Molly Yanity, professor and director of sports media and communications, joined URI after several years as a journalism professor at Quinnipiac University. Originally from Athens, Ohio, Yanity completed her undergraduate degree at Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego. She spent over a decade and a half as a sportswriter on the West Coast, including her time at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which closed in 2009. Following this, Yanity pursued graduate studies at Ohio University, earning both a master’s degree and a PhD. Later, she returned to Quinnipiac as a staff member and loved her time there but felt it was time for a change. That led her to URI, where she embraced the opportunity to take on a new role and a fresh challenge.

What was your path to this role like? What did that look like in the job field?
At Quinnipiac, I was pretty happy. I still live in New Haven, Connecticut, and I had great friends, colleagues, and students there. But after 12 years and five acting deans, a new one was coming in, and I started questioning whether I wanted to go through the process of adapting to a new vision, rewriting strategic plans, and leading the department again. I wasn’t sure, so I decided to look around. I applied for one job, and that was here. It felt like a fresh challenge, moving from journalism, which I’d always done, to sports media and communications—a related but different field. The timing felt right to try something new.

You said you had a background in journalism, and now you’re focusing more on sports media. What would you say is the biggest difference between the two? What have you had to adjust to?
The biggest adjustment has been in curriculum design and understanding how students see their academic and career paths. In journalism, the focus is on uncovering truths and telling in-depth stories. Sports media, on the other hand, emphasizes marketing, promotion, strategic communication, and social media. The mindset of the students is also different. Many see this program as a pathway to careers in sports management or related fields. My role has been to clarify and shape the curriculum to better align with their goals while maintaining flexibility.

What is one thing you could see developing in the future within sports media?
The first focus is on streamlining the curriculum. This program is only about five years old and was initially part of the communication studies department. Even now, some required courses are PR classes, and we have only two sports media and communications-specific courses. We’re working on creating more classes and focusing on building a stronger sense of community among students and faculty. Faculty engagement outside the classroom will be key to fostering that sense of belonging.

What made you want to pursue journalism?
My grandfather was a huge sports fan and a college football official. He took me to spring training, baseball games in Pittsburgh, and more, turning me into a sports fan at a young age. I always loved reading, and by fifth grade, I knew I wanted to be a sportswriter. In high school, I was editor-in-chief of our newspaper for four years, and in college, I majored in journalism with a focus on sports. It all felt very natural.

What is something you would like your students to know about your program goals?
Everything we do is with the students in mind. Our faculty brings a mix of professional experience and theoretical perspectives to provide students with the best foundation possible. More than anything, I want students to feel happy and successful—even if that means changing fields. I hope they look back on their time here as a positive, memorable experience. I also encourage them to enjoy the journey and not focus solely on career goals. There’s time for growth and discovery. I know higher education is a financial burden and creates a lot of pressure on students, but I want them to feel like they can come to us with anything. Nothing is so big that we can’t work through it together.

If you were to tell your younger self something as one of your students, what would it be?
I always knew what I wanted to do and was very driven—maybe a little nerdy about it. I’d tell my younger self to enjoy the process because someday, you might not be doing the thing you thought you’d be doing. You need to figure out what to do when that happens. For example, I’m a professor now, something I never imagined. Growing up in a college town, that wasn’t on my radar. So, enjoy the process and trust that you’ll figure it out along the way.

What skills would you say are essential for students entering the sports media curriculum or the media industry in general?
The most important skills are the ability to write and communicate clearly and the ability to think critically. You should always ask yourself: Why am I doing this? Who does it impact? Why does it matter? If you can write well and think critically, you can adapt to new tools and technologies. For example, even if you’re using ChatGPT, you need to evaluate the output critically—does it look right? Does it leave out important perspectives? Does it resonate with the audience? Critical thinking is crucial.

What is one thing you are starting to love about working at URI?
That’s an easy question. I’ve only been here since July 1, but my colleagues have been fantastic. The other folks in sports media, the chair of communication studies, and others have been incredibly supportive. It’s a fun place to work, and I’ve had a good time so far. Of course, there are challenges, like the slow-moving process of developing new aspects of the program, but when people are good to each other, it’s worth it.