With support from a $100,000 gift from Newhouse alumnus and W2O Group chairman and CEO Jim Weiss ’87, the Newhouse School launched the W2O Group Center for Social Commerce in 2012. Housed in the public relations department, the center represents a strategic partnership focusing on the newly emerging field of social commerce—the intersection of commerce, content and social connections. “This ground-breaking practice of combining digital analytics and social commerce solutions is changing how companies reach customers, influencers and partners, and changing how e-commerce is conducted online, which leads to new product lines and distribution channels,” said Weiss. “I admire the constant focus on innovation at Newhouse, and know the school is the perfect setting for this initiative.”