黑料不打烊 ranks No. 3 in Best for Veterans for Online Bachelor鈥檚 Programs of private universities for three consecutive years, according to U.S. News and World Report鈥檚 2025 Best Online Programs rankings.

黑料不打烊 additionally ranked No. 7 for Best Online Bachelor鈥檚 Programs of private universities, and the AACSB-accredited , a partnership between the College of Professional Studies and the Whitman School of Management, ranked No. 1 in Best Online Bachelor鈥檚 in Business Programs of private universities.

鈥淭he rankings are a testament to the excellence of the College of Professional Studies staff and faculty鈥攐f consistently and without fail delivering online programs of exceedingly high quality with a differentiated level of student support,鈥� says Michael Frasciello, dean of the College of Professional Studies. 鈥淥ur third consecutive year ranked No. 3 for Best Online Bachelor鈥檚 Programs for Veterans of private universities similarly demonstrates our unwavering commitment to establishing 黑料不打烊 as an unrivaled 鈥榖est place’ for veterans and military-connected students.鈥�

These rankings are attributed to the University鈥檚 innovative degree and certificate programs developed for online learning by best-in-class faculty and instructional design and course development teams.

The College of Professional Studies is raising the bar for what it means to be an online learner by prioritizing student success through high-touch admissions, advising and financial aid counseling. Students gain the prestige and rigor of earning a degree from a top-tier R1 research institution with flexible, part-time online programs taught by University faculty.

To learn more about continuing online education, visit .

Molly Egan, left, and Marlana Bianchi beam with excitement as they hold their 2024 Cannes Future Lions Grand Prix trophies, moments after being announced as the winners. (Photo courtesy of Mel White)

鈥満诹喜淮蜢� Creatives Win Future Lions Grand Prix with Spotify Sign Language Project,鈥� read the Ad Age headline on June 19, 2024鈥攁 prestigious recognition for the S.I. Newhouse School of in one of the top trade publications in creative advertising.

Earlier that day, Molly Egan and Marlana Bianchi won the Cannes Future Lions Grand Prix for their artificial intelligence idea for Spotify, created in their Portfolio III course in the Newhouse School taught by Professor .

鈥淲inning the Grand Prix in the Cannes Future Lions competition is the most significant award the advertising department at Newhouse has ever received,鈥� says , professor and chair of the Newhouse advertising department. 鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 be prouder of Marlana and Molly鈥檚 huge accomplishment, along with their professor, Mel White.鈥�

鈥淲e are dedicated to being the best undergraduate advertising program in the country and world, and this is clear evidence we are well on our way,鈥� Russell says.

, dean of the Newhouse School says, 鈥淲hat wonderful news! I鈥檓 excited for our students and very grateful for the talented faculty that helped guide them toward this achievement.鈥�

Egan and Bianchi鈥檚 Portfolio III instructor, White, guided them through the creation of 鈥淏reak the Sound Barrier,鈥� and her support was crucial to their success. She helped them refine the concept from 10 initial ideas they presented in class and sharpen its final execution.

In class before providing her students with the competition brief, White taught them how to create innovative campaigns using emerging technologies. In particular, she teaches them to utilize deepfake technology in positive ways to create impactful ideas that connect brands with their audiences.

The Innovative AI Idea Chosen by Spotify: 鈥淏reak the Sound Barrier鈥�

Marlana Bianchi (from left), Tye M. Comer, Chloe Wix, Molly Egan and Gemma Redgrave gather on stage after Bianchi and Egan received their Grand Prix trophies. (Photo courtesy of AKQA)

Egan and Bianchi addressed the competition brief from Spotify, which asked students how Spotify could spread positivity using technology to bring listeners closer to the creators and communities they love. The brief encouraged entries to use new technology and uplift underrepresented communities.

While brainstorming how to answer the brief, they realized music streaming platforms lacked features for the deaf community, making them less inclusive.

To solve this problem, they created an idea that adds deaf sign language performers like Justina Miles to all songs on Spotify, spearheading a music revolution.

They applied deepfake technology to scale deaf performances into all the 300-plus different sign languages for each song on the platform. This idea makes music streaming fully accessible to the deaf community, and it will only be available on Spotify.

Musicians would also have a choice to opt into 鈥�.鈥� When a musician opts in, Spotify will generate them signing with deepfake technology. This will let musicians perform in all the world鈥檚 sign languages for the first time, bringing deaf fans closer to their favorite artists than ever before.

滨苍听the first article of this two-part series, Egan and Bianchi share the inspiration behind their digital AI idea for Spotify.

鈥淭here鈥檚 terrific craft to this execution. The name [鈥楤reak the Sound Barrier鈥橾 is provocative. The writing in the case, sharp. And you tied it to culture in a way that lets Spotify know: the time to do this is now,鈥� says Avi Steinbach 鈥�14, creative director and writer at Ogilvy. Steinbach is an alumnus of Newhouse鈥檚 creative advertising program and is also a first-time Cannes Lions Grand Prix winner this year for 鈥�,鈥� for which he was involved in every aspect of its creation.

Spotify Chose 鈥淏reak the Sound Barrier鈥� to Win Future Lions Grand Prix

鈥淭he idea that this feature could bring [the deaf community] closer to the artists that they love meets the brief perfectly,鈥� says Tye M. Comer, creative director of Spotify advertising. 鈥淎lso, the use of deepfake technology鈥攇enius. Because I don鈥檛 know about the rest of you, but everything that I鈥檝e heard about deepfake technology absolutely terrifies me, right?鈥�

鈥淭o take that, and to turn it on its head to create something that puts positivity in the world was just wonderful. And that鈥檚 the whole point of Future Lions,鈥� Comer said.

Spotify chose the Grand Prix winner based on which idea they want to explore producing. They will collaborate with Egan and Bianchi to find ways to bring 鈥溾�� to life on their platform.

And the Winner Is鈥μ�

Marlana Bianchi and Molly Egan (top row, left) hold their Grand Prix trophies with the three other Future Lions winning teams from schools in England, Italy and Germany. (Photo courtesy of AKQA)

On the morning of the ceremony, Egan and Bianchi eagerly joined the three other winning teams to await the announcement of the Grand Prix winner on Spotify Beach at Cannes Lions.

Gemma Redgrave, global marketing director at advertising agency AKQA, presented the award with Comer and Chloe Wix, global director of product marketing at Spotify. Redgrave has overseen Future Lions since 2019, advocating for student creativity.

Until that moment, Egan and Bianchi had been sworn to secrecy about their status as Cannes Future Lions winners. With anticipation building, the defining moment of their Cannes experience arrived.

鈥淭he Grand Prix goes to鈥� 鈥楤reak the Sound Barrier.鈥欌��

鈥淲e ran onto the stage, floating on cloud nine. In that moment, our dreams came true,鈥� Egan says.

Story by Molly Egan, a senior in the Newhouse School

The Forever Orange Campaign raised nearly $1.6 billion that is transforming the University鈥檚 campus, accelerating academic excellence and expanding access to talented students from across the socioeconomic spectrum. (Photo by Joey Heslin)

With its most ambitious fundraising campaign in history now complete, 黑料不打烊 today announced it surpassed the $1.5 billion goal of Forever Orange: The Campaign for 黑料不打烊, raising nearly $1.6 billion by the time it closed on Dec. 31, 2024. The funds generated have already had an unprecedented impact on 黑料不打烊鈥攃reating and transforming the University鈥檚 facilities and spaces, accelerating academic excellence and discovery, and expanding access to talented students from across the socioeconomic spectrum.

