Miami University

Revived program puts Miami University students face-to-face with the professionals shaping media, marketing, and communications by blending networking, site visits, and mentorship Savana Scott is having coffee in New York City. Across the table sits Kelsey Stevens, VP of Paid Search at JPMorgan and a Miami alum, and at one point, Scott thinks to herself, "Wow, I can't even believe you're meeting with me right now!" That meeting was one of dozens of personalized one-on-one networking conversations built into Inside New York, a unique study-away program designed to immerse students in the city's media and communications industries. "It is very career focused," said Phillip Arceneaux, assistant professor of Strategic Communication. "We bring students to visit news outlets, public relations and advertising agencies, media production firms, you name it. We get them to see what it's actually like in these spaces and to get a feel for what it's like to be in New York." According to Arceneaux, the program is not entirely new. Instead, Inside New York is officially a "revival" and now rejoins similar Miami programs, including Inside Hollywood, Inside Chicago, and Inside Washington, D.C. Like its counterparts, the program is designed to prepare students for careers through immersive, real-world experiences and give them direct exposure to professionals, workplaces, and industry practices while positioning New York as a launchpad into communication and media careers across the country. "If we can give them the standard of getting and being successful in New York, they can literally go anywhere else," Arceneaux said. As part of the experience, each student was required to schedule and lead one-on-one meetings arranged by Arceneaux with New York professionals, which is how Scott found herself sitting across from JPMorgan's VP of Paid Search. Before each conversation, students researched their contacts, prepared questions, and wrote thank-you notes afterward. The exercise was both a networking opportunity and an eye-opening chance to gain direct insight into the career path of an accomplished industry professional. These one-on-one's were also complemented by a week-long series of site visits across the city's vast media and communications landscape, including NBC Studios, The New York Times, TikTok, Fox Nation, SportsNet New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Autumn Communications, and more. Along the way, students gained behind-the-scenes exposure to journalism, public relations, marketing, advertising, television, and media production in action. "It's one thing to learn about these industries in the classroom," Arceneaux said. "It's very different to actually engage with the people who are doing it in the trenches. Building that network is another focus. If it's in New York, it's either the global standard or has offices everywhere, so even if students don't stay there, they gain access to a professional network across places like Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, or wherever they do want to go." For Scott, the advice and insight she received was invaluable, and it offered a clearer picture of both the opportunities and realities of working in the industry. Through her meetings and site visits, she discovered career paths she had never previously considered, including communications roles within arts organizations and even specialized positions behind products she uses every day. Many of the lessons learned also arose repeatedly. Regardless of where students visited or what career plans they had, professionals continually emphasized the importance of creating a portfolio of tangible work, being willing to learn, staying curious, and building resilience. "My biggest takeaway is people want to know what you did and what you produced, more than just the classes you took. So, creation over courses," Scott said. "And you really want to be coachable and resilient, and interviewing is storytelling, and so is marketing. Be curious. Ask beginner questions. Be informed. And just get your foot in the door. Even if you don't know exactly what you want yet, just pick one and go and it'll all come along." Now, looking back on the experience, Scott said the biggest takeaway might actually be less about where she went and more about how it changed where she now sees herself going. "Inside New York will open your eyes in so many different ways, and it'll be one of the best experiences of your life," Scott said. "The most rewarding and valuable thing I got is the assurance that it's going to be OK. I just feel better prepared for my future, no matter what it entails, now that I have gone through this program."

Three Miami students have been awarded a collective $9,000 from the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program to help fund their study abroad experiences.

Miami University students ranked in the top 3% of undergraduate students within each division for the spring 2026 semester have been named to the President's List, recognizing academic excellence.

Miami University students ranked in the top three percent of undergraduate students within each division for the fall 2025 semester have been named to the President's list recognizing academic excellence.

Miami University conferred more than 4,500 degrees on May 16 at Yager Stadium as part of its 2026 Spring Commencement ceremony.

Miami University conferred more than 1,000 degrees on Dec. 12 at Millett Hall as part of its 2025 Fall Commencement ceremony.

Miami University Regionals names students to the part-time dean's list who earned high academic standing, were enrolled in fewer than 12 graded credit hours, and had a GPA of 3.6 or higher during the 2026 spring semester.

Miami University students who are ranked in the top 20% of undergraduate students within each division for the spring semester 2026 have been named to the Dean's List, recognizing academic excellence.

Mackenzie Morgan graduated in May 2026, with a major in Primary Education and a minor in Community-Based Leadership. Mackenzie has just been published in Jan Resseger's education blog: https://janresseger.wordpress.com. The article, "Teachers: Please Take Action on the Public Policy that Affects Our Work and Our Students," discusses the importance of public policy advocacy for all teachers, and offers recommendations to new teachers to build their advocacy knowledge and skills. Mackenzie found a passion for public advocacy work during her internship with Miami University's Civic Summer Fellows program, where she worked for Honesty for Education, a non-profit advocacy group in Ohio. Mackenzie worked with Dr. Kathleen Knight-Abowitz, Department of Educational Leadership, during the spring 2026 semester to research, write, and find a publication outlet for her work.

The culminating requirement of the Honors College at Miami University is the Honors Senior Project. Students who complete this requirement earn University Honors, one of the highest undergraduate honors from Miami University.

The culminating requirement of the Honors College at Miami University is the Honors Senior Project. Students who complete this requirement earn University Honors, one of the highest undergraduate honors from Miami University.

Sara McGinnis, Siena Madsen, and Caden McCollum earn prestigious, merit-based award from Astronaut Scholarship Foundation

Three Miami University students selected as 2026-2027 Goldwater Scholars

The Miami University women's basketball team secured the Mid-American Conference title.

The men's RedHawks basketball team is the Mid-American Conference Champion completing a historic 31-0 season.

Miami students win regional SPJ Mark of Excellence awards

Farmer School PSE chapter defends its national title for 19th win in 27 years. Business fraternity continues winning ways at national conference

The entire program entails six online lessons (30 minutes each) and three peer-to-peer conversations (30 minutes each), for a total time commitment of 4.5 hours. This robust offering explores psychological concepts to understand how the brain processes information during conflict and learn practical skills for engaging in dialogue, while using real-life scenarios and interactive activities.

Track 1 is composed of two online courses (30 minutes each) and a peer-to-peer conversation (30 minutes), for a total time commitment of 1.5 hours. This part of the program centers behavioral science concepts that help students to understand the necessary mindset for constructive dialogue across differences.

The entire program entails six online lessons (30 minutes each) and three peer-to-peer conversations (30 minutes each), for a total time commitment of 4.5 hours. This robust offering explores psychological concepts to understand how the brain processes information during conflict and learn practical skills for engaging in dialogue, while using real-life scenarios and interactive activities.

Track 1 is composed of two online courses (30 minutes each) and a peer-to-peer conversation (30 minutes), for a total time commitment of 1.5 hours. This part of the program centers behavioral science concepts that help students to understand the necessary mindset for constructive dialogue across differences.

Miami University has admitted a new cohort of students to its Master of Arts in biology and Master of Arts in Teaching in the biological sciences degrees. These graduate students in the Global Field Program (GFP) from Project Dragonfly will complete courses exploring biodiversity, conservation science and community action.

Miami University has admitted a new cohort of students to its Master of Arts in biology and Master of Arts in Teaching in the biological sciences degrees. These graduate students in the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) from Project Dragonfly complete the online degree while also participating in experiential learning through some of the nation's premiere community learning institutions.