The LA SemeSTer

The LA Semester
Help Turn Entertainment’s Power Center into a Learning Laboratory
For nearly a century, Los Angeles has been the entertainment capital of
the world. From the offices of major studios to sound stages to production
companies, the industry’s more than 117,000 employees generate upwards
of $38 billion in revenue annually.
What better place for students to immerse themselves? To learn from
industry leaders? To gain the kind of real-world experience and insight that
will give them an edge in a competitive field? With your support of Syracuse
University’s LA Semester, you can make all of this possible.
University-Industry Partnerships Give Students an Edge
You needn’t look far to find Syracuse University
alumni at work in the entertainment industry. Through
their tremendous achievements, SU has gained an
international reputation for preparing students to
excel in the field.
This reputation is due in large part to our
vision of Scholarship in Action. Championed by
Chancellor Nancy Cantor, dynamic university-industry
partnerships provide students with real-world insight.
Critical thinking skills. The powerful support of SU’s
alumni network. And ultimately, an enviable edge in
highly competitive fields.
Now we have an opportunity to build on our
strengths. An opportunity to involve more students.
To provide an even more intense, more immersive
experience. To increase exponentially the number of
sharp, insightful, and well-prepared graduates ready
to take their place in the entertainment industry.
Supported by Aaron Sorkin ’83 (second from left), the highly sought-after
Sorkin in LA Learning Practicum offers VPA students a hit-the-studios-running
immersion in the heart of the film and television industries. Established in
2006, “Sorkin Week” involves a growing number of well-placed industry alumni
who offer students internships and experiential learning opportunities like
no other.
To Live and Learn in LA
Using Sorkin Week and the Los Angeles Industry
Seminar as a foundation—and following successful
formulas employed in our New York City and
Washington, D.C., centers—Syracuse University is
establishing a full-semester experiential learning
program based in LA.
During The LA Semester, 30 students from
the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
will be immersed in the day-to-day operations
of one of the entertainment industry’s most
power ful hubs.
The LA Semester is built around a 20-hour-perweek internship matched to each student’s interests
and abilities. Internships will span a range of
disciplines, including animation, music, digital media,
casting, editing, film and television development and
production, pre- and post-production, and marketing
and distribution. In addition, students will attend
some classes in their respective majors on the
Universal Studios lot in Hollywood, and will be able
to select from a variety of online courses offered by
The College of Arts and Sciences.
The Crucial Industry Link
Whether in the classroom or in the business
environment, students will have regular contact with
industry leaders. Among the notables who have
committed to participating in the classroom are talent
agent Rob Light ’78, studio executive Ron Meyer, and
television legend Fred Silverman ’58.
The program will also tap into our extensive
network of LA alumni for guest speakers. While
certain speakers will be exclusive to the LA-based
students, others will be shared with students on the
Syracuse campus via teleconferencing.
Key faculty from both Newhouse and VPA
will make periodic visits to LA to conduct special
seminars and workshops, not only maintaining vital
connections with their students, but strengthening
their relationships with working professionals.
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Planting the Seed of a Multifaceted Campus
Syracuse University continues to attract students
with an entrepreneurial mindset. And the strength,
depth, and expertise of our Los Angeles alumni base
are unrivaled. The LA Semester will allow students
to hone the skills they learn in the classroom while
it creates a context for discovery and meaningful
exchanges among students, faculty, industry leaders,
and alumni.
In time, The LA Semester will expand into a
Los Angeles program portfolio—a multifaceted SU
campus that will serve the needs of other schools
and colleges, including the School of Architecture,
the iSchool, the College of Human Ecology, and the
Martin J. Whitman School of Management.
While initial funding for The LA Semester is being
provided by a Chancellor’s Leadership Grant, alumni
support will be critical to the immediate and future
success of this important project.
To Learn More…
For more information about The
LA Semester and the many ways
you can support it, contact:
Lorraine Branham, Dean
S. I. Newhouse School of
Public Communications
315.443.3627
lbranham@syr.edu
Ann C. Clarke, Dean
College of Visual and
Performing Arts
315.443.5955
anclarke@syr.edu
Andrea Asimow
Program Director
The LA Semester
310.445.8878
SemesterinLA@syr.edu
Since 1984, graduate students
from the Newhouse School’s
television-radio-film program have
attended the Los Angeles Industry
Seminar, where they spend a week
gaining firsthand knowledge from
experts like film and television
production manager Burt Bluestein
’61 (left). During these “Hollywood
Seminars,” the students meet
one-on-one with SU alumni in the
industry, visit studio lots to learn
from working professionals, and
attend theater performances and
television tapings.
LASemester.syr.edu
LA Semester Advisors
This talent-heavy group
of Syracuse alumni is
spearheading the strategy
behind The LA Semester:
Larry Barron ’87
Jason Blumenthal ’90
Suzanne DePasse ’68
The multidisciplinary Bandier
Program for Music and the
Entertainment Industries gives
students—shown here with hiphop artist, producer, and viral
marketing pioneer Soulja Boy
Tell ’Em (center)—a thorough
understanding of the business
side of music and entertainment.
Made possible by a gift from
Martin Bandier ’62, the program
prepares students with a rigorous
curriculum, weekly contact with
industry pros, hands-on learning
opportunities, and study abroad
in London, England.
Brian Frons ’78
Marshall Gelfand ’50
Andrew Gumpert ’89
Rob Light ’78
Howard G. Phanstiel ’70, G’71
Phil Quartararo ’77
Fred Silverman ’58
Aaron Sorkin ’83
S yrac use Unive rsity
11400 Olympic Boulevard
Suite 200
Los Angeles, California 90064
campaign.syr.edu