The family of Taylor Paige Farnsworth '18 wish to honor her life by creating a scholarship in her name. The scholarship will be awarded to a student at the College of Saint Rose enrolled in the B.A. in Communications degree program, with first preference for a student concentrating in journalism.
Students interested in receiving the Taylor P. Farnsworth Annual Scholarship will submit a one-page essay on the following topic to the chair of the Communication department by April 1. What value does journalism have in society and how do you think you can contribute to the field of journalism?
The scholarship may be applied to any academic related expenses including tuition, fees, book, or other materials. Email your essay submission to mcgrathk@strose.edu.
In addition to our traditional bachelor's degree Saint Rose now offers our 2-in-4 program, which allows students to save time, money, and get ahead by earning both their bachelor's and master's in four years.
Concentrations in: Journalism, Public Relations and Advertising, Film and New Media, Broadcast News, and Critical Media Studies.
Dedicated faculty members, each of which are accomplished in their field.
Internship opportunities with local and nationally known organizations such as WAMC, WMHT, WTEN/Fox 23 News, NYS Assembly Radio & TV, Gramercy Communications, Make a Wish Foundation and more.
Alumni who include award-winning television writers, reporters, producers at national networks, and internationally recognized journalists.
Professional technology in the Hearst Center for Communications & Interactive Media: TV and audio production studios, video editing suites, and performance studios with professional sound and lighting systems.
What kind of jobs can you get with a communications degree?
A degree in communications can open the doors for careers in public relations, marketing, advertising, sales, journalism, and digital media.
Our communications program can also prepare students for careers in human resources, law, and education.
Frequently, our communications majors choose a minor to focus their studies in a particular field mentioned above.
Students will produce professional-level work for target audiences by:
Honoring the codes of ethics guiding the discipline
Using effective verbal and/or nonverbal communication
Demonstrating an understanding of histories, theories, concepts, models, and/or practices
Conducting effective research
Employing appropriate styles and approaches for various media
Statement of Support and Plan For Students and Faculty of Color
We, the faculty of the Communications Department, are aware of and distressed by the levels of systemic racism not only in our country, but also in how such ideologies seep into our educational institutions. We are committed to standing up for racial justice, empowering and promoting students of color, diversifying our faculty, and modifying our curricula and pedagogy to incorporate anti-racist methods and ideologies.
Internship Spotlight
Internship Spotlight
COMpass - Department of Communications Bi-Annual Newsletter
Introducing the COMpass Newsletter, created to share the exciting news of students, alumni, and faculty in the Department of Communications. Interested in writing for the COMpass Newsletter? Contact us at COMpassNewsletter@strose.edu.
The College of Saint Rose’s Communications program will provide you with the tools and resources needed to reach your personal, academic, and professional goals.
But first, choose your area or areas of interest by choosing from concentrations in: journalism, public relations and advertising, broadcast news, media arts, communication and production, and critical media studies.
Throughout your program, you will receive one-on-one support from our dedicated faculty who have a breadth and depth of experience in journalism, public relations, advertising, film, and new media. You will use state-of-the-art technology and work in professional studios in the Hearst Center for Communications and Interactive Media.
And you’ll get to work with real clients on films, videos, or public relations campaigns to help them solve their communication needs and make a difference in the community around us.
In our communications program, you don’t even have to wait to land that internship to get hands-on experience. With our Theory in Action approach, you’ll feel like a seasoned professional by the time you graduate.
Even with all the hands-on experiences in our classrooms, the department also offers challenging and rewarding internships at media organizations such as advertising agencies, newspapers, and broadcast operations to give students the chance to network with leaders in the field. Saint Rose communications alumni have built lasting careers with many notable and diverse media outlets including ESPN, MTV, NBC News, Buzzfeed, and more.
Statement of Support and Plan for Students and Faculty of Color
We, the faculty of the Communications Department, are aware of and distressed by the levels of systemic racism not only in our country, but also in how such ideologies seep into our educational institutions. We are committed to standing up for racial justice, empowering and promoting students of color, diversifying our faculty, and modifying our curricula and pedagogy to incorporate anti-racist methods and ideologies.
Our communications courses introduce students to the evolving communications marketplace through a series of projects focused on serving our dear neighbor by helping community clients. Past project examples include: the development of a social media fundraising campaign and volunteer drive for the Regional Food Bank and a video and social media content for the RISSE, an area organization that offers refugee and immigrant support services.
