The center welcomes students who are passionate about finding solutions to complex problems and want to sustain and encourage diversity and inclusion at ���ϲ�����.

The fellowships will allow students to engage in collaborative research led by , investigating how artificial intelligence weapons systems transform war and surveillance and accentuate people’s social and political vulnerabilities to violence.

Five Lender Student Fellows will work on the research-based advocacy project for two years and receive a annual stipend.

The selected fellows will:

• Work closely with the faculty fellow in developing the collaborative research project
• Work with students from various disciplines in a dynamic research environment
• Participate in public discussions and presentations of the research project

An information session to provide an overview of the 2022-24 Lender Student Fellowship and Professor Bhan’s research will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. in 151 Eggers Hall. Lunch will be provided.

The deadline for applications is Nov.1. For more information on how to apply and to submit an application, visit the��Lender Center .

For the uninitiated, players must guess a predetermined five-letter word on a grid of yellow, green and grey boxes in six attempts. Amping up the social energy surrounding Wordle is its sharable grid, a glimpse into the mental journey a person took to figure out that day’s answer.

Like millions of others, members of ���ϲ�����’s Marketing team found themselves addicted to Wordle, sharing grids for fun and office bragging rights. The game’s widespread appeal served as the team’s inspiration for creating an SU version of the game. Named after mascot Otto the Orange, Ottle launched on Jan. 28 at .

Coincidentally, the idea for developing Wordle’s Orange equivalent began percolating across different areas of Marketing at the same time. Manager of Social Media Strategy Jonah Restuccio took note of the booming online activity and began considering ways to capitalize on the trend to better connect people to the University and each other.

“We’re not doing just a one-off, short-term thing on social media,” he says. “We’re creating something people can come back and play day after day. Ottle is a way we can strengthen engagement and provide people a new outlet for doing this.”

Simultaneously, the Digital team saw the potential in a Wordle twin. “It started as a joke, mostly internal, but we realized how much other people might actually enjoy this, too, and the potential in sharing it with the much larger University community,” says Jesse Menn, director of marketing web development.

And just like that, a puzzle-forming partnership was born.

While Ottle replicates Wordle’s mechanics, staff injected a dose of Orange flavor by creating grid boxes in orange and blue and curating daily words with a ���ϲ����� theme. Words range from four to six letters, with a corresponding four to six guesses per puzzle.

A robust knowledge of University history and lore is helpful since some of the words can seem obscure. Take Hoople, for instance.

“Not many people know that Hoople used to be the building on campus where the National Veterans Resource Center stands now,” says Restuccio. “But people do enjoy letting us know how they’re doing. They’ve been tweeting comments like, ‘I got Lyman (Hall) on the first try’ or ‘I got tripped up on (sportscaster Mike) Tirico.’”

Executive Director of Digital Robin Wade oversees the social and digital teams and couldn’t be more enthused about her staff’s collaboration.

Mascot Otto the Orange shares his Ottle grid on Twitter.

“It started as fun, but I think what we realized is that this really does speak to the ���ϲ����� spirit,” she says. “It’s a way for us to reach our audiences—our students, alumni and prospective students—and get people engaged with and really excited about the University.”

That excitement is evident in the web traffic and social media mentions Ottle has garnered since its launch. The game is currently the ninth most visited page across the University’s web properties and tweets are flying in from everywhere. “I started seeing tweets in my Twitter feed in Polish,” says Menn. “That was a big deal for me.”

No matter their language, Ottle fans are bound by a shared history and community. And if one doesn’t succeed in getting the correct word today? No worries! A new Ottle will be out again tomorrow.

The Lender Faculty Fellowship will support a two-year research agenda to critically and creatively explore contemporary social issues, develop innovative approaches to these problems and implement useful and sustainable initiatives.

The selected faculty fellow will work with a team of student fellows to create an interdisciplinary research team focused on the proposed social issue. The Lender Symposium will serve as the culmination of the two-year projects with invited national guests and experts participating in a thorough discussion of the research and proposals developed by the Lender fellows’ team.

