Flash back to the year 2001 in journalism: Print news is still king, with both major national and local papers earning readership with a sustainable business model. The industry is in the early phases of exploring how the internet might shake things up. Cable news is growing, but not yet the ratings juggernaut it would become. The first iPhone is more than five years away. Mark Zuckerberg is in high school.  

The early 21st century was a time defined by transition and tension across politics, culture, and technology, just before the seismic changes that would create a post-9/11 world. 

Journalism, more specifically, was on the brink of a rapid transformation that would give birth to the always-on, 24/7 digital news landscape we know today. Many understood that major change was inevitable, but no one could foresee exactly what was coming.  

What people did know was the ongoing importance of the pursuit of truth and fairness, through reporting techniques and traditions that had been honed over centuries and adapted to modern life.  

That included here at SUNY New Paltz, which, in 2001, was celebrating the inaugural year of the James H. Ottaway Sr. Visiting Professorship in Journalism, created by James H. Ottaway Jr. ’18 HON to honor his late father’s legacy and continue to build strong journalists.  

Now in its 25th year, the visiting professorship continues its ongoing commitment to excellence in journalism education and the preparation of students for a rapidly evolving media landscape. For a quarter of a century, this gift has made it possible for SUNY New Paltz to bring award-winning journalists at the top of their field to work directly with aspiring reporters, writers and producers right here on campus, sharing their expertise and a one-of-a-kind educational experience. The Ottaway program not only serves students; it also provides the broader community with the chance to hear from and meet with these special people through a public address, too.  

It’s a unique example – currently the only endowed professorship at New Paltz – of the potential of philanthropic impact in higher education. The Ottaway Visiting Professorship elevates an already-strong journalism program, where students learn from experienced faculty about the fundamentals of reporting, news writing, media production, and the history, law and literature of the profession, to a curriculum where students can expect mentorship and guidance from some of the most prestigious craftspeople in the field.  

Case in point: Of the 25 Ottaways, more than half have been Pulitzer, Peabody and/or Emmy award winners, with the chops to prepare journalism majors for the realities of the industry, including building functional skills in ethics and multimedia storytelling.  

Returning to the start in 2001, we see that the roots of the Ottaway Professorship begin with the incredible story of one of New York State’s great newspapermen. 

From local roots to endowed legacy 

Ottaway Newspapers was founded by James Haller Ottaway Sr., who bought the semi-weekly Endicott Bulletin in upstate New York with his wife Ruth in 1936. Less than a decade later, he took his first step to create a newspaper group when he bought the Oneonta, N.Y. Star. The Times Herald-Record came next, and before he knew it, Ottaway Newspaper was serving hundreds of thousands ahead of a merger with Dow Jones Co. in 1970, which gave Ottaway Sr. a seat on the Dow Jones Board of Directors from 1970 to 1984. 

James Sr. passed that passion for print news onto his son. James H. Ottaway Jr. enjoyed a prodigious career in his own right. Beginning as a reporter in Danbury, Connecticut, in the 1960s, Ottaway Jr. went on to oversee Ottaway Newspapers at its peak, when it operated 20 dailies across the United States. From 1987-2006, he also continued his father’s work at Dow Jones, including as a senior vice president and president of the international and magazine divisions.  

When James Sr. passed on in 2000, he was remembered as one of the most important figures in American journalism in the 20th century.  

“My father preached and practiced fair and objective, but also aggressive and questioning, community journalism,” said Ottaway Jr. “He believed that good newspapers serve their communities and readers best when they praise the good that people do, as well as criticize people and activities that are not serving the public good. He wanted his newspapers to stand up for the underprivileged against a powerful but insensitive government.” 

These were the values, the lessons and the insights that Ottaway Jr. sought to commemorate when he engaged with then-SUNY New Paltz President Roger W. Bowen about establishing a program at the University.  