Students can join the Capital Region’s only Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter, where students can network with professionals and work with various clients. Or students can join a student chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ) in conjunction with the University at Albany.
Utilize professional technology in the Hearst Center for Communications & Interactive Media including TV and audio production studios, video-editing suites, and performance studios with professional sound and lighting systems.
Apply for the student-exchange program through the Association of Colleges of the Sisters of St. Joseph for an opportunity to attend Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles and get hands-on experience in the film and TV industry for a semester or full year.
Dive deeper into your studies by choosing one or more concentrations in journalism, public relations and advertising, broadcast news, media arts and production, and critical media studies.
Get hands-on experience in courses as well as through at SRTV (Saint Rose Television), Radio Saint Rose, and The Chronicle, the student-run newspaper.
Get the opportunity to present student scholarship at local, regional, national, and international communications-related conferences.
Follow in the footsteps of alumni who are award-winning film producers; television writers, reporters, and producers at national networks; and internationally recognized journalists.
Love This Class: Film Production
Professor Liz Richards
In this class, students produce a 22-minute show. Liz Richards, who served as a producer for the PBS series “American Experience,” guides students as they write and revise their scripts and then film in our TV studio or out in the field. Communications students at Saint Rose always get personal attention from faculty like Richards in our state-of-the-art Hearst Center for Communications and Interactive Media.
Curriculum and Internships
The communications curriculum encourages students to explore a breadth and depth of learning experiences that emphasize professional, academic, and personal development. Communications students are expected to fully engage in the theories and practices that prepare them for the communications field.
Internship opportunities with local and nationally known organizations such as WAMC, WMHT, WTEN/Fox 23 News, NYS Assembly Radio & TV, Gramercy Communications, and Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Students will produce professional-level work for target audiences by:
Honoring the codes of ethics guiding the discipline
Using effective verbal and/or nonverbal communication
Demonstrating an understanding of histories, theories, concepts, models, and/or practices
Conducting effective research
Employing appropriate styles and approaches for various media
Meet our Communications Faculty
Our faculty are great scholars, but your success is their top priority. That’s why Saint Rose has been named a top 25 college for professors who excel at teaching undergraduates by U.S. News & World Report for the second year.
Khristopher J. BrooksAdjunct Faculty
I’m an award-winning journalist, who has worked as a beat reporter for newspapers and websites across the nation. I cover economic disparities and the business of sports for CBS MoneyWatch and have been a reporter for Newsday, the Omaha World-Herald, the Florida Times-Union, and the Associated Press. I’m a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. A Detroit native, I hold a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree in literary reportage from New York University.
Bryanna HebenstreitAdjunct Faculty
While I teach at Saint Rose, I’m also a Ph.D. candidate in communication at the University at Albany and am currently working on my dissertation that investigates how experience is built as a resource to be recollected by interactants via communicative practices when learning a new task. I’m highly interested in the intersection of media, culture, and identity as these themes become relevant and are produced in everyday interaction. I hold a master’s degree in both communication and education theory and practice.
Jin KimAssociate Professor
My research and teaching interests include digital culture, film analysis, media industry, and video games. I’ve published articles on Black Mirror, Animal Crossing, YouTube, and more. Our discussions in my classes often influence my research, and it becomes a sort of co-working between myself and my students.
Karen McGrathProfessor and Communications Department Chair
Working with a Saint Rose alum, I’m the co-author of two books related to generational differences: “The Millennial Mindset: Unraveling Fact from Fiction” (2015) and “Gen-Z: The Superhero Generation” (2021). I’ve also published chapters and articles on esports, Marvel Comics, “The Big Bang Theory,” and more.
Khristopher J. BrooksAdjunct Faculty
I’m an award-winning journalist, who has worked as a beat reporter for newspapers and websites across the nation. I cover economic disparities and the business of sports for CBS MoneyWatch and have been a reporter for Newsday, the Omaha World-Herald, the Florida Times-Union, and the Associated Press. I’m a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. A Detroit native, I hold a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree in literary reportage from New York University.
Bryanna HebenstreitAdjunct Faculty
While I teach at Saint Rose, I’m also a Ph.D. candidate in communication at the University at Albany and am currently working on my dissertation that investigates how experience is built as a resource to be recollected by interactants via communicative practices when learning a new task. I’m highly interested in the intersection of media, culture, and identity as these themes become relevant and are produced in everyday interaction. I hold a master’s degree in both communication and education theory and practice.
