Crafting an Artistic Journey: Shelby Newport’s Lessons from Grad School

Victors in Grad School

Are you considering grad school but feeling unsure about the process, the expectations, or even where to start? The latest episode of Victors in Grad School is a perfect listen for anyone navigating these questions. Host Dr. Christopher Lewis welcomes Shelby Newport, Program Director for the Arts Administration program at the University of Michigan-Flint, for a candid conversation about finding success—and fulfillment—through graduate education.

Shelby’s journey is a relatable one. She takes listeners back to her undergraduate days at Cornell College, where a mix of curiosity and an honest assessment of her skills led her to pursue further education. Recognizing that she needed more specialized training to reach her career goals in costume design, Shelby set her sights on an MFA—a common terminal degree in the arts. Her story of researching programs, attending the nerve-wracking (but rewarding) University and Resident Theater Association (URTA) interviews, and ultimately choosing Purdue for its supportive faculty and fit with her aspirations offers an inside look at the decision-making process for prospective grad students.

A central theme in the episode is that grad school is a journey—often challenging, always transformative, and rarely linear. Shelby opens up about the transition from undergrad to graduate student, emphasizing that the switch isn’t just academic; it’s personal, too. Learning to “dress the part” and step into the role of both student and teacher was part of her process, as was embracing the intense, focused workload that a graduate program demands.

Shelby’s advice for current and prospective students is refreshing in its honesty. She speaks about the importance of being open to change, both in yourself and in your career path. Sometimes, the direction you envision at the start isn’t where you’ll end up—and that’s not only okay, but often leads to unexpected opportunities and growth. Her own path led from regional theater work to a fulfilling career teaching and program direction, and her network—built by seizing opportunities and following her interests—has played a crucial role every step of the way.

For anyone considering grad school or already in the midst of it, this episode is packed with valuable insights. Shelby Newport’s story is a reminder that while the journey may be unpredictable, your openness, effort, and willingness to grow will serve you well. Tune in to hear her story—you’ll walk away inspired and a little more prepared for your own graduate school adventure.

TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:01]: Welcome to the Victors in Grad School. Where we have conversations with students, alumni. And experts about what it takes to. Find success in graduate school.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:11]: Welcome back to Victors in Grad School. I'm your host, Dr. Christopher Lewis, Director of Graduate Programs at the University of Michigan, Flint. And I'm really excited that you're back again this week. As always, every week we are on a journey together. As you are looking at graduate school, thinking about graduate school, maybe you've applied to graduate school. No matter where you are, you are truly on a journey, because graduate school is a journey. It takes time, it takes effort, it takes some planning to not only get in, but get through.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:44]: And that's what this podcast is all about. It's to provide you with some of those tools that you need, those tools for your toolbox that will help you to be able to find success and sooner. And that's why every week I bring you different guests with different experiences, people that have gone to graduate school before you to share some of their own experiences and allow for you to be able to learn from the things that they learned along the way as well. This week, we've got another great guest. Shelby Newport is with us, and Shelby is the program director for the Arts Administration Program at the University of Michigan, Flint. And I'm really excited to be able to have her here, to have her talk a little bit about her own experiences and learn from her. Shelby, thanks so much for being here here today.

Shelby Newport [00:01:26]: Yeah, thank you. This is exciting to talk about and remember my journey.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:31]: Well, I'm really excited that you're here today, and it is a journey, and I think one of the things that I would love to do is kind of take you back in time because I know that you did your bachelor's degree at Cornell College and in theater in art, and then at some point during that time during your undergrad, you made a choice that you were going to continue on to get the mfa, and you did go and get an mfa. But bring me back to that point in your thinking and why you chose to go further and to go on.

