{{infobox university | name

Syracuse University | image_name Syracuse University Seal.svg | caption | motto | mottoeng Knowledge crowns those who seek her | established March 24, 1870 | type Private, Nonsectarian, Coeducational | endowment $975 million | chancellor Nancy Cantor |provost Eric Spina | city Syracuse |state New York | country United States | coor | students 20,407 | undergrad 14,201 | postgrad 6,206 | faculty 1,513 | campus Urban, 200 acres | colors Orange | nickname Orange | mascot Otto the Orange | athletics 20 varsity teamsNCAA Division IBig East, CHA, EARCACC (pending) |free_label Newspaper |free The Daily Orange | affiliations Middle States Commission on Higher Education | fightsong "Down the Field" | website www.syr.edu | logo | free | free_label }}

Syracuse University, commonly referred to as Syracuse, 'Cuse, or SU, is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College. Following several years of debate over relocating the college to Syracuse, the university was founded independent of the college in 1870. Since 1920, the university has identified itself as nonsectarian, although it maintains a relationship with The United Methodist Church. Syracuse was elected to the Association of American Universities in 1966 but withdrew its membership in 2011 due to diverging views in evaluating criteria between the University and the AAU.

The campus is located in the University Hill neighborhood of Syracuse, east and southeast of downtown, on one of the larger hills. Its large campus features an eclectic mix of buildings, ranging from nineteenth-century Romanesque structures to contemporary buildings. SU is organized into 13 schools and colleges, with nationally recognized programs in information studies and library science, architecture, communications, business administration, public administration, engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Syracuse University athletic teams, known as the Orange, participate in 20 intercollegiate sports. SU is a member of the Big East Conference for all NCAA Division I athletics, except for women's ice hockey, and the rowing team. SU is also a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference.

History[link]

Founding[link]

The Genesee Wesleyan Seminary was founded in 1832 by the Genesee Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Lima, New York, south of Rochester. In 1850, it was resolved to enlarge the institution from a seminary into a college, or to connect a college with the seminary, becoming Genesee College. However, the location was soon thought by many to be insufficiently central. Its difficulties were compounded by the next set of technological changes: the railroad that displaced the Erie Canal as the region's economic engine bypassed Lima completely. The trustees of the struggling college then decided to seek a locale whose economic and transportation advantages could provide a better base of support. The college began looking for a new home at the same time that Syracuse, ninety miles to the east, was engaged in a search to bring a university to the city, having failed to convince Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White to locate Cornell University there rather than in Ithaca. White pressed that the university should locate on the hill in Syracuse (the current location of Syracuse University) due to the city's attractive transportation hub, which would ease the recruitment of faculty, students, and other persons of note. However, as a young carpenter working in Syracuse, Cornell had been twice robbed of his wages, and thereafter considered Syracuse a Sodom and Gomorrah insisting that the university be located in Ithaca on his large farm on East Hill, overlooking the town and Cayuga Lake.

Meanwhile, there were several years of dispute between the Methodist ministers, Lima, and contending cities across the state, over proposals to move Genesee College to Syracuse. At the time, the ministers wanted a share of the funds from the Morrill Land Grant Act for Genesee College. Eventually, they agreed to a quid-pro quo donation of $25,000 from Ezra Cornell in exchange for their support for his bill. Cornell insisted the bargain be written into the bill and Cornell became New York State's Land Grant University in 1865. In 1869, Genesee College obtained New York State approval to move to Syracuse, but Lima got a court injunction to block the move, and Genesee stayed in Lima until it was dissolved in 1875. At its founding on March 24, 1870, the state of New York granted the University its charter independent of Genesee College. The City of Syracuse offered $100,000 to establish the school. Bishop Jesse Truesdell Peck donated $25,000 to the proposed school and was elected the first president of the Board of Trustees. Rev. Daniel Steele, a former Genesee College president, served as the first administrative leader of Syracuse until its Chancellor was appointed. The university opened in September 1871 in rented space downtown. George F. Comstock, a member of the new University's Board of Trustees, had offered the school of farmland on a hillside to the southeast of the city center. Comstock intended Syracuse University and the hill to develop as an integrated whole; a contemporary account described the latter as "a beautiful town ... springing up on the hillside and a community of refined and cultivated membership ... established near the spot which will soon be the center of a great and beneficent educational institution."

The university was founded as coeducational, and President Peck stated at the opening ceremonies, "The conditions of admission shall be equal to all persons... there shall be no invidious discrimination here against woman.... brains and heart shall have a fair chance... " Syracuse implemented this policy with a high proportion of women students. The ratio between male and female students during the 19th century in the College of Liberal Arts was approximately even. The College of Fine Arts was predominantly female, and a low ratio of women enrolled as students in the College of Medicine and the College of Law. Men and women were taught together in the same courses, and many extra-curricular activities were coeducational as well. Syracuse also developed "women-only" organizations, such as the Ladies' Glee Club, the Y.W.C.A. and various sororities.

Expansion[link]

Coeducation at Syracuse traced its roots to the early days of the Genesee College where suffragists like Frances Willard and Belva Lockwood began to distinguish themselves nationally. However, the progressive "co-ed" policies initiated at Genesee would soon find controversy at the new university in Syracuse. Colleges and universities admitted few women students in the 1870s. Administrators and faculty argued women had inferior minds and could not master mathematics and the classics. Dr. Erastus Otis Haven, Syracuse University chancellor and former president of the University of Michigan and Northwestern University, maintained that women should receive the advantages of higher education. He enrolled his daughter, Frances, at SU, where she was initiated in the newly formed Gamma Phi Beta sorority.

In the late 1880s the University resumed construction on the south side of University Place. Holden Observatory (1887) was followed by two Romanesque Revival buildings – von Ranke Library (1889), now Tolley Administration Building, and Crouse College (1889). Together with the Hall of Languages, these first buildings formed the basis for the "Old Row," a grouping which, along with its companion Lawn, established one of Syracuse's most enduring images. The emphatically linear organization of these buildings along the brow of the hill follows a tradition of American campus planning which dates to the construction of the "Yale Row" in the 1790s. At Syracuse, the Old Row continued to provide the framework for growth well into the twentieth century.

From its founding until through early 1920s, the University grew rapidly. It offered programs in the physical sciences and modern languages, and in 1873, Syracuse added one of the first architecture programs in the U.S. In 1874, Syracuse created the nation's first bachelor of fine arts degree, and in 1876, the school offered its first post-graduate courses in the College of Arts and Sciences. SU created its first doctoral program in 1911. SU's school of journalism, now the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, was established at Syracuse in 1934.

The growth of Syracuse University from a small liberal arts college into a major comprehensive university were due to the efforts of two men, Chancellor James Day and John Archbold. James Roscoe Day was serving the Calvary Church in New York City where he befriended Archbold. Together, the two dynamic figures would oversee the first of two great periods of campus renewal in Syracuse's history.

John Dustin Archbold was a capitalist, philanthropist, and President of the Board of Trustees at Syracuse University. He was known as John D. Rockefeller’s right hand man and successor at the Standard Oil Company. He was a close friend of Syracuse University Chancellor James R. Day, and gave almost $6 million to the University over his lifetime. Said a journalist in 1917:

Mr. Archbold’s ... is the president of the board of trustees of Syracuse University, an institution which has prospered so remarkably since his connection with it that its student roll has increased from hundreds to over 4,000, including 1,500 young women, placing it in the ranks of the foremost institutions of learning in the United States.

In addition to keeping the university financially solvent during its early years, he also contributed funds for eight buildings, including the full cost of Archbold Stadium (opened 1907, demolished 1978), Sims Hall (men's dormitory, 1907), the Archbold Gymnasium (1909, nearly destroyed by fire in 1947, but still in use), and the oval athletic field.

Modern[link]

After World War II, Syracuse University began to transform into a major research institution. Enrollment increased in the four years after the war due to the G.I. Bill, which paid tuition, room, board, and a small allowance for veterans returning from World War II. In 1946, SU admitted 9,464 freshmen, nearly four times greater than the previous incoming class. Branch campuses were established in Endicott, New York and Utica, New York.

The velocity with which the university sped through its change into a major research institution was astounding. By the end of the 1950s, Syracuse ranked twelfth nationally in terms of the amount of its sponsored research, and it had over four hundred professors and graduate students engaging in that investigation.

From the early 1950s through the 1960s, Syracuse University added programs and staff that continued the transformation of the school into a research university. In 1954, Arthur Phillips was recruited from MIT and started the first pathogen-free animal research laboratory. The lab focused on studying medical problems using animal models. The School of Social Work, which eventually merged into the College of Human Ecology, was founded in 1956. Syracuse's College of Engineering also founded the nation's second oldest computer engineering and bioengineering programs. In 1962, Samuel Irving Newhouse, Sr. donated $15 million to begin construction of a school of communications, eventually known as the SI Newhouse School of Public Communications. In 1966, Syracuse University was admitted to the Association of American Universities, an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education.

Schools and colleges of Syracuse University (date of founding)
!Undergraduate	colspan="2"	University College1918		rowspan="2"	rowspan="2"
!Graduate		Graduate School1912	Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs1924

Pan Am Flight 103[link]

On December 21, 1988, 35 Syracuse University students were killed in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The students were returning from a study-abroad program in Europe.

That evening, Syracuse University went on with a basketball game just hours after the attack, for which it was severely criticized. The conduct of university officials in making the decision was also brought to the attention of the NCAA. The day after the bombing, the university's chancellor, Melvin A. Eggers, said on nationwide television that he should have canceled the event. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, the NCAA ordered ''all'' football games scheduled for the weekend after the attacks canceled so that schools do not make the same mistake Syracuse University did after Pan Am Flight 103.

In April 1990, Syracuse University dedicated a memorial wall to the students killed on Flight 103, constructed at the entrance to the main campus in front of the Hall of Languages. Every year the university holds "Remembrance Week" during the fall semester to commemorate the students. On December 21 a service in the university's chapel at 2:03 p.m. (19:03 UTC) marks the exact minute on that date in 1988 when the plane exploded. The University also maintains a link to the tragedy with the "Remembrance Scholars" program, when 35 senior students receive scholarships during their final year at the University. With the "Lockerbie Scholars" program, two graduating students from Lockerbie Academy study at Syracuse for one year.

Campus[link]

The university is set on a campus that features an eclectic mix of buildings, ranging from nineteenth-century Romanesque structures to contemporary buildings designed by renowned architects such as I.M. Pei. The center of campus, with its grass quadrangle, landscaped walkways, and outdoor sculptures, offers students the amenities of a traditional college experience. The university overlooks downtown Syracuse, a medium-sized city (140,600 residents in 2008). The school also owns a Sheraton Hotel, Drumlins Country Club—a nearby golf course, the Joseph I. Lubin House in New York City, the Paul Greenberg House in Washington, D.C., and the Minnowbrook Conference Center, a 30 acre (121,000 m²) retreat in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York.

Main campus[link]

Also called "North Campus," the Main Campus contains nearly all academic buildings and residence halls. Its centerpiece is "The Quad", which is surrounded by academic and administrative buildings. The North Campus represents a large portion of the University Hill neighborhood. Buses run to South Campus, as well as downtown Syracuse and other locations in the city. About 70 percent of students live in University housing. First- and second-year students are required to live on campus. All 22 residence halls are coeducational and each contain a lounge, laundry facility, and various social/study spaces. Residence halls are secured with a card access system. Residence halls are located on both Main Campus and South Campus, the latter of which is a five minute ride via bus. Learning communities and interest housing options are also available. Food facilities include six residential dining centers, two food courts, and several cafes.

The Comstock Tract Buildings, a historic district of older buildings on the campus, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Three buildings on campus—the Crouse Memorial College and the Hall of Languages, and the Pi Chapter House of Psi Upsilon Fraternity—are individually listed on the National Register.

A few blocks walk from Main Campus on East Genesee St, the Syracuse Stage building includes two proscenium theatres. The Storch is used primarily by the Drama Department and the Archbold is used primarily by Syracuse Stage, a professional regional theatre.

South campus[link]

After World War II, a large, undeveloped hill owned by the university was used to house returning veterans in military-style campus housing. During the 1970s, this housing was replaced by permanent two-level townhouses for two or three students each, or for graduate family housing. There are also three small residence halls which feature open doubles and a kitchen on every floor. South Campus is also home to the Institute for Sensory Research, Tennity Ice Pavilion, Goldstein Student Center, Skytop Office Building and 621 Skytop Road (for administration), and the InnComplete Pub, a graduate student bar. Just north is the headquarters of SU Athletics located in the Manley Athletics Complex. Approximately 2,500 students live on the South Campus, which is connected to the main campus by frequent bus service.

Downtown[link]

In December 2004, the university announced that it had purchased or leased twelve buildings in downtown Syracuse. Five Design Programs; Communication, Advertising, Interiors, Industrial, and Fashion; reside permanently in the newly renovated facilities, fittingly called The Warehouse, which was renovated by Gluckman Mayner Architects. Both programs were chosen to be located in the downtown area because of their history of working on projects directly with the community. The Warehouse also houses a contemporary art space that commissions, exhibits, and promotes the work of local and international artists in a variety of media. Hundreds of students and faculty have also been affected by the temporary move of the School of Architecture downtown for the $12 million renovation of its campus facility, Slocum Hall.

Since 2009, the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, led by Syracuse University in partnership with Clarkson University and the College Environmental Science and Forestry, creates innovations in environmental and energy technologies that improve human health and productivity, security, and sustainability in urban and built environments. The Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company and the Community Folk Art Center will also be located downtown. On March 31, 2006, the university and the city announced an initiative to connect the main campus of the university with the arts and culture areas of downtown Syracuse and The Warehouse. At a new green data center, a natural gas-fueled on-site electrical co-generation system generates 100 percent of the center’s electricity while helping cool a couple of buildings.

The Connective Corridor project, supported by of public and private funds, will be a strip of cultural development that will connect the main campus of the university to downtown Syracuse, NY. In 2008, an engineering firm is studying traffic patterns and lighting to commence the project. A design competition was held to determine the best design for the project.

Metropolitan Satellite Locations[link]

SU has established an admissions presence in Los Angeles, California that will enhance the University’s visibility on the West Coast and will join the University’s West Coast offices of alumni relations, institutional advancement, and the LA semester program in the same location.

Syracuse University has also established an admissions presence in New York City, and Atlanta Georgia.

Art collection[link]

SU has a permanent art collection of over 45,000 objects from artists including Picasso, Rembrandt, Hopper, Tiffany and Wyeth. More than 100 important paintings, sculptures, and murals are displayed in public places around campus. Notable sculptures on campus include Sol LeWitt's ''Six Curved Walls'', Anna Hyatt Huntington's ''Diana'', Jean-Antoine Houdon's ''George Washington'', Antoine Bourdelle's ''Herakles'', James Earle Fraser's ''Lincoln'', Malvina Hoffman's ''The Struggle of Elemental Man,'' and Ivan Mestrovic's ''Moses'', ''Job'' and ''Supplicant Persephone''.

Organization[link]

Syracuse is governed by a 70 member Board of Trustees, with 64 trustees elected by the Board to four-year terms, and six elected by the alumni to four-year terms. Of the 64 Board elected Trustees, three must represent specified conferences of the United Methodist Church. In addition, the chancellor and the President of the Syracuse Alumni Association serve as ex officio voting Trustees. Two students and one faculty member serve as non-voting representatives to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees selects, and sets the salary of, the chancellor. The Syracuse University Bylaws also establish a University Senate with "general supervision over all educational matters concerning the University as a whole...." The Senate consists of administrators, faculty, students and staff.

Academics[link]

arwu w	301–400
arwu n	112–137
forbes	292
thes w	NR
usnwr nu	62 (2012 ranking)
wamo nu	14 }}

For the Class of 2012, there were approximately 23,000 applicants for 3,060 seats in the Freshman class. The libraries have collectively over 3.16 million volumes. In fall 2006, the university had over 12,000 full-time undergraduate students and over 1,000 part-time undergraduate students, as well as almost 4,000 full-time graduate and law students and 2,000 part-time graduate and law students. In 2005–06, the university granted over 2,600 bachelor's degrees; nearly 2,000 master's degrees; over 300 law degrees; and more than 160 doctoral degrees. ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked SU 53rd among national universities in the United States for 2009 and 62nd for 2012. Syracuse participates in the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and University and College Accountability Network (U-CAN).

Degrees[link]

SU offers undergraduate degrees in over 200 majors in the 9 undergraduate schools and colleges. Bachelor's degrees are offered through the Syracuse University School of Architecture, the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science, the School of Information Studies, Martin J. Whitman School of Management, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Also offered are Master's and doctoral degrees from the Graduate School and from specialized programs in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, College of Law, among others. Additionally, SU offers 24 Certificates of Advanced Study Programs for specialized programs for education, counseling, and other academic areas.

The university has offered multiple international study programs since 1911. SU Abroad, formerly known as the Division of International Programs Abroad (DIPA), currently offers joint programs with universities in over 40 countries. The university operates eight international centers, called SU Abroad Centers, that offer structured programs in a variety of academic disciplines. The centers are located Beijing, Istanbul, Florence, Italy, Hong Kong, London, UK, Madrid, Spain, Strasbourg, France, and Santiago, Chile.

National recognition and ranking[link]

In 2010, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Syracuse number 55 among undergraduate national universities. In 2012, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Syracuse number 62 among undergraduate national universities.

Many of SU's programs have been nationally recognized for excellence. A 2008 survey in the Academic Ranking of World Universities places Syracuse University in the top 100 world universities in social sciences. The industrial design program is ranked 3rd nationally by the 2012 issue of ''DesignIntelligence''. The School of Architecture's Bachelor of Architecture program was ranked second nationally in 2010 by the journal ''DesignIntelligence'' in its annual edition of "America's Best Architecture & Design Schools."

The SI Newhouse School of Public Communications is one of the top ranked in the country and has produced alumni in many fields of broadcasting. The School of Information Studies offers information management and technology courses at the undergraduate level at Syracuse University. Within the school, ''U.S. News & World Report'' has ranked the graduate program as the third best in the United States. It also has the top-ranked undergraduate Information Systems program, the second ranked graduate program in Digital Librarianship, and the fourth ranked graduate program in School Library Media. The College of Business Administration was renamed the Martin J. Whitman School of Management in 2003, in honor of SU alumnus and benefactor Martin J. Whitman. The school is home to about 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The undergraduate program was ranked No. 39 among business schools nationwide by ''US News & World Report'' in 2008. The entrepreneurship program was ranked No. 8 by the ''US News & World Report'' in 2008, and No. 13 by both ''Entrepreneur Magazine'' and ''The Princeton Review'' in 2007. The supply chain management program was ranked No. 10 in the nation by ''Supply Chain Management Review''. Also, the Joseph I. Lubin School of Accounting was named No. 10 in the nation by ''The Chronicle of Higher Education''. The College of Law is ranked #86 nationally, and is ranked in the top 10 by ''U.S. News and World Report'' for its trial and appellate advocacy program and is an emerging leader in the relatively novel field of National Security Law. The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs combines social sciences with public administration and international relations. It is ranked as the top graduate school for public affairs in the US. The graduate program of the College of Visual and Performing Art is considered one of the top 50 programs in the US. VPA ranked No. 14 in multimedia/visual communications, a specialty that includes disciplines found in the college’s Department of Transmedia, which offers M.F.A. programs in art photography, art video, computer art and film. VPA also ranked No. 16 in ceramics, No. 19 in printmaking and No. 20 in sculpture, which are M.F.A. programs based in the Department of Art. Project Advance (or SUPA) is a nationally recognized concurrent enrollment program honored by the American Association for Higher Education, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the National Commission on Excellence in Education, and the National Institute of Education.

Faculty[link]

Syracuse University has 995 full time instructional faculty, 94 part-time faculty, and 440 adjunct faculty. Approximately 88% of the full-time faculty have earned Ph.D.'s or professional degrees. The current faculty includes scholars such as United States National Academy of Sciences member Jozef J. Zwislocki, Professor of Psychology, who developed mathematical models on the mechanics of the inner and middle ear, MacArthur Fellow Don Mitchell, Professor of Geography, who has developed studies in cultural geography, Catherine Bertini, Professor of Practice in Public Administration, who has worked on the role of women in food distribution, Frederick C. Beiser, Professor of Philosophy, one of leading scholars of German idealism, Mary Karr, the Jesse Truesdell Peck Professor of Literature, who has received a Guggenheim Fellowship in poetry, John Caputo, the Thomas J. Watson Professor of Humanities, who founded weak theology, and Gustav Niebuhr Associate Professor of Religion and Media who is the former New York Times National Religion Correspondent.

Syracuse University Press[link]

Founded on August 2, 1943 by Chancellor William Pearson Tolley and benefactor Thomas Watson, Sr. The areas of focus for the Press include Middle East Studies, Native American Studies, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Irish Studies and Jewish Studies, among others. The Press has an international reputation in Irish Studies and Middle East Studies. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses.

University lectures[link]

Every year as a tradition, the University would invite notable and influential speakers from around the world. These speakers have moved the world in various ways in the areas of sustainability, advertising, redevelopment, human rights, journalism, and the environment. The lecturers have been held to the highest standard in academic and public service excellence. The University Lectures are supported by the University Trustees, alumni, and friends. Previous University lecturers included Ishmael Beah, author of "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier", 45th Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, Economist and Nobel Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus, author and columnist, William Safire, environmental justice advocate Majora Carter, and environmental law attorney, Robert Kennedy Jr.

Library[link]

Syracuse University's main library is the Ernest S. Bird Library, which opened in 1972. Its seven levels contain 2.3 million books, 11,500 periodicals, of manuscripts and rare books, 3.6 million microforms, and a café. There are also several departmental libraries on campus. Many of the landmarks in the history of recorded communication between people are in the university's Special Collections Research Center, from cuneiform tablets and papyri to several codices dating from the 11th century, to the invention of printing. The collection also includes works by Galileo, Luther, John Calvin, Voltaire, Sir Isaac Newton, Descartes, Sir Francis Bacon, Samuel Johnson, Thomas Hobbes, Goethe, and others. In addition, the collection includes the personal library of Leopold Von Ranke. Making sensational headlines at the time, the university outbid the Prussian government for all 19 tons of Von Ranke's prized personal library. Other collections of note include Rudyard Kipling first editions and an original second leaf of the Gutenberg Bible. The university is also home to the Belfer Audio Laboratory and Archive, whose holdings total approximately 540,000 recordings in all formats, primarily cylinders, discs, and magnetic tapes. Some of the voices to be found include Thomas Edison, Amelia Earhart, Albert Einstein, and Oscar Wilde. Bird Library is also home to the largest collection of national archives of Kenya and Tanzania. In July 2008, Syracuse University became the owner of the second largest collection of 78 rpm records in the United States after the Library of Congress after a donation of more than 200,000 records. The donation is valued at $1 million and more than doubles the University's collection of 78 rpm records to about 400,000. It also has a special The Harriet Tubman Research Collection, and Environmental Justice and Gender collection housed in the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. The MLK library holds over 15,000 acquisitions in African, African-American, Afro-Lationo, and Caribbean studies.

Research[link]

According to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, Syracuse University is a research university with a high level of research activity. Through the university's Office of Research, which promotes research, technology transfer, and scholarship, and its Office of Sponsored Programs, which assists faculty in seeking and obtaining external research support, SU supports research in the fields of management and business, sciences, engineering, education, information studies, energy, environment, communications, computer science, public and international affairs, and other specialized areas. Syracuse became a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) in 1966, an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of research and education. In 2011, however, the university's board of trustees voted to pull out of the research consortium.

SU has established 29 research centers and institutes that focuses research, often across disciplines, in a variety of areas. The Burton Blatt Institute advances research in economic and social issues for individuals with disabilities, and it has international projects in the field. The Martin J Whitman School of Management supports the largest number of research centers, including The Ballentine Investment Institute, the George E. Bennett Center for Accounting and Tax Research, the Robert H. Brethren Operations Management Institute, Michael J. Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship, The H. H. Franklin Center for Supply Chain Management, Olivia and Walter Kiebach Center for International Business Studies, and the Earl V. Snyder Innovation Management Program. Other research programs include The Syracuse Biomaterials Institute, the Alan K. Campbell Public Affairs Institute through the Maxwell School, and the Center for the Study of Popular Television through the Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Student life[link]

Syracuse University has a diverse student population, representing all 50 US states and over 115 countries. Approximately 10 percent of students are from outside of the US, and are supported by an international services department within the University's Division of Student Affairs. Approximately 37% of students in the fall 2010 undergraduate full-time class are from New York State. Approximately 56% of that class are women. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, listed Syracuse University as 2nd among the "12 Worst Colleges for Free Speech in 2012".

Media[link]

CitrusTV (formerly UUTV, HillTV and Synapse) is the university's entirely student-run television studio, and one of the largest student-run TV studios in the country with over 300 active members. CitrusTV produces news, sports, and entertainment content that appears on the university's campus cable channel, the Orange Television Network, and online on the CitrusTV.net website. Some content also appears in Central New York on the cable channel Time Warner Cable Sports. The station used to be a part of University Union, the largest student organization on campus, until it split to become its own recognized student organization in 2004. The station was briefly known as HillTV until the middle of the fall 2005 semester, when the university temporarily shut the station down for a controversial entertainment episode and demanded its reform. The station is located in the Robert B. Menschel Media Center, at the Waverly Avenue side of Watson Hall.

The Orange Television Network is the university-controlled campus cable TV station. It is available on channel 2 in all campus buildings, and on channel 2.1 in high definition.

The school's independent student newspaper is ''The Daily Orange'', founded in 1903 and independent since 1971. The D.O. Alumni Association recently celebrated the paper's 100th anniversary.

WAER (88.3 FM) is located on the campus of SU, and is an auxiliary service of the school. The station features a jazz music and National Public Radio format, with a news and music staff providing 24-hour programming. It is best known for its sports staff, which has produced the likes of Bob Costas, Marv Albert, Mike Tirico, Sean McDonough, Ian Eagle, Brian Higgins, and Dick Stockton. Lou Reed also hosted a free-format show on WAER during his time at Syracuse University; this free-format radio tradition at Syracuse is carried on by WERW.

WJPZ is a radio station owned and operated entirely by SU students. It broadcasts at 89.1 FM at an effective radiated power of 100 watts and can be heard throughout Syracuse, the rest of Onondaga County, and beyond to the north and east. WJPZ programs a tight CHR (Contemporary Hit Radio, or Top 40) format. Although operated by students, it is an independent organization which is incorporated and licensed by the FCC as WJPZ Radio, Inc. It is neither owned nor controlled by Syracuse University, but it does lease studio and transmitter facilities on Syracuse University property.

WERW is the entirely student-run, free format carrier current radio station on the SU campus. It is the only campus radio station currently being broadcast on iTunes college radio. The station can also be heard at 1570 AM. The studios are located in the Schine Student Center. Originally operating at 750AM, WERW was available only in the university's dorms and some other campus buildings. The station's current low power broadcast tower was erected atop the Booth Hall dormitory in 1995 to allow it to broadcast at 1570AM. With this new tower, WERW could be heard all across the university campus and in adjacent areas of the city of Syracuse.

There are also multiple student-run magazines and other print publications, including: The Student Voice, Jerk Magazine, What the Health, 360, and Equal Time.

Student government[link]

Founded in 1957, the Student Association (SA) represents the undergraduate students of both SU and ESF. The SA, through the Student Assembly, oversees the allocation and designation of the Student Activity Fee that was first collected in the 1968–69 school year. The goals of the SA are to participate through a unified student voice in the formulation of Syracuse University rules and regulations. The SA-SGA Alumni Organization maintains the history and an organizational timeline on its website. Students elect two non-voting representatives to the Board of Trustees.

The graduate students at Syracuse University are represented by the Graduate Student Organization (GSO) while the law students at Syracuse University are represented by the Law Student Senate. Each of the three organizations elects students to serve in the Syracuse University Senate, which also includes faculty and staff and is chaired by the SU Chancellor.

University Union[link]

University Union is a Syracuse University student organization. Created in 1962 as the Syracuse University's Programming Board, the organization has gone through many transformations from student organization to "official" programming board back to student organization.

University Union is a union of several different entities, including: Cinema Board, Performing Arts Board, Concert Board, Bandersnatch Music Series (a subsidiary of Concert Board), a 20-watt free format radio station WERW 1570 AM, and the Promotion Board. The organization is run and operated entirely by students. University Union hosts such events as the historic University Block Party, held the last weekend of every school year and most large scale event that takes place on campus.

Fraternities and sororities[link]

The Syracuse University fraternity and sorority system offers organizations that are members of the Panhellenic Council (NPC), the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, the National Multicultural Greek Council, and the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). In addition to SU students, ESF students are permitted to join the university's fraternity and sorority system.

The oldest fraternity at SU is Delta Kappa Epsilon, which established a chapter in 1871 soon after the founding of the university, followed by Psi Upsilon in 1875 and Phi Kappa Psi in 1884. Sororities were also a part of the early history of SU. Alpha Phi was founded at SU in 1872, followed by Gamma Phi Beta in 1874 and Alpha Gamma Delta in 1904. Alpha Phi Alpha established a chapter at SU in 1910, and was reorganized in 1949 and 1973. The first NPHC fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, was established at SU in 1922, and the first NPHC sorority, Delta Sigma Theta in 1973. University policy prohibits fraternities and sororities from discriminating "on the basis of race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, or status as a disabled veteran or a veteran of the Vietnam era."

Syracuse University Ambulance[link]

Syracuse University Ambulance, commonly referred to as SUA, is a SU Health Services-based student organization that responds to over 1,500 medical emergencies each year. Providing basic life support (BLS), rapid cardiac defibrillation, emergent and non-emergent transportation, and special event standby services, SUA operates two full-time transporting ambulances, a supervisor's fly car, and a MCI trailer for mass-casualty incidents. Additionally, SUA operates four transport vans for non-emergency transports. Advanced life support (ALS) mutual aid is provided by The City of Syracuse's private EMS provider, Rural/Metro Medical Services. SUA was formed in 1973 by a group of students out of a need for emergency medical services on campus. Starting with only a few members and meager equipment, the Syracuse University Medical Crisis Unit was formed. The organization has evolved greatly over time but, with 70+ volunteer students, remains a student-run organization to this day. SUA provides emergency and non-emergency services 24-hours a day, 7-days a week during the academic school year and is funded by a portion of the student health fee.

Athletics[link]

Syracuse University's sports teams have "the Orange" nickname since 2004, although the former names of Orangemen and Orangewomen are still used. The school's mascot is Otto the Orange. SU fields intercollegiate teams in eight men's sports and 12 women's sports, but they do not sponsor a Baseball program in the Big East Conference.

Most of Syracuse University's intercollegiate teams participate in NCAA Division I in the Big East Conference. The Syracuse Orange women's ice hockey team participates in College Hockey America. crew participates in the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges. The men's and women's basketball teams, the football team, and both the men's and women's lacrosse teams play in the Carrier Dome. Other sports are located at the nearby Manley Field House, except ice hockey which takes place in the Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion.

On September 18, 2011, it was announced that the Atlantic Coast Conference had officially extended an invitation to Syracuse to join the ACC after approving the university's application. No specific date for the Orange's official membership has set at this time.

SU reached 27 team national championships, including 14 men's lacrosse, six men's crew, two cross country running, and one each in boxing and football. Under long-time head coach Jim Boeheim, men's basketball team won seven Big East regular season championships, five Big East Tournament championships, and 25 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2003 NCAA championship. Most recently, Syracuse reached the 3rd round of the 2011 NCAA tournament. The mens basketball team holds the largest on campus attendance record of 34,616 attendees. The record was set in the Carrier Dome playing Villanova on Sat.,Feb.27 2010.

In 1959, Syracuse earned its first National Championship following an undefeated football season and a Cotton Bowl victory over Texas. The team featured sophomore running back Ernie Davis who, in 1961, became the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. Davis was slated to play for the Cleveland Browns in the same backfield as Jim Brown, but died of leukemia before being able to play professionally.

Syracuse played its first intercollegiate lacrosse game in 1916, and captured its first USILA championship in 1920. It won USILA championships in 1922, 1924, and 1925. In the modern NCAA era, Syracuse is the first school to capture 11 National Championships, the most of any team in college lacrosse history. Syracuse currently won two men's Div I lacrosse championships in 2008 and 2009 seasons, and reached the quarterfinals in 2011.

Toward the end of the 1970s, Syracuse University was under pressure to improve its football facilities in order to remain a NCAA Division I football school. Its small concrete stadium, Archbold Stadium, was seventy years old and not up to the standards of other schools. The stadium could not be expanded; it had been reduced from 40,000 seats to 26,000 due to the fire codes. Syracuse University decided to build a new stadium. In 1978, Archbold Stadium was demolished to make way for the Carrier Dome, which was to have a domed Teflon-coated, fiberglass inflatable roof. It would also serve as the home for the men's basketball team, as a replacement for Manley Field House. The Carrier Dome was constructed between April 1979 and September 1980. The total construction cost was $26.85 million, including a $2.75 million naming gift from the Carrier Corporation.

On September 18, 2011, Syracuse University officially announced that it was leaving the Big East Conference to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Alumni[link]

Syracuse University has over 230,000 living alumni. Prominent alumni of the university include the first African-American Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, immortalized in the motion picture "The Express", bestselling novelists Joyce Carol Oates, John D. MacDonald, Shirley Jackson, and Alice Sebold; William Safire, Pulitzer Prize winning commentator; Cambridge historian Sir Moses I. Finley; Arthur Rock, a cofounder of Intel; Donna Shalala, former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services; Joe Biden, Vice President of the United States; 7-time NBA All Star, pro basketball Hall of Famer and current Mayor of Detroit Dave Bing, Owner of Mercenary Motion Pictures; successful former stockbroker and adult performer Lexington Steele; Robert Jarvik, inventor of the first artificial heart implanted into human beings; Eileen Collins, first female commander of a Space Shuttle; musician Lou Reed; and Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, a member of the Saudi royal family.

The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications produced several alumni in sports broadcasting, including Bob Costas, Len Berman, Sean McDonough, and Mike Tirico. Larry Hryb an employee at Microsoft and former radio broadcaster for Clear Channel Communications also graduated from S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Notable SU alumni in the performing arts include Dick Clark, Taye Diggs, Peter Falk, Frank Langella, Aaron Sorkin, and Vanessa L. Williams.

The university's athletics programs alumni include Donovan McNabb, quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, Dwight Freeney, defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts, Carmelo Anthony, forward for the New York Knicks, Tim Green, who played football for the Atlanta Falcons and is now a commentator for National Public Radio, Darryl Johnston, who won three Super Bowl rings with the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s, Mikey Powell, who plays lacrosse for the Boston Cannons, Casey Powell who plays lacrosse for the Boston Blazers and the Toronto Nationals, Jim Brown, NFL Hall of Famer who had a long football career with the Cleveland Browns and acted in a number of movies, the first African American Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, who played for the Denver Broncos, and Kyle Johnson, who played majority of his NFL career with the Denver Broncos.

Affiliations[link]

Affiliated Institutions[link]

State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry[link]

The College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) has a long affiliation with Syracuse University, shares many campus resources, and operates its main academic campus immediately adjacent to Syracuse University. ESF was founded in 1911 as the New York State College of Forestry at Syracuse University, under the leadership of Syracuse University Trustee Louis Marshall, with the active support of Syracuse University Chancellor Day. Its founding followed the Governor's veto of annual appropriations to a separate New York State College of Forestry at Cornell.

ESF is an autonomous institution, administratively separate from SU, while resources, facilities, and some infrastructure are shared. The two schools share a common Schedule of Classes; students at both institutions may take courses at the other, and degrees from ESF bear the Syracuse University seal along with the State University of New York. A number of concurrent degree programs and certificates are offered between the schools, as well. The college receives an annual appropriation as part of the SUNY budget and the state builds and maintains all of the college's educational facilities. The state has similar relationships with five statutory colleges that are at Alfred University and Cornell University.

ESF faculty, students, and students' families join those from SU to take part in a joint convocation ceremony at the beginning of the academic year in August, and joint commencement exercises in May. ESF and SU students share access to libraries, recreational facilities, student clubs, and other activities at both institutions, except for the schools' intercollegiate sports teams, affiliated with the NCAA and NAIA, respectively. First-year ESF students live in SU housing.

State University of New York Upstate Medical University[link]

The medical school was formerly a college within SU, known as the Syracuse University Medical School. In 1950, SU sold the medical school to the State University of New York system. Beginning in the fall of 2009, a Master of Public Health degree program is now being offered by the two institutions. The program is the first of its kind in Central New York, and the first jointly offered by the two universities.

Sejong-Syracuse Global MBA[link]

The Sejong-Syracuse Global MBA program in Seoul, South Korea, was established by a joint effort between Sejong University of Korea and Syracuse University in March 2001. Classes are taught by Syracuse and Sejong University professors as the first joint program establishing SU's presence in Asia.

Formerly Affiliated Institutions[link]

State University of New York at Binghamton[link]

Binghamton was established in 1946 as Triple Cities College to serve the needs of local veterans returning from World War II of the Triple Cities area. Established in Endicott, New York, the college was a branch of Syracuse University. Triple Cities College offered local students the first two years of their education, while the following two were spent at Syracuse University. In 1946, students could earn their degrees entirely at the Binghamton campus. In 1950, it was absorbed by SUNY and renamed Harpur College.

Utica College[link]

Utica College, an independent private university located in Utica, NY, was founded by Syracuse University in 1946. Utica College became independent from SU in 1995, but still offers its students the option to receive a specialized bachelor's degree from Syracuse University through a mutual relationship between the two schools.

See also[link]

List of Chancellors of Syracuse University

Burton Blatt Institute

Syracuse University in Pop Culture (movies, books, television)

List of Syracuse University People

Syracuse University Alma Mater

Say Yes to Education

Bernie Fine Sexual Abuse Allegations and Termination

Irving Feiner vs New York

References[link]

External links[link]

Official Athletics website

Category:Big East Conference schools Category:Educational institutions established in 1870 Category:National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities members Category:Carnegie libraries in New York Category:Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Category:Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities Category:Universities and colleges in New York

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name	Emma Roberts
birth name	Emma Rose Roberts
birth date
birth place	Rhinebeck, New York, U.S.
occupation	Actress, voice actress, singer, model
years active	2001–present
associated acts	Rory Culkin
parents	Eric Roberts Kelly Cunningham
website	}}

Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991) is an American actress, model and singer. She is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and niece of Julia Roberts. Roberts became known for her role as Addie Singer in the Nickelodeon television series ''Unfabulous''. She released her debut album, which also served as the show's soundtrack ''Unfabulous and More''. Roberts then pursued a solo singing career by recording two songs for the soundtracks of ''Ice Princess'' and ''Aquamarine'' (in which Roberts starred as one of the leads). Roberts then began to focus on her acting career, the title character in the 2007 film ''Nancy Drew'', and her voice-over debut in ''The Flight Before Christmas''.

In 2008 and 2009, Roberts was cast in the coming-of-age movies ''Wild Child'', ''Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac'' and ''Lymelife''. Roberts appeared in the 2009 family film ''Hotel for Dogs'' and ''The Winning Season''. In 2010, she appeared in ''Valentine's Day'', which also starred Julia Roberts. Later the same year, she had a leading role in ''It's Kind of a Funny Story''. In 2010, she played the role of Molly in the Joel Schumacher film ''Twelve''. In 2011, she starred as one of the leads, Jill Roberts, in the slasher film ''Scream 4''.

Early life[link]

Roberts was born in Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, New York. She is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and Kelly Cunningham. She is the stepdaughter of Eliza Roberts and Kelly Nickels (formerly of L.A. Guns), and the niece of actresses Julia Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan. She has two stepsiblings, Morgan and Keaton Simons, and a half sister, Grace Nickels. Roberts attended Archer School for Girls in Brentwood, California, from 2004–2005 for 7th and 8th grade.

Acting career[link]

2001–2005: Early career and ''Unfabulous''[link]

During her childhood, Roberts spent time on the sets of her aunt Julia Roberts's films. These experiences sparked a desire in Emma, from the age of five, to follow her father and aunts into the film industry. Although her mother initially wanted her to have a normal childhood, Roberts made her acting debut at age nine in Ted Demme's 2001 drama ''Blow''. It was the first film for which she ever auditioned. In the film, she portrayed Kristina Jung, the daughter of Johnny Depp's character, cocaine smuggler George Jung. In 2001, Roberts also had a role in Leif Tilden's 10-minute short ''bigLove'', and was an uncredited extra in some scenes featuring her aunt Julia Roberts in ''America's Sweethearts''.

She went on to appear in smaller roles in two family films, in 2002's ''Grand Champion'', as the sister of the main character Buddy (Jacob Fisher); and in 2003's ''Spymate'', as the kidnapped daughter of former secret agent Mike Muggins (Chris Potter), who tries to rescue her with the help of a spy monkey. ''Grand Champion'' had a brief theatrical release in August 2004, while ''Spymate'' was not released until February 2006, when it was given a theatrical run in Canada, followed by its DVD release in April 2006. In August 2003, Roberts was scheduled to shoot an independent film called ''Daisy Winters'', starring as the title character, alongside Rachel Weisz. However, the film, which would have been Roberts's first leading role, never began shooting due to financial problems. In 2004, Roberts became a teen idol at the age of 13, starring as the lead character Addie Singer in the Nickelodeon series ''Unfabulous'', which debuted in September 2004. Nickelodeon had wanted to cast her for the role from the beginning, and the teen sitcom earned Roberts a Teen Choice Award nomination and several Young Artist Award nominations. The show aired for three seasons from 2004–2007 and aired 42 episodes; the third season ended on December 16, 2007.

The television series focused on Addie Singer (Roberts) a seventh grader whose life is "unfabulous" and she writes songs about her life. The television series had had various TV movies which include: The Perfect Moment which premiered on Nickelodeon on October 6, 2006. In 2004 Roberts guest-starred in an episode of the Nickelodeon series ''Drake and Josh'', Roberts was in the episode "Honor Council". Because her character on ''Unfabulous'' writes songs and plays guitar, Nickelodeon soon considered a career in music for Roberts.

2006–2012: Theatrical films[link]

In 2006, Roberts returned to the big screen, starring alongside Sara Paxton and singer JoJo in ''Aquamarine''. Roberts won a 2007 Young Artist Award for Best Supporting Young Actress in a Feature Film for her role in the film. The film ''Aquamarine'' took No.5 place at the box office on its opening weekend making 8 million. In early 2006, Roberts finished shooting her title role in ''Nancy Drew''. The film was released to theaters on June 15, 2007, and grossed over 7 million in its opening weekend, though the film was not well received by critics. In December 2007, Roberts began filming ''Hotel For Dogs''. In 2008, Roberts had her voiceover debut when she voiced the English version of the character Wilma in the CGI-animated family film ''The Flight Before Christmas''.

In 2009, Roberts starred alongside Jake T. Austin in ''Hotel for Dogs'', based on the novel by Lois Duncan. The film premiered on January 15, 2009, and was released to theaters on January 16, 2009, and took No.5 place in its opening weekend with over $17 million. The film has to-date grossed over $114 million, and received generally mixed reviews from critics. Roberts starred as the lead in the film ''Wild Child'', about a rebellious teen from Malibu sent to a boarding school in England. Roberts described her character as "pretty much your typical spoiled-brat Malibu socialite who gets shipped off to British boarding school." Roberts also appeared in the indie film ''Lymelife'' with Alec Baldwin, which was premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. Roberts said that ''Lymelife'' is “kind of like ''American Beauty'' meets ''The Ice Storm''”, and that her reasoning for doing the film was that, “Some people look at me and think, She’s just Julia Roberts’s niece. So I wanted to do something smaller and edgier, something that would show I really am an actress.”

Roberts co-starred as Grace in the hit 2010 film ''Valentine's Day'' with her aunt Julia Roberts. Roberts is set to reunite with ''Nancy Drew'' director Andrew Fleming on both ''Rodeo Gal'' and a ''Nancy Drew'' sequel, although the latter has been put on hold since 2007. She appeared in the sports comedy ''The Winning Season''. In 2010, Roberts also appeared in ''Twelve'' and ''It's Kind of a Funny Story''.

According to BloodyDisgusting.com Roberts will be starring in the horror film, ''Grimm'', which follows the Quinn family that moves to Marburg, Massachusetts, a town that turns out to be haunted by the most horrific nightmares spawned by the imagination of the Brothers Grimm. She co-starred in the film adaptation of ''Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac'', as well as ''A Great Education''. She also starred alongside with Freddie Highmore in 2011's romantic comedy ''The Art of Getting By''. In May 2010, Roberts received the role of Jill Roberts in the Wes Craven film ''Scream 4''. The film opened in theaters April 15, 2011. She also appeared on "Take Two With Phineas and Ferb"

In February 2012, Roberts began filming a new movie in Syracuse, NY called ''Adult World''. The film also takes place in Syracuse and will co-star John Cusack. Roberts plays a recent college graduate who works at an adult bookstore to make ends meet. Roberts appears in a supporting role in Dustin Lance Black's ''Virginia'', which will receive a limited theatrical release in May 2012 after a two and a half year delay.

Music career[link]

In 2005, Roberts had a debut album ''Unfabulous and More''. The album was released on September 27, 2005, through Columbia Records and Nick Records. It also served as the soundtrack to the television series, ''Unfabulous'', in which Roberts stars. The album peaked at No.46 on ''Billboard'''s Top Heatseekers chart. In September 2005, two promotional singles were released from the album: "I Wanna Be" and "Dummy". The album includes several original songs (among them "Dummy" and "I Wanna Be", both of which were also released as music videos, "I Have Arrived" and "This Is Me", which was co-written by Roberts), as well as some of Addie's songs from the first season, including "Punch Rocker" and "New Shoes" (both from the episode "The Party"), "94 Weeks (Metal Mouth Freak)" (from "The Bar Mitzvah") and "Mexican Wrestler" (which had previously appeared on Jill Sobule's 2000 album Pink Pearl and in the episode "The 66th Day" from Unfabulous). During the same year, Roberts recorded "If I Had It My Way" for the soundtrack of the 2005 Disney film ''Ice Princess''. In 2006, Roberts covered the song "Island in the Sun", which was originally recorded by Weezer in 2001; she recorded the song for the ''Aquamarine's'' soundtrack, a film where she starred as one of the leads.

Roberts said in a 2007 interview, "Right now I am focusing on movies, I am getting ready to start a new movie this summer so that is taking a lot of my time. I think when I am a little bit older it is definitely something I’d like to pursue." In another interview, she said, "My musical career is indefinitely on hold. I don’t like people who become like ‘actor slash singer.’ I think people should be one or the other because usually you’re not going to be great at both. You’re going to better at one, so you might as well stick to the one you’re good at. I’m going for acting."

Spokesmodel[link]

In February 2009, she was named the brand ambassador for Neutrogena, appearing in print and television ads for the company. Roberts has also appeared multiple times as part of ''Teen Vogue''’s Best Dressed list, including June 2007, September 2008, December 2008 and February 2009.

Personal life[link]

Starting in the summer of 2011, Roberts had been in a relationship with ''Glee'' actor Chord Overstreet.

In September 2011, she began attending Sarah Lawrence College. However, in January 2012, Roberts's publicist announced that Roberts had chosen to "defer her college experience" due to work commitments.

Filmography[link]

Year !! Title !! Role
2001	''bigLove''	Delilah
2001	Blow (film)>Blow''
2001	''America's Sweethearts''
2002	''Grand Champion''
2006	''Spymate''
2006	Aquamarine (film)>Aquamarine''
2007	Nancy Drew (2007 film)>Nancy Drew''
2008	''The Flight Before Christmas''
2008	Wild Child (film)>Wild Child''
2009	Hotel for Dogs (film)>Hotel for Dogs''
2009	''Lymelife''
2009	''''
2010	Valentine's Day (film)>Valentine's Day''
2010	Twelve (film)>Twelve''
2010	''4.3.2.1''
2010	''Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac''
2010	It's Kind of a Funny Story (film)>It's Kind of a Funny Story''
2011	Scream 4'' >
2011	''''
2012	''Adult World''
2012	Virginia (film)>Virginia''

''Drake & Josh'' ''Jonas L.A.'' ''Take Two with Phineas and Ferb'' ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition''

+ Television
Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2004–2007	''Unfabulous''	Addie Singer
2004	|	Addie Singer	Episode: "Honor Council"
2010	|	Herself	Episode: "House Party"
2010	|	Herself	Guest Star
2011	|	Herself	Guest Star

Discography[link]

;Studio albums :*2005: ''Unfabulous and More'' ;Soundtrack appearances :*2005: ''Unfabulous and More'' :*2005: ''Ice Princess'' :*2006: ''Aquamarine'' :*2008: ''Wild Child'' ;Other Released Singles :*2005: ''Santa Claus Is Coming To Town''

Awards[link]

! Year	! Result	! Award	! Category	! Nominated work
2005		Teen Choice Award	Choice TV Breakout Performance — Female	''Unfabulous''
2005		Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actress	''Unfabulous''
2005		Young Artist Award	Outstanding Young Performers in a TV Series	''Unfabulous''
2006		Young Artist Award	Best Young Ensemble Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama)	''Unfabulous''
2007		Kids' Choice Award	Favorite TV Actress	''Unfabulous''
2007		Teen Choice Award	Choice TV Actress: Comedy	''Unfabulous''
2007		Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie: Female Breakout
2007		Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actress: Comedy	''Nancy Drew''
2007		Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film — Supporting Young Actress
2007		ShoWest	Female Star Of Tomorrow	Herself
2008		Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite TV Actress	''Unfabulous''
2008		Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a TV Series — Leading Young Actress	''Unfabulous''
2008		Young Artist Award	Best Young Ensemble Performance in a TV Series	''Unfabulous''
2008		Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film — Leading Young Actress	''Nancy Drew''
2008		Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film — Young Ensemble Cast	''Nancy Drew''
2010		Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film — Leading Young Actress

References[link]

External links [link]

Emma Roberts at Allmovie

[ Emma Roberts] at Allmusic

Category:1991 births Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from New York Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American female models Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American pop singers Category:American television actors Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Living people Category:People from Dutchess County, New York Category:People from the San Francisco Bay Area Category:Sarah Lawrence College alumni Category:Young Artist Award winners

ar:إيما روبرتس zh-min-nan:Emma Roberts cs:Emma Roberts de:Emma Roberts et:Emma Roberts es:Emma Roberts eu:Emma Roberts fa:اما رابرتز fr:Emma Roberts hr:Emma Roberts id:Emma Roberts it:Emma Roberts he:אמה רוברטס lv:Emma Robertsa hu:Emma Roberts nl:Emma Roberts ja:エマ・ロバーツ no:Emma Roberts pl:Emma Roberts pt:Emma Roberts ro:Emma Roberts ru:Робертс, Эмма simple:Emma Roberts sl:Emma Roberts fi:Emma Roberts sv:Emma Roberts th:เอมมา โรเบิตส์ tr:Emma Roberts uk:Емма Робертс vi:Emma Robert

birth name	John Paul Cusack
birth date	June 28, 1966
birth place	Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
occupation	Actor, producer, writer
years active	1983–present
parents	Dick Cusack (deceased),Nancy Cusack
family	Ann Cusack (sister),Joan Cusack (sister),Bill Cusack (brother),Susie Cusack (sister) }}

John Paul Cusack (born June 28, 1966) is an American actor, producer and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including ''The Journey of Natty Gann'', ''Say Anything...'', ''Grosse Pointe Blank'', ''The Thin Red Line'', ''Con Air'', ''Being John Malkovich'', and ''1408''.

Early life[link]

Cusack was born in Evanston, Illinois, to an Irish-American Catholic family. His mother, Ann Paula "Nancy" (née Carolan), is a former mathematics teacher and political activist. His father, Dick Cusack (1925–2003), was an actor, as are his siblings, Ann, Joan, Bill, and Susie. His father was also a documentary filmmaker, owned a film production company, and was a friend of activist Philip Berrigan. Cusack spent a year at New York University before dropping out, saying that he had "too much fire in [his] belly".

Career[link]

Cusack gained fame in the mid-1980s after appearing in teen movies such as ''Better Off Dead'', ''The Sure Thing'', ''One Crazy Summer'', and ''Sixteen Candles''. Cusack made a cameo in the 1988 music video for "Trip At The Brain" by Suicidal Tendencies. In 1989 he starred as Lloyd Dobler in Cameron Crowe's ''Say Anything...''. His roles broadened in the late 1980s and early 1990s with more serious-minded fare such as the politically themed ''True Colors'' and the film noir thriller ''The Grifters''. He was later offered the role of the title character of Fred in the film ''Drop Dead Fred'', but dropped out due to a death in his family.

Cusack experienced box office success with his roles in the dark comedy ''Grosse Pointe Blank'' and the Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster ''Con Air''. In the years since, his range of films has diversified, appearing in roles such as an obsessive puppeteer in ''Being John Malkovich'', a lovelorn record store owner in ''High Fidelity'', and a Jewish art dealer mentoring a young Adolf Hitler in ''Max''. He starred in the horror film ''1408'', based on Stephen King's short story of the same name. He next appeared as a widowed father in the Iraq War-themed drama ''Grace is Gone'' and as assassin Brand Hauser in the dark political satire, ''War, Inc.'', along with Hilary Duff and Marisa Tomei.

His sister Joan Cusack and close friend Jeremy Piven have appeared in many of his films. The siblings appeared as two geeks in ''Sixteen Candles'': John as one of Farmer Ted's posse, and Joan as the geek with the neck brace. They also appeared together in ''Say Anything'', ''Grosse Pointe Blank'', ''High Fidelity'', ''Cradle Will Rock'', ''Martian Child'', and ''War, Inc.''. Piven and Cusack play opposite one another in ''One Crazy Summer'', ''Serendipity'', ''Say Anything'', and ''Grosse Pointe Blank''. Cusack also had a brief cameo, seen from behind but speaking a line of dialogue, in ''Broadcast News'', in which Joan also appeared. Piven also had roles in ''The Grifters'' and ''Runaway Jury''.

Cusack was next seen in Roland Emmerich's disaster film ''2012'', which was released in theaters November 13, 2009; he played Jackson Curtis, a struggling novelist and limo driver, with his ''Identity'' and ''Martian Child'' co-star Amanda Peet. In 2010, Cusack starred in ''Hot Tub Time Machine'', opposite Rob Corddry, Clark Duke, and Craig Robinson. In his latest film, the thriller ''The Raven'', he portrayed Edgar Allen Poe; the film was released on April 27, 2012.

Personal life[link]

Cusack has an allegiance to both the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox, for which, he says, he is "in trouble there for that." He has led the crowd in a performance of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at Wrigley Field. He has also been spotted at multiple Chicago Bears games and attended many of the Stanley Cup Finals games in support of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Cusack has trained in kickboxing for over 20 years under former world kickboxing champion Benny “The Jet" Urquidez. He began training under Urquidez in preparation for his role in ''Say Anything'' and currently holds the rank of Level 6 black belt in Urquidez’ Ukidokan Kickboxing system.

Political views[link]

Between 2005 and 2009, John Cusack blogged at ''The Huffington Post'', including an interview with Naomi Klein. He has blogged about on his opposition to the war in Iraq and his disdain for the Bush administration, calling its worldview "depressing, corrupt, unlawful, and tragically absurd".

He also appeared in a June 2008 MoveOn.org advertisement, where he made the claim that George W. Bush and John McCain have the same governing priorities.

Stalking incident[link]

In March 2008, police arrested Emily Leatherman outside Cusack's Malibu home for stalking the actor. On October 10, 2008, Leatherman plead no contest and received five years probation and mandatory psychiatric counseling, and was ordered to stay away from Cusack, his home and business for the next 10 years.

Filmography[link]

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Year	Film	Role	Notes
1983		Roscoe Maibaum
	''Sixteen Candles''	Bryce
''Grandview, U.S.A.''	Johnny Maine
	''The Sure Thing''	Walter (Gib) Gibson
''The Journey of Natty Gann''	Harry
	Lane Meyer
		Denny Lachance
''One Crazy Summer''	Hoops McCann
		Dan Bartlett
	Angry Messenger
	''Eight Men Out''	Buck Weaver
''Tapeheads''	Ivan Alexeev
	''Elvis Stories''	Corky	Short subject
''Say Anything...''	Lloyd Dobler
''Fat Man and Little Boy''	Michael Merriman
1990		Roy Dillon
1991		Peter Burton
	''Shadows and Fog''	Student Jack
''The Player''	Self	Cameo
''Bob Roberts''	Cutting Edge Host
''Roadside Prophets''	Caspar
	''Map of the Human Heart''	The Mapmaker
	Joey Coyle
	''Floundering''	JC
''Bullets Over Broadway''	David Shayne
	Charles Ossining
1996		Deputy Mayor Kevin Calhoun
	''Grosse Pointe Blank''	Martin Q. Blank	Screenplay and co-producerNominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
''Con Air''	U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin
	Dimitri	Voice
	John Kelso
	''Chicago Cab''	Scary man	Executive producer
''This Is My Father''	Eddie Sharp, the Pilot
	Capt. Gaff
	''Pushing Tin''	Nick Falzone
''Cradle Will Rock''	Nelson Rockefeller	Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
''Being John Malkovich''	Craig Schwartz	Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best ActorNominated — London Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActorNominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best CastNominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
''The Jack Bull''	Myrl Redding	TV film, executive producer
	2000		Rob Gordon	Screenplay and co-producerNominated — American Comedy AwardNominated — BAFTA Award for Best Adapted ScreenplayNominated — Empire Awards
	''[[America's Sweethearts''	Eddie Thomas
	Jonathan Trager
		Max Rothman	Associate producer
''Adaptation.''	Himself	Uncredited
		Ed Dakota
''Breakfast With Hunter''	Himself	Documentary
''Runaway Jury''	Nicholas Easter
	''Must Love Dogs''	Jake Anderson
''The Ice Harvest''	Charlie Arglist
	''Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride: Hunter S. Thompson on Film''	Himself	Documentary
	Ray Keene
	''Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten''	Himself	Documentary
''Martian Child''	David Gordon
	Mike Enslin	Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actor
	Stanley Philipps	Producer
		Igor	Voice
''War, Inc.''	Brand Hauser	Also writer, producer
2009		Jackson Curtis
	''Hot Tub Time Machine''	Adam	Also producer
	Paul Soames
2011		Mike Fletcher
		Edgar Allan Poe
''The Frozen Ground''	Robert Hansen	post-production
''The Paperboy''	Hillary Van Wetter
2013	''Adult World''	Rat Billings	post-production

References[link]

External links[link]

John Cusack Interview

The Onion A.V. Club interview, November 27, 2007

Category:1966 births Category:Actors from Chicago, Illinois Category:American anti–Iraq War activists Category:American bloggers Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Cusack family Category:Living people Category:New York University alumni Category:People from Evanston, Illinois

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name	Aaron Sorkin
birth name	Aaron Sorkin
birth date	June 09, 1961
birth place	New York City, New York, United States
occupation	Screenwriter, producer, playwright
years active	1984–present
spouse	Julia Bingham (1996–2005)
website	}}

Aaron Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include ''A Few Good Men'', ''The American President'', ''The West Wing'', ''Sports Night'', ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'', ''Charlie Wilson's War'', ''The Social Network'', and ''Moneyball''.

After graduating from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre in 1983, Sorkin spent much of the 1980s in New York as a struggling, sporadically employed actor. He found his passion in writing plays, and quickly established himself as a promising young playwright. His stage play ''A Few Good Men'' caught the attention of Hollywood producer David Brown, who bought the film rights before the play even premiered.

Castle Rock Entertainment hired Sorkin to adapt ''A Few Good Men'' for the big screen. The film, directed by Rob Reiner, became a box office success. Sorkin spent the early 1990s writing two other screenplays at Castle Rock, ''Malice'' and ''The American President''. In the mid-1990s he worked as a script doctor on films such as ''Bulworth''. In 1998 his television career began when he created the comedy series ''Sports Night'' for the ABC network. The second season of ''Sports Night'' was its last and in 1999 overlapped with the debut of Sorkin's next TV series, the political drama ''The West Wing'', this time for the NBC network. ''The West Wing'' won multiple Emmy Awards, and continued for three more seasons after he left the show at the end of its fourth season in 2003. He returned to television in 2006 with the dramedy ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'', about the backstage drama at a late-night sketch comedy show, once again for the NBC network. While Sorkin's return was met with high expectations and a lot of early online buzz before ''Studio 60'''s premiere, NBC did not renew it after its first season in which it suffered from low ratings and mixed reception in the press and on the Internet. He also wrote the feature film screenplay for ''The Social Network'', winning the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

After more than a decade away from the theatre, Sorkin returned to adapt for the stage his screenplay ''The Farnsworth Invention'', which started a workshop run at La Jolla Playhouse in February 2007 and which opened on Broadway in December 2007.

He was a cocaine addict for many years, but after a highly publicized arrest in 2001 he received treatment in a drug diversion program and is reported to have recovered. In television, Sorkin is known as a controlling writer, who rarely shares the credit of penning screenplays. His writing staff are more likely to do research and come up with stories for him to tell. His trademark rapid-fire dialogue and extended monologues are complemented, in television, by frequent collaborator Thomas Schlamme's characteristic directing technique called the "walk and talk". These sequences consist of single tracking shots of long duration involving multiple characters engaging in conversation as they move through the set; characters enter and exit the conversation as the shot continues without any cuts.

Early years[link]

Sorkin was born in Manhattan and raised in the wealthy suburb of Scarsdale, New York. His mother was a school teacher and his father a copyright lawyer who had fought in WWII and put himself through college on the G.I. Bill; both his older sister and brother went on to become lawyers. His paternal grandfather was one of the founders of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU). Sorkin took an early interest in acting. Before he reached his teenage years, his parents were taking him to the theatre to see shows such as ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' and ''That Championship Season''.

Sorkin attended Scarsdale High School where he became involved in his high school drama and theatre club. In eighth grade he played General Bullmoose in the musical ''Li'l Abner''. In the Scarsdale High School senior class play Once Upon a Mattress, Sorkin played Sir Harry.

In 1979, Sorkin attended Syracuse University. In his freshman year he failed a class that was a core requirement. It was a devastating setback because he wanted to be an actor, and the Drama department did not allow students to take the stage until they completed all the core freshman classes. He returned in his sophomore year determined to do better, and graduated in 1983 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in musical theatre.

Unemployed actor, promising playwright[link]

After graduation, Sorkin moved to New York City where he worked odd jobs including delivering singing telegrams, driving a limousine, touring Alabama with the children’s theatre company Traveling Playhouse, handing out fliers promoting a hunting-and-fishing show, and bartending on Broadway at theatres such as the Palace Theatre. One weekend, while house sitting at a friend's place he found an IBM Selectric typewriter, started typing, and "felt a phenomenal confidence and a kind of joy that [he] had never experienced before in [his] life."

He continued writing and eventually put together his first play ''Removing All Doubt'' which he sent to his old theatre teacher, Arthur Storch, who was impressed. In 1984, ''Removing All Doubt'' was staged for drama students at his alma mater, Syracuse University. After that, he wrote ''Hidden in This Picture'' which debuted off-off-Broadway at Steve Olsen's West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar in New York City in 1988. The contents of his first two plays got him a theatrical agent. Producer John A. McQuiggan saw the production of ''Hidden in This Picture'' and commissioned Sorkin to turn the one-act into a full-length play called ''Making Movies''. His reputation as a playwright was quickly gaining stature on the New York theatre scene.

''A Few Good Men''[link]

Sorkin got the inspiration to write his next play, a courtroom drama called ''A Few Good Men'', from a phone conversation with his sister Deborah, who had graduated from Boston University Law School and signed up for a 3-year stint with the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps. She was going to Guantanamo Bay to defend a group of Marines who came close to killing a fellow Marine in a hazing ordered by a superior officer. Sorkin took that information and wrote much of his story on cocktail napkins while bartending at the Palace Theatre on Broadway. He and his roommates had purchased a Macintosh 512K so when he returned home he would empty his pockets of the cocktail napkins and type them into the computer, forming a basis from which he wrote many drafts for ''A Few Good Men''.

In 1988 Sorkin sold the film rights for his play ''A Few Good Men'' to producer David Brown before it premiered, in a deal reportedly "well into six figures." Brown had read an article in ''The New York Times'' about Sorkin's one-act play ''Hidden in This Picture'' and found out Sorkin also had a play called ''A Few Good Men'' that was having Off Broadway readings. Brown produced ''A Few Good Men'' on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre. It starred Tom Hulce and was directed by Don Scardino. After opening in late 1989, it ran for 497 performances.

Sorkin continued writing ''Making Movies'' and in 1990 it debuted Off-Broadway at the Promenade Theatre, produced by John A. McQuiggan and directed by Don Scardino. Meanwhile, David Brown was producing a few projects at TriStar Pictures and tried to interest them in making ''A Few Good Men'' into a film but his proposal was declined due to the lack of star actor involvement. Brown later got a call from Alan Horn at Castle Rock Entertainment who was anxious to make the film. Rob Reiner, a producing partner at Castle Rock, opted to direct it.

Screenwriting career (1991–98)[link]

Working under contract for Castle Rock Entertainment[link]

In the early 1990s, Sorkin worked under contract for Castle Rock Entertainment, Inc. He wrote the scripts for ''A Few Good Men'', ''Malice'', and ''The American President'': the three films grossed about $400 million worldwide. While writing for Castle Rock he became friends with colleagues such as William Goldman and Rob Reiner and met his future wife, Julia Bingham, who was one of Castle Rock's business-affairs lawyers.

Sorkin wrote several drafts of the script for ''A Few Good Men'' in his New York apartment, learning the craft of screenwriting from a book about screenplay format. He then spent several months at the Los Angeles offices of Castle Rock, working on the script with Rob Reiner. William Goldman (who regularly worked under contract at Castle Rock) became his mentor and helped him to adapt his stageplay into a screenplay. The movie was directed by Rob Reiner, starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, and Kevin Bacon, and was produced by David Brown. ''A Few Good Men'' was released in 1992 and was a box office success.

Goldman also approached Sorkin with a story premise, which Sorkin developed into the script for ''Malice''. Goldman oversaw the project as creative consultant while Sorkin wrote the first two drafts of ''Malice''. Sorkin had to leave the project to finish up the script for ''A Few Good Men'', and screenwriter Scott Frank wrote two drafts of the ''Malice'' screenplay. When production on ''A Few Good Men'' wrapped up, Sorkin took over and continued working on the script for ''Malice'' through until the final shooting script. Harold Becker directed the film, a medical thriller released in 1993, which starred Nicole Kidman and Alec Baldwin. ''Malice'' had mixed reviews. Vincent Canby in ''The New York Times'' described the film as "deviously entertaining from its start through its finish". Roger Ebert panned it, and Peter Travers in a 2000 ''Rolling Stone'' review summarized it as having "suspense but no staying power".

Sorkin's last produced screenplay for Castle Rock was ''The American President'' and once again he worked with William Goldman, who served as a creative consultant. It took Sorkin a few years to write the screenplay for ''The American President'', which started off as a massive 385-page screenplay; it was eventually whittled down to a standard shooting script of around 120 pages. Rob Reiner directed. The film was critically acclaimed. Kenneth Turan in the ''Los Angeles Times'' described the film as "genial and entertaining if not notably inspired", and believed its most interesting aspects were the "pipe dreams about the American political system and where it could theoretically be headed".

Script doctor for hire[link]

Sorkin did uncredited script doctor work on several films in the 1990s. He wrote some quips for Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage in ''The Rock''. He worked on ''Excess Baggage'', a comedy about a girl who stages her own kidnapping to get her father's attention, and rewrote some of Will Smith's scenes in ''Enemy of the State''.

Sorkin collaborated with Warren Beatty on a couple of scripts, one of which was ''Bulworth''. Beatty, known for occasionally personally financing his film projects through pre-production, also hired Sorkin to rewrite a script titled ''Ocean of Storms'' which never went into production. At one point Sorkin sued Beatty for proper compensation for his work on the ''Ocean of Storms'' script; however, he eventually continued working on the script once the matter was settled.

Writing for television (1998–2007)[link]

''Sports Night''[link]

Sorkin came up with the idea to write about the behind-the-scenes happenings on a sports show while he was living in a room in the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles writing the screenplay for ''The American President''. He would work late, with the TV tuned into ESPN, watching continuous replays of ''SportsCenter''. The show inspired him to try to write a feature film about a sports show but he was unable to structure the story for film, so instead he turned his idea into a TV comedy series. ''Sports Night'' was produced by Disney and debuted on the Disney-owned ABC network in the fall of 1998.

Sorkin fought with the ABC network during the first season over the use of a laugh track and a live studio audience. The laugh track was widely decried by critics as jarring, with Joyce Millman of Salon.com describing it as "the most unconvincing laugh track you've ever heard". Sorkin commented that: "Once you do shoot in front of a live audience, you have no choice but to use the laugh track. Oftentimes [enhancing the laughs] is the right thing to do. Sometimes you do need a cymbal crash. Other times, it alienates me." The laugh track was gradually dialed down and was gone by the end of the first season. Sorkin was triumphant in the second season when ABC agreed to his demands, unburdening the crew of the difficulties of staging a scene for a live audience and leaving the cast with more time to rehearse.

Although ''Sports Night'' was critically acclaimed, ABC canceled the show after two seasons due to its low ratings. Sorkin entertained offers to continue the show on other television channels but declined all the offers as they were mainly contingent on his involvement which would have been a difficult prospect given that he was simultaneously writing ''The West Wing'' at that point.

''The West Wing''[link]

Sorkin conceived the political TV drama ''The West Wing'' in 1997 when he went unprepared to a lunch with producer John Wells and in a panic pitched to Wells a show centered on the senior staff of the White House, using leftover ideas from his script for ''The American President''. He told Wells about his visits to the White House while doing research for ''The American President'', and they found themselves discussing public service and the passion of the people who serve. Wells took the concept and pitched it to the NBC network, but was told to wait because the facts behind the Lewinsky scandal were breaking and there was concern that an audience would not be able to take a show about the White House seriously. When a year later some other networks started showing interest in ''The West Wing'', NBC decided to greenlight the series despite their previous reluctance. The pilot debuted in the fall of 1999 and was produced by Warner Bros. TV.

''The West Wing'' was honored with nine Emmy Awards for its debut season, making the show a record holder for most Emmys won by a series in a single season. Following the awards ceremony, a fiasco ensued, centered on the Emmy for writing ''The West Wing'' episode "In Excelsis Deo" which was awarded to Sorkin and Rick Cleveland, when it was reported in a ''New York Times'' article that Cleveland had been ushered off the stage by Sorkin without being given a chance to say a few words. The story behind ''The West Wing'' episode is based on Cleveland's father, a Korean war veteran who spent the last years of his life on the street, as Cleveland explains in his FreshYarn.com essay titled "I Was the Dumb Looking Guy with the Wire-Rimmed Glasses". A back and forth took place between Sorkin and Cleveland in a public web forum at Mighty Big TV where Sorkin explained that he gives his writers "Story By" credit on a rotating basis "by way of a gratuity" and that he had thrown out Cleveland's script and started from scratch. In the end, Sorkin apologized to Cleveland. Cleveland and Sorkin also won the Writers Guild of America Award for best episodic drama at the February 2001 ceremony for "In Excelsis Deo".

In 2001, after wrapping up the second season of ''The West Wing'', Sorkin had a drug relapse, only two months after receiving a Phoenix Rising Award for drug recovery; this became public knowledge when he was arrested at Burbank Airport for possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana, and crack cocaine. He was ordered by a judge to attend a drug diversion program. His drug addiction was highly publicized, most notably when ''Saturday Night Live'' did a parody called "The West Wing", though he did recover.

In 2002, Sorkin criticized NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw's TV special about a day in the life of a president, "The Bush White House: Inside the Real West Wing", comparing it to the act of sending a valentine to President George W. Bush instead of real news reporting. Sorkin's TV series ''The West Wing'' aired on the same network, and so at the request of NBC's Entertainment President Jeff Zucker he apologized, but would later say "there should be a difference between what NBC News does and what ''The West Wing'' TV series does."

Sorkin wrote 87 screenplays in all, which amounts to nearly every episode during the show's first four Emmy-winning seasons. Sorkin describes his role in the creative process as "not so much [that of] a showrunner or a producer. I'm really a writer." He admits that this approach can have its drawbacks, saying "Out of 88 [West Wing] episodes that I did we were on time and on budget never, not once." In 2003, at the end of the fourth season, Sorkin and fellow executive producer Thomas Schlamme left the show due to internal conflicts at Warner Bros. TV not involving the NBC network, thrusting producer John Wells into an expanded role as showrunner. Sorkin would later return in the final episode in a cameo appearance as a member of President Bartlet's staff.

''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip''[link]

In 2003 Sorkin divulged to the American television interviewer Charlie Rose on ''The Charlie Rose Show'' that he was developing a TV series based on a late-night sketch comedy show like ''Saturday Night Live''. In early October 2005 a pilot script dubbed ''Studio 7 on the Sunset Strip'' for a new TV series, written by him and with Tommy Schlamme attached as producer, started circulating around Hollywood and generating interest on the web. A week later, NBC bought from Warner Bros. TV the right to show the TV series on their network for a near record license fee in a bidding war with CBS. The show's name was later changed to ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip''. Sorkin described the show as having "autobiographical elements" to it and "characters that are based on actual people" but said that it departs from those beginnings to look at the backstage maneuverings at a late night sketch comedy show.

In September 2006, the pilot for ''Studio 60'' aired on NBC, directed by Schlamme. The pilot was critically acclaimed and viewed by over 12 million people, but ''Studio 60'' experienced a significant drop in audience by mid-season. The seething anticipation that preceded the début was followed up by a large amount of thoughtful and scrupulous criticism in the press, as well as largely negative analysis in the blogosphere. In January 2007, Sorkin spoke out against the press for focusing too heavily on the ratings slide and for using blogs and unemployed comedy writers as sources. After two months on hiatus, ''Studio 60'' resumed to air the last episodes of season one, which would be its only season.

2004–present[link]

Return to the theatre[link]

In 2003, Sorkin was writing a screenplay on spec about the story of inventor and television pioneer Philo Farnsworth, a topic he had first become familiar with back in the early 1990s when producer Fred Zollo approached him with the idea of adapting a memoir by Elma Farnsworth into a biopic. The next year he completed the screenplay under the title "The Farnsworth Invention", and it was picked up by New Line Cinema with Thomas Schlamme signed on to direct. The story is about the patent battle between inventor Philo Farnsworth and RCA tycoon David Sarnoff for the technology that allowed the first television transmissions in the US.

