As a four-year member of the offensive line for the Syracuse University football team, prided himself on being a team player, someone who would do the little things every day to help the Orange succeed on the field.

That selfless strategy helped Tarullo become a starter for the final 36 games of his career, including earning First-Team All-Big East honors during his senior season.

That same approach guided Tarullo’s entrepreneurial career as partner, financial advisor and vice president of recruiting and sales for , part of Cetera Investors.

For the second straight year, Tarullo is being recognized during the University’s fourth annual��, which on Nov. 12 will celebrate 50 of the fastest-growing global businesses and nonprofit ventures owned or led by Orange alumni.

“I’m very honored,” says Tarullo, who earned dual degrees in psychology and communications and rhetorical studies from the . “It’s a phenomenal event showcasing the entrepreneurial spirit our alumni have, and I strongly encourage other alumni to be a part of this celebration.”

While he’s looking forward to the awards ceremony, Tarullo says he’s equally excited to impart his business acumen to student entrepreneurs at the ’CUSE50 Student Summit, when honorees will share insights with students at the .

Over the summer, Tarullo’s company hosted several current students for internships. Tarullo plans to use this year’s Student Summit to emphasize the importance of giving back to future students.

“It’s beneficial for students to hear stories of success, but also how we overcome problems. I tell students how important it is to have a niche, a passion that motivates your work,” Tarullo says.

for the ’CUSE50 Student Summit and Alumni Awards Ceremony.

The Student Summit runs from noon to 3 p.m. in the Flaum Grand Hall in the Whitman School, with Chancellor J. Michael Haynie and Whitman Dean Alex McKelvie delivering remarks. Latavius Murray G’20, a retired NFL running back, community builder and entrepreneur will serve as the keynote speaker, followed by two panel discussions featuring ’CUSE50 alumni entrepreneurs and a “Five for Five” pitch competition, where five student startups will compete for a winner-takes-all $5,000 prize judged by the ’CUSE50 honorees in attendance. To support student entrepreneurs, consider a gift to the which makes the student prize money possible.

The Alumni Entrepreneur Awards Ceremony begins with check-in and light refreshments at 5 p.m., followed by the awards at 5:30 p.m. in the K.G. Tan Auditorium and a reception starting at 6:45 p.m. in the Bisignano Grand Hall. All events occur in the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building.

Tarullo sat down with Syracuse University Today to preview the ’CUSE50 Alumni Awards.

The countdown to the holidays doesn’t start the day after Thanksgiving anymore. For a growing number of shoppers, it starts months earlier.

That’s according to , retail expert and faculty member in the , who says the retail industry has been watching a steady shift. Holiday purchasing is creeping earlier into the fall, with some shoppers beginning as early as October—and a smaller but growing group starting their planning even before that.

“What we’ve seen is what we call ‘holiday creep,’” Kohan says. “What that is, is that the holiday is actually getting further and further away from the actual event itself. You have Christmas in July, you have Halloween in September.”

The shift reflects a few converging forces, including shoppers’ continued price sensitivity and a retail landscape still adjusting to tariff-driven cost pressures, Kohan says.

Rather than waiting for Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals, many consumers are spreading out their spending, comparison shopping earlier and leaning into value over splurge purchases. It’s a pattern that’s held for the past couple of holiday seasons.

For retailers, the longer runway means holiday marketing increasingly has to start before the season “feels” like the holidays at all. For shoppers, Kohan suggests the earlier window can actually work in their favor—more time to plan, compare and avoid the last-minute price crunch.

Kohan is a marketing instructor in the Whitman School of Management. She also serves as executive producer and host of the “” podcast and “” broadcast series. Kohan is a senior contributor for , where she covers retail and consumer trends.��

To connect with her on this topic and other retail angles, please contact Daryl Lovell, dalovell@syr.edu.

As he walked across the Shaw Quad during the Orange Blast Involvement Fair his freshman year, Jesús Tiburcio Zane ’27 was drawn to a particular table that felt like home and tradition and would connect him to others who would help him find his footing.

That table belonged to (La L.U.C.H.A.)—the University’s largest Latiné Recognized Student Organization (RSO) and one of its oldest, on campus since 1989.

Soon, executive board members, including Sidney Mejia ’25, G’26, then co-vice president of the RSO, began mentoring Tiburcio Zane, a first-generation college student, sharing their favorite study spots and dining hall recommendations.