Shelby Newport [00:02:03]: Yeah, that moment is really a specific moment for me. I mean, I can sort of put myself in the position. I was a work study student in the costume shop at Cornell College and learning skills. But Cornell College is a small, private liberal arts college in Iowa, and our faculty was relatively small, taught me so many things, and it was the best place for me, but I didn't have really specific training in costume design and construction. And so, you know, sitting there doing my Work study job, working on a production, thinking. I think it was basically the, the end of my junior year, my third year in school, I had gone away and worked in the summer at different summer professional companies. Colorado Shakespeare Festival for, for two summers in a RO was thinking about where do I want to move? What is next? What is the job that I want? And knowing that there was going to be a lot of jobs, but what was that next step? And I felt like I didn't have the skills I needed with only my one year left of undergrad to do the job. Like I was leaning towards Chicago and working professionally in theater.

Shelby Newport [00:03:14]: And so I needed more skills. And the mfa, the Master of Fine Arts, is a terminal degree in our arts field and it is a doing degree. So I knew that with intensive three years in a program that I would hopefully leave those three years with more skills than I had at that time. And of course, as it happens, during the journey, you find out other things about yourself and who you know, where you want to go and who you want to be. And I, I gained a lot of different skills that I couldn't have expected. So my path and the job I wanted to do changed during those three years. But I decided that I wanted to go right away and not take time off between undergrad and graduate school now.

Shelby Newport [00:03:53]: And you made the decision to go to Purdue. Purdue University. And there's a lot of MFA programs all across the country. And I'm sure you did some, some review, some research to try to determine for yourself what was the best program for you. Talk to me about that search process and what you had to do to come to that final conclusion of going to Purdue.

Shelby Newport [00:04:16]: Yeah, in the arts we have this, I think, somewhat unique organization called erda. The acronym is University and Resident Theater Association. And that organization run interviews and auditions for MFA programs, among other things, as a, as an organization and association of university programs. And so at that time they ran three interview dates where you went in person in New York, Chicago or San Francisco. You signed up for those and you set up a table, basically a booth for yourself, your portfolio and a board, maybe some samples of your work. And so I selected the New York one and my boyfriend at the time, my husband, now we drove to New York, New York from Iowa with my things and parked my Jetta in New York City and stayed in a fancy hotel, set up my booth and you set up your area, your table. Then you leave for four hours and then you come back and they give you a list of the grad schools that want to interview you. And then you have, I think it was 10 or 15 minutes with each of the school representatives that wanted to meet you.

Shelby Newport [00:05:22]: And then after that, I think you got a piece of paper that said, like, next step interviews with your next tier. And in our field, it's always like, oh, how many IRTA interviews did you get? Oh, how many did you get? And there's probably 40 school representatives at these. And they're the. Mostly the major programs. The really top tier MFA programs like Yale don't go to this. They don't need to recruit in that way. So it's that next tier of major universities. University of Iowa, Purdue, Florida has a great program.

Shelby Newport [00:05:56]: University of North Dakota, Montana. Like, those programs were all there and talking to you. So you're meeting someone, maybe the costume designer, maybe it's another designer, because all the design students are doing this at the same time. And it's a real fast speed dating moment of like, tell me about your program, I'll tell you about myself. Do we click? I don't know, is there chemistry? So I had a few really great ones. I think my number was nine. I think I had nine on my list of people who wanted to talk to me. So that's reasonable, right? And of that 9, 4 sort of showed real interest and, like, felt like a pretty good match.

Shelby Newport [00:06:32]: Purdue was in that and University of Wisconsin, Madison was in that group, and then University of Maryland was in that group. And I really liked the faculty that I met with. They seemed to like the direction that I was going, that had art and theater blended in it. I didn't. I wasn't a purist in my undergrad. And then Purdue actually offered, you know, you're driving back from New York to Iowa. If you want to stop in Indiana, we'll put you up and you can see the house or can see the university. We just built a new building.

