SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University (SU) on Tuesday, Sept. 30, launched its new Center for the Creator Economy, which describes it as “the first academic center of its kind on a U.S. college campus.”
The center will “position the university at the forefront” of research, education and thought leadership within the rapidly expanding creator-driven economic landscape, SU contends. It’s a joint venture between the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the university noted.
As described in the SU announcement, the creator economy is reshaping how ideas, products, and services are marketed and monetized. It involves “a new class of content creators” from podcasters and streamers to influencers and digital artists. Platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Substack, and Twitch now serve as engines of commerce and influence.
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“The creator economy represents one of the most significant cultural and commercial transformations of our time,” Mike Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and executive dean of the Whitman School, said in the SU announcement. “With this bold new center, Syracuse is seizing the opportunity to lead — not follow — in preparing students to thrive at the intersection of creativity, commerce and digital innovation. Today’s college students are more entrepreneurial than ever before, driven to build personal brands that not only generate income but also give them the freedom to be their own boss, set their own hours and shape their own professional potential.”
Syracuse will celebrate the center’s launch later this fall with on-campus events and simultaneous programming at its campuses in New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Its role
The center will provide undergraduate and graduate courses in creative content, audience engagement, and digital strategy; workshops and executive education for students and professionals, from personal branding to influencer law; and a speaker series and showcases.
It’ll also provide on-campus incubators and makerspaces with mentorship and funding for student ventures, along with sponsoring and publishing research on creator-economy trends.
The center will also partner with Syracuse Athletics and the Falk College of Sport to help student-athletes and the University compete in the changing athletics landscape, SU said.
“This center speaks directly to the aspirations of current and prospective students, many of whom already see themselves as creators, innovators and entrepreneurs,” Mark Lodato, dean of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, said in the announcement. “It’s about meeting them where they are — and preparing them to lead in the world that’s coming.”
Goldman Sachs estimates the creator economy will approach $500 billion by 2027, with the global-creator community growing 10 to 20 percent annually, SU said. Nearly half of U.S. teenagers already earn income through digital channels — an economic shift with “major implications for how universities must support the entrepreneurial needs of young people.”