“Those tips helped me thrive during my freshman year. With La L.U.C.H.A., I found a home for my Latiné culture and a place where I could share my Mexican traditions and customs,” says Tiburcio Zane, president of La L.U.C.H.A. and a dual major in accounting and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises in the . “The group helped me find my people, my voice and my community on campus.”

Before she arrived on campus, Diana Bonilla-Prado ’28 made a thorough list of RSOs she hoped to join, with La L.U.C.H.A. among the top.

For Bonilla-Prado, a first-generation college student with family roots from El Salvador, joining La L.U.C.H.A. was a chance to strengthen her connection to her heritage, increase Latiné cultural awareness and give back.

After an introductory meeting with then-president Jasmine Rodriguez ’25, Bonilla-Prado says she knew right away she was where she was meant to be. Today, she serves as La L.U.C.H.A. co-vice president.

“When I came to Syracuse, everything about the college experience was brand new to me. La L.U.C.H.A. welcomed me with open arms and pushed me to become the best version of myself,” says Bonilla-Prado, who is studying political science in the and information management and technology in the .

The organization is open to all students, regardless of their cultural background or heritage. During , La L.U.C.H.A. organized several events, including “Nuestra Identidad,”��an interactive cultural workshop designed to give students a space to explore, celebrate and share who they are; and Café con Leche, a conversation about the history of coffee in Latin America and the Caribbean.

To close out Latine Heritage Month, La L.U.C.H.A. and several other Latin student organizations will come together to enjoy food, music and fun games during , from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14, in the Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center.

Bonilla-Prado and Tiburcio Zane sat down with Syracuse University Today to discuss their heritage and why students should join La L.U.C.H.A.

Join La L.U.C.H.A.

Tiburcio Zane and Bonilla-Prado are always looking to recruit new members. Interested students can email laluchasu@gmail.com or follow La L.U.C.H.A. on , , and .

The —the nation’s first academic center dedicated to the advancement of interdisciplinary academics, independent research, policy engagement and support for creator-based ventures—today released the findings from its inaugural industry . Published monthly, these reports examine the issues creators, brands and audiences are talking about right now.

The inaugural edition examines public trust and credibility in news: specifically, how Americans weigh independent news creators against traditional journalists. The findings draw on a demographically representative survey of 1,001 U.S. adults conducted via Prolific.

Social media is now a core news source for Americans: 59% access general news from social media often or always and 55% get political information there at the same rate. Reliance runs highest among younger adults and those that identify as African Americans and Republicans.

YouTube ranks as the single most-used platform for political and election news at 16.5%, closely followed by broadcast and cable TV news (16.1%) and print and online news sites (15.7%). Combined, TV and news sites outpace YouTube nearly 2 to 1. Social platforms as a group, however, lead traditional sources 60% to 32%.

Perceptions of trust present a nuanced picture:

● 61% of Americans trust a well-known independent news creator as much as a
well-known professional journalist or a major news organization on political topics.
● 67% say doing the reporting matters more than formal journalism credentials.
● 86% trust independent news creators more when they publicly correct their mistakes, the strongest trust signal in the study.
● 79% still see a meaningful difference between an independent news creator and a
journalist.

Social media use and political affiliation both shape trust. Respondents who use social media for news and politics more often rate independent news creators as more credible.

Party lines matter too: compared with Independents, Republicans place greater trust in independent news creators, while Democrats place greater trust in professional journalists and news organizations.

Across these patterns, respondents recognize a clear distinction between independent news creators and professional journalists:

● 79% see a meaningful difference between an independent news creator and a journalist.
● Views divide on which is more trustworthy overall: 41% trust professional journalists
more, 35% disagree and 25% are neutral.
● Trust in independent news creators rises with social media news use. The link is weak
for professional journalists and absent for news organizations.

The findings show Americans trust independent news creators and professional journalists about equally on politics, but they see them as different roles. For both, the clearest path to trust is accountability: 86% say public corrections make them trust an independent news creator more.

Syracuse University Libraries’ awarded three student teams a total of $4,000 in prizes at its Freelance, Small Business and Creatives Pitch Competition on Oct. 2. Undergraduate and graduate students building careers or side hustles through services or products delivered 4-minute pitches followed by a 2-minute Q&A session with a panel of expert judges.

