DePaul Announces the Launch of LEGACY

From DePaul Athletics:

LEGACY, a comprehensive entrepreneurship and brand development program for student-athletes at DePaul University, will soon enable Blue Demon student-athletes to fully leverage Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) legislation tentatively slated to go into effect in Illinois on July 1, 2021.

This pending legislation and potential NCAA rule changes would allow student-athletes to earn compensation for the use of their name, image and likeness, similar to non-student-athletes.

“As regulations around the student-athlete experience modernize, DePaul Athletics is steadfast in supporting our students to advance their personal brand, enhance their financial literacy and create yet another pathway to achieve their future goals,” said Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy. “Nationally renowned education from DePaul’s Driehaus College of Business, College of Communication and Coleman Entrepreneurship Center coupled with the limitless opportunities the city of Chicago affords, uniquely position DePaul to make an impact. We fully embrace NIL as it supports our ‘students-first’ values and aligns with DePaul’s mission to prepare graduates to be successful in their chosen fields and agents of transformation throughout their lives.”

LEGACY will provide student-athletes training on NIL rule changes, digital tools to assess their personal brand and a variety of educational opportunities from industry experts.

In partnership with DePaul University’s award-winning Driehaus College of Business and College of Communication, LEGACY will provide diverse learning opportunities that explore the intersection of athletics and business. Recognized nationwide for their interdisciplinary approach and hands-on learning opportunities with Chicago’s professional sports organizations, both colleges offer industry-leading curricula, including degrees in Sports Business (BSB) and Sports Communication (BA).

LEGACY will leverage existing courses from these programs as well as offer new learning opportunities, centered around four educational pillars:

  • Financial Literacy
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Brand Management
  • Social Media Strategy

“The Driehaus College of Business looks forward to helping our student-athletes excel off the court as well as on it,” said Thomas Donley, interim dean of the Driehaus College of Business. “We’ll deepen their entrepreneurial and sports business skills and knowledge through tailored seminars led by our faculty experts in these fields, as well as encourage student-athletes to consider earning a business minor, a practical and marketable addition to any DePaul major.”  

“The College of Communication is ready and excited to help student athletes elevate their reputation and differentiate themselves from the competition in sports as well as their chosen fields of study,” said Alexandra Murphy, interim dean of the College of Communication. “Through this innovative partnership, we will connect students to faculty and industry experts where they will learn critical entrepreneurial and media related skills in sports communication as well as related topics in public relations, journalism, public speaking, and personal branding.”

DePaul Athletics will also partner with The Coleman Entrepreneurship Center, nationally recognized by the Princeton Review as one of the Nation’s Best for Entrepreneurship Study. This alignment will allow student-athletes to access a mixture of academic and co-curricular programming through the center as well as NIL-specific workshops. DePaul recently expanded its academic programs by launching a degree in Entrepreneurship (BSB) for business students as well as an Entrepreneurship minor for non-business majors.

“The Coleman Entrepreneurship Center is thrilled to be collaborating with the DePaul Athletic Department to help our student-athletes,” said Coleman Entrepreneurship Center Executive Director Bruce Leech. “We define entrepreneurship as a skillset to be innovative and creative and also learn how to do business. We welcome the opportunity to have DePaul student-athletes involved in our experiential programs and entrepreneurship education.”

This new partnership with the DePaul’s Driehaus College of Business, College of Communication and Coleman Entrepreneurship Center positions DePaul Athletics among the nation’s first athletic departments nationwide to engage in such a robust campus collaboration.

Through LEGACY, the brand-building platform INFLCR will also expand its recently announced partnership with the Blue Demons. In addition to serving as the department’s content management platform, INFLCR Plus will now provide educational support, additional social media measurement tools, fair market value assessments and other elements critical for personal brand growth.

“Student-athletes at DePaul will have the very best resources to win in the NIL era,” said INFLCR CEO Jim Cavale. “I’m excited to partner with DeWayne Peevy and DePaul Athletics to make that happen.”

“Through several innovative partnerships with our campus community and industry-leading brands, we have assembled a robust program to support all DePaul student-athletes, across all 15 teams, like never before,” said Senior Associate Athletics Director Taylor Stapleton. “Through LEGACY, our student-athletes have resources and tools at their fingertips to maximize their exposure and build their brand in the greatest city in America.”

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