As student correspondent Casey Nyman tested her earpiece in University of Delaware’s Mitchell Hall on the second night of the Delaware Debates, there was no doubt she had made it to the big leagues. After all, the media box held reporters from Bloomberg News, C-Span and The News Journal.

“It was a little nerve-racking,” acknowledges the UD senior, a media communication major with minors in journalism, advertising and English. “I’m an executive producer for 49 News, so I’m pretty comfortable in front of and behind a camera.  But this was a whole other level.” 49 News is part of STN49, a television network run by UD students.

UD’s Center for Political Communication and Delaware Public Media hosted the debates among candidates for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, and governor of Delaware on October 16 and 17. The debates demonstrate the university’s commitment to civic engagement, offering a way for Delawareans to learn more about the candidates so they can make informed decisions at the ballot box. Beyond that, they provide powerful experiential learning opportunities for Casey and other students, noted Nancy Karibjanian, director of UD’s journalism program.   

“It was totally a team effort,” said Nyman, recognizing fellow students Meghan Siano and Jeet Heslin, who worked on possible debate questions with her since late summer. She also recognized the professional moderators at the debates: Tom Bryne, news director of Delaware Public Media, and Sarah Petrowich, state politics reporter for Delaware Public Media, who co-moderated on Oct. 17, and Ralph Begleiter, founding director of the Center for Political Communication and a former CNN journalist, on Oct. 16. 

Mentorship matters

Karibjanian spent her career in broadcast journalism before joining the UD faculty. She noted that Casey demonstrated she has the right stuff to make it in this highly competitive field.     

“There is this remarkable moment when you watch a student move from the classroom experience to the professional environment.,” said Karibjanian, “For Casey Nyman, that moment was Delaware Debates. She held her own among her fellow moderators and with the candidates. This opportunity gives Casey a leg-up when applying for jobs after graduation.”  

Lydia Timmins, associate professor in UD's Department of Communication, has taught Nyman in several classes.  “This fall, Casey is part of COMM427, a hands-on production class. I chose her to be the director of the first episode because I knew her skill and calm demeanor would be an example to other students doing this kind of class for the first time,” said Timmins. 

Timmins spent 14 years at Philadelphia’s NBC10 and was the line producer for the Oct. 17 debate. In this role, she cued Nyman.  

“When I said to her in the earpiece, ‘Great job sweetie,’ she later told me she felt like she got a hug from her mom,” recalled Timmins. “I don’t usually call anchor talent ‘sweetie,’ but I felt an immense amount of pride in her.”

Future plans

Nyman’s dream job is to be a TV entertainment reporter, but she is working hard to learn about all aspects of communications. She has a paid position as a designer/editor for the Division of Student Life’s web development team. She also works as a promotion assistant for TowneSquare Media at its radio stations in and around Atlantic City.       

“I’m going home this weekend to do a few gigs for them,” said the Mount Laurel, N.J. resident in a recent interview. “We do community engagement events, which give me a taste of the public relations side of things.”

Another new experience for Nyman is sports research, as part of an internship this semester with adjunct professor Mike Corey, who is a sportscaster for ESPN and NBC.

“I can’t say I’m the most knowledgeable; I’m not a big sports gal,” acknowledged Nyman with a chuckle. “But from a broadcasting aspect, learning from Professor Corey has been so cool.” 

“Casey has helped me tremendously with research for my ESPN football and basketball games,” said Corey, who teaches a TV sportscasting class. “She also has edited sports videos and footage, contributed to a sports documentary, and is helping to redesign my website.”  

“I really appreciate the opportunities I’ve had at UD and the professors who have been so supportive,” said Nyman. “The debates were like the icing on the cake.”