鈥淚 am grateful to everyone who helped us reach and exceed the ambitious goals of the Forever Orange Campaign,鈥� says Chancellor Kent Syverud. 鈥淭he extraordinary generosity of so many is already having a profound impact鈥攖ransforming our campus, driving academic excellence and providing life-changing opportunities for our students. The Forever Orange Campaign was a catalyst to convert big ideas into exciting realities. But none of it would have been possible without the passion, support and commitment of our Orange community.鈥�

Mission Accomplished

Forever Orange fundraising eclipsed that of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 last three campaigns combined鈥攁 testament to the tenacity, spirit of giving and dedication of the Orange community. Launched five years ago, Forever Orange sought to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support from 125,000 donors and meaningfully engage 20% of alumni鈥攁nd all three goals were exceeded. At campaign close, thanks to the generosity of 125,699 individual donors鈥攊ncluding trustees, alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, families and friends鈥攖he Forever Orange Campaign raised a total of $1,590,234,203, and meaningful alumni engagement now exceeds 20.5%.

Accomplishments of Note

The funds raised will fuel research, support faculty recruitment, enhance world-class teaching and learning, expand financial aid, increase access to experiential learning and immersion programs, elevate the success of Orange Athletics, foster entrepreneurship and innovation and more for generations to come. As a result of the campaign:

• The University鈥檚 endowment more than doubled to $2.1 billion.
• The amount of financial support available to students dramatically increased due to the creation of more than 800 new scholarships.
• Bolstered by the Faculty Excellence Program, 117 faculty positions and fellowships were created, helping to advance 黑料不打烊鈥檚 status as a top-tier international research university.
• The schools, colleges and special units received more than $1.3 billion in direct support.
• The Lender Center for Social Justice and the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship in Washington, D.C., were established.
• More than 200,000 veterans and members of the military-connected community benefited from the learning opportunities and programs offered through the D鈥橝niello Institute for Veterans and Military Families.
• The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications was the recipient of the largest gift in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 history from the Newhouse family, cementing its position as the premier public communications school in the country.

Beyond the classroom, sweeping physical changes have transformed 黑料不打烊 since the onset of the campaign. Among those are:

• The creation of the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D鈥橝niello Building鈥攖he first, best and only facility on a college campus dedicated solely to the well-being of veterans, service members and their families.
• The transformation of Manley Field House into the John A. Lally Athletics Complex, a best-in-class facility dedicated to the personal, academic and athletic success of the University鈥檚 600 Division 1 student-athletes.
• The revitalization of the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center into a vibrant new center for student life with centralized student services, contemporary food offerings and collaborative gathering spaces and study areas.
• The renovation of the JMA Wireless Dome to create an unmatched student-athlete and fan experience; this includes the Miron Victory Court, which was dedicated in November and is now a dynamic space for gathering ahead of athletic events.
• The consolidation of all student health, wellness and recreation services into the new Barnes Center at The Arch, making access to holistic student resources and supports a more seamless experience.
• The construction of the Einhorn Family Walk, a pedestrian-focused promenade that eliminated a busy road and created a more functional, connected campus.
• The conversion of an existing campus space into the Barner-McDuffie House, a dynamic and community-oriented space that celebrates the Black student experience.

Powerful Orange Network

Growing and formalizing the University’s volunteer leadership structure was critical to the campaign’s success. Since the campaign鈥檚 launch in November 2019, the University鈥檚 alumni engagement office hosted more than 3,700 events and programs, which collectively engaged over 30,000 alumni. The campaign also relied on a powerful network of nearly 15,000 leadership volunteers who served on alumni club boards, advisory boards, regional councils and more. Many of these individuals worked behind the scenes for years before the campaign launch to galvanize their own networks鈥攐ften including alumni, parents, families and friends.

鈥淲hen we talk about a campaign鈥檚 success, we often focus on the goals and metrics. But campaigns are really built on relationships, trust and a shared belief in one鈥檚 mission,鈥� says Tracy Barlok, senior vice president and chief advancement officer. 鈥淭he Forever Orange Campaign didn’t begin with a dollar goal; it began with people who loved 黑料不打烊 deeply enough to imagine its future and then make it real.鈥�

The campaign was chaired by trustees Patricia Mautino 鈥�64, G鈥�66, Mike Thonis 鈥�72 and the late H. John Riley Jr. 鈥�61. Barlok expressed her deep appreciation for their partnership.

鈥淧at, Mike and John were recruited because our leadership sought ambitious people鈥攙isionaries and influencers who had a conviction that audacious goals were part of the Orange DNA. And I can’t imagine three individuals who better embodied these characteristics,鈥� Barlok says. 鈥淲e are grateful to them, to all our campaign volunteers and to our supporters. And we鈥檙e so excited for what鈥檚 ahead.鈥�

About 黑料不打烊

黑料不打烊 is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we鈥檙e a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what鈥檚 possible.

Participating in the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Leaders Network are (clockwise from left to right): Kevin Adonis Browne, Brad Horn, Elizabeth (Beth) Kubala), Lindsay Quilty and Miranda Staats Traudt.

Five members of the 黑料不打烊 community have been selected to participate in the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Academic Leaders Network.听The program is designed to facilitate cross-institutional networking and collaboration among academic leaders while building leadership capacity at participating ACC institutions.

黑料不打烊 members included in the 2025 cohort are:

• , associate professor of writing studies, rhetoric and composition and chair of the Humanities Council,
• , professor of practice in public relations and associate dean for strategic initiatives,
• , teaching professor, executive director of clinical education and executive director of the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic,
• , assistant dean for undergraduate programs,
• , assistant provost for arts and community programming, Office of Strategic Initiatives,

The program will kick off with a virtual event on Feb. 7, followed by three on-site sessions at Wake Forest University (March 26-28), the University of Miami (June 23-25) and Georgia Institute of Technology (Oct. 20-22).

The sessions will focus on leadership topics and trends in higher education while promoting leadership growth, awareness and effectiveness. Participating faculty members from all member institutions have received foundational leadership training and served at least one year in a relevant leadership role.

Examining Black life and culture through time and space, this year鈥檚 theme, 鈥淎frican Americans and Labor,鈥� explores work and working of all kinds, free and unfree, skilled and unskilled, vocational and voluntary within the collective intersecting experiences of Black life and culture.

鈥淭his year鈥檚 Black History Month planning has been a labor of love,鈥� says Cydavia Patterson, program coordinator and member of the Black History Month Committee. 鈥淭he committee has put in long hours, lots of emails and phone calls and many back-to-back meetings. We hope this month inspires you to celebrate your heritage, revel in your history, practice cultural wellness and look for those who you can reach out to and reach back to.鈥�

Calendar of Events

The campus community is invited to join these programs, events and discussions that began on Jan. 22 and continue through March 2.

鈥淏lack history is deeply ingrained in the foundation of this country, not just this month but year-round,鈥� says Lael Pierce, assistant director of . 鈥淲e honor the bravery, talent and contributions of the men and women who鈥檝e excelled and enacted change in our society. Black history is American history.鈥�

A complete listing of Black History Month events is available on the . Among the highlights:

• Friday, Jan. 31, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.:听
• Friday, Jan. 31, 7-9 p.m.:听
• Monday, Feb. 3, noon-2 p.m.:
• Wednesday, Feb. 19, 7 p.m.:听
• Saturday, Feb. 22, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.:听
• Sunday, Feb. 23, 7 p.m.:听
• Sunday, March 2, 6-9 p.m.:听

For questions or to learn more, contact by emailing BIPOCSS@syr.edu or calling 315.443.0228.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to provide feedback on the value of the resources and services offered by the Libraries.

is conducting two awareness and perception surveys: one directed to all 听and one directed to .听 The surveys, launched on Jan. 15, will remain open through Feb. 10.

Both surveys will allow the Libraries to benchmark against results and feedback received in 2020, when similar surveys were implemented. The surveys, which take about 10 minutes to complete, provide a gauge of the University community鈥檚 perception of the value of various resources and services offered by the Libraries, and an opportunity to gather open-ended responses about ways the Libraries can meet the changing needs of its users.

Information gathered from the surveys will be shared with the Libraries鈥� leadership and staff and will inform strategic direction.

黑料不打烊 will honor eight distinguished members of the Orange community during the , which is being held on Friday, April 4, in the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building (NVRC). All members of the community are invited to attend this complimentary program. Registration will open in February.

