Suffolk Reporter

Stony Brook University has established a partnership with New York Women in Communications (NYWICI), a professional organization supporting women in journalism, broadcasting, public relations, corporate communications, advertising, and related fields. Stony Brook joins New York University and LIM College as part of NYWICI’s inaugural group of university partners.

“I attended my first NYWICI Student Careers Conference about 15 years ago, long before we had a School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook, and have greatly enjoyed being connected to them over the years,” said Marianna Savoca, associate vice president for Career Readiness and Experiential Education and NYWICI member. “I am especially excited to develop closer relationships with NYWICI and its constituents to benefit Stony Brook students, as well as interested faculty and staff.”

The partnership is open to students from various majors and programs at Stony Brook. Students are invited to join NYWICI’s Rising Star program, which offers free membership to college students and alumni under 26 years old.

Faculty and staff from relevant areas also receive free annual membership, granting access to networking opportunities, mentorship programs, special events both virtual and in-person, and volunteer opportunities.

“I’m so excited to bring the power of NYWICI directly to campuses like SBU to expand students’ networks — and perhaps expand the way they think about careers in media,” said Megan Hess, who serves on the NYWICI Board of Directors as vice president of academic engagement. “Even though the industry is changing rapidly, so much of it is still about who you know.”

In addition to Savoca’s connection with the organization, its immediate past president is Georgia Galanoudis, a 1988 Stony Brook graduate. Over the past year, Savoca and Madeline Rosenberg, career coach for the School of Communication and Journalism (SoCJ), have worked closely with NYWICI to connect Stony Brook students with the organization by encouraging event attendance and scholarship applications.

Last spring, Laura Lindenfeld, dean of SoCJ, along with senior journalism student Viola Flowers attended NYWICI’s annual Matrix Awards honoring top women in communications. The 2024 honorees included Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth and Nina Garcia, editor-in-chief of Elle magazine.

“More and more of our students are interested in exploring careers in communications like social media content creation, branding or video and podcast production,” said Laura Lindenfeld. “Thanks to our excellent partners in the Career Center our students have more opportunities to explore these fields in internships and professional organizations like NYWICI. I’m confident SoCJ and other Stony Brook students will take full advantage of this new opportunity.”

The partnership offers additional benefits such as volunteering opportunities with NYWICI events designed specifically for the SBU community. As it expands across the university's academic programs further career opportunities may arise through relationships with members' employers.

Founded in 1929 New York Women in Communications aims to empower women working in communication fields throughout their careers helping them navigate an ever-changing industry. The organization boasts over 2 500 members including leading executives from Forbes IBM Salesforce Uber Advertising among others.