As part of the on-going and growing collaboration between Le Moyne’s Madden School of Business and the iSchool at Syracuse University, Mike D’Eredita ’92 has been named director of the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, which is housed in Madden.
D’Eredita will become a faculty member of Madden’s management and leadership program, while continuing to teach the popular “What’s the Big Idea” (WTBI) course at the iSchool. He has been at SU since 2000, teaching courses in organizational behavior, information technology and design, and helping to establish a start-up minor.
“In my years of experience with Syracuse University’s student start-up program, I have witnessed the impact an entrepreneurial focus can have on student’s development while increasing the utility of an educational institution to its local and global communities,” said D’Eredita. “I look forward to working with the team of entrepreneurially minded individuals that has been assembled at Le Moyne and playing a role in accelerating the emerging entrepreneurial efforts at the College.”
“This is the next logical step for the Madden-iSchool partnership,” said Madden Dean Jim Joseph ’83. “In addition to Mike’s new role here, WTBI will be available to Le Moyne students, and they will also have the opportunity to join SU students on immersion trips to meet with some of the country’s most influential companies, like Apple, Google and Tesla, as well as emerging start-ups.” These trips include travel to Silicon Valley, Seattle-Portland, Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C., with Dublin being added in the coming year.
“During his years at the iSchool, Mike has established himself as true leader and innovator in entrepreneurial education,” said iSchool Dean Elizabeth Liddy. “I’m pleased that he will continue his work at SU, while serving to strengthen our burgeoning relationship with the Madden School of Business. It really is a win-win proposition for both institutions.”
In addition to teaching as a professor of practice, D’Eredita’s other accomplishments include helping to establish the Syracuse Student Sandbox, creating a campus-wide startup competition and involvement with the hiring of SU’s first Entrepreneur in Residence. He is also the co-founder of four businesses and is the high performance director of the Portuguese National Rowing Team, having coached rowing at the international level since 2000. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in physics from Le Moyne in 1992 and went on to obtain a Master of Science in Experimental/Cognitive Psychology and a Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental/Cognitive Psychology, both from Syracuse University.
D’Eredita takes over as director of the Keenan Center from John Zogby ’70, who has been director since 2016. In the role, the director helps develop a strategic vision and plan to position the Center as a driving force for economic development within the Upstate New York small business community through entrepreneurial leadership, education, opportunity and training.
“I would like to thank John Zogby for his work and service to his alma mater,” said Joseph. “In addition to the tremendous leadership qualities he brought to the position, he was instrumental in helping to elevate awareness of the Keenan Center on the regional and national stage.”
This is latest example of collaboration between the two schools. In December 2017, a new academic partnership between the Madden School of Business and the iSchool was announced, enabling students enrolled in masters programs at both Le Moyne and Syracuse University to take courses at their sister institutions - Madden School students will study data science and information security management at SU, while iSchool students can benefit from Le Moyne's expertise in health information systems and enterprise systems. In addition, since 2015 a Fast Track program between the iSchool and Le Moyne allows students to earn an accelerated master’s degree – in information management or library and information science – by beginning their graduate coursework their senior year.