Winners were:

• First Place: EXCHKR, founder Gabi Josefson ’28 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications). EXCHKR is a platform that simplifies how clubs, sports teams and Greek organizations manage payments and track budgets.
• Second Place: Frutecho, founder Carolina Aguayo Plá ’28 (School of Information Studies and Martin J. Whitman School of Management). Frutecho is a modular cooling retrofit for non-refrigerated trucks that reduces produce spoilage and helps small farmers access premium markets.
• Third Place: Scout Szn, founder Daelan Pinsky ’28 (David B. Falk College of Sport). Scout Szn is a free college football scouting platform covering all 15,102 FBS players across 138 programs.

Twenty-two student teams competed across three breakout rooms, with one team per room advancing to the finals.

The next entrepreneurial competition hosted by the LaunchPad is the ’ on Oct. 16 from noon to 3 p.m. ’Cuse Tank is hosted during Family Weekend, and judges include accomplished parent innovators, entrepreneurs and alumni. Winners receive prize funding to help advance their business idea. Students interested in pitching in ’Cuse Tank must

The has Cameron D. Miller, associate professor of management, as the inaugural recipient of the Nagpal Family Faculty Fellowship. This recognition celebrates faculty excellence in teaching and research, and it marks the full realization of a gift pledged nearly two years ago by Syracuse parents Debbie and Ajay Nagpal P’25.

“Cameron Miller exemplifies the kind of rigorous, impactful scholarship that defines excellence at the Whitman School,” says Interim Dean Alex McKelvie. “His impressive body of research provides meaningful contributions to the study of technology strategy and innovation, and he has a strong track record of supporting student success. This fellowship is a well-deserved recognition of the quality and significance of Cameron’s work, which also extends beyond academia. We are tremendously grateful to the Nagpal family for their generosity in supporting faculty excellence and the Whitman School.”

The Nagpals established the fellowship in 2024 to support a faculty member selected by the dean, as part of the University’s Forever Orange Faculty Excellence Program. Debbie and Ajay are the parents of Alec Nagpal, a 2025 Whitman finance graduate, and have remained closely engaged with the school through the Syracuse University Parents Council.

The appointment reflects a priority at the heart of strategic plan, which identifies investment in faculty excellence as key to elevating the academic experience for students and Whitman’s reputation nationally.

In a letter to the Nagpal family after his appointment, Miller thanked them for their support.

“Support like yours provides faculty with the time and resources to pursue ambitious research, develop innovative educational experiences for students and bring the insights generated here at Syracuse University to society at large,” he wrote. “I am deeply grateful for your generosity, and I am honored to be the inaugural recipient of the fellowship that bears your name.”

A Winding Path to the Classroom

Miller’s road to Whitman began on a cattle ranch in West Texas and eventually ran through a market research firm in Stamford, Connecticut, and the fixed income research floors of Standard & Poor’s in New York, before arriving in Syracuse.

Raised an only child on a ranch roughly half the size of Manhattan, Miller spent his childhood absorbing economics and statistics in conversations with his father, a former marketing professor who left academia to run the family ranch, but never stopped teaching his son.

“It was never like, ‘Oh, you should go into academia,’” Miller says. “It was more just discussing ideas… and thinking rigorously about the economy, society and the world around us.”

After earning his B.S. at Duquesne University and a master’s in economics from the University at Albany, Miller spent a decade in industry—first at a market research consultancy serving Procter & Gamble, then rising quickly through the ranks at Standard & Poor’s. There, he became a director in the Global Fixed Income Research Department, researching through the 2008 financial crisis from, as he put it, “right there on the front lines.” His professional history spans nearly every major industry, an asset he draws on constantly in the classroom.

“I feel like my diverse background really helps me when I’m teaching, because I can give a lot of examples from whatever area of the business world that most interests my students,” he says.

Rather than following peers into Wall Street’s biggest paychecks, Miller pursued a Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, before joining Whitman’s faculty in 2017. He has since become one of the field’s most active voices on platform strategy and technology competition—publishing repeatedly in the Strategic Management Journal, serving as the journal’s associate editor and sitting on the editorial board of Organization Science. His scholarship has earned a Distinguished Paper Award from the Academy of Management, back-to-back Wiley Top Cited Article honors and multiple best-reviewer distinctions. His commentary on AI, antitrust and technology policy has appeared in the Harvard Business Review and the popular press, and he has consulted directly on high-stakes policy questions, including fair-use issues tied to AI model training.

A Teacher Who Makes Himself Available

For all his research output, Miller is emphatic that his greatest impact happens outside the page, in office hours, late-night Zoom calls and years of mentorship that outlast a student’s time at Whitman.

“I try to make myself very available,” he says. “Fifteen minutes of talking with you, I can probably solve most of your issues.”

