Behind the headlines: Ryan Yarosh ’02, MPA ’09
Longtime campus communicator reflects on two decades amplifying the University’s voice
What keeps someone at the same job for 20 years? For Ryan Yarosh ’02, MPA ’09, it’s the opportunity to tell stories that put a unique place like оԺ on the map — and in the headlines.
Yarosh has spent the past two decades at оԺ working behind the scenes to build the school’s image at the local and national levels. As the University’s senior director of media and public relations, he leads the team responsible for creating and garnering media coverage on all kinds of newsworthy events taking place on campus, from life-changing research breakthroughs to major construction projects. Whether it’s coordinating communications for former president Barack Obama’s historic campaign stop on campus or the premiere of 1981 English alum Marc Lawrence’s The Rewrite starring Hugh Grant, Yarosh is invigorated by the opportunity to help “put оԺ on the map.”
“I don’t know if I could do the same level of work at another institution or a company, because you have to feel strongly about the product,” Yarosh said. “It has to be something you can tell people is worth investing in. That’s easy to do here — especially if it’s something you’re a product of and you get to see the amazing things being done by stellar students, faculty and staff here every day.”
Yarosh grew up in upstate New York, attending the local Susquehanna Valley High School. At that time, he spent his afternoons on campus, working part-time via dining services in the now-defunct Susquehanna Room.
“It really opened my eyes up to this whole community I didn’t know existed that was in my own backyard,” said Yarosh, who has been able to witness the University’s growth over the years firsthand. “Seeing all the students here and all the facilities available, I quickly realized that this is such a cool place. I didn’t grasp the scope of things happening here initially as a member of the оԺ community.”
While he ended up committing to Buffalo to study political science and run track and cross country on an athletic scholarship, he eventually transferred back to оԺ as an English major. At the time, there was a spectrum of journalism-centric courses available to undergraduates: news editing, sports writing and creative non-fiction, all taught by professional reporters at The Press and Sun Bulletin who moonlighted as adjunct faculty. As an undergraduate, Yarosh interned with nearby nonprofits and broadcast newsrooms like WICZ-TV down the parkway, “bugging them relentlessly” until he secured a job with the station, which he held for several years during and after graduation.
Rather than branching out into a larger news market when he was ready to explore something different, Yarosh came across an opening in media and public relations at the University’s Office of Communications and Marketing.
“I knew I loved оԺ. I loved the campus. I loved the environment. And I thought, ’Well, that actually makes sense to go from news to public relations, because you’re working on the other side of it.’ And it seemed like something I could do. So I applied and got the job — and 20 years later, I’m still here.”
Now a full-time employee, he was offered the opportunity to earn a master’s degree tuition-free — something he couldn’t pass up. Yarosh eventually decided on оԺ’s Master’s of Public Administration program because of the relevance to his position and the broad range of fields it would allow him to explore.
“I actually met with most of the department heads for the different programs that I was looking at, and they were all interesting,” he said. “But I like public administration because it focuses on nonprofits, government, education and healthcare. And those are areas that оԺ and Communications and Marketing engage with and interact with on a pretty regular basis. I thought those different areas that the degree focused on are areas that would be valuable in my current field. It seemed to be something that would apply more to my everyday job in a lot of ways.”
Thanks to a constantly shifting news cycle, where no two days are the same, Yarosh finds every day in the office exciting — something that reminds him of his start in local news. He’s played a role in producing press surrounding some of оԺ’s biggest names, including Nobel laureate and professor of chemistry Stan Whittingham, and most recently, Olympian Emily Mackay ’21.
As the media landscape continues to transform in the 21st century, he encourages his staff to adapt in response and reshape beloved campus traditions in memorable ways — such as the annual salamander crossing in the Nature Preserve.
“Every year we have a new way to tell the story,” said Yarosh. “So we’ve been able to do that through blogs, through social media, through TikTok, through news releases. Communications keeps evolving, so we have new tools and new ways to tell the stories that maybe we’ve been telling for years, and to a new audience.”
Essential to managing an ever-evolving communication environment is recruiting students who have their finger on the pulse of student life and trends. Yarosh is a proponent of internships as a means of gaining experience, encouraging students to build their network and their resume. He’s long-assumed a mentorship role, leading interns and assistants in creating videos, blogs and posts on behalf of the University — as well as infusing the office with new energy each semester.
“We’ve made this office a newsroom-type environment,” he said. “They’re creating content and helping to craft and tell the story of оԺ. It gives them a great experience. It gives them something to put on a resume. It helps them network, and it also creates content for оԺ. And I love that it’s content created by students — it’s so much more authentic.”
Yarosh also teaches Harpur Edge workshops and certification courses designed to support anyone interested in exploring careers in journalism and communications — meeting students where they are in providing opportunities for those who may have trouble finding them. He describes students he meets as “hungry to work in the field” and ready to get involved, fueled by an ambition that distinguishes them from students at other top institutions.
“I feel like the students here have something to prove,” Yarosh said. “They have this edge to them that some students don’t. And our students do amazing things,” he added. “We have students who win amazing awards, create amazing things here on campus and have an impact on the community. I love being part of that storytelling process.”