Shelby Newport[00:07:00]: Come check it. And so the free room for the undergrad was a real draw. So we stopped there and checked it out, and the new building was a real draw. But my, the thing that really hooked me was the faculty member. And the faculty member, Joel Ebarb remains a good friend and mentor now, and he was the reason I selected that place. And he told me something on that day that I think really shaped my choice. And that is, do you think you want to be a Broadway designer or a film and television designer? And I said, no, I don't think I do. All right, well, then find a school that matches the kind of work you want to do.

Shelby Newport [00:07:35]: And Joel Worked in Chicago, he was a regional designer. He had a couple of international things to his name, but he was an academic and an educator. And he said, do you want to teach? I think so. And so find the school that does that. If you want to be a Broadway designer, go to New York and go to a school on the east coast, because those connections are going to do that for you. And so that really started to shape that next set of journey of months of like, what does this look like for me? And why is location of graduate school important? And I don't think I ever thought about that before.

Shelby Newport [00:08:05]: He said that you ultimately did choose to go to Purdue. They selected you, you selected them, got to that point. And any student that moves into a graduate program, there is going to be a transition. There's definitely a transition in the way that you're educated. There's a transition in the expectations of your faculty, the expectations that you put on yourself. You found success, you got through the program, you graduated, you got that mfa. So as you think back to those transitions that you went through going from undergrad into your mfa, what did you have to do to set yourself up for success as you transitioned into graduate school? And what did you have to do to maintain that success throughout the entire journey?

Shelby Newport [00:08:53]: I mean, ultimately, yes, I was successful, but it was really hard. And it's a three year program. MFA's in different areas are in, are different lengths. So my husband also has an MFA and his was a two year intensive program. So they have different, they have different things, but mine was three years. But I think that middle zone, no matter how long your program is, that halfway point, is really the hardest moment. And when I think about lows of my program, it is that moment you're really questioning why you're doing this, who you are, what's going to come out on the other end. And at the end feels so far the success of what that, how that success is going to look.

Shelby Newport [00:09:31]: It seems so far away. So I think what I did to set myself up for success, I guess the things that come to mind because I was also becoming an adult, because I chose to go right from undergrad, I was relatively young and my partner and I, we decided to move to Indiana together. So we graduate from Cornell and we move to Indiana together. We have our first apartment, we're like figuring out how to be adults and make our own dinners and like be pay the bills, do life. So I think for me that setting up for success was just stepping into an adult. And that's what graduate School is going to be. And it's going to be different than undergrad. I'm going to step into this.

Shelby Newport [00:10:09]: I also had a graduate teaching assistantship, so I taught not my first semester, but the second semester and then continued to teach every semester a class. So that helped me become that different kind of student because I was teaching undergraduate students sewing, stage costuming and stage makeup classes. And I think that even though maybe I didn't feel like an adult all the time, like a real grownup, teaching that class helped me live into that reality. So. And as a costume designer, that clothes and dress. Dress for the job you want, right? That kind of philosophy or. I also really like the mantra of when you look good, you feel good. So I have really distinct memories in grad school of like, dressing for the part.

Shelby Newport [00:10:51]: Like I would, you know, I go and I feel adult and I'm ready to go. And I think that the, the, the biggest difference of the educational model for me was the intensity and the specificity of the kind of classes that you're taking, which I know for lots of different kind of graduate programs, but you've made a choice to move in, to funnel down into a more specific path. And had I maybe been a little bit more mentally prepared for that, that could have helped that second year intensity. I think, because you just have no break from the content that is this thing that you've selected. It's all that. You don't get to go to your anthropology class and switch your brain to something else. You gotta find other ways to relax and be an adult and stretch these other parts of your life. So anyways, lots of stories there about how I found, I think, but ultimately it was stepping into the role.

Shelby Newport [00:11:43]: And even when I didn't feel like it, dressing the part and being ready to learn and teach.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:11:48]: Completely understand. Now, you finished up the mfa, and I know that that professor initially asked you, do you want to teach? And you got to the end of the mfa and you did decide to teach and talk to me about that because every student has to figure out for themselves what direction they want, want to go. And you could have gone to regional theater, you could have gone to national theater, you could have done many different things with that degree. You chose to continue on and you, you got a position here at the University of Michigan, Flint, and started teaching. But talk to me about that decision process for yourself.