He still meets regularly with students who graduated years ago and writes graduate school recommendations for many of them.

His advice to students navigating an uncertain job market—one he’s lived through more than once himself—is characteristically direct.

“When things get rough, it becomes very clear who is good and who’s not…you need to be prepared,” Miller says.

He challenges students to answer for companies, “why are you worth taking a chance on?” His prescription for students studying in today’s world of AI and economic and political instability is to keep building skills rather than waiting out a hard market.

“You’ve got to keep running in the right direction,” he says.

-Story by Tatiana Motevalli-Oliner

Students at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management now have a new way to grab a hot meal between classes, thanks to a Campus Dining initiative that swaps traditional vending machines for a lineup of smart, food-tech-driven kiosks.

The reimagined café space (now known as Olsten Market) is designed to serve students whenever their schedules demand it—whether that’s breakfast before an 8 a.m. lecture, a quick lunch between classes or fuel for a late-night study session. Rather than the usual prepackaged snacks, the new setup offers meals prepared fresh at the touch of a button. The space, which was formerly named Olsten Café, will continue to bear the name of the donor, Stuart P. Olsten ’74.

The rollout includes several branded machines:

• A Just Baked smart oven that heats fresh entrées on demand
• California Pizza Kitchen pizzas, ready hot in minutes
• A Carlo’s Bakery machine from celebrity baker Buddy Valastro P’27, P’29, dispensing fresh cake slices
• Pico Smart Coolers stocked with grab-and-go meals, snacks and healthy options, including salads and sandwiches from local favorite Brooklyn Pickle
• Bean-to-cup coffee systems serving espresso drinks, lattes, cappuccinos, iced coffee and hot chocolate

The new layout offers speed and flexibility, letting students build the café into their day (and nights) rather than working around long lines and limited hours. Machines accept ‘Cuse Cash and all major credit cards.

These improvements are the product of multiple rounds of focus groups and conversations with students, addressing requests for greater selection, healthier options, coffee and round-the-clock access—complemented by a microwave for students who wish to heat their own meals and ice machines for added convenience. The renovated market answers the student requests for a reliable “go-to” for meals within Whitman, so they no longer need to leave the building, no matter the time of day or night.

Free Sampling Event Sept. 30

Members of the campus community are invited to a free sampling event on Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Olsten Market. Products from Just Baked, Carlo’s Bakery and California Pizza Kitchen will be available to try, along with fresh salads and sandwiches from Brooklyn Pickle. Coca-Cola representatives will also be there to offer free samples of their products as well.

A Syracuse Connection Behind the Machines

The technology arrives at Whitman by way of Servomation Refreshments Inc., a vending and micro-market company founded by Brian Bruno. In 2025, the University awarded Servomation the contract for its campus vending services, adding SU to a client roster that has helped land the company on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies for five consecutive years. Bruno is also the new operator of Varsity Pizza, a University Hill staple that was transferred to the Bruno family in September 2026.

The company’s ties to Syracuse run deeper than vending. Bruno’s father, Mark, is a graduate of the Whitman School’s Executive MBA program. The elder Bruno came to the program during a turning point in his career: after helping steer the family’s vending business through a period of crisis, a sale to Howard Johnson and a subsequent shift into management under Marriott, he enrolled in the newly launched EMBA program on the encouragement of a friend, Dr. John Blasi.

The elder Bruno has credited the program—with its mix of full-time work, weekday study groups and weekend sessions—with giving him the confidence, credibility and skills to later manage more than 100 industry acquisitions across 22 states. He has called his Whitman MBA a cornerstone of his career.

Years later, his son launched Servomation, and the elder Bruno said he was thrilled to assist in realizing his vision. That family venture has now come full circle: the company built in part on lessons from a Whitman classroom is now supplying the technology reshaping how Whitman students eat.

Syracuse University Libraries’ LaunchPad, the University’s entrepreneurial hub, kicked off the Fall 2026 semester with its annual Ideas Fest pitch competition, held across five rooms in Bird Library on Sept. 16.

The event drew student entrepreneurs from various schools/colleges across campus, where they delivered a 90-second “elevator” pitch to a panel of judges. Judges in each pitch room selected two winners, with the first-place winnesr receiving $500 and the runners-up winners receiving $250. Prizes provide early-stage funding for student founders to help offset startup expenses.

