Strayer Discovery Conversation — The 2026 Opportunity

Strategic Discovery Conversation

The 2026
Opportunity

Strayer's position in the creator economy

PREPARED FOR

Dr. Antoinette 'Toni' Farmer-Thompson

President, Strayer University

MAY 11, 2026

PREPARED BY

Stephney Riley · Founder

J. Marcus Howard · Head of Strategy

S T E P H R I L E Y E N T E R T A I N M E N T

Why Now — In Your Own Words

Three priorities for 2026

Drawn from your April 2026 LinkedIn — these are the lens through which the work in this deck should be evaluated.

The Demographic Cliff

2026 marks the first year of a 15-year drop in first-time undergraduates. International enrollment is down 17% this fall. Non-traditional pathways are now a lifeline.

Paychecks and Pathways

Federal and state accountability pressure is rising. Workforce outcomes are now the standard for student success. Workforce Pell starts in 2026.

Interdisciplinary Outpacing Humanities

Students are moving away from traditional humanities toward programs that connect across fields and tie directly to industry.

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02 / 11

The Match

The creator economy path

Each priority finds its answer in the same place.

Demographic Cliff

becomes

Non-traditional pathway

Working adults who are creators, side-hustlers, and gig earners are the audience Strayer already serves.

Paychecks and Pathways

becomes

Creator income

Brand partnerships, gig revenue, ad revenue, course sales, sponsorships. Earnings, not just credentials.

Interdisciplinary

becomes

AI + story + business + tech

Modern creator work pulls from filmmaking, AI tools, brand strategy, distribution, and tech literacy.

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What Strayer Already Has

What's already built

Working assets — not concepts. The question is whether to extend them into a public-facing identity.

9 years operational

Strayer Studios

In-house team that produces cinematic short films embedded in Strayer's courses. Operated out of Herndon by Bob Morrill and Ashir Gruder.

Sister institution under SEI

Media Design School

Auckland's creative tech school in the SEI family, alongside Torrens and Think Education. Sister-school connection waiting to activate.

Already in market

AI Degrees

MBA in AI Systems Management. MS in Information Systems with an AI concentration. AI is already in Strayer's portfolio.

1M+ conversations

Irving

Strayer's AI student-services chatbot, built on Google Cloud. Proves Strayer can scale AI-driven experiences with real adoption.

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What's Missing

Strayer has the infrastructure. What it doesn't yet have is a clear public identity as the institution adult creators turn to.

What's already there

Studios infrastructure
AI degrees and tooling
Sister-school creative tech in MDS
Working adult audience at scale

What isn't yet

A national identity as a creator economy school
Public-facing programs that match your framing
A signature annual moment that tells the story
A defensible answer to "what is Strayer" in 2026

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05 / 11

What We're Proposing

The two pillars

Not a film project. A pair of catalysts that turn what Strayer already does into what Strayer is known for.

Pillar 01

The Strayer Film Lab

Year-round, student-driven

Real productions that put adult students into actual industry roles — cinematography, editing, lighting, sound, marketing, post. SRE leads professional execution. Faculty serve as advisors. Students leave with portfolios that prove the paycheck.

Pillar 02

The Strayer Film Festival

Annual, public-facing

The signature moment that tells the world what Strayer is becoming. Student showcases, indie screenings, industry panels, music and comedy, awards. The festival is recruiting. The festival is brand. The festival is the proof point.

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The Shift

From today to tomorrow

Today

An online university with creative programs

Known for adult learners, working professionals, accessible degrees. Strayer Studios exists internally. AI degrees are on the menu. The public identity is general — not creator-specific.

Tomorrow

The national home for creator economy education

Where adult creators build skills, portfolios, and paychecks. AI-assisted storytelling, virtual production, creator monetization, brand strategy. An identity that matches the moment.

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Who's Building This

The partnership

SRE brings creative and strategy. Strayer brings execution and academic depth.

SRE · Creative

Stephney Riley

Founder

Creative & Production

Project execution, creative direction, mentorship of student production teams, festival programming.

SRE · Strategy

J. Marcus Howard

Head of Strategy

Institutional & Operating

Institutional architecture, fit to MSCHE, alignment with SEI, financial and operating shape.

Strayer · Internal

Strayer Studios

+ Innovation Lab

Execution

Bob Morrill, Ashir Gruder, Rick Kaplan — the team already producing institutional creative work.

Strayer · Academic

Faculty

Strayer University

Mentorship & Curriculum

Faculty advisors bridging real production into program-level outcomes and credentialed learning.

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How We'll Measure Success

Outcomes that matter

Built for paychecks. Stands up to MSCHE. Clear to SEI leadership.

Paychecks

Income & jobs

Creator income earned, brand partnerships secured, post-graduation placements in entertainment, creative, and tech roles.

Pathways

Completion & continuation

Program completion rates, certificate-to-degree continuation, dual-enrollment pipelines into Strayer programs.

Identity

Recognition & reach

National press, industry partnerships landed, creator-economy enrollment growth, new program tracks that stand up to MSCHE.

Financial

Program economics

Revenue per program, enrollment lift in adjacent degrees, sponsorship and partnership revenue tied to the festival.

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What Happens Next

The path forward

Each phase earns the next. Phase 1 is the defined starting point.

PHASE 01

Starts here

Strategic Alignment

30 days

Positioning blueprint. Program-track map. Internal sponsor list.

PHASE 02

Earned by Phase 1

Framework Build

Defined after Phase 1

Infrastructure work begins. Program architecture. Content systems.

PHASE 03

Earned by Phase 2

Scale

Multi-year

Festival launch. Program launch. National reach. Enrollment growth.

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Where We Go From Here

Let's build the 30-day

Strategic Alignment.

Phase 1 begins a 30-day sprint producing the positioning blueprint, the program-track map, and the internal sponsor list. A written proposal follows within 48 hours of today.

Thank you, Dr. Toni.

S T E P H R I L E Y E N T E R T A I N M E N T

Stephney Riley · J. Marcus Howard

Resources

Three priorities for 2026

The creator economy path

What's already built

Strayer has the infrastructure. What it doesn't yet have is a clear public identity as the institution adult creators turn to.

The two pillars

From today to tomorrow

The partnership

Outcomes that matter

The path forward

The Authority Ceiling (Book)

The Framework

Products

Company