Lasell University students visited NBCUniversal in nearby Needham, Massachusetts, this spring to tour the home of NBC 10, NECN, Telemundo, and NBC Sports Boston. Keith Barbaria, vice president of technology and operations at NBC, invited 11 students along with professors Brian Wardyga, Meryl Perlson, and Ken Calhoun. 

The students explored NBC’s state-of-the-art broadcast center and tried their hand at reporting and anchoring. They met with NBC execs including Chris Wayland, president and general manager; Eric Gladstone, director of production operations; Che Harris, director of production and remote operations; TJ Powers, director of creative services; as well as members of the human resources, design, and news teams. They discussed internships, job opportunities, and the future of media.

“Our visit to NBCUniversal is yet another example of fully leveraging Lasell’s proximity to one of the nation’s top media markets for the benefit of our students,” said Calhoun, interim dean of Lasell’s School of Communication and the Arts. “The visit was eye-opening with incredible access for our students. The NBC team was generous with their time, wisdom, and advice, and showed our students what news-making in a cutting-edge media center looks like.”

The students came away inspired and motivated, said Calhoun, and were able to correlate their experience at NBC to what they’ve learned in the classroom at Lasell.

Lasell’s relationship with NBCUniversal extends to both on- and off-campus career activities; earlier in the semester, anchor/reporter Glenn Jones and investigative reporter Kathy Curran participated in the University’s ComArts Conversations.