Faculty applying for the Lender fellowship should be dynamic and accomplished scholar/teachers who are committed to an agenda of engaging issues relevant to social justice. They will be expected to foster an interdisciplinary team that will simultaneously encourage student learning and growth and the pursuit of concrete engagement with real-world problems.

The faculty fellow will receive research support for both years of the project, a summer stipend and additional resources to facilitate the development and execution of their project as well as to publicize the results.

Only ���ϲ����� full-time faculty, either tenure or non-tenure track, are eligible for the Lender Faculty Fellowship. For more information on����and to��, visit the��.

It’s called the “Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center,” but the newly transformed building offers a place for faculty, staff and all the members of the University community to gather, eat, socialize, work and more.

Please note: during the pandemic, Schine Student Center has implemented to adhere to public health guidelines.

From Decaf to Discounts

Seasoned campus citizens have known it as the Bookstore, but along with its continued focus on academic resources, the renamed and reimagined has new University-branded apparel, a late-night food and grocery market and a Dunkin’ coffee stand off the center atrium. One thing hasn’t changed—faculty and staff get a 10 percent discount on many items. The Campus Store also offers education-priced computers and accessories.

Why Brown Bag?

Buffalo chicken twists, loaded fries and gourmet pastries are just some of new items satisfying cravings at Schine’s renovated . Eateries include a mix of local and national dining concepts, including CoreLife, The Halal Shack, Panda Express, Biscotti Café, Chocolate Pizza Company and The Tomato Wheel. Enjoy it all in one of the new dining “booth boxes” or countertop seats.

My Kingdom for a Computer

Remembered your phone, keys and wallet, but not your computer? The Schine has the resources you need to be productive. Email stations are located throughout the building and available to faculty and staff while on campus. See for information.

Need Some Space?

With Schine’s renovation, faculty and staff have access to many new and upgraded spaces throughout the building. To reserve space for meetings, conferences, receptions and other events, fill out the��.

Schine dining area

How About Some Quiet?

The Panasci Lounge is the go-to for faculty and staff interested in a quieter place to work or just decompress. The informal space is furnished with comfortable lounge furniture and tables and chairs. Wireless access points allow you to connect your laptop to the Internet and wireless printing.

Enhanced Accessibility

Accessibility has been enhanced throughout the building, with automatic door openers, smooth floor transitions, upgrades to existing elevators, a fully accessible path through the building from Waverly Ave to the Einhorn Walk, new fully accessible restrooms, counter heights and work surfaces made universally accessible and accessible wayfinding signage.

The Lender Faculty Fellowship will support a two-year research agenda to critically and creatively explore contemporary social issues, develop innovative approaches to these problems and implement useful and sustainable initiatives.

The selected faculty fellow will work with a team of student fellows to create an interdisciplinary research team focused on the proposed social issue. The Lender Symposium will serve as the culmination of the two-year projects with invited national guests and experts participating in a thorough discussion of the research and proposals developed by the Lender fellows’ team.

Faculty applying for the Lender fellowship should be dynamic and accomplished scholar/teachers who are committed to an agenda of engaging issues relevant to social justice. They will be expected to foster an interdisciplinary team that will simultaneously encourage student learning and growth and the pursuit of concrete engagement with real-world problems.

The faculty fellow will receive research support for both years of the project, a summer stipend and additional resources to facilitate the development and execution of their project as well as to publicize the results.

Only ���ϲ����� full-time faculty, either tenure or non-tenure track, are eligible for the Lender Faculty Fellowship. For more information on and to , visit the .

The selection committee will be chaired by S.P. Raj, Distinguished Professor of Marketing and chair of the marketing department in the Whitman School.

