The School of Information Studies has entered a multi-year partnership with the city of Syracuse and Microsoft to explore technological and economic developments in the city, SU announced on Tuesday.

The collaboration will work to push Mayor Ben Walsh’s Syracuse Surge initiative forward and advance city goals in public safety, energy and job creation, according to an SU News release. The Surge is a $200 million project that includes a series of initiatives meant to spark technological and economic growth throughout the city.

All three partners previously met at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. They discussed ways the collaboration can improve Syracuse’s services and quality of life while reinforcing the individual interests of the city, university and Microsoft. SU students will gain career experience through the initiative, Arthur Thomas, associate dean for academic affairs at the iSchool, said in the release.

Multiple projects have already been explored through the collaboration in sectors including education and training and accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities. In the next year, the partners will work on those projects and consider additional ideas, per the release.

Walsh unveiled his Surge initiative in his January 2019 “State of the City” address. Projects include renovating the now-defunct Central Technical High School into the Southside Campus for the New Economy in downtown Syracuse. Much of the initiative is focused on redeveloping the southeast area of downtown. In January, Walsh said it could be the biggest economic growth plan ever proposed by city government, per Syracuse.com.

Several new building developments are part of the Surge initiative as well, including a new headquarters for The Allyn Family Foundation, an expansion to the Marriott Syracuse downtown, and the National Veterans Resource Center at SU.

The iSchool has worked with the city in the past through its iConsult Collaborative, meant to facilitate student experience through local technology projects. The collaborative previously developed a new website for the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office.

SU’s iSchool also has a Smart Grid Research Center that studies digital technologies in the electric grid. The Autonomous Systems Policy Institute researches questions surrounding the development of drones and autonomous systems. New York state invested $5 million to manage a drone corridor spanning from Syracuse to Rome, New York.

Microsoft has in the past recruited iSchool graduates and attended the school’s career fairs. Jack Ryder, Microsoft’s chief financial officers in the Americas, is a Class of 1986 graduate and sits on the iSchool’s Board of Advisers.

In the release, Walsh said the partnership will help the city “more rapidly accomplish” his goal of turning Syracuse into a growing city. According to census data, the city’s population increased by 0.32% between 2017 and 2018. This comes after decades of population decline.

Published on October 8, 2019 at 9:36 pm

Contact Gabe: gkstern@syr.edu | @gabestern326