First-place student winners were:

• Yanira Johnson ’27, College of Professional Studies
• Samuel Benoit ’28, School of Information Studies
• Stephen Swope ’26, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Keni James ’28, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Imad Adam ’30, College of Arts and Sciences

Runners-Up winners were:

• Evghenii Kiselev ’29, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Agbor Edouard Ransom ’27, School of Information Studies
• Taite Paradise ’29, College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Sunpaire Tagel ’30, Martin J. Whitman School of Management
• Yuila Ivanova G’27, Martin J. Whitman School of Management and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

The next LaunchPad pitch competition for freelancers, small businesses and creatives is scheduled to take place in Bird Library on Friday, Oct. 2, from noon to 3 p.m. Students interested in pitching should complete the ��by Sept. 28.

Growing up in Los Angeles, saw friends and family members struggle with eating disorders and watched the emotional and financial toll those illnesses took on patients and the people closest to them.

Once on the Syracuse University campus, she decided to do something about it and found the entrepreneurial resources on campus to help build her idea.

After consulting with clinicians along with patients in recovery and their parents, Greene developed , a predominantly free, clinically guided, eating disorder-specific digital platform to fill the gaps in the healthcare system.

“I built Miirror because I refused to watch people keep disappearing into a system that had no room for them,” says Greene, who earned an advertising degree from the . “There is no platform built specifically for eating disorders and around eating disorder recovery that works. This is the gap I am trying to fill, and every single day I wake up knowing exactly why this matters.”

Miirror offers inclusive and stigma-free tools, support circles, crisis resources and therapy matching, providing a safe space for those in recovery. The app is available on the App Store by searching “Miirror: Recovery Support.”

“I grew up wishing I could create a support system for the people I knew who had eating disorders instead of feeling like there was nothing I could do to help, so this is my way of helping people,” says Greene, who serves as Miirror’s chief executive officer and founder.

Creating Real Connections

The platform combines product development with clinical collaboration to reduce stigmas, address gaps in the healthcare system and create technology that meets patients where they are.

“We want users to have real human connection built into their experience from day one,” says Greene, who credits the , the in the and the with developing her entrepreneurial skills.

Greene says Miirror was used in a pilot program with an eating disorder clinic for clinical validation before being released to the public.

Among the app’s primary goals and features:

• a therapeutic toolbox with more than 20 evidence-based techniques users can access anytime, anywhere
• a clinician dashboard that lets providers monitor patients between sessions, “closing a gap that the current healthcare system doesn’t address,” Greene says.
• a patterns page that tracks a user’s progress over time, creating a recovery process that feels personal and measurable
• a peer mentorship component to reduce the isolation and loneliness patients often experience

Baseline features are free, while users seeking a more personalized experience can purchase premium upgrades.

For University students seeking help with an eating disorder, please visit for more information about the available treatments and support services offered through the Eating Disorder Treatment Team.

Collaborative Spirit Fuels Team Success

Running Miirror is a full-time job for Greene and her nine team members, all full-time students balancing classes, coursework and company responsibilities.

The platform features a research department, a branding department and a development team, and Greene meets weekly with each of the department heads to reflect on successes and share research updates.

“It’s not easy being part of a student-run startup company, but what has helped is creating that sense of community on the team,” says Greene, who organizes team building activities like a Miirror Friendsgiving where colleagues can laugh and bond with each other.

Greene has also assembled a team of medical clinicians who ensure all platform resources are evidence-based, so users can trust them in their recovery.

To date, Miirror has won more than $21,000 in grant money at business competitions, including a first-place finish in the health and wellness category at the New York Business Plan Regional competition.

“Building something meaningful means nothing without the right people behind it. Everyone on this team brings something irreplaceable, and I truly couldn’t do this without them,” Greene says.

Her team includes Jacob Kaplan ’28 (front-end app developer, School of Information Studies (iSchool)), Shahaan Khan ’26 (cloud infrastructure architect, iSchool), Danielle Ofir ’26 (human resources director, College of Arts and Sciences), Reese Yoon ’26 (research analyst, College of Arts and Sciences and iSchool), Bri Gordon ’28 (research analyst, College of Arts and Sciences), Meghan Hoffman (user experience/user interface product designer, University of Michigan), Cole Meredith ’26 (head of branding, Newhouse School), Fernanda Kligerman ’26 (brand and digital designer, College of Visual and Performing Arts) and Martin Beredo ’26 (social media manager, Newhouse School).