Jin KimAssociate Professor
My research and teaching interests include digital culture, film analysis, media industry, and video games. I’ve published articles on Black Mirror, Animal Crossing, YouTube, and more. Our discussions in my classes often influence my research, and it becomes a sort of co-working between myself and my students.
Karen McGrathProfessor and Communications Department Chair
Working with a Saint Rose alum, I’m the co-author of two books related to generational differences: “The Millennial Mindset: Unraveling Fact from Fiction” (2015) and “Gen-Z: The Superhero Generation” (2021). I’ve also published chapters and articles on esports, Marvel Comics, “The Big Bang Theory,” and more.
Jessica OtitigbeVisiting Assistant Professor
I’m a communications leader and consultant who founded Creative Collaborations Consulting and has over 20 years of experience in higher education, community relations, corporate communications, public relations, and broadcast journalism.
Brad PomeranceAdjunct Faculty
I’m an adjunct professor at Saint Rose who teaches media law and has previously taught at American Jewish University, California State University at Dominguez Hills, and Whittier College. When not teaching a course, I’m the full-time television host of “Air Land & Sea,” a global travel series broadcasting weekly on the national cable network JLTV. I also host JLTV’s weekly news magazine, “The J Report with Brad Pomerance” and “Uncovered in the Archives,” a historically-driven television show I developed for PBS-affiliate KVCR in Southern California. This program focuses on often-forgotten nuggets of California history. I’ve also worked as a television journalist in Los Angeles. I earned my bachelor’s degree in international relations from The University of Southern California, and my Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School.
Liz RichardsAssociate Professor
I’m a filmmaker, video artist, and sound designer with over 70 national and international screenings and presentations of my work. My teaching career spans over 20 years, with my non-teaching time spent in film, television, and web production, including the PBS documentary history series “American Experience.”
Vickie RileyVisiting Assistant Professor
I’m an Emmy-nominated video producer with a specialty for documentary and narrative storytelling genres. My career has spanned over 20 years in the broadcast, advertising, marketing, and higher education industries.
Jessica OtitigbeVisiting Assistant Professor
I’m a communications leader and consultant who founded Creative Collaborations Consulting and has over 20 years of experience in higher education, community relations, corporate communications, public relations, and broadcast journalism.
Brad PomeranceAdjunct Faculty
I’m an adjunct professor at Saint Rose who teaches media law and has previously taught at American Jewish University, California State University at Dominguez Hills, and Whittier College. When not teaching a course, I’m the full-time television host of “Air Land & Sea,” a global travel series broadcasting weekly on the national cable network JLTV. I also host JLTV’s weekly news magazine, “The J Report with Brad Pomerance” and “Uncovered in the Archives,” a historically-driven television show I developed for PBS-affiliate KVCR in Southern California. This program focuses on often-forgotten nuggets of California history. I’ve also worked as a television journalist in Los Angeles. I earned my bachelor’s degree in international relations from The University of Southern California, and my Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School.
Liz RichardsAssociate Professor
I’m a filmmaker, video artist, and sound designer with over 70 national and international screenings and presentations of my work. My teaching career spans over 20 years, with my non-teaching time spent in film, television, and web production, including the PBS documentary history series “American Experience.”
Vickie RileyVisiting Assistant Professor
I’m an Emmy-nominated video producer with a specialty for documentary and narrative storytelling genres. My career has spanned over 20 years in the broadcast, advertising, marketing, and higher education industries.
Jessica Gerski, a 2013 graduate of Saint Rose, won a NCAA women's soccer championship in 2011. Today, the California native is in Boston, working in a new sport: lacrosse.
Marissa Kilkenny graduated in 2012 with a communications degree from Saint Rose and now works as the Catering Sales Manager at Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas. Watch her story to learn more!
In this Alumni Spotlight, we got a chance to speak with Kyle Griffin, a Saint Rose Class of 2008 graduate that received his Bachelor's Degree in Communications. After graduation, Kyle began his career with an internship at MSNBC and has worked his way up to his current position as a Segment Producer at The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell.
Career Outcomes
I wanted to go to a school where you wouldn’t be a number, with small classes, and where I could have good relationships with the professors.
I enjoyed being able to branch off into whatever you wanted to get into, whether it was marketing, or advertising, or journalism, or writing."
Randy Hernandez '07
Segment producer for NBC News
“I was getting so much experience even before I graduated, a lot of projects to put on my resume before I finished my degree."
Christopher Clarke, ’95
Coordinating media operator in network operations at ESPN
Contact Us Today
Of course, if you have any questions, please reach out. We’re here to help.