Other members of the selection committee:

• Dympna Callaghan, William Safire Professor of Modern Letters and University Professor, Department of English
• Diane Crawford, Executive Director of Institutional Culture, M.J. Whitman School of Management
• Elisa Dekaney, Professor of Music and Associate Dean of Research, Graduate Studies, and Internationalization. College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Madison Firkey, Graduate student, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program, Department of Psychology
• Regina Jones, Assistant Director of Multicultural Affairs, Office of Multicultural Affairs
• Steven Sawyer, Professor, Director of PhD Programs, and Core Faculty of the Renee Crown Honors Program, School of Information Studies
• John Western, professor emeritus of geography in the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs

The Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence honors members of the University community who have made invaluable contributions to ���ϲ����� in two overarching ways — first through commitment to scholarship and research that contributes to new understandings of the world and creative responses to its needs; and second, through advancing the four pillars Chancellor Kent Syverud has identified to foster excellence at ���ϲ�����. Those four pillars of excellence are: (i) providing an outstanding undergraduate experience; (ii) empowering research excellence; (iii) fostering change and innovation; and (iv) positioning ���ϲ����� as the best university in the world for veterans.

The four categories of awards are the Award for Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction, Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Student Experience and University Initiatives (both a faculty and a staff award), Award for Excellence in Graduate and Undergraduate Student Research and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Recipients of the Chancellor’s Citations for Excellence are honored at the One University Awards Ceremony. Past awardees can be found in the .

For more information about the award and how to submit a nomination, visit the or contact Sharon Alestalo, program director, at swalesta@syr.edu.

The Lender Faculty Fellowship will support a two-year research agenda to critically and creatively explore contemporary social issues, develop innovative approaches to these problems and implement useful and sustainable initiatives.

The selected faculty fellow will work with a team of student fellows to create an interdisciplinary research team focused on the proposed social issue. The Lender Symposium will serve as the culmination of the two-year projects with invited national guests and experts participating in a thorough discussion of the research and proposals developed by the Lender fellows’ team.

Faculty applying for the Lender fellowship should be dynamic and accomplished scholar/teachers who are committed to an agenda of engaging issues relevant to social justice. They will be expected to foster an interdisciplinary team that will simultaneously encourage student learning and growth and the pursuit of concrete engagement with real-world problems.

The faculty fellow will receive research support for both years of the project, a summer stipend and additional resources to facilitate the development and execution of their project as well as to publicize the results.

“We see the faculty fellow project as a unique opportunity to push our thinking about social justice and, at the same time, help students across the University see ways they can engage with social justice issues,” says Kendall Phillips, professor of communication and rhetorical studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Phillips and Marcelle Haddix, dean’s associate professor and chair of reading and language arts in the School of Education, are the center’s co-directors.

Faculty fellows will be expected to propose a clear issue/problem that will sustain the two-year research/engagement project; be committed to working closely and openly with the student members of the team; develop partnerships with other faculty and entities on campus to support the project; develop partnerships with other entities and communities relevant to the research; and pursue additional external sources for funding and support of the project.

Faculty fellows will receive formal designation as a Lender faculty fellow; a $5,000 stipend to cover their work during the summer between year one and year two; research funds of up to $5,000 for each year of the project; additional funds of up to $5,000 for the Lender Symposium at the culmination of their project; and support from the Lender Center staff.

Faculty applications and supporting materials are due to the Lender Center by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14, and must include:

• a completed��;
• a letter of support from the faculty member’s chair/director, sent to��lendercenter@syr.edu; and
• supplemental materials as appropriate, either submitted with the application or sent separately to��lendercenter@syr.edu.

With an enduring underlying mission to develop ethical and courageous citizens, The Lender Center aspires to become nationally recognized for encouraging creative and critical engagement with social justice. It supports innovative and multidisciplinary research of contemporary social problems while providing proactive and concrete approaches and solutions. Its members and partners develop collaborations that broaden just and undaunted engagement between students and citizens.

The Lender Center was established on the ���ϲ����� campus in September 2018. Life Trustee Marvin Lender ’63 and his wife, Helaine (Gold) Lender ’65, turned their lifelong commitment to social justice and greater understanding among people into the establishment of a multidisciplinary center, managed and housed in the School of Education. The couple provided a $5 million gift in support of the creation of the center.