Syracuse University’s Center for the Creator Economy will host��the��second annual��, bringing together the top creators, industry executives and thinkers who work in this growing space. ��

This year’s theme,��“Owned and Operated,”��reflects the��upward momentum of the creator economy, a discipline with real infrastructure,��partnerships��and interest��in an age where��social media dominates trends and conversations.����

The event opens Thursday, Oct. 22, with a��kickoff��celebration��at 6 p.m.��in Flaum Grand Hall at the .��Whitman co-leads the����with the , bringing together��two leading��schools in their respective fields.����

The opening night program features��a keynote from��,��founder and CEO of COEY, an AI-first media technology company,��on��the past, present and future of the creator economy.��Murphy also founded��IZEA and��previously served as the company’s CEO.����

Launched in 2025, the center recently����as��its��new executive director.��Schram will recap the center’s first year��and present��findings from the center’s inaugural research study. The first night concludes with an��“Official After Glow” event at the��Gaming and Esports Center in Schine Student Center.��

Programming continues Friday, Oct. 23,��at the Whitman School��with��panels and workshops led by��alumni creators, influencers and industry professionals building the future of digital media.������

The Center for the Creator Economy is the first academic center of its kind. Its interdisciplinary work rests on four pillars:��academics,��research, policy��engagement��and support for creator-based ventures built by Syracuse��University��students,��alumni,��faculty��and��staff.��

Email��creatoreconomy@syr.edu��to learn more��about ’CUSE��Creator Con.����

Standing at the podium in the JMA Wireless Dome on Sept. 18, made a promise: the University will not retreat from the turbulence of the moment in which artificial intelligence, climate change and fraying democratic institutions are outpacing society’s ability to adapt.

Syracuse University will meet it directly.

“We must commit to being a place that reflects the full breadth of human experience, because the problems facing this world will not be solved by any one kind of mind,” Haynie said.

Students, he said, are not people waiting to become leaders—“you already are those people”—and the University’s obligation is not to shield them from difficulty but to forge in them the capacity to engage it.

To faculty, he asked them to model intellectual humility, to reach across disciplinary lines “with generosity, grace and civility,” and to hold students to standards that honor their potential.

Haynie referenced a 1966 speech Robert Kennedy delivered in Cape Town, South Africa, in which Kennedy described acts of moral courage as “ripples of hope” that build into unstoppable currents.

“We know that each time one of our graduates goes out into the world—and acts with courage and knowledge and care and clarity—they send forth a ripple,” he said. “And at our best, Syracuse University is where those ripples begin.”

Ceremony and Spirit

Haynie’s remarks capped an inauguration filled with enthusiasm, optimism, sentimental moments and Orange spirit.

Chancellor Emeritus Kent Syverud and Dr. Ruth Chen were in attendance, drawing a standing ovation. It was Chancellor Syverud’s first return to campus since beginning treatment for his cancer diagnosis. More than 30 college and university delegates from around the country were also present.

Music throughout the ceremony was provided by the Syracuse University Marching Band, University Singers and Hendricks Chapel Choir. OlaRose Ndubuisi ’29, a student in the College of Arts and Sciences and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the 2024-25 New York State Youth Poet Laureate, delivered an original poem that highlighted Haynie’s connection with students.

‘Mike Is Just Mike’

Vice Chancellor and Provost Lois Agnew said Haynie’s influence reaches well beyond Syracuse’s campus, particularly his advocacy for veterans’ education. Asked often what it’s like working alongside him, she said he doesn’t just talk about the work, he does it; and he doesn’t just say students are the University’s North Star—he lives it.

Vice President and Chief Facilities Officer Pete Sala said Haynie’s promise of partnership isn’t new. Sala said, “Mike is just Mike.” Sala recalled building the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building alongside him and watching him lead the University’s pandemic response in 2020 with clarity and decisiveness.

But what Sala’s own staff remembers the most is that Haynie fishes, works in his yard on Saturdays and opens every conversation by actually wanting to know how you’re doing.

Greetings for the chancellor were also offered by Emily Castillo-Melean ’28, president of the Student Government Association; Jennifer Karas Montez, University Professor and director of graduate studies in sociology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs; Trustee Alonna Berry ’11, president of the University’s Alumni Association; and trustees Shelly Fisher ’80 and Lisa Fontenelli ’86, co-chairs of the Chancellor’s Search Committee.

‘One of the Best Decisions This University Has Made’

Keynote speaker Melvin Stith G’73, G’78, dean emeritus of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, opened his remarks with two words that got the biggest laugh of the day: “You’re welcome.”

