Syracuse names Lodato new dean of S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications

SYRACUSE — Syracuse University on March 23 announced the selection of Mark J. Lodato as the next dean of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. 

Lodato’s appointment, which was approved by the executive committee of the school’s board of trustees, takes effect July 1. He succeeds the late Lorraine Branham, who died in April 2019, and takes over for Amy Falkner, who has been serving as interim dean.

Lodato will come to Syracuse from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University (ASU), where he is an associate dean.

“We are fortunate to have found such an experienced, innovative and highly sought-after leader to build on past successes and propel the Newhouse School into the next decade to even greater distinction,” Zhanjiang (John) Liu, Syracuse University interim vice chancellor and provost, said in a statement. “From curriculum design to enrollment and fiscal management, to alumni engagement and strategic planning, Mark brings with him an impressive depth of knowledge — in the field and in the classroom — and a track record of significant achievements.”

As dean of the Newhouse School, Lodato will report to Liu, and be part of the academic deans’ cabinet and the Chancellor’s Council. He will oversee the school’s curriculum, managing fiscal resources, and attracting and retaining faculty and students, ensuring that the school remains a leader among communications educators nationwide, and an advocate for the importance of journalism, Syracuse University said.

Lodato said joining the Newhouse School as its next leader is an “extraordinary professional privilege.”

“The Newhouse School is a global leader in communication, with a rich history of excellence stretching back more than 100 years,” Lodato said. “I am humbled to follow in the footsteps of such innovative leaders as Lorraine Branham and David Rubin.” 

During Lodato’s tenure at ASU, enrollment and revenue “increased significantly” at the Cronkite School, and he received ASU President Michael Crow’s Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Curricular Innovation. Lodato helped to establish partnerships between the school and such major media outlets as NBC News, CBS News, ABC News, Univision, Fox Sports Arizona, Pac-12 Networks, E.W. Scripps Co., TEGNA, and Meredith Corporation.

Before his academic career, Lodato forged a career in broadcast journalism, working at network-affiliated local TV stations in Phoenix, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Ft. Myers, Florida, as an investigative reporter, political correspondent, and anchor.