Although the Syracuse University community is preparing to celebrate the latest additions to the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, students will have to wait to use the new studio space.

The new studios were originally expected to be completed by June 2014, but are now not expected to be open to students until January 2015.

“Some things went well; other things are still behind, which has been a big problem,” said Neal Coffey, the project manager for the renovations.

Newhouse II had not been renovated since its construction in 1974. Although the technology is in place, the rest of the building requires work. Walls are unpainted, floors are unfinished and the building awaits certain approvals from the Syracuse Division of Code Enforcement. The remainder of this semester will provide the time for faculty to train on the new technology.

“I’m filled with both excitement and terror,” said Chris Tuohey, chair of the broadcast and digital journalism department. “We’re going to have to relearn how to do a lot of things, and it’s going to be a little scary at first.”

Tuohey said that previously it was a challenge to produce professional-looking content with the technology in the old Newhouse studios. Now, he said, students will be able to produce work that has more polish.

“It gives the students a much more contemporary experience for what they’ll do in the real world and probably an experience that’s more advanced than what they’ll be doing at their first job,” he said.

Professor Douglas Quin, co-director of the Audio Arts program, added that the renovations won’t just be useful from a production standpoint, but from a learning perspective as well.

“It was a challenge because the equipment was so antiquated and we were doing a lot of field production,” Quin said. “This renovation will open up new avenues for us to teach.”

Space was an important feature in the new renovation for Andy Robinson, a television, radio and film professor. He said that the new space will allow students to learn collaboratively in studios that are three times larger than a traditional television studio.

The open architecture of the studio meets the demands of the curriculum, where students can film multi-camera sitcoms, game shows and build sets, Coffey said. Curtain hangers ensure that the space can be broken up into different working stations.

Coffey began his role five years ago when a committee was formed to explore the possibility of renovating the facility. He officially assumed his position as manager in July, just as new technology was being installed in the facility.

Coffey helped design teaching carts, or mobile television screens, that can be used by professors to display their lectures, control cameras and route signals throughout the building.

“I wanted to bring the classroom into the studio so I helped to design both flexibility and enough space for students to work and learn within the stages and control rooms,” he said.

The most important technological improvement, however, lies in the heart of the studio where routers, hard drives and storage systems line the room from floor to ceiling, Coffey said.

The router is the backbone of the studio and it routes about 80 miles of cable. It has the potential to take a signal from anywhere on campus and route it to the studio, he said.

Shared data storage in a state-of-the-art hard drive system allows for real-time video editing from anywhere in the studio, which means no more portable hard-drives for Newhouse students, Coffey said.

“We’ve built the system thinking ahead,” he said. “So that we won’t need to spend another $18 million renovating in the near future.”

But Tuohey said what makes Newhouse one of the best schools in the country is the quality of the students and faculty, not the technology.

“No level of technology can make up for a lack of talent or ability,” Tuohey said. “Now that we have both, the sky is the limit.”

 

Published on September 29, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Kait: kehobson@syr.edu