This annual event recognizes and celebrates the exceptional accomplishments of alumni and students who exemplify what it means to be Forever Orange.听The honorees were selected by the awards committee of the Board of Directors.听The committee will soon announce the 2025 Outstanding Future Alumni Award, which goes to a most deserving student.

The George Arents Award is 黑料不打烊鈥檚 highest alumni honor and recognizes individuals who have excelled in their fields.听This year鈥檚 honorees are Paul Greenberg 鈥�65, P鈥�03; Melanie Littlejohn G鈥�97; and Judith 鈥淛udy鈥� C. Mower 鈥�66, G鈥�73, G鈥�80, Ph.D.鈥�84.

Chelsea Ransom-Cooper 鈥�15 will receive the Generation Orange Award, which recognizes graduates from the past decade for career success, community engagement and overall commitment to 黑料不打烊.

Jack Kreischer 鈥�65 will receive the Melvin A. Eggers Senior Alumni Award for his loyalty and service to 黑料不打烊 over the past 50 years.

Jamieson R. Ritter 鈥�19 will posthumously receive the Military/Veteran Alumni Award. Ritter passed away in the line of duty while serving as a police officer in Cleveland, Ohio. This award highlights his bravery and dedication to our country and community.

Kimberly Wolf Price L鈥�03 will be awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award for her commitment to 黑料不打烊 as a volunteer.

The Outstanding Future Alumni Award honoree will be announced in February.

and plan to join us in April for the celebration.

ITS offers up the following advice should you receive one of these calls or emails:

• Government agencies and legitimate businesses will NEVER demand payment via gift cards, cryptocurrency or wire transfers;
• If you receive a threatening email or call, do not respond鈥攊mmediately report it to the ITS Helpdesk (315.443.2677) for assistance;
• Verify any requests by contacting the agency directly using official contact details.

Carly DiFulvio Allen

While at Disney Theatrical Group, DiFulvio Allen served on the advisory committee for Ensemble, an employee-led network with the goal of fostering and celebrating an inclusive culture, and was the founding member and co-chair for a parents and caregivers sub-committee.

Prior to Disney Theatrical Group, DiFulvio Allen was the company manager for Roundabout Theatre Company at the Todd Haimes Theatre (formerly the American Airlines Theatre) for 25 Broadway productions. Highlights from her tenure at Roundabout include the original Broadway production of 鈥淭he 39 Steps,鈥� the Broadway revival of 鈥淥n the Twentieth Century鈥� with Kristen Chenoweth and the original Broadway production of 鈥淰iolet鈥� starring Sutton Foster.

鈥淲e are thrilled to welcome Carly to 黑料不打烊 Stage,鈥� says Bob Hupp, artistic director. 鈥淗er background in New York City nonprofit theatres, and her recent work with Disney Theatrical Group, are perfectly suited to the leadership role she鈥檒l assume when she joins us in March. Carly鈥檚 experience, her Central New York roots and her people-centered approach to our work make her a dynamic and exceptional addition to Stage leadership. We鈥檙e excited to introduce her to everyone this spring, and I very much look forward to partnering with her to help 黑料不打烊 Stage make the strongest possible contribution to the cultural life of Central New York.鈥�

DiFulvio Allen鈥檚 arrival at 黑料不打烊 Stage is a homecoming of sorts. A Rochester native, she received theatre management and integrated marketing communications degrees from Ithaca College.

鈥淚 am thrilled to be joining the remarkable team at 黑料不打烊 Stage and returning to Central New York,鈥� she says. 鈥満诹喜淮蜢� Stage鈥檚 now 50-year legacy of quality and inspired storytelling is a testament to the support, enthusiasm and engagement of this vibrant community. I look forward to working together to explore new opportunities for expanding Stage鈥檚 vision of reimagining what is possible for regional theatre.鈥�

黑料不打烊 Stage board of trustees chair Richard Driscoll says DiFulvio Allen is an ideal match for the company with its relationship to both Central New Yorkers and the professional theatre community. 鈥淭he Board of Directors is excited to welcome Carly DiFulvio Allen as our new managing director at 黑料不打烊 Stage. Her deep experience in the theatre industry and ties to Central New York will make her a perfect partner with our Artistic Director Bob Hupp and the rest of Stage鈥檚 amazing staff,” he says.

Board of trustees president Herm Frazier echoes Driscoll鈥檚 sentiment. 鈥淚 am confident Carly鈥檚 enthusiasm, coupled with her experience in theater will make her a perfect fit for 黑料不打烊 Stage,鈥� he says.

DiFulvio Allen鈥檚 hiring concludes an extensive nationwide search led by Management Consultants for the Arts, with longtime 黑料不打烊 Stage board of trustees member and former board chair Nancy Green chairing the search committee.

The 黑料不打烊 Stage 24/25 season continues this year with the Pulitzer Prize-winning 鈥淧rimary Trust鈥� by Eboni Booth (through Feb. 9), an Indiana Repertory Theatre co-production of 鈥淜ing James鈥� by Rajiv Joseph (Feb. 26 to March 16), Jane Austen鈥檚 鈥淪ense and Sensibility鈥� by Kate Hamill (April 23 to May 11) and the Julie Lutz Cold Read world premiere of 鈥淭he National Pastime鈥� by Rogelio Martinez (June 11 to 29).

Lamis Abdelaaty

The research team for the project titled 鈥淩efLex: Is International Refugee Law Effective?鈥� includes principal investigator Cathryn Costello, a professor of global refugee and migration law at University College Dublin Sutherland School of Law, and fellow co-principal investigator Ashwini Vasanthakumar, an associate professor and Queen鈥檚 National Scholar in Legal and Political Philosophy at Queen鈥檚 University Law School in Canada. The research team will also include two post-doctoral researchers and two Ph.D. students.

The team will use statistical analysis, qualitative methods, case studies and conceptual analysis for their comparative study. They hope to create a new dataset鈥攖he Refugee Protection Index鈥攖o explore the effectiveness of international refugee law in terms of delivering protection for refugees, changing states鈥� behavior and motivating social, political or legal mobilizations by refugees themselves.

鈥淲hether and how international refugee law can be effective are pressing questions for scholars of international refugee politics,鈥� says Abdelaaty. 鈥淚 am looking forward to collaborating with this stellar research team and to extending my previous work on refugee rights and policies through this project.鈥�

The funding is a consolidator grant, which supports scientists and scholars with seven to 12 years of experience as they establish independent research teams. The European Research Council, a public body that funds scientific and technological research, awarded over $700 million to 328 researchers across Europe under the European Union鈥檚 Horizon Europe program.

鈥淭his project will answer important questions about what types of laws can protect some of the most vulnerable people鈥攔efugees,鈥� says Shana Kushner Gadarian, associate dean for research and professor of political science. 鈥淒uring a time of significant change to the international community, Professor Abdelaaty is helping to illuminate where refugees are safe, integrated and adding to their new home countries.鈥�

Previously, Abdelaaty has received support from the Gerda Henkel Foundation for her second book project, 鈥淩efugees in Crisis,鈥� which analyzes the designation of situations as 鈥渞efugee crises.鈥� Her first book, 鈥淒iscrimination and Delegation: Explaining State Responses to Refugees鈥� (Oxford University Press, 2021), received the Distinguished Book Award from the International Studies Association鈥檚 Ethnicity, Nationalism and Migration Studies section and the Best Book Award from the American Political Science Association鈥檚 Migration and Citizenship section.

At the Maxwell School, Abdelaaty is a senior research associate at the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration and the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs. She teaches courses on refugees in international politics, humanitarian action in world politics, international law and human rights.

Story by Michael Kelly

The program expands existing , offered on campus or at sites in the U.S., by broadening the scope of social justice research to include examinations with global dimensions. The research is customized to students鈥� interests and location. London is the inaugural site for the Lender Global program, which was announced last fall.