Stith, a Vietnam Army veteran, spoke of how 20 years ago, Haynie, a young Air Force veteran, walked into his office to interview for a job teaching entrepreneurship.

“There was something about him,” Stith said. “He captured me from the first conversation.”

Haynie already had a competing offer from Ohio State’s business school, so Stith moved fast to put a Syracuse offer in Haynie’s hands. “That, my friends, is how Whitman hired Mike Haynie,” Stith said, “and it’s one of the best decisions this university has ever made.”

Stith recalled how two months into the job, Haynie came back with an idea to build a bootcamp teaching entrepreneurship to veterans with disabilities and to make it free.

Seventeen veterans showed up for that first Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans in 2007. Four years later, Haynie founded what became the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, which eventually anchored the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building.

Today, those programs have reached more than 235,000 veterans, service members and military families. “One idea, one conversation in my office,” Stith said, “launched a Universitywide commitment that has changed thousands of lives.”

Board of Trustees Chairman Jeffrey Scruggs said that Haynie is the right person to lead Syracuse University into the future. “Chancellor Haynie brings the record of a proven scholar, a celebrated educator, a collaborative builder, a tenacious innovator and a widely respected leader in higher education,” Scruggs said. “Syracuse is fortunate to have a leader of this caliber guiding the University as it continues to build its standing among the world’s great private universities.”

During the Charge of Office and Medallion Presentation, Scruggs placed the Chancellor’s Medallion around his neck and delivered the charge that comes with it: to govern with integrity, to guard the University’s freedom to teach, learn and question without fear, and to build on what his predecessors built.

Moving Ahead With a Promise

Haynie said he stood in front of the University community with a promise.

“We will ask the right questions, together, with honesty and without fear. We will not mistake comfort for excellence. We will not mistake tradition for wisdom,” he said. “Instead, we will engage the world as it is, in all its speed and strangeness and moral complexity. And we will do that because it’s the only honest starting point. And because we understand that engaging what unsettles us is not capitulation, but instead it’s the precondition of transformation.”

The at Syracuse University Libraries has announced Eric Alderman L’75 as its latest Faculty Entrepreneur in Residence for the 2026-2027 academic year. Alderman attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and . A Syracuse native, he has practiced law for most of his career, founded multiple businesses and has taught in the for many years. In 2025, he received Whitman’s George R. Burman Entrepreneurial Leadership Award in recognition of his contributions to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial education.

As Entrepreneur in Residence, Alderman will provide students with practical guidance as they navigate the entrepreneurial process. His mentoring will focus on areas including business strategy, venture formation, legal and organizational considerations, financing, negotiation, operations and the transition from an idea to a sustainable business. Students interested in meeting with him can connect through the LaunchPad at Syracuse University Libraries.

“Entrepreneurship is rarely a straight line,” Alderman says. “Students need advisors who have been through the process and who can help them recognize opportunities, understand risks and make better decisions. There is tremendous entrepreneurial talent at Syracuse, and I’m excited to be part of helping students turn their ideas into action.”

“We know Eric Alderman well in the LaunchPad and appreciate his mentoring of students and frequent participation at our business planning competitions,” said Dean David Seaman. “He understands that students need someone who will listen, challenge their assumptions and help them determine what comes next. It is a delight to continue our partnership with Eric as Faculty Entrepreneur in Residence and to extend our close relationship with Whitman.”

The LaunchPad’s Faculty Entrepreneur in Residence program connects student innovators with experienced faculty members who are entrepreneurs and business leaders and who can provide individualized mentoring and perspective. Previous LaunchPad Faculty Entrepreneurs in Residence have included John Torrens, chair of Whitman’s Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises program and three-time ’CUSE50 Awardee for his entrepreneurial ventures, and Don Carr, VPA School of Design faculty member and accomplished industrial and interaction designer, patent holder and inventor.

The����is Syracuse University’s innovation hub, connecting the campus resource-rich ecosystem with a global network that provides support for aspiring entrepreneurs, inventors and creators. The program serves faculty, staff, students and recent alumni across all disciplines who are interested in entrepreneurship, venture creation and innovation careers. The program supports a key pillar of Syracuse University’s academic strategic plan to give students experiential opportunities that help prepare them to be trailblazers in an entrepreneurial world.

With summer and graduation season in the rearview, a new class of seniors is thinking ahead to life after Syracuse.

To help, Syracuse University Today asked , executive director of career services and employer relations in the , for some straight talk on how to approach a job search today.