Shelby Newport [00:12:28]: Yeah, so some, some was decided for me. So my partner at the time, you know, he was there with me three years working and kind of paying the bills. And so we decided that after that was his turn to pursue his mfa. So he went through a very different process of selecting an MFA program, but ultimately found Cranbrook Art Academy, which is in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. And so that brought us to Michigan first. So we knew we were going to move here. And then my plan was to pay the bills and figure it out and decide what that looked like. So we moved to the area.

Shelby Newport [00:13:00]: I had sent out a lot of resumes, academic, applied for a lot of things, but not a ton of bites at that moment. And then once we were here, I said yes to a variety of jobs. I did a student film once I was in Detroit and the film industry in Detroit, in I guess this was 2009. There were lots of incentives for Michigan film companies to produce films in Michigan. So I jumped on quite a few of those when we first moved here on a gig basis. And then one of those CV letters that I had sent out earlier in the year. And that kind of network connection yielded a phone call that said, I'm the chair at University of Michigan, Flint, and I have one class that I need filled. And I heard that you moved here.

Shelby Newport [00:13:42]: And I think I got your resume, but I found you through another faculty member through an organization. We know each other. So he gave me your phone number. Do you want to come teach for us? And I was like, sure. And actually this was like three days after school had started because they didn't have an instructor, so can you teach next week? And so I was like, sure, let's figure this out. So I did my first year of teaching at University of Michigan, Fluent as a lecturer, one class in the fall. And then I taught four classes in the winter. And then they ran a search for a tenure stream faculty member.

Shelby Newport [00:14:12]: I think your original question is, like, how did I find that? But it felt right. Like, it felt like, oh, yeah, this is where I'm supposed to be sharing this knowledge and being an exciting, interested again, like relatively young in my career. Dress the part and step in front of the classroom and teach some intro to Theater class to University of Michigan Flint student. And then each step of the way it was like, less. Let's cross that bridge when we get there. So I didn't worry too much about that tenure position. It kind of. I mean, luckily it found me and I was a good candidate for them.

Shelby Newport [00:14:45]: And I had that trial period. I didn't worry too much about tenure and getting that next step. I just said, like, if we're here, I'm going to do a good job. And I'M going to pursue regional work. And what would get me tenure at the University of Michigan? As if it's my job, right? Like if I'm. I'm going to. It is my job. So I'm going to move forward in that process as if we're going to stay here.

Shelby Newport [00:15:04]: And we didn't know what we were going to do then after that. But ultimately we've made Michigan our home and both of us have found creative communities that have allowed us to do both professional creative work. So I've made lots of connections over the last 15 years with professional regional companies that have then provided me that professional costume designer work and the teaching work.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:15:25]: You've recently stepped into the role of director of the Arts Administration Master's degree program, which is a Rackham graduate degree here at the University of Michigan, Flint. For many years, you worked very closely with your undergraduate students and you still do. And now you're working with graduate students. Talk to me about that transition and what it's now like to not only be a director of a graduate program, but also in working with graduate students. What's that like? And what are you learning from that?

Shelby Newport [00:15:57]: This was an easy yes, as they say, to step into this role. I was really excited to think differently about this program after the past director had left the unit university. And the moment for me in my teaching journey and where I was at as a designer and a leader on our campus at University of Michigan. Flynn. I think it all pointed towards, yeah, let's grow this graduate program. And. And I think I'm the right person to do that. So I found lots of joy this last year in spending time meeting each of the graduate students.