After arriving in the U.K., 鈥淕reen Britain鈥� course participants visited several environmentally designed and redeveloped sites in Wales, led by London Center instructor and 黑料不打烊 Abroad鈥檚 community engagement specialist, and Lender Center Director . They toured the , , , , and to learn about geographies, ecosystems, climate challenges, environmental preservation policies and cultural practices, as well as sustainable design.

Stops in Wales included visiting the parliament building, which was designed for the best use of light and with many sustainability and conservation-minded features. (Photo by Becca Farnum)

The Lender Global student research fellows describe how their involvement in the program and participation in the course is already enlightening them on how environmental issues are treated worldwide.

Jude Bazerman

Jude Bazerman ’26 is a dual major in broadcast and digital journalism in the Newhouse School of Public Communications and geography in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He believes his study abroad experience in the U.K. and Europe in general鈥攔egions he says have long been at the forefront of positive environmental change鈥攚ill support his goal of becoming a TV news reporter whose focus is consumer and environmental stories.

鈥淭his experience has been hands-on, and that鈥檚 how I like to learn, rather than in a classroom with a couple hundred other people. As someone studying outside the U.S. for the first time, I would not have put Wales and Cornwall on my bucket list. But interacting with Welsh people and exploring various sites in Wales has been fantastic.鈥�

Bazerman says his experience so far has taught him how to pivot and how to keep an open mind about new possibilities. 鈥淟eaving London and traveling in Wales just a few days after our arrival here has helped me learn to adapt quickly. Becca Farnum has taught me not to write anything off before you鈥檝e had the chance to learn about it and experience it. I鈥檝e learned that you have to adapt on your toes and roll with whatever comes your way. Those are skills I will use after I graduate and in my career.鈥�

Gabrielle McCafferty

Gabrielle McCafferty ’25,听a dual biology and psychology major in the College of Arts and Sciences, plans to eventually earn a doctorate in physical therapy. She says she comes from an environmentally conscious family that has long participated in sustainability practices.

Her time in London and trip to Wales have provided a new awareness of how other countries approach environmental concerns, she says. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen a lot of sustainability features here that you don鈥檛 see as much of in the United States. Recycling bins are located everywhere. There are no paper towel dispensers, only electric hand dryers. The Welsh parliament鈥檚 windowed design and water-operated heating and cooling system is the most sustainable building I鈥檝e ever seen. It has shown me how the little things add up here and that the United Kingdom has a very firm grasp on the environment. It is obviously working on a very sustainable future.鈥�

Abdulai Jibril Barrie

Abdulai Jibril Barrie ’26, an industrial and interaction design major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, plans a career in footwear and product design geared toward addressing community challenges and creating solutions.

He says past visits to Ecuador, Senegal, Egypt, Germany and Jordan, and time living in both Guinea and the United States, have informed him on how differently various countries can regard environmental issues. Visits to museums and historic sites since he鈥檚 been in London have shown him how history, culture, natural resources and politics affect the ways a locale addresses environmental issues, such as the coal industry鈥檚 importance in Wales, yet its eventual shutdown due to environmental concerns.

鈥淚鈥檝e learned that preserving the environment is not just about recycling. It鈥檚 also about saving the trees and the oceans, where much of our air comes from. I think educating kids from an early age about the environment can be quite impactful, too.鈥�

The second Lender Global location, announced earlier this month, is Santiago, Chile. Students studying there during the 2025-26 academic year will focus on social justice reparations and remembrances for hundreds of thousands of victims of human rights violations during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet from 1973-90.

The keynote speaker for the 40th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration was Sarah Willie-LeBreton, a sociologist and president of Smith College. (Photo by Amelia Beamish)

Sarah Willie-LeBreton, president of Smith College, was welcomed back to 黑料不打烊 by a stadium filled with nearly 1,200 people for the 40th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Sunday鈥攁nd she was happy to return to the place she had called home.

鈥淎lthough I have not lived here for 50 years, 黑料不打烊, the place of my first days, lives in my heart,鈥� she said.

Willie-LeBreton, the keynote speaker for the event held in the JMA Wireless Dome, is the daughter of the late Charles V. Willie G鈥�57, H鈥�92, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 first Black full professor, department chair and vice president. Willie was a classmate of King at Morehouse College and was instrumental in bringing King to the University in 1961 and 1965.

Chancellor Kent Syverud gave the welcoming remarks. (Photo by Angela Ryan)

The University鈥檚 Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, the largest of its kind on any college campus, seeks to honor the message and mission of King and is a direct expression of the University鈥檚 commitment to advancing academic excellence at a university welcoming to all. This year鈥檚 theme was 鈥淟iving History.鈥�

In his welcoming remarks, Chancellor Kent Syverud noted that many freedoms have been won through the work of King鈥檚 contemporaries and those who followed him.

鈥淐hallenges and injustices persist, but his message urges us to act,鈥� Chancellor Syverud said. 鈥淲hen he spoke last here in Sims Hall in 1965, he said, 鈥楾he time is always right to do right.鈥� I think that means now, too.鈥�

Cultivating Spaces of Mutual Respect

During her address, Willie-LeBreton spoke of the transformation of colleges and universities over the past 60 years, and of the good that higher education puts into the public space as the country鈥檚 central economic, medical, artistic, intellectual, scientific and public policy engines and most respected export.

鈥淭he work of higher education is intertwined with the work in which King was engaged because in the United States, the work of the university campus has always been in generative tension with the work of democracy,鈥� Willie-LeBreton said. 鈥淭he subjects explored in the university quite literally drive us forward as a species.鈥�

Guests enjoy dinner prior to the program. (Photo by Amelia Beamish)

In current times, she said campuses have been tested. 鈥淭hose of us who are educators must redouble our efforts to cultivate spaces that are mutually respectful as much as they are sites of rigorous learning,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e have to be with people who are different from us, and we have to stay in relationship with them.鈥�

How to Honor Dr. King鈥檚 Legacy

Willie-LeBreton offered two ideas for how to honor King鈥檚 sacrifice.

First, she said, resist the narratives that assail our educational institutions. 鈥淭he needs of our schools are great and our goals for them are greater,鈥� she said.

Her second suggestion is to talk with people you might not choose as friends. 鈥淔ind a neutral place, your public library branch, a cafe, an empty classroom, a diner,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ring along two of your friends and two folks you suspect have opinions you don’t share, but with whom you have something in common.鈥�

Willie-LeBreton encouraged the audience to honor education as 鈥渙ur human birthright鈥� and cultivate 鈥渄ignity by listening carefully to yourself and to others and then honoring what you hear.鈥�

鈥淚f we do these things, we will bring fellowship to each other and the world neighborhood of which King spoke,” Willie-LeBreton said. “Take the baton and let’s give this lap our all in the relay race for justice.鈥�

The evening鈥檚 program also included performances by the Community Choir and the Black Celestial Choral Ensemble, and the presentation of this year鈥檚听Unsung Hero Awards.

The Community Choir performs a selection. The Black Celestial Choral Ensemble also performed during the evening. (Photo by Amelia Beamish)

The 2025 Unsung Hero Award recipients were honored at the event. They included from left to right, Andrea-Rose Oates ’26, James K. Duah-Agyeman, Isaiah Pollard from the SCORE organization and Laurence Segal. Rodney Jackson, far right, accepted a posthumous award on behalf of his brother, Jamie Jackson. (Photo by Amelia Beamish)

On Jan. 29, we bid farewell to the Year of the Dragon and usher in the Year of the Snake, which, according to the Chinese Zodiac, represents harvest, spirituality and good fortune. Lunar New Year celebrations last up to 15 days and include such various customs as gathering with family, preparing traditional foods, artistic performances and the gifting of red envelopes to pass on good fortune and blessings to the younger generations.

Students enjoy the 2024 Orange After Dark/Center for International Services Celebration

For international students on campus looking for a taste of home or for anyone who simply wants to celebrate a new beginning based on the lunar calendar, check out the following selection of Lunar New Year events being held on campus.