At the same time, Sorkin was contacted by Jocelyn Clarke, the commissions manager of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, requesting he write a play for them, a commission which he accepted. In time Sorkin decided to tackle his commission by rewriting "The Farnsworth Invention" as a play. He delivered a first draft of the play to the Abbey Theatre in early 2005, and a production was purportedly planned for 2007 with La Jolla Playhouse in California deciding to stage a workshop production of the play in collaboration with the Abbey Theatre. But in 2006 the Abbey Theatre's new management pulled out of all involvement with ''The Farnsworth Invention''. Despite the setback, La Jolla Playhouse pushed on, with Steven Spielberg lending his talents as producer. The production opened under La Jolla's signature Page To Stage program which allowed Sorkin and director Des McAnuff to develop the play from show to show according to audience reactions and feedback; the play ran at La Jolla Playhouse from February 20, 2007 through March 25, 2007. A production followed on Broadway, beginning in previews at the Music Box Theatre and scheduled to open on November 14, 2007; however, the play was delayed by the 2007 Broadway stagehand strike. ''The Farnsworth Invention'' eventually opened at the Music Box Theatre on December 3, 2007 following the end of the strike; it closed on March 2, 2008.

In 2005, Sorkin revised his play ''A Few Good Men'' for a revival at the London West End theatre, the Haymarket. The play opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in the fall of the same year and was directed by David Esbjornson, with Rob Lowe of ''The West Wing'' in the lead role.

Return to film[link]

Sorkin's next jaunt back into film occurred when he was commissioned by Universal Pictures to adapt ''60 Minutes'' producer George Crile's nonfiction book ''Charlie Wilson's War'' for Tom Hanks' production company Playtone. ''Charlie Wilson's War'' is about the colorful Texas congressman Charlie Wilson who funded the CIA's secret war against the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Sorkin completed the screenplay and the film was released in 2007 starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, directed by Mike Nichols.

In August 2008, Sorkin announced that he had agreed to write a script for Sony and producer Scott Rudin about how Facebook was founded. The film, ''The Social Network'', based on Ben Mezrich's novel ''The Accidental Billionaires'', was released on October 1, 2010. Sorkin won the Academy, BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards for ''The Social Network''. One year later, Sorkin received nominations for the same awards for co-writing the screenplay to the film ''Moneyball''.

Future projects[link]

In March 2007, it was reported that Sorkin had signed on to write a musical adaptation of the hit 2002 record ''Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'' by psychedelic-rock band The Flaming Lips, collaborating with director Des McAnuff who has been developing the project.

On July 12, 2007, ''Variety'' reported that Sorkin had signed a deal with DreamWorks to write three scripts. The first script is titled ''The Trial of the Chicago 7'', which Sorkin was already developing with Steven Spielberg and producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald. In March 2010, Sorkin's agent, Ari Emanuel, was reported as saying that the project was proving "tough to get together".

In August 2008 Des McAnuff announced that Sorkin had been commissioned by the Stratford Shakespeare Festival to write an adaptation of Chekhov's ''The Cherry Orchard''.

In 2010, Sorkin reportedly obtained the film rights to Andrew Young's book, ''The Politician'' (about Sen. John Edwards), and announced that he would make his debut as a film director while also adapting the book for the screen.

In November 2010, it was reported that he is writing a musical based on the life of Houdini, with music by Danny Elfman. In January 2012, it is reported that Stephen Schwartz is now writing the music and lyrics, while Sorkin is making his debut as a librettist. The musical is expected to come out in 2013-14, with Sorkin saying "The chance to collaborate with Stephen Schwartz, (the director) Jack O'Brien, and Hugh Jackman on a new Broadway musical is a huge gift."

Sorkin returned to television in 2011 with two HBO projects. He is teaming with ''The Office'' star John Krasinski to develop a miniseries about the Chateau Marmont Hotel based on ''Life at the Marmont'', a book by the hotel’s co-owner Raymond R. Sarlot and Fred Basten. He is also developing ''The Newsroom'', a series about the behind the scenes workings of a cable news network. On September 8, 2011, HBO ordered ten episodes of ''The Newsroom''.

In May 2012 it was announced that Sorkin would be writing an upcoming movie based on the life of Steve Jobs.

Writing process and style[link]

Sorkin has written for the theatre, film and television, and in each medium his level of collaboration with other creators has varied. He began in theatre which involved a largely solitary writing process, then moved into film where he collaborated with director Rob Reiner and screenwriter William Goldman, and eventually worked in television where he collaborated very closely with director Thomas Schlamme for nearly a decade on the shows ''Sports Night'', ''The West Wing'', and ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip''; he now moves between all three media. He has a habit of chain smoking while he spends countless hours cooped up in his office plotting out his next scripts. He describes his writing process as physical because he will often stand up and speak the dialogue he is developing.

A ''New York Times'' article by Peter De Jonge explained that "''The West Wing'' is never plotted out for more than a few weeks ahead and has no major story lines", which De Jonge believed was because "with characters who have no flaws, it is impossible to give them significant arcs". Sorkin has stated: "I seldom plan ahead, not because I don’t think it’s good to plan ahead, there just isn’t time." Sorkin has also said, "As a writer, I don't like to answer questions until the very moment that I have to." The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'''s TV critic John Levesque has commented that Sorkin's writing process "can make for ill-advised plot developments". Further complicating the matter, in television, Sorkin will have a hand in writing every episode, rarely letting other writers earn full credit on a script. Peter De Jonge has reported that ex-writers of ''The West Wing'' have claimed that "even by the spotlight-hogging standards of Hollywood, Sorkin has been exceptionally ungenerous in his sharing of writing credit". In a comment to ''GQ'' magazine in 2008, Sorkin said, "I’m helped by a staff of people who have great ideas, but the scripts aren’t written by committee."

Sorkin's nearly decade-long collaboration in television with director Thomas Schlamme began in early 1998 when they found they shared common creative ground on the soon to be produced ''Sports Night''. Their successful partnership in television is one in which Sorkin focuses on writing the scripts while Schlamme executive produces and occasionally directs; they have worked together on ''Sports Night'', ''The West Wing'', and ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip''. Schlamme will create the look of the shows, work with the other directors, discuss the scripts with Sorkin as soon as they are turned in, make design and casting decisions, and attend the budget meetings; Sorkin tends to stick strictly to writing.

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Sorkin is known for writing memorable lines and fast-paced dialogue, such as the "You can't handle the truth!" piece from ''A Few Good Men'' and the partly Latin tirade against God in ''The West Wing'' episode "Two Cathedrals". For television, one hallmark of Sorkin's writer's voice is the repartee that his characters engage in as they small talk and banter about whimsical events taking place within an episode, and interject obscure popular culture references into conversation.

Although his scripts are lauded for being literate, Sorkin has been criticized for often turning in scripts that are overwrought. His mentor William Goldman has commented that normally in visual media speeches are avoided, but that Sorkin has a talent for dialogue and gets away with breaking this rule.

Personal life[link]

He was married to Julia Bingham, from whom he is divorced. They have one daughter, Roxy. For several years, he dated Kristin Chenoweth, who played Annabeth Schott on ''The West Wing'' (though after Sorkin had left the show). He has also reportedly dated ''The New York Times'' columnist Maureen Dowd.

A consistent supporter of the Democratic Party, Sorkin has made substantial political campaign contributions to candidates between 1999 and 2007, according to CampaignMoney.com. During the 2004 US presidential election campaign, the liberal advocacy group MoveOn's political action committee enlisted Sorkin and Rob Reiner to create one of their anti-Bush campaign advertisements. In August 2008, Sorkin was involved in a Generation Obama event at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills, California, participating in a panel discussion subsequent to a screening of Frank Capra's ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington''.

In 1987, Sorkin started taking marijuana and cocaine. He has said that in freebase cocaine he found a drug that gave him relief from certain nervous tensions he deals with on a regular basis. In 1995, he checked into rehab at the Hazelden Institute in Minnesota, on the advice of his then girlfriend and soon to be wife Julia Bingham, to try to beat his addiction to cocaine. In 2001, Sorkin along with colleagues John Spencer and Martin Sheen received the Phoenix Rising Award for their personal victories over substance abuse. However, two months later on April 15, 2001, Sorkin was arrested when guards at a security checkpoint at the Burbank Airport found hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana, and crack cocaine in his carry-on bag when a metal crack pipe set off the gate’s metal detector. He was ordered to a drug diversion program. ''Saturday Night Live'' parodied the highly publicized event in a comedy sketch called "The West Wing" where the U.S. President played by Darrell Hammond does a "Walk and Talk" through the corridors of the White House while tripping on mushrooms, accompanied by host Pierce Brosnan.

Sorkin continued working on ''The West Wing'', and his workaholic habits and drug-taking were both reported to have contributed to the break-down of his marriage, which ended in divorce.

Credits[link]

Filmography[link]

''A Few Good Men'' (1992)

''Malice'' (with Scott Frank) (1993)

''The American President'' (1995)

''The Rock'' (1996) (uncredited)

''Bulworth'' (1998) (uncredited)

''Sports Night'' (1998–2000) (TV) (Creator/Executive Producer)

''The West Wing'' (1999-2006) (TV) (Creator/Executive Producer)

''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'' (2006-2007) (TV) (Creator/Executive Producer)

''Charlie Wilson's War'' (based on the book by George Crile) (2007)

''The Social Network'' (based on the book ''The Accidental Billionaires'' by Ben Mezrich) (2010)

''Moneyball'' (with Steven Zaillian from a story by Stan Chervin, based on the book by Michael Lewis) (2011)

''The Newsroom'' (2012) (TV)

''Follies'' (based on the musical by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Goldman) (2012)

Plays[link]

''Removing All Doubt'' (1984)

''Hidden in This Picture'' (1988) ''A Few Good Men'' (1989) ''Making Movies'' (1990) based on ''Hidden in This Picture'' ''The Farnsworth Invention'' (2007)

Cameo acting appearances[link]

''A Few Good Men'' (1992) Man in bar

''The American President'' (1995) Aide in bar

''Sports Night'' (1998–2000) Man at bar (1999, 1 episode)

''The West Wing'' (1999–2006) Man in crowd (2006, 1 episode)

''Entourage'' (2004–2011) himself (2009–2010, 2 episodes)

''The Social Network'' (2010) Ad executive

''30 Rock'' (2006–present) himself (2011, 1 episode)

References[link]

Further information[link]

External links[link]

Aaron Sorkin at Moviefone

Aaron Sorkin at Rotten Tomatoes

Blog entries at ''The Huffington Post''

Category:American film actors Category:American screenwriters Category:American television producers Category:American television writers Category:Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners Category:Jewish American writers Category:Living people Category:People from New York City Category:People from Scarsdale, New York Category:Syracuse University alumni Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners Category:1961 births

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