Primrose, who has shaped career development efforts for Whitman students since 2008, offered advice on how to build a resume and how to approach networking.��Whether you’re a senior gearing up to apply or a recent graduate still in the search, she says the attitude you bring to the search, and a willingness to keep showing up, can make all the difference.

Find that advice and more from Primrose below:

Mark your calendar: The Summit kicks off festivities on Thursday, Sept. 17.

Reflecting Chancellor Haynie’s belief that the University’s greatest strength is its people, The Summit invites the University community to explore the ideas, people and collaboration defining Syracuse University’s future.

The schedule is designed so community members can drop in for a single session or take part in the entire day.

The Passport Challenge

Pick up a limited-edition Syracuse keychain and event passport in Panasci Lounge during the Summit Showcase, then collect three different commemorative charms as you move through the day. Complete at least five passport activities and turn it in at Orange Fest on Sept. 18 for a chance to win tickets to the University Suite at a men’s basketball game. Also stop by for inauguration keepsakes, including blankets and drinkware, showing your Syracuse University spirit.

Start the Day With Big Ideas

Head to Schine Student Center at 9 a.m. for the Syracuse Summit Showcase, where schools and colleges from across campus will have tables organized around five themes: artificial intelligence, experiential inquiry, creating (innovation, invention and design), engagement and access. Presentations include the following:

• Check out hands-on demos, including an immersive crime scene experience from Forensic and National Security Sciences; live hearing tests from the Gebbie Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic team; and inventions built by students from Invent@SU.
• The College of Engineering and Computer Science and School of Information Studies are teaming up on an AI and robotics showcase.
• The Newhouse School of Public Communications will spotlight student-led national reporting alongside an interactive opportunity with the Center for the Creator Economy.
• The College of Arts and Sciences will showcase community-engaged humanistic scholarship and its impact on the Syracuse community.
• The College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) will showcase art, design and performances across all disciplines.
• Other participants also include the School of Architecture, Falk College, the College of Law, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the National Veterans Resource Center.

Keynote: Future in Focus

At noon, Goldstein Auditorium is the place for Future in Focus, where members of our community will share personal stories of change, resilience and reinvention through a series of short talks.

Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. for a complimentary lunch buffet, and the program will begin at noon.

An Afternoon of Discovery

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., there will be a full slate of collaborative sessions across campus.

• Discover study abroad and away. Find out about the variety of opportunities available from representatives on the Quad (11 a.m.-3 p.m.).
• Committing to Academic Access and Inclusion for All Learners at SU and Beyond (1-1:45 p.m., Huntington Hall Commons), a panel with the School of Education, College of Law and College of Professional Studies.
• VPA in the Making: Ideas, Experiments, Performances and Possibilities (1-5 p.m., first floor, Shaffer Art Building), featuring a college-wide exhibition of student, faculty and alumni work, with pop-up performances in Shemin Auditorium.
• Game Changers: A Conversation with Mike Levine of CAA Sports (2-3 p.m., Flaum Grand Hall, Whitman School of Management). Levine, the co-founder of CAA’s Sports Division, talks career and the business of sports media with Falk College Dean Jeremy Jordan.
• Veteran and Military-Connected Syracuse: Education, Research and Impact (3-4:30 p.m., National Veterans Resource Center Lobby). Meet student veterans and ROTC cadets, tour the Hall of Honor and NVRC Gallery, and grab complimentary coffee from the Canteen Café.
• Solving Grand Challenges Together (3-3:45 p.m., Schine Student Center). College of Arts and Sciences faculty and researchers dig into interdisciplinary work spanning the University.
• The 38th Annual Herbert Lourie Memorial Lecture on Health Policy (3:30-5 p.m., Strasser Legacy Room, Eggers Hall). Journalist and author Gary Taubes will speak on diet, disease and the limits of scientific consensus.
• AI Across Syracuse: Ideas, Innovation and Impact (4-4:45 p.m., Schine Student Center). Faculty from across the University will share how their program, unit or initiative is working with AI and why it matters.

Elsewhere, don’t miss two exhibitions at Bird Library: “” (all day) tracing the impact of the University’s 13 chancellors across more than 150 years, and “” (2 to 5 p.m.), a University Archives pop-up on how students have driven change on campus.

On the Einhorn Walk, stop by “Charting Our Future Together.” At this interactive station, you can add your own ideas about where Syracuse should be headed, from what campus looks like in 20 years to what every student should experience by 2045.