Tuesday, Jan. 28鈥擜sian American Journalists Association Celebration

The will hold a Lunar New Year Celebration in Newhouse 1 Room 303 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. There will be fun activities, delicious food and an amazing night planned for all!

Wednesday, Jan. 29: Food Services Pop-Up

Campus Dining centers will host pop-up events in all dining centers at dinnertime, with a build-your-own stir fry station featuring noodles, rice and extra toppings; dumplings and spring rolls.

Wednesday, Jan. 29: Newhouse International Students Association Tabling Event

The will host a tabling event in food.com, located on the second floor of Newhouse 3, from noon to 1 pm. Stop by to get your lucky red envelope and Asian treats to celebrate the Year of the Snake.

Friday, Jan. 31: School of Architecture Lunar New Year Celebration

A will be held in Slocum Hall from 5 to 7:30 p.m., organized by international students in the and Dean Michael Speaks.听Students can engage in a wide range of activities, such as knot tying, calligraphy, fortune scratch-offs, Chinese horoscopes and a photo booth. There will also be musical and vocal performances and a dancing dragon. Food, chocolate coins and traditional candies, and tea with Dean Speaks will be served.听A series of short faculty presentations on East Asian culture and architecture will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 31: Orange After Dark/Center for International Services Lunar New Year Celebration

听The campus community is invited to celebrate the Lunar New Year with Orange After Dark and the from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. in 304 ABC Schine Student Center.听There will be a light Chinese buffet and activities, including making a Chinese lucky knot, creating PaperCut, origami, Wish Tree, chopstick bean relay race and calligraphy. Tickets can be obtained through the .

Friday, Feb. 7: Chinese United Student Association and Chinese Student and Scholars Association Chinese New Year Party

The and the will host a Chinese New Year Party at 6 p.m. in the Schine Student Center鈥檚 Goldstein Auditorium. There will be programs relating to Chinese culture, dance, martial arts and music.

Share Your Lunar New Year Photos With Us!

However you decide to celebrate鈥攚hether at the events mentioned above or elsewhere鈥攕end your photos to SU News! Email听newsphoto@syr.edu听and we鈥檒l share a selection of Lunar New Year pictures in the weeks to come.

鈥淭his award is a testament to the Libraries鈥� and the University鈥檚 commitment to creating an environment that is welcoming to all. We are committed to ensuring that our services and resources are inclusive and accessible. This includes our campus surveys that inform our strategy to expand our collections and exhibitions to include previously excluded or underrepresented voices. Such efforts expose Libraries鈥� users to a multiplicity of life experiences, cultures and viewpoints, and encourages the use of inclusive curricular materials across campus. Receiving this award is external acknowledgement that our actions听 align with our ethos and goals,鈥� says David Seaman, dean of Libraries and University Librarian.

Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Diversity magazine, says 鈥淲e are proud to honor these college and university libraries as role models for other institutions of higher education.鈥�

The award includes a $1,000 cash prize and a publication contract with 黑料不打烊 Uni颅versity Press. Manuscripts of high merit not selected for the final award may receive honorable mention.

The Veterans Writing Award was established in 2019 to recognize the contributions of veterans to the literary arts, shine a light on the multivalent veteran experience and provide a platform for unrecognized military writers.

Unpublished, full-length manuscripts are accepted for consideration. This biennial contest alternates between fiction and nonfiction each award cycle, with the 2025 award open to novels and short story collections.

The award is open to U.S. veter颅ans and active-duty personnel in any branch of the U.S. military and their immediate fam颅ily members. This includes spouses, domestic partners, siblings, parents and children. Women veteran writers, veterans of color, Native American veterans, LGBTQ veterans and those who identify as having a disability are encouraged to submit.

Although work submitted for the contest need not be about direct military experience, original voices and fresh perspectives are sought that will expand and challenge readers鈥� understanding of the lives of veterans and their families. Posthumous submissions are eligible.

Finalists will be read by writer and veteran of the United States Marine Corps Maurice Decaul, and the winning entry will be announced in November of 2025.

Complete rules and submission guidelines can be found on the .

The program鈥檚 five focus areas鈥攖echnology and media, schooling and diversity, physical activity, post-secondary and human services, or pre-teaching鈥攑repare students for any career with a learning, training, service, or advocacy component, including coaching, counseling, higher education, instructional design, law, and library science.

Another path for SSE graduates is policy, politics and nonprofit and international development work, which has been the outcome for Yang and Woods.

Victor Yang 鈥�16 says his education background comes in useful when advocating for older adults in the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging.

Yang ’16 is currently chief government affairs officer for the (NAPCA), having also worked in Congress, in the Biden Administration and for various political campaigns. Woods has worked for the Department of State (DOS) and, most recently, the Nakupuna Companies, a sub-contractor for the U.S. Bureau of Global Health, Security and Diplomacy. In December, she returned to DOS as the director of operations of the .

Yang鈥檚 and Woods鈥� careers illustrate how an SSE degree can provide in-demand skills and practical experiences鈥攏ot to mention a spirit of exploration. Both alums are happy to pass along a few of the lessons learned from their journeys.

Lesson 1: It鈥檚 OK if classroom teaching isn鈥檛 for you鈥擲SE lets you explore service careers beyond the classroom.

Both Yang and Woods set out to be classroom teachers, driven by early experiences. Yang, the son of immigrants, grew up in Boston鈥檚 Chinatown. As a young person, he worked as a legislative intern for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and at the American Chinese Christian Educational and Social Services (ACCESS), where he ran an after-school program to help Chinese immigrants navigate the educational system.

As an elementary education undergraduate, Yang had an early placement at a child care center, which gave him real world experience of the education system and challenged him 鈥渢o think more about education policy, especially as this was during the implementation of No Child Left Behind.鈥�

Yang鈥檚 interest in policy grew to the point he decided to transition to SSE in his junior year. Students often combine SSE with another major, and Yang also enrolled in English and textual studies: 鈥淚 thought that honing my writing skills would help my job search.鈥�

Originally from Florida, Woods was inspired to apply to SOE by her high school guidance counselor, an Orange alum. Like Yang, Woods began in elementary education. 鈥淥ne of the great things about SOE is that you get started early with classroom experience and by my sophomore year I had done both tutoring and classroom instruction,” says Woods.

Angela Woods ’05 (left) moderated the 2024 Women in Leadership panel for the U.S. Department of State’s TechWomen Program: “The opportunity was special because I had the pleasure of managing the program from 2019 to 2023.”

Although Woods eventually realized classroom teaching wasn鈥檛 for her, she wanted to stay in the education field, especially when she learned about careers in higher education. SSE鈥檚 flexibility also was attractive. 鈥淚 could create my own path based on my interests,” she says.

Some of Woods鈥� interests lay in student development. Enrolled in the (part of SOE鈥檚 ), she interned for CAASD鈥檚 (CSTEP) during the summer. Selected studies also gave her the opportunity to , where she worked with the US-Spain Fulbright Commission in Madrid: 鈥淭hat opened my interest to international education and work in government.鈥�

Lesson 2: When starting your career, networking works!

After graduating with his SSE and English degrees in 2016, Yang returned to ACCESS as a program coordinator, and like many freshly minted graduates, he made ends meet with a side gig driving for Uber.

But just as Yang took a chance on switching his majors, so he did with his career. A friend working in software engineering in the Capital Region persuaded him to give government service “a shot.鈥� 鈥淪o I moved to D.C. and went to networking events and started interning on Capitol Hill, answering phones and giving tours,鈥� says Yang. These efforts eventually led to an entry level position as a health and appropriations legislative assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Networking works, at least in Yang鈥檚 case: 鈥淚f you can get your foot in the door, it’s totally worth it, but if you don鈥檛 succeed, it might mean it’s not the right timing.” The path to government work is often circumstantial, and Yang suggests anyone looking for this type of career should not be discouraged if it doesn’t work out initially.

Lesson 3: Diversify your experiences鈥攜ou never know what will come in useful.

Woods discovered one way to give herself the best chance of success in public service was to diversify her experiences and keep options open.

