As she circled the floor of Goldstein Auditorium taking selfies, giving hugs and shaking hands, Oprah Winfrey said she learned one thing about Syracuse University.

“Anybody you talk to is just cray-cray about this school.”

Winfrey was one of the special guests in attendance at Monday’s dedication celebration of the Dick Clark Studios and the Alan Gerry Center for Media Innovation: two new facilities at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

The formal program, which also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the dedication of Newhouse I by President Lyndon Johnson, was held at Goldstein Auditorium at Schine Student Center at 1 p.m. It was followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony outside the Newhouse building where the new facilities are located.

The luncheon took place on the main floor of Goldstein and included faculty, staff and special guests such as the families of Dick Clark and Alan Gerry, as well as members of the Newhouse family. Video tributes were shown to honor Clark and Gerry’s work and legacy in the field of journalism.

Students who had tickets to the event were seated on the balcony overlooking the main floor and center stage. Every mention of Winfrey’s name, as well as a simple wave or gesture from her, resulted in cheers from the crowd as well as the occasional, “I love you, Oprah.”

During her speech, Winfrey thanked the Newhouse, Clark and Gerry families for doing a “glorious” thing with their time and money, and having put it towards their commitment to journalism and media for the past 50 years.

“I believe that what you all have done is what we’re meant to do as human beings,” Winfrey said. “We’re meant to take our lives, do the best we can to be excellent in our lives and use what we’ve been given to impact others.”

Winfrey took the time to share stories about her journalistic career, sharing that when she was 19, she received a phone call from CBS asking her if she wanted a job. She attributed that to luck, but added that there is no luck without preparation.

Winfrey also addressed the students present, telling them to take advantage of being in an environment where they can craft and hone their skills, define what they want to do and determine how they’re going to use their knowledge in the real world.

“The most important thing, I feel, is being able to operate from the interior of your soul, and allow the passion of your heart to lead you to do the good and great work,” she said.

Senior broadcast and digital journalism major Ali Bauman, who spoke on behalf of Newhouse students, introduced Chancellor Kent Syverud. He gave his remarks and in turn introduced professors Mike Schoonmaker and Dan Pacheco, who spoke on behalf of the Newhouse faculty.

Before introducing Winfrey, Newhouse Dean Lorraine Branham thanked those who made the new facilities possible, as well as recalled the dedication of the Newhouse I building 50 years ago.

“That occasion marked the beginning of the university’s relationship with the Newhouse family,” Branham said, “and perhaps not coincidentally, the beginning of the school’s transformation into the top communications school that it is today.”

At the conclusion of the luncheon, Winfrey was escorted out of the building where a car drove her from Schine to the Newhouse facilities for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. As Winfrey entered her car, she was surrounded by students with cell phones hoping for a quick picture, while police tried to control the crowd.

Those who weren’t able to watch her speak inside the Goldstein Auditorium joined those who did and flocked to the intersection of Waverly Avenue and University Avenue. Some made their way up to the top of the Sheraton Hotel parking garage across the street for a better view.

A stage was set up for the ribbon-cutting ceremony just outside of the Newhouse building where the Dick Clark Studios and Alan Gerry Center for Media Innovation are located.

Branham, Syverud and Winfrey spoke again at the ribbon cutting event, and Kari Clark, Dick Clark’s wife, and Donald Newhouse, son of S.I. Newhouse, also gave short speeches. Clark talked about her husband, and Newhouse talked about his father, but both of them expressed pride at their association with the Newhouse school.

All eyes were on the stage as Winfrey and others prepared to cut the large orange ribbon.

“Energy for energy, excellence to excellence,” Winfrey said before cutting the ribbon. “Let the new generation of innovation come forth.”

“One, two, three, cut.”

Published on September 29, 2014 at 9:25 pm

Contact Clare: clramire@syr.edu