In the early 2000s, the University “had a thriving journalism program,” as Robert Miraldi, former journalism professor of 33 years of teaching, puts it. His number one mission, like the Ottaway's, was to instill in his students that journalism is the basis for democracy and the importance of freedom of speech, which was all the reason to ensure that graduates were walking away with the tools they needed to practice journalism responsibly and effectively.  

Miraldi led the efforts to create an independent journalism program on campus, which was soon after integrated into what was then known as the Communication & Media Department before it evolved into the Digital Media & Journalism Department we know  today.  

He laid out the groundwork for a program that succeeds because of innovative ideas, giving students the opportunity to learn in ways outside of regular classroom instruction from SUNY New Paltz professors. That’s why when the James H. Ottaway Sr. Visiting Professorship was just a mere idea about how to provide students with industry expertise, Miraldi jumped in support of it, becoming the first organizer of the program when it was endowed in 2001.   

With a journalism program serious about the industry and turning students into journalists who can do important things in the world of news, Ottaway Jr. was interested in being a part of it. After becoming more familiar with the hard work happening here, and it being in line with his father’s beliefs, he and his wife, Mary Hyde Ottaway ’70g (Elementary Education), decided to make the endowed gift, one of the largest gifts in the institution’s history at that time, paving the way for a program that attracts hundreds of students. 

First born out of the journalism program’s connection to the local Times Herald Record, the flagship newspaper of Ottaway Newspapers Inc., through sending students to intern there, a campus-community connection grew.  

“It’s enriched the University, enriched those students, and has made me feel that this was worthwhile,” said Ottaway Jr. “I’ve never felt better about a gift. It’s more than exceeded my great hopes when we began.” 

Journalism excellence and its impact over the years 

There are many ways for major gifts to enhance students’ experience and outcomes at a university like SUNY New Paltz, from scholarships that unlock special activities to the crisis fund that provides emergency support in moments when life events interrupt study.  

But an endowed professorship brings a strong vision and a sustainable model that puts it in a class of its own. The generous gift that made the Ottaway Visiting Professorship possible was designed to be generative and long-lasting, ensuring that generations of New Paltz journalism majors get a chance to interact with some of the greats of the profession. This is because the principal gift is not spent, only the interest income is spent.  

One clear way to see that value at a glance is to review the list of Ottaway Visiting Professors who have spent time on our campus since the program launched in 2001:  

• Lauren Sandler - 2025
• Andre Lambertson - 2024
• Amanda Sperber - 2023
• Sarah Carr - Fall 2022
• Barton Gellman - Spring 2022
• Tammy Kim - 2021
• Matt Moyer - 2020
• Jelani Cobb - 2019
• Ann Simmons - 2018
• Rob Cox - 2017
• Eyal Press - 2016
• Alissa Quart - 2015
• Sonia Shah - 2014
• Deborah Amos - 2013
• Andrew W. Lehren - 2012
• John Larson- 2011
• Renée Byer - 2010
• Barney Calame - 2009
• Martin Gottlieb - 2008
• Trudy Lieberman - 2007
• John Darnton - 2006
• Roger Kahn - 2004
• Ann Cooper - 2003
• Bernard L. Stein - 2002
• Sydney Schanberg - 2001 

These professionals have delivered expertise on everything from international reporting to diverse perspectives in journalism, teaching journalism students what is going on in the industry, in ways that are harder to convey through traditional teaching. For one semester at a time, they become part of the department, in a mutually productive relationship with faculty colleagues who have been university educators for many years. 

“We tell the Ottaway, don’t try to be a teacher, but instead bring your own unique gifts into the classroom,” said Lisa Phillips, associate professor of digital media & journalism, who coordinated the Ottaway program between 2010-2017, 2022-2023 and 2024-2025. “I wanted them to show up as themselves.” 

Beyond the pure educational benefits, the Ottaway program creates pathways for students to achieve a sense of belonging in their chosen professionals: They not only learn from these luminaries but also gain connections to jobs and freelance opportunities that wouldn’t have happened without meeting the Ottaway.  