Shelby Newport [00:16:28]: We have 22 students in that program right now, and I think I've probably had one on ones with all of them at least an hour, if not, you know, two or three over the who getting to know them and understanding how this program is serving them. Then I did a big curriculum revamp in the fall from those conversations, figuring out how we can shape this program for the future and make it serve a lot of different purposes for a lot of different arts administrators and using all that experience that I've had over the last 15 years, both in the classroom. But a lot of my network connections of the creative community around Michigan and the United States have. Has already yielded some great network connections for these students. And I think that goes back to what I said about why I chose my graduate program. You need to build a network for yourself in the community that you want to work and so my Midwest, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, kind of, that works for me. That's who I am. That's where I'm designing.

Shelby Newport [00:17:27]: And I made a name for myself professionally in that way. And so I tell the students that same thing. Let's find you this network. And if you're kind of flip based, how do you want to branch that out to metro Detroit? And here's the people I can put you in touch with. And I think, lucky for me also, my husband, Mark Baker, who is a designer and furniture maker. His MFA is in 3D design. His museum work has actually really helped support other parts of the arts administration program. And our network as a pair and a creative couple in this area has actually really helped.

Shelby Newport [00:17:58]: And I have a couple students doing internships out in places that Mark's connections have helped helped me get those students connections. So I think the network connections has been the biggest growth. And I'm very excited for the students to continue to build those. And teaching the graduate students has been really rewarding too, I think as you teach undergrads over a cycle, you teach lower levels, you teach upper levels, you teach independent studies, and students change. The graduate students talk, talk differently. And I think it's a great, refreshing moment to make myself shift into a higher level vocabulary and teaching style and then go back and teach sewing to undergrads who are learning it for the very first time. So that has been a great challenge for me and I think brought a lot of happiness this year to back to teaching that maybe I didn't have in that cycle of who do I want to be now?

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:18:56]: So you've worked with students in many different aspects. You've been a graduate student yourself. As you look back, either at your own graduate education or you are looking at the students that you're working with now as graduate students. What are some tips that you might offer others that are considering graduate education, whether it be in the arts or some other area that would help them find success sooner?

Shelby Newport [00:19:18]: Openness comes to mind first. I think that specificity of selecting a graduate program and making that choice feels like, all right, I'm funneling in, this is what I'm going to do. And somehow if we can go into that with an openness to what the experience might yield success and network connections might come faster. Some of the students who have that really specific idea of how this degree is going to move them forward sometimes get stuck in that and miss opportunities or relationships that could also blossom into something else. I just had the really lovely opportunity to take graduates and undergraduates to Japan on a study abroad. And I had two of the arts administration graduate students with me and and three graduate students from the MBA and that master's program in business and organizational leadership. And their thought process and processing of an international experience was really great to witness. And I think all of them didn't necessarily expect to be in that international experience, but in advising and in conversations about what you want to do, it was like, oh yeah, I can fit this into my schedule.

Shelby Newport [00:20:28]: This makes sense. Let's align this with the curriculum and grab ahold of this opportunity. And so seeing them bloom from taking a hold of that opportunity, I guess, is just a picture of what I'm trying to say. Like, be open to things you didn't expect to happen and see what comes from that.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:20:46]: Well, Shelby, I just want to say thank you for sharing your own journey today and for the ongoing journey that you're on, and I truly appreciate you sharing that today and I wish you all the best.

Shelby Newport [00:20:57]: Thank you so much, Chris. It was great to talk about it and hopefully there's some pieces that resonate with folks. I think this conversation is has yet again reminded me that once you pick a job, it's not your job for life. And we are all on a journey, right? So thanks for letting me relive mine a little bit.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:21:13]: The University of Michigan Flint has a full array of master's and doctorate programs if you are interested in continuing your education. Whether you're looking for in person or online learning options, the University of Michigan Flint has programs that will meet your needs. For more information on any of our graduate programs, visit UM Flint. Edu Graduate Programs to find out more. Thanks again for spending time with me as you prepare to be a victor in grad school. I look forward to speaking with you again soon as we embark together on your graduate school journey. If you have any questions or want to reach out, email me at flintgrad officemflint. Eduardo.