse Dean Mark J. Lodato. “We are obligated to tackle the challenges facing communications and journalism. Frankly, I think we would be remiss to sit idly by as our country struggles with this loss of civil discourse and distrust in journalism. With the combined strength of the Newhouse and Maxwell schools, this center will provide paths to repair what is broken while giving our students a valuable experience in the process.”
“This new center is a natural extension of work the University is already engaged on and research areas of national and international impact,” says Maxwell Dean David Van Slyke. “The legacy of Maxwell and Newhouse alumni across a range of governance institutions and media who are making an impact on the national and international stage is a testament to the natural synergies between our two schools.”
The center will be characterized by four pillars: scholarly and applied research; facilitation and convening; teaching and instruction; and experiential learning. It will launch with a small team that includes an executive director, a research lead, a managing director for journalism and D.C.-based faculty from both Newhouse and Maxell. The center will also include visiting fellows, and Syracuse-based faculty will have an opportunity to participate through events or limited residencies.
Searches are already underway for the executive director and managing director for journalism, and organizers will work during the summer to identify internship needs and opportunities, create a faculty hiring plan and recruit the initial cohort of students to work and study in Washington in the fall. Work will continue during the coming academic year, with faculty engagement in research and curriculum development, ongoing partnership-building with community nonprofits and governmental organizations, think tanks and corporations, and the creation of an external advisory board.
Newhouse alumnus and University Trustee Larry Kramer ’72 is supporting the executive director position with a $1 million endowment. “This country must restore the ability of people with differing opinions to respectfully debate these important issues. We must revive respect for truth and trust,” Kramer says. “The combination of two powerhouse schools—Newhouse and Maxwell—puts us in a perfect position to launch this new center and to host the debate over the biggest problems our democracy is facing today. Trust in our governing institutions, our political system and the media are at all-time lows. By raising the level of respectful debate and discussion, we will seek to find constructive solutions to restoring that trust.”