“Ottaway professors help students here see they can go head-to-head and compete with students from any college,” said Phillips.  

It’s true – alumni like Maxim Alter ’11 (Journalism), Ricky Hernandez ’13 (Journalism; Political Science) and Olivia Sippel ’24 (Journalism) all say how impactful the program was for them, giving them advice they still carry. Alter, for example, got his first job through John Larson, the 2011 Ottaway professor who was kind enough to share his resume with some colleagues at the E.W. Scripps Company.  

“John saw something in me that maybe I didn’t even see myself,” said Alter, who first interviewed for a job at WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is now the director of audience development & distribution at NBCUniversal Media. “Whenever someone asks me ‘who was your mentor?’ The answer is always John Larson. I’m so lucky to have gotten to meet him through the Ottaway program. I don’t know where my career would be if that had not happened.” 

Building a community of journalists 

At the core of the magic is celebrating the community that has been built through the professorship – a community of alumni, students, faculty, Ottaway visiting professors, and the many hundreds of neighbors and community members who have attended public Ottaway lectures about the past, present and future of American journalism over the last 25 years. 

As much as the students and faculty enjoy the opportunity, so do the visiting Ottaway Professors, who have a chance to visit a university classroom and impress their knowledge on the next generation of journalists. This work has only increased in importance as the world of media has transformed again and again, to the point of being almost unrecognizable as what it was when the program launched in 2001.  

“It’s hard to imagine a time when the existence of the Ottaway program could matter more, as investment in higher education and journalism vanishes,” said Lauren Sandler, a bestselling author and journalist who came as the 25th Ottaway Professor in fall 2025. “It’s always the time for deep and rigorous discussions about speaking accurate and meaningful truth, but these days it’s a true calling to prepare students to do that kind of work in the world, as citizens and as journalists.” 

She said that every conversation in her seminar felt high stakes. She and her students dove deep on questions like: How do you use story-telling to get a reader to care about something significant to you? How do you use narrative and evidence to convince someone of something they disagree with, or don't care about? What if your own future is the thing at risk?  

“The intersection of topics and concerns, across identities and experiences, injected urgency into every afternoon at the seminar table, and the writing our course yielded was truly what is giving me hope in these dark days,” said Sandler. 

25 years of impact and looking ahead 

With 25 years down, the future of the Ottaway program is bright, thanks to the long-term commitment from various stakeholders involved over the years. What started as an endowment to honor the legacy of Ottaway Sr. has become something even bigger: a premier journalistic resource in New York higher education, which has helped hundreds of young reporters, writers and producers carry forward the values of democracy into their work. 

“This money that was endowed to us has been carefully protected and allows us forever to bring in a great journalist,” said Miraldi.  

What that means is more than just a great journalist, but a great journalist who inspires cohorts of journalists, who need more encouragement now than ever to decide to pursue this as a career.  

“I think of the Ottaway professors as if they're a mobile public sphere—they initiate, convene and advance conversations within the campus community and beyond that we wouldn't otherwise be having,” said Rachel Somerstein, the current Ottaway coordinator.  

Today, the Ottaway program is more diverse than ever before – bringing in journalists who are not only from different fields of journalism like photo versus print, but also who have different lived experiences and backgrounds, so students can see professionals like themselves succeeding in the field.  

No matter how the program continues to evolve, one thing will always remain true: its commitment to supporting students by instilling in them a belief in the power of journalism to strengthen democracy. 

“These Ottaway professors have enriched not only our department, but our university, with their work on globalization, the ethics of image making, law, surveillance, religion, education—the list goes on,” said Somerstein. “We are profoundly lucky to have the professorship, and I'm so very grateful to Jim and Mary.” 

Has the James H. Ottaway Sr. Visiting Professorship in Journalism made a difference in your life? As we celebrate 25 years this April 2026, we want to hear your story. Contact Rachel Somerstein at somerstr@newpaltz.edu to share your experience and learn more about our upcoming 25th anniversary event.