Syracuse University is making its presence known on the West Coast with the opening of the SU Los Angeles center.

Similar to the Joseph I. Lubin House in New York City and the Paul Greenberg House in Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles center will serve as a way to reach out to the tremendous alumni base within Southern California, said Joan Adler, senior director of development in Los Angeles.

‘L.A. is an important place to be,’ said Dugald Gillies, director of the Paul Greenberg House in Washington, D.C. ‘There are so many reasons to be there.’

Adler, a 1976 graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, was hired by SU last April to head up the development of a Los Angeles permanent center.

‘I am passionate about SU. I love the school and the people,’ said Adler, a Syracuse native and longtime resident of Los Angeles. ‘I also love Los Angeles. The L.A. center will be a great way to reconnect with people in L.A. who also had a great experience at SU.

‘There are so many alumni in Los Angeles, but there has been no easy way to get in touch with people until now.’

The L.A. center is currently using office space donated by SU alumnus Marshall Gelfand, but is looking for a permanent location, Adler said.

The Center is currently working on alumni outreach with a ‘series of cultural events that will appeal to a diverse audience,’ Adler said. ‘The events will not be geared to one age, major, or special interest group.’

SULA hosted a kickoff event Tuesday in honor of the men’s basketball head coach, Jim Boeheim. The event celebrated Boeheim’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Boeheim and Daryl Gross, SU director of athletics, were both present at the event, Adler said.

‘We were thrilled to be able to honor him here,’ Adler said. ‘The L.A. alumni often feel sports-starved.’

Other alumni events include a Nov. 12 screening of top films from the 2005 Syracuse International Film and Video Festival, as well as a Jerome Witkin gallery show and book signing on Jan. 18.

Along with alumni activities, within the next few years, SU Los Angeles hopes to eventually offer a semester internship program similar to the one currently offered in Washington, D.C., Adler said. The semester program will focus on Newhouse and the College of Visual and Performing Arts students, but it will be a ‘university-wide opportunity,’ Adler said.

‘The university has had an occasional presence in L.A. before,’ Gillies said. ‘It is exciting to think about the opportunities having a permanent presence will bring for alumni and current students.’

The Los Angeles center will also help out with the annual weeklong Newhouse trip to Los Angeles headed up by Larry Martin, the assistant vice president for program development.

Every year, 12 Newhouse seniors or graduate students are chosen to go to Los Angeles for a weeklong event at the beginning of January. The students meet and network with a variety of alumni in the entertainment industry, Martin said.

‘They are given a firsthand and comprehensive look at all aspects of the entertainment business,’ Martin said.

In the past, the students have met with such entertainment legends as Dick Clark, who is also an SU alumnus. The alumni are always very excited to meet with current students, Adler said.

Current SU students are excited about the opportunities having a center in Los Angeles will bring.

‘It would be so exciting to be involved in the film industry and see how it works, and what goes on behind the scenes,’ said Dan Brown, a freshman television, radio and film major. ‘I would love the opportunity to study in L.A.’

Published on October 11, 2005 at 12:00 pm