Learn from the Best: Graduate Studies in Communication, Media & the Arts

Strategic Communication & Public Relations

Foluke Omosun, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor & Director, Strategic Communication & Public Relations Graduate Program

Foluke Omosun directs the Strategic Communication & Public Relations graduate program, bringing to it a career that spans corporate, agency, and higher education communication. Before earning her Ph.D. from Kent State University, she worked as a public relations account executive, served on a university crisis communications team, and reported for NPR, covering the pandemic’s impact on K-12 education and the criminal justice system.

Her research examines messaging strategies, framing, and audience effects, with recent peer-reviewed studies on health communication and artificial intelligence appearing in leading journals. As program director, Omosun mentors students one-on-one and connects classroom strategy to the campaigns, clients, and crises they will face as professionals.

Lori Bindig Yousman, Ph.D.

Professor

Lori Bindig Yousman teaches students to critically analyze media, culture, and communication. Her research explores media literacy, public relations, and the ways popular culture shapes identity and consumer behavior.

As the author of several books on television and youth culture and co-editor of the widely adopted anthology Gender, Race and Class in Media, Yousman helps students understand both the power and responsibility that come with creating and consuming media.

Sports Communication & Media

Andrew Miller, Ph.D.

Director, Sports Communication & Media Graduate Program

Andrew Miller has directed SCMA’s sports communication & media graduate program since its founding. A scholar of sport, culture, and media, he recently co-developed a national poll on American attitudes toward sports gambling and served as executive producer of The Whalers, a feature-length documentary on Hartford’s beloved NHL franchise that screened at film festivals and aired globally on The NHL Network and regionally on NBC Sports Boston and SNY.

Miller’s work shows students that sports media careers span research, storytelling, and production, and the program is built so they graduate having done all three.

Brian Thorne

Assistant Professor of Practice

For students interested in production and digital storytelling, Brian Thorne provides firsthand insight from the media industry. He teaches advanced video production, television studio production, and live event production while directing Sacred Heart’s NCAA Division I broadcasts, which stream on platforms including ESPN+ and SNY.

A multiple Emmy Award-winning producer and Sacred Heart alum, Thorne remains an active industry professional whose recent credits include the NFL Draft, the College Football National Championship, the U.S. Open, and The Masters. Under his leadership, a student-produced Sacred Heart football broadcast earned an Award of Excellence at the Broadcast Education Association’s Festival of Media Arts.

Taciane Batista, MA

Assistant Teaching Professor

A two-time graduate of Sacred Heart’s own master’s programs, Taciane Batista embodies where an SCMA graduate education can lead. A former on-air sports commentator in Brazil and a multimedia journalist, she now leads SCMA’s community journalism initiative, through which students report real stories for local news outlets, including the newly launched Fairfield County News.

That work earned her national recognition as a 2026 Champion from the Center for Community News at the University of Vermont, honoring her leadership in building partnerships between student journalists and the communities that need local news most.

Journalism & Media Production

Richard Falco

Assistant Professor of Practice

For more than four decades, Richard Falco has worked as a photographer, documentary filmmaker, and journalist. His work has appeared in leading publications including Time, Newsweek, and National Geographic, and his documentaries have explored important social and public health issues.

Falco's global experience in visual storytelling gives students valuable insight into documentary production, investigative journalism, and the power of media to create meaningful change.

Film & Television (FTMA)

Sara “Sally” Ross, Ph.D.

Associate Professor & Director, Film & Television Master’s Program

Sara “Sally” Ross has directed Sacred Heart’s graduate film program since 2018, pairing scholarly expertise with hands-on filmmaking. A film scholar focused on women in film, she has published on subjects ranging from the Hollywood flapper of the 1920s to contemporary 3-D cinema, and her book on the romantic comedy is forthcoming from Edinburgh University Press.

Ross recently made her screenwriting and directorial debut with Whiskey: The Musical, a short film shot on location in Dingle, Ireland, with FTMA students involved in every phase of production, and the feature version of her screenplay was selected for the prestigious Stowe Story Labs. A champion of international learning who has taught in Ireland, India, Luxembourg, and England, she also leads the program’s biennial student trips to the Sundance Film Festival.

Todd Barnes, JD

Artistic Director, Film & Television Master’s Program

A Sundance NEXT Award winner and Cannes Palme d’Or short-film nominee, Todd Barnes came to teaching from careers as an entertainment lawyer and independent film producer. His recent credits include two Restaurant Hustle documentaries directed by Guy Fieri for Food Network and the narrative feature Hiding Places, now streaming on Amazon Prime, a production that credited more than 40 Sacred Heart students. He also produced Ross’s Whiskey: The Musical, bringing FTMA students to Ireland as professional crew.

Barnes builds students directly into his professional work, from script development to festival distribution, and teaches them the business and legal skills—contracts, rights clearances, deal memos—that turn filmmakers into working professionals.

Learning by Doing

SCMA students don’t just learn about the media industry—they actively participate in it. From producing live Division I athletic broadcasts and reporting for local news outlets to shooting films in Ireland and developing public relations and social media campaigns for real clients, students gain hands-on experience that mirrors the professional world.

Faculty members serve as mentors who connect classroom concepts to real-world applications, helping students build portfolios, strengthen technical skills, and develop the confidence needed to launch successful careers.

Preparing the Next Generation of Communicators

The School of Communication, Media & the Arts combines academic excellence with practical experience, giving students access to faculty who are accomplished scholars, award-winning producers, published authors, journalists, and filmmakers.

By learning from experts who have shaped conversations across media, communication, and storytelling, SCMA students graduate prepared to lead, create, and innovate in an ever-changing communications landscape.

Want to Learn More About SCMA Graduate Programs?

Find out if our flexible, full- and part-time programs are right for you. Reach out to Ed Nassr, associate director of graduate admissions, at 203-396-6877, nassre@sacredheart.edu, or schedule a virtual appointment today!