A life-long Syracuse Orange fan has been hired to lead the 'Cuse Athletics Fund, which "is the driving force of private support for Syracuse Athletics."
Per a release, SU Athletics has named Eric Silakowski as the associate vice president for athletic development at Syracuse University, and he will lead the 'Cuse Athletics Fund.
Most recently, Silakowski served as the associate director of athletics for development at Ivy League member Yale University. He has also worked at the U.S. Air Force Academy, the University of Arkansas Little Rock and Monmouth.
Welcome to the Orange, Eric Silakowski! 🍊https://t.co/pdi6bp7d0y
— Syracuse Athletics (@Cuse) February 11, 2025
First and foremost, a huge congrats and welcome from Orange Nation to Eric!
Syracuse Orange executives have named Eric Silakowski to lead the 'Cuse Athletics Fund.
In his new role with the Syracuse Orange, according to the media statement, "Silakowski will be responsible for the creation, strategic development, and implementation of all athletic fundraising and engagement efforts in support of the 20 men's and women's Division I Varsity sports programs, athletic facilities and name image likeness (NIL) initiatives at Syracuse University."
As I've documented on many occasions of late, the landscape in college sports is rapidly changing, amid NIL, conference realignment, future revenue-sharing and other factors. To that end, SU Athletics recently announced that it had hired Kevin Morgan as the athletics department's first general manager and chief revenue officer.
Among his prior posts, Morgan served as the executive vice president and chief revenue offer of the National Lacrosse League, and he was also the chief marketing officer and chief revenue officer of the NHL's Washington Capitals.
Silakowski said via cuse.com, "As a life-long Orange fan, I'm looking forward to being a part of and building upon our deep tradition of athletic and academic excellence. The future is bright for Syracuse, and I am thrilled to work alongside such a talented group to drive success for years to come."
He played baseball and earned a bachelor's degree from Neumann University in Aston, Pa. Silakowski then earned a master's degree in sport management from St. John's.
Silakowski joined Yale in July of 2022 "and immediately generated a 22-percent increase in annual giving through the development of a new, robust annual fund strategy. Yale saw another 12-percent increase in annual giving the following year," according to the press release from SU Athletics.
Silakowski and his wife, Maryana, have a daughter, Evangelia.