The students have been named the first Lender Student Fellows by the . The group will focus on “The Social Justice #Hashtag Project: A Digital Humanities Study.” They will select hashtags exemplifying the social justice causes they are most interested in exploring and then develop innovative approaches to those social justice concerns.

“The recent events of racism and anti-Semitism on our campus have reinforced the importance of tracking and understanding systemic bias and exclusion,” says Kendall Phillips, Lender Center co-director. “We are hopeful that projects like ‘The Social Justice #Hashtag Project’ can help our University and our culture be more just and more inclusive.”

The 2019-2021 Lender Student Fellows are:

• Grace Asch (sophomore)—television, film and radio major, , African American studies and Spanish minors
• Andrea Constant (graduate)—sociology,
• Erika Hall (sophomore)—linguistics/computer science major, and
• Adriana Lobo (sophomore)—communication and rhetorical studies major, , policy studies minor
• Abigail Tick (sophomore)—sociology/citizenship and civic engagement major, and

The research project was developed by the Lender Center’s first Faculty Fellow, , an assistant professor of African American literature and studies in the . Gibson-Abdul-Ghani will lead the students in exploring contemporary social issues, developing innovative approaches to these problems and implementing useful and sustainable initiatives.

“The ways in which we teach our students in the Information Age about social justice and how they must be equipped to challenge messages of inequality is vital,” says Gibson-Abdul-Ghani. “Our student fellows have an incredible opportunity to help students and the greater campus community understand the importance of advocacy in research as critical to advancing the mission of diversity and inclusion.”

Gibson-Abdul-Ghani’s project will culminate with the 2021 Lender Symposium, with national guests and experts participating in a discussion of the research and proposals developed by the Lender Fellows team.

About the Lender Center

The Lender Center for Social Justice was��established in September 2018��and is managed and housed in the��. The center is host to activities and programming, including multidisciplinary conversations related to issues of social justice and collaborations with other University units to promote a robust dialogue about issues of justice, equity and inclusion.

Casarae Gibson

Casarae Gibson, assistant professor of African American literature and studies in the , has been named the first Lender Faculty Fellow by the . The Lender Faculty Fellowship supports a two-year research project to critically and creatively explore contemporary social issues, develop innovative approaches to these problems, and implement useful and sustainable initiatives.

Gibson will lead a team of Lender Student Fellows focused on “The Social Justice #Hashtag Project: A Digital Humanities Study”—Gibson’s project aimed at utilizing social media platforms as a way of uncovering social justice trends. The fellows will select hashtags exemplifying the social justice causes they are most interested in exploring and then develop innovative approaches to those social justice concerns.

“The ways in which we teach our students in the Information Age about social justice and how they must be equipped to challenge messages of inequality is vital,” says Gibson. “This fellowship is an incredible opportunity to help students and the greater campus community understand the importance of advocacy in research as critical to advancing the mission of diversity and inclusion.”

Center founders Marvin Lender ’63 and Helaine (Gold) Lender ’65 have devoted themselves to philanthropy and advocacy, and recognize that the issues and challenges of social justice will be ongoing. “Professor Gibson’s focus on social media is a wonderful way to get the next generation involved in issues of social justice,” says Helaine Lender.

“The spotlight on digital is a great opportunity for students to take things they are learning in the classroom out into the world and really engage these issues,” adds Marvin Lender.

Gibson’s two-year project will culminate with the 2021 Lender Symposium, with national guests and experts participating in a discussion of the research and proposals developed by the Lender Fellows team.

Gibson, who teaches in the , earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Johnson C. Smith University and master’s and doctoral degrees in English at Purdue University. Her forthcoming book manuscript, “There’s a Riot Going On! Racial Unrest in Black Arts Movement Poetry, Drama, and Fiction,” examines how artists used aesthetics to challenge racial inequalities at the height of the civil rights movement.

About the Lender Center

The Lender Center for Social Justice was established in September 2018 and is managed and housed in the . The center will be host to activities and programming, including multidisciplinary conversations related to issues of social justice and collaborations with other University units to promote a robust dialogue about issues of justice, equity and inclusion.