After graduating, she continued on her path to a higher education career, earning a master鈥檚 degree at the University of Maryland, College Park. Like Yang, Woods then returned to an earlier experience鈥攁t CSTEP (鈥淚 really enjoyed working with the students鈥�)鈥攂ut the Florida native confesses that 黑料不打烊鈥檚 notorious winters discouraged her from settling.

Besides, her next move was a perfect fit for her combined background in higher education, student development and government programs. At The Washington Center, Woods managed academic internships for the Department of Defense, Federal Aviation Administration, Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies.

In 2012, her internship abroad with the US-Spain Fulbright Commission proved useful, helping to land her job in DOS, where she assisted in managing the Critical Language Scholarship Program and eventually鈥攆rom 2019 to 2023鈥攖he Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs鈥� TechWomen program, which empowers women leaders in STEM from Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East.

鈥淚 never imagined as an education graduate I would end up working for DOS,鈥� Woods says. 鈥淚 thought the only federal agency that would be open to my background was the Department of Education.鈥�

For the full story, visit the .

Sadie Keefe 鈥�26 (English education) contributed to this article.

The听听hosts the 黑料不打烊 Symposium, which encompasses a variety of art exhibitions, lectures, film screenings, workshops, musical performances and more. These events, open to 黑料不打烊 students, faculty and staff, along with the local community, inspire critical thinking about current issues and encourage reflection on personal values and beliefs, highlighting how the humanities can be applied in various real-world contexts.

The yearlong Symposium听听with a series of events centered around this year鈥檚 theme, ‘community,’ as selected by the听. Continuing this spring, events will demonstrate how the humanities are essential for helping to create environments in which everyone can thrive, resulting in more inclusive communities and healthier and more just societies. Programming will also spark thoughtful discussions through unexpected juxtapositions, such as how sports and theater are vital to community-building, and how youth storytelling can be brought to life through film, music and dance. Explore the full slate of Symposium events below.

Spring Symposium Events

Sunday, February 2

听–听The听 (TwMC) collaborative will present a screening of works by 黑料不打烊-area high school students at the Watson Hall Theater. Films were shot using readily available tools like smartphones, illustrating that anyone can create impactful movies, regardless of their resources.

Friday, February 7 and Saturday, February 8

Resettled refugee youth from the听听will host two storytelling events. On Feb. 7, the fellows听听through poetry set to music by Iraqi composer Ameen Mokdad, performed by Cuatro Puntos musicians and Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet dancers, choreographed by ECB artistic director Elisa Schroth. On Feb. 8, the poets, composer, choreographer, musicians and dancers will facilitate a听.

Narratio storytelling event (Photo by Edward Grattan)

Wednesday, February 26

听鈥� In this event presented by 黑料不打烊 Stage, former 黑料不打烊 athletes Eric Devendorf (basketball) and Eric Jackson (football) will discuss the role of sports in building community and how it can result in unexpected friendships and lasting connections. The panel discussion, in conjunction with the play听,听will be moderated by听, an instructor of Spanish in A&S and former editor at ESPNDeportes.com and ESPN.com.

Thursday, March 6

听–听, associate professor of teacher education and school improvement at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, will explore pathways and possibilities for justice-oriented, community-based and youth-engaged teaching and learning in the context of today鈥檚 polarizing political climate.

Tuesday, March 18

Two related events will spotlight Gertrude Berg, the groundbreaking writer-actress who created the serial comedy-drama听The Rise of the Goldbergs听(1929), later known as听. 黑料不打烊 Trustee Professor听听鈥溾�� viewing series will feature radio and television screenings of Berg鈥檚 work, co-curated by Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Emily Nussbaum. Later that day, Nussbaum will use archival letters from the Special Collections Research Center鈥檚 Gertrude Berg Papers to听.

Thursday, April 3 and Friday, April 4

Patricia Spears Jones

New York State Poet Laureate听听will host a reading of her works and a craft-focused discussion. On April 3, Spears Jones will听听at the 黑料不打烊 Downtown YMCA鈥檚 Shinder Theater. On April 4, she will听听in conversation with students and fans of poetry in the campus community. Space for that talk is limited. To register, contact听Phil Memmer, executive director of the Arts and Education Branch of the YMCA of CNY, by March 28.

Saturday, April 5

听–听Film director Will Fraser will share excerpts from his two decades of work producing documentaries and films related to the pipe organ. He will also join a panel of organists to discuss the instrument’s future.

.

Choolaah Makes Campus and New York State Debut听

Opening at food.com in the Newhouse Complex and at the Goldstein Food Hall in the Goldstein Student Center, Choolaah brings delicious, fast-casual Indian BBQ to campus. Guests can build their own power bowl or naan wrap, choosing a savory protein and fresh toppings, with options to add flavorful sides and specialty drinks. There are plenty of selections for vegans, vegetarians, and those who need gluten-free options. South Campus鈥� Food Hall location will be open for dinner from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The food.com location will be open for lunch and dinner from Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Gluten Free and Halal Options Available in Every Dining Center

New this semester is the expanded availability of options for . Campus Dining鈥檚 registered dietitian, Ashley Leone, worked with dining center staff to create an area for Halal meals in each dining center. At Brockway, Sadler, Ernie Davis, Shaw and Graham, students needing Halal meals will find a protein, starch and vegetable option daily. At the Orange dining center, Halal meals will be made to order. Students can order ahead by calling 315.443.9750 or emailing Orangehall@groups.syr.edu to have their Halal meal prepared and ready when they鈥痑rrive.

Gluten-free entrees and sides will still be available at every dining center. After experimenting with a made-to-order system last semester, Leone heard plenty of feedback from students with gluten sensitivities. While gluten-free meals can still be prepared made-to-order (and will continue to be prepared on an as-needed basis at the Orange dining center), Brockway, Sadler, Ernie Davis, Shaw and Graham dining centers will now have gluten-free options on the line, prepared ahead of time for students who need a faster option.

Residential Dining Adds New Selections, Pop-Ups, Longer Weekend Brunch

Following up on suggestions from students, the six residential dining centers will expand the number of special pop-up events they host each semester. Dining center visitors can expect special dinners to celebrate the Lunar New Year, Earth Week, Valentine鈥檚 Day and St. Patrick鈥檚 Day, among others.

Breakfast has also changed: every day, every dining center now offers self-made-to-order Belgian waffles, with a custom 黑料不打烊 design built into the waffle iron. Weekend brunch hours have been extended: dining centers will open at 9 a.m. and will offer a full brunch menu through 3 p.m.

During the first week of the semester, Ernie Davis dining center debuted a Southern fried chicken concept, which has already proven popular with diners. Perfectly Southern, which features mac n鈥� cheese, mashed potatoes and fried chicken鈥攂oth breast and tender option鈥攊s available Monday through Wednesday for lunch and dinner. Campus Dining will look to expand this offering to other dining centers if this option continues to be well received.

Limited Time Offers and Extended Hours

Panda Express in the Schine Student Center is set to unveil three enticing, limited-time entrees throughout the spring semester. Firecracker steak and shrimp will debut on March 5, wok-fired shrimp will launch on May 28 and hot orange chicken will be available on July 9. The Schine Dunkin’ is currently serving the brown sugar shakin’ espresso, featuring a double-shot of espresso, oat milk and brown sugar syrup that is hand-shaken to create a light and frothy texture. Additionally, Yella’s at food.com is extending its hours and will now be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Inn Complete

The University鈥檚 campus pub (located on Skytop Road on South Campus) will be open nearly every Thursday and Friday evening from 3 to 8 p.m. during the semester. Its features made-to-order small bites, handhelds and flatbreads.

All campus community members are invited to visit for happy hour, when the pub will offer a rotating selection of wine and beer to guests ages 21 and over, along with plenty of board games, game tables, seating for dining and socializing and cozy spots to sit by a fireplace. As the weather warms, outside patio and deck seating will also be available.

In addition to its regular hours, the Inn Complete will continue to host catered events and departmental gatherings. To book an event, please contact the at 315.443.3605 to learn more.

Kenny will meet with students participating in the and the听 for an informal chat about how neurodiversity is a creative superpower. He will also speak to the broader campus community about his experience growing up in 黑料不打烊, connecting with like-minded creatives and his career trajectory.

Kenny, an award-winning voice actor, has also appeared on HBO’s “Mr. Show with Bob and David,” and has voiced characters on animated shows like “Rocko鈥檚 Modern Life,” “The Powerpuff Girls” and “CatDog.” He will share his experience on the skills needed to embark on an entrepreneurial journey and how to find your own creative voice, inspiring a new generation to learn more about content creation, storytelling and audience engagement.

The schedule for the day is as follows:

• 9:30-10:45 a.m.: Visit with Intelligence ++ Class and InclusiveU students. Location: Peter Graham Scholarly Commons, Bird Library. Media may listen to class discussion (please contact media@syr.edu to schedule).
• 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Informal discussion and Q&A (open to the campus community and the media) on 鈥淐reative Entrepreneurial Journey,” featuring Tom Kenny and moderated by Oscar Arce (founder of Los Angeles-based Master Talent Agency) and Paul Kozlowski (writer, actor, artist, comedian and founder of the FAKE Gallery in Hollywood and the AKE Gallery in Cortland, New York). Location: Martin J. Whitman School of Management Grand Flaum Hall.

Kenny鈥檚 visit is being sponsored by , the Intelligence++ Program, the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education (InclusiveU), the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

Hamid Ekbia

听is director of the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute at 黑料不打烊 and founding director of the听. He took time to answer a few questions about the current state of AI regulation.

Q: How do government regulations shape AI development?

A: The federal government has a decisive role in creating the environment in which different players in the AI space operate.听 This could happen through regulation or in the absence of regulation. In the past, when the federal government was inclined to regulate technology through executive orders (and this included both the first Trump and Biden administrations), companies indicated interest in getting some measure of guidance from the government in establishing guardrails around AI technology in the hope of establishing an even playing field of transparent and ethical AI.

The rescinding of Biden鈥檚 executive order is going to unravel the minimal steps taken to regulate AI in the U.S., dampening the momentum that was being built in places such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and putting us behind others, especially the European Union, in this space. This will exacerbate current gaps in regulation even further, putting control in the hands of a small number of big corporations who have shown the ineffectiveness of self-regulation again and again.

The change of direction by Meta is a good example of this. In his testimony to the Senate in September 2023, Mark Zuckerberg, among other executives, endorsed AI regulation. In the last few weeks, in anticipation of the changing administration, Facebook changed course, replacing the internal mechanism for fact-checking, leaving the door open for the spread of even more misinformation to the society. This is just the beginning of a decline in transparency and accountability, the deeper impacts of which we will see down the road.

Practices such as patent shelving clearly show that companies cannot be trusted to prioritize innovation on their own; a regulated environment is much more conducive to innovation than an unregulated market.

Hamid Ekbia, Autonomous Systems Policy Institute Director

Q: Could rescinding the order help spark innovation, as some companies have argued?

A: The idea that less regulation leads to more innovation is a myth propagated by major corporations who currently have a monopolistic position in the AI space. History has shown that these corporations use their position not to expand innovation but to dampen and suppress it in all kinds of ways.

A primary example of this is patent shelving, where big corporations buy out innovations by small players or startups, not to implement the innovation but to protect their own monopolistic position in the market. There are numerous examples of this 鈥� for instance, when Google bought Motorola Mobility in 2012 just to shelve a large portion of the 17,000 patents that were included in the purchase.

Practices such as patent shelving clearly show that companies cannot be trusted to prioritize innovation on their own; a regulated environment is much more conducive to innovation than an unregulated market.听

Q: The European Union has imposed stricter regulations on AI than the U.S. What might that mean for the companies behind this technology?

A: The key issue is the regulatory gap that corporations have to navigate between the U.S. and the E.U. Big corporations will each find a way of dealing with this gap by complying differently with different requirements in the two contexts. But whatever they do, the American public will get the shorter end of the bargain in terms of the safety, privacy, trustworthiness, and perhaps even financial cost of technology.

To request interviews or get more information:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
cjmunoz@syr.edu

Weijia Jiang

CBS News and Stations is partnering with the to explore the growing challenges of navigating misinformation and disinformation.

Two days of programming that focus on questions about how to discern truth from falsehood begin Jan. 30, when journalists will take part in the 鈥淎n Eye on Misinformation and Disinformation.鈥� Among those scheduled to attend are CBS News鈥� senior White House correspondent听听G鈥�06, congressional correspondent听听鈥�98, reporter听听鈥�15 and CBS News Confirmed executive editor听.

Scott MacFarlane

The and workshop mark the start of a new partnership with CBS News and Stations that will provide more distinctive opportunities for Newhouse students to engage with alumni and learn from leaders in the field. Plans include collaborative content creation with the network and student engagement with CBS News and Stations journalists in New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities.

Ali Bauman

鈥淲e are thrilled to work with Newhouse鈥檚 talented students and faculty, leveraging this relationship to foster meaningful discussions and prepare future journalists to navigate the complexities of reporting locally, nationally and globally,鈥� says Laurie Orlando, SVP of Talent Strategy and Development, CBS News and Stations.

The collaboration highlights Newhouse鈥檚 enduring commitment to excellence in journalism education as the school听, says Newhouse Dean .

鈥淭his is a tremendous opportunity for Newhouse students to learn from some of the best reporters, editors and producers in the country, starting with our timely and intensive discussions about maintaining journalistic integrity while combatting disinformation,鈥� Lodato says.听鈥淥n behalf of 黑料不打烊, let me express our deep gratitude to the CBS News and Stations team for sharing their time and insights about these critical topics.鈥�

Rhona Tarrant

, senior associate dean at Newhouse, and听, a research professor, will work alongside the CBS News team during the masterclass to help students navigate the tools and techniques available to analyze misinformation and disinformation. The session will include interactive case studies, analysis of real-world examples and a hands-on interactive session where participants learn and apply practical techniques to combat misinformation and disinformation.

The 25 Newhouse students participating in the masterclass have been selected from an application process, which was open to Newhouse juniors, seniors or graduate students. As part of the visit to Newhouse, members of the CBS News and Stations team will also review student reels.

Pictured from left to right: Steven Blatt, Sarah Reckess and Suzette Mel茅ndez.

The College of Law is adding the 黑料不打烊 Medical Legal Partnership (SLMP) to its Office of Clinical Legal Education starting with the Spring 2025 semester. Professor Suzette Mel茅ndez will be the co-director of the new clinic along with of Upstate University Hospital and Professor of Upstate Medical University.

The SMLP is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the pediatric unit at SUNY Upstate Medical University and 黑料不打烊’s College of Law. SMLP provides legal advocacy to improve the overall health and well-being of vulnerable patient populations. SMLP also works to achieve systemic change through the multidisciplinary education of law students, medical students, residents and other professionals whose expertise is important to this goal. Doctors and lawyers will learn to work collaboratively to attain favorable outcomes for patients. Through this partnership, patients receive critical legal assistance while professionals learn about using community resources and employing cooperative strategies to benefit patients and clients in their practices.

鈥淭he main goal of the SMLP is to educate law students about the role lawyers can play in positively affecting the lives of children facing significant medical and sociological obstacles,鈥� says Mel茅ndez. 鈥淟ikewise, we hope to educate medical and social work professionals in how to best work with legal representation to deliver the best patient outcomes.鈥�

The SMLP combines a clinical offering and the Child Health Policy and Legal Practice course for students interested in developing legal skills and policy analysis in children鈥檚 health. Students will provide non-litigation legal services (intake, advice, research and referrals) for a busy pediatric clinic in 黑料不打烊 around legal issues that impact healthcare access and outcomes. This may include children鈥檚 access to education, safe housing, medical equipment, family court issues, government aid programs, transition-age youth and more. Special populations served by SMLP will be patients who have complex medical needs and patients who are aging out of pediatric health care and social services and need to preserve their legal rights.

鈥淭he SLMP is a unique approach to bridging the legal and sociological gap among a vulnerable population that is often faced with navigating the complicated systems during a crisis,鈥� says Dean Terence Lau L鈥�98. 鈥淟ikewise, 黑料不打烊 Law students will gain critical skills such as interviewing clients and researching legal and policy solutions that are invaluable to their legal careers.鈥�

Students can register for the clinic when they select classes for the Spring 2025 semester. Students enrolled in the SMLP must be co-enrolled in Child Health Policy and Legal Practice as the classroom component of this experiential course.

The College of Law now offers students the opportunity to participate in eight clinics: Bankruptcy, Betty & Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic, Criminal Defense, Disability Rights, Housing, Sherman F. Levey 鈥�57, L鈥�59 Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, 黑料不打烊 Legal Medical Partnership and Transactional Law.

The Libraries now offer fifteen read and publish agreements, which expand the reach of researchers鈥� scholarly contributions by enabling all University-affiliated authors to publish their work open access at no charge to the authors. Open access allows for anyone to use these scholarly works, free of charge and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions for further use, thereby exponentially increasing the reach and impact of the University authors鈥� works.

• the agreement with Taylor & Francis enables University-affiliated authors to publish their work open in hybrid and fully open access journals, including Routledge titles;
• the agreement with Elsevier allows University-affiliated authors to publish openly in all eligible Core Hybrid journals;
• the agreement with De Gruyter allows University-affiliated authors to publish openly in hybrid, gold open access and subscribe to open titles.

鈥淭he expanded disciplinary coverage of these agreements ensures that cutting-edge research across the humanities, sciences and social sciences reaches a global audience, bolstering 黑料不打烊 Libraries’ commitment to advancing open scholarship and maximizing the global impact of scholarship produced at SU,鈥� said Dylan Mohr, open scholarship librarian.

More information and instructions on how authors can take advantage of these agreements can be found in the .

Stephen Maisto (left) and Jennifer Ross

College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) Associate Dean of Research (ADR) returns to his research program after serving as ADR since October 2023. The ADR’s responsibilities include advancing the College’s mission by collaborating with faculty to increase grant funding and research expenditures and ensuring that the College’s research activities align with the University鈥檚 and A&S鈥� Academic and Strategic Plans (ASPs).

鈥淧rofessor Maisto served as associate dean of research at a critical time as I came up to speed as a new dean,鈥� says Dean Behzad Mortazavi. 鈥淚鈥檓 very grateful for his counsel and expertise during that crucial period, and for helping to position us well as we look to operationalize A&S鈥� new academic strategic plan.鈥�

Stephen Maisto

Since joining the 黑料不打烊 faculty in 1994, Maisto has focused much of his research on assessment and treatment of alcohol and drug use disorders. His cutting-edge work also extends to HIV prevention and intervention. He has authored or co-authored more than 300 publications and secured over $50 million in research funding.

Maisto has held several leadership positions at the University, with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) centers and other professional organizations throughout his career, including serving as director of clinical training and interim department chair of the Department of Psychology. An accomplished professor, mentor and researcher during his nearly three decades at the University, Maisto received the Chancellor鈥檚 Citation Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018 and was awarded emeritus status in 2020.

Prior to joining the University faculty, Maisto taught at Vanderbilt University, Brown University Medical School and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He received an M.A. and Ph.D. in experimental psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and completed a postdoctoral specialization in clinical psychology in 1985 at George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. Maisto is also Board Certified in Clinical Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology.

Jennifer Ross

, professor of physics, has assumed the role of Associate Dean for Creativity, Scholarship and Research effective Jan. 1. In this new capacity, Ross will oversee efforts to increase research productivity, applications for funding, prize and award nominations and research expenditures. She will also work to enhance communication among interdisciplinary and convergent groups of faculty, and to ensure that faculty feel more supported and connected to the research mission of their departments and the shared mission of the entire College.

Ross has been a faculty member in the Department of Physics since 2019, serving as chair from 2020 to 2024. An award-winning biophysicist, she researches how cells organize their insides without a manager. By harnessing the fundamental and autonomous physics principles of biological cells, her group is working toward designing and creating next-generation materials inspired and empowered by biology.

Grants from government agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and several private foundations, have funded her research. Ross听has been honored with numerous awards and professional recognitions, including being named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society, a Cottrell Scholar by the Research Corporation, a recipient of the Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award from the Biophysical Society and a recipient of the National Science Foundation INSPIRE Award.

Through her advocacy for diversifying STEM, Ross has been part of the EUREKA! summer program, working with middle and high school girls to teach them about science, health and self-care. She also co-leads the (SUPER-Tech SHIP), which offers paid science internships at the University to students and recent graduates from the 黑料不打烊 City School District.

Prior to joining 黑料不打烊’s faculty, Ross was a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 2007 to 2019. She received a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and bachelor鈥檚 degrees in physics and mathematics from Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

Professor Charles Willie, left, with Martin Luther King Jr. during Dr. King鈥檚 visit to 黑料不打烊 in the summer of 1965.

Willie-LeBreton鈥檚 father, Charles V. Willie G鈥�57, H鈥�92, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 first Black full professor, department chair and vice president, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were friends since their time as classmates at Morehouse College.

When King spoke on the 黑料不打烊 campus on July 15, 1965, Charles Willie introduced his friend to a crowd of more than 1,000 people.

Willie told the audience that if he and his wife, Mary Sue (Conklin) Willie 鈥�59, were ever blessed with a male heir, they would name him Martin: 鈥渋n honor of Martin Buber, whose life was devoted to reconciling gentile and Jew, and in honor of Martin King, whose life is devoted to reconciling Negroes and whites.鈥�

The comment proved to be prophetic. As the Willies escorted King back to the 黑料不打烊 airport, King asked Mary Sue if she was expecting. When Mary Sue said yes, King leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. 鈥淢y mother didn鈥檛 wash that cheek for a week!鈥� says Willie-LeBreton, who was 2 years old at the time.

Five months later, the couple welcomed a son, Martin.

The anecdote demonstrates how interconnected we all are, says Willie-LeBreton, who will reflect on King鈥檚 legacy during the Jan. 26 celebration in the JMA Wireless Dome. It also perfectly represents the theme of this year鈥檚 celebration, 鈥淟iving History.鈥�

鈥淚t’s hard to put into words how special this is. I was so moved to receive the invitation, and it did feel like a full circle moment, knowing that my dad had invited Dr. King to speak at 黑料不打烊 and now I鈥檓 speaking on campus as part of this special celebration of Dr. King,鈥� says Willie-LeBreton, a distinguished administrator, scholar and sociologist who studies social inequality and race and ethnicity. 鈥淭here are all these wonderful and lovely connections, and I am excited to honor Dr. King.鈥�

, the largest of its kind on any college campus, are still available for the program.

Sarah Willie-LeBreton

Willie-LeBreton sat down with SU News to discuss her father鈥檚 impact, how she cultivated her leadership skills and what inspires her work in higher education.

What kind of impact did your father鈥檚 work have on you?

I was inspired by and enthralled by my dad’s career from an early age. He came home every night from work, which until I was 10 years old was from 黑料不打烊, and talked about his workday, the issues that were going on on campus and the topics he was wrestling with around the politics of campus life. I found that fascinating.

Most of our family vacations would happen around sociology conferences, and at a certain point I started attending some of the sessions, especially the ones where he presented. I remember feeling not just proud of him鈥攈e was really an extraordinary thinker and speaker鈥攂ut being pulled into the topics of the conversations he was having, the dialogue between the panelists and the questions coming from the audience.

How did your parents emphasize the importance of conflict resolution and help nurture your leadership skills?

As an interracial couple who met in 1959 and married in 1962, my parents faced a good deal of discrimination. But they did not believe in shielding us from the difficult conflicts and conversations they experienced. They wanted us to see how they engaