Who is Media Studies Advising?
This post is part of the SMS Advising Series for New Students. All posts are designed and curated to make the lives of newly admitted students much easier. From academic resources to having a social life in NYC, we want to make sure that our students get the best of ALL worlds!
Now that you have been receiving a consistent flow of (hopefully helpful) emails from us, we think it’s time we introduce ourselves to you. We at Media Studies Advising, are the team that’s here to solve all your problems big or small.
Our job is to primarily provide general advisement and initiate contact with students to answer questions regarding academics and administrative support. This includes responding to advisement requests through our department’s email account, meeting with students, organizing orientation events and much more. Without further ado, let’s introduce you to the members of our team:
Robbie Powers – Director of Student Affairs, School of Media Studies
What I do: In my role as Director of Student Affairs, I support the entire student experience in the School of Media Studies. I work with faculty and staff to support students through all points of a students time with The New School from the admissions process to alumni development. For MA in Media Studies students, I also serve as their academic advisor. I work closely with students on all matters related to their goals, course selection, and career planning. I also work closely with their faculty advisors to help them make informed choices about their academic pathways. I pride myself on being a dedicated support to ALL Media Studies, Media Management, and Documentary Studies students. So regardless of your program, feel free to connect.
Experience:
I have worked for over 14 years in Higher Education administration. I have a background in film production and I was an Academic Advisor at NYU prior to coming to The New School in 2016.
I also have a background in LGBTQ+ college support. I served as an LGBTQA Programming Coordinator for a college for many years and have served as a faculty member for CampusPride.org. While with Campus Pride, I facilitated a summer camp for LGBTQA college student leaders from around the country, as they worked with grassroots activists, college administrators, and peers to develop action plans to take back to their campus and create change.
Hobbies:
I love gaming (tabletop and video). In fact, I run a weekly board game meetup in Brooklyn. I also love camping, kayaking, and hiking.
Availability: I am in the office Monday through Friday 9-5pm. It is best to schedule appointments with me via Starfish. New Students will be able to do that once classes start – in the meantime, please email to schedule in-person, skype, and phone meetings. I manage a number of projects, so email turn around is usually 1-2 business days. For fast responses on general advising questions (how do I enroll in x, where do I find ? office, when is the last date to drop, etc.) – please email mediastudiesadvising@newschool.edu.
Carolyn Buschel – Assistant Director of Student Affairs, School of Media Studies
What I Do: I work as the Assistant Director of Student Affairs for the SMS Office. I advise students in our Media Management MS and Certificate program, and help plan student events (like orientation!). I also advise our Media Student Council, which is our department’s student group on campus – if you’re interested in joining reach out to me!
Experience: I attended Gettysburg College for my Undergrad and New York University for my Graduate degree. Previously I’ve worked at Concordia College, NYU, and Columbia University.
Hobbies: In my free time I love to read, cook, and play with my dog, Finn (featured in my photo!)
Availability: I’m typically in the office Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. In the fall you will have access to Starfish, where you can make an appointment during my office hours, but in the meantime you can email me at buschelc@newschool.edu to set up an appointment!
Eliya Raza Shamsi – Graduate Student Advisor, School of Media Studies
What I Do: I’m the Graduate Student Advisor for the SMS Office. My “official” responsibilities include general advisement, meeting with students, and providing administrative support to a number of complex and confidential projects (sounds cool, right?). Basically, I’m the one usually responding to your queries via email from the Media Studies Advising account.
I also meet with students from time to time when they need a little insight into student life. If you’re wondering who’s the brains behind the Advising Series Blog Posts, you’ve been receiving, well that’s also me! I’m always ready with tips that I think are VERY important to survive your first few semesters in New York City.
Experience: I’m here all the way from Karachi, Pakistan where I completed my Bachelors in Media Sciences (major in Advertising, minor in Film/TV). Before coming to the US, I have worked as a Copywriter for advertising agencies. I have also worked as a Producer and Production Manager for various projects back home. Currently, I’m getting my Masters in Media Management from The New School and hope to make it here in the US as a Producer/Production Manager (fingers crossed).
Hobbies: I love cats, even though I’m severely allergic to them (LOVE HURTS, AmIRight?). I love watching funny cat/dog videos, films, TV shows (Favourites include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Seinfeld, Arrested Development, The Nanny, The Wire, FRIENDS, Stranger Things, Modern Family, The Good Place, Scrubs, Curb Your Enthusiasm and I Dream of Jeannie) and reading (Mostly the Harry Potter series over and OVER),
Availability: I’m usually available at my desk at the SMS office Tuesday – Friday. My hours vary but if you email me at shams961@newschool.edu I’d be more than happy to set up a time when we can chat!
Written and curated by: Eliya Raza Shamsi
New York/Karachi based Digital Content Enthusiast, Ailurophile and Potterheadpursuing her Masters in Media Management at The New School. She has worked as a Copywriter, Production Manager and Digital Media Strategist in Karachi, Pakistan. In addition to currently serving as the Graduate Student Advisor at the School of Media Studies, she also works as a Producer for various short film and music video projects here in New York.
Also check out our 3 Amazing Discounts to Take Advantage of as a New School Student, Three Ways to Connect with Fellow TNS Students, 4 Online Resources Offered by The New School, 5 On-Campus Resources You NEED to Know, and Tips on Thriving in your First Semester posts!