Douglas Wonders, a former professor in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, was convicted in May of sexually abusing a child.

Wonders, 63, was sentenced to 10 years of probation for the repeated abuse, which involved a 9-year-old girl, according to New York state’s sex offender registry. He worked for 22 years as a professor in Newhouse’s photography department, where he taught classes and ran the photo studio.

Wonders is considered a Level II sex offender and deemed to be a “moderate risk.” Because of this classification, his photo and identifying information are listed in the state’s sex offender registry. Wonders knew the victim of the abuse, which occurred in the city of Syracuse. He currently lives in Geddes, a town just west of Syracuse.

Wonders’ mugshot was taken in March 2017, only a month before Newhouse announced his retirement. Courtesy of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services

Newhouse Dean Lorraine Branham, who died in April, sent an email to the school’s faculty in April 2017 that announced Wonders was taking an “early retirement.” Wonders’ sexual abuse of a minor was first reported in August 2016, about eight months before Branham’s email. A mugshot of Wonders found on the registry’s website was taken in March 2017.

In the email, Branham praises Wonders’ contributions to the Multimedia Photography and Design department and to the school as a whole. While at Newhouse, Wonders taught classes, including “Photography for Non-Majors,” oversaw the photo studio and shot official website portraits for faculty and staff, Branham said.

Court records from cases involving the sexual abuse of minors are usually sealed and not open to the public. The allegations against Wonders and his arrest were not reported at the time of his retirement from Newhouse.

Wonders’ LinkedIn page states that his choice of work is studio portraiture. He has worked as a freelance photographer in the Syracuse area since 1990, according to his LinkedIn.

Wonders will remain on the registry for life. As part of his probation, Wonders must stay away from places where children gather and cannot have unsupervised contact with children.

Syracuse University did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

This story will be updated with additional reporting.

Published on August 30, 2019 at 5:18 pm

Contact Casey: casey@dailyorange.com | @caseydarnell_