To say I got the feeling of déjà vu this week would be an understatement.

20-years-ago, when we were still editing tape-to-tape and browsing this strange new internet via Netscape, I was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed undergrad at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. I would have never guessed that, so many years later, I would be back in the same exact place, doing many of the exact same things – like staying up all night to cram in that last assignment, or stopping by The Acropolis for that late-night slice of pizza.

There were only two Newhouse buildings back then. And oh, how things have changed. Glistening in the sunlight, a monolith of  glass and stainless steel, wrapped in the words of the First Amendment, Newhouse 3 appears to be bursting from, but connected to the walls of Newhouse 2. Quite symbolic in itself, when you consider this age of digital communications and media convergence is exploding with the new, but still must be firmly-anchored by the practices and polices of traditional journalism and communication.  To move forward, we must sometimes look behind.

That said, I’ve done a lot of looking back this weekend as the students of the Comm@Syracuse online master’s program visit campus for our first immersion. Revisiting the reasons why I decided to pursue communications as a profession in the first place. Recalling the many wise and encouraging professors who helped guide and train me, providing me with the access to state-of-the-art tools (granted, at the time) that fueled a rewarding career thus far – first as a journalist, then as a brand storyteller.

But this weekend is also about looking ahead. Trying to map a personal and professional future in this ever-changing digital media landscape. And again, The Newhouse School sits at the cutting-edge – providing students with the best tools and training. And, even more importantly, giving us access to a wide-array of amazing professionals from the fields of journalism, advertising and public relations. All are ready and willing to impart their amazing experience and open doors of new opportunity as we try to decide where exactly this Master’s Degree in Communications is going to take us.

But even more inspiring than the teachers are the students. Our fellow classmates come from across the country and around the globe. Each bringing their unique experience and perspective to the table as we contemplate the opportunities and ramifications of the digital world in which we live. It is truly a privilege to be working with this amazing group of colleagues and I’m looking forward to more collaboration as we pursue our degrees.

Now…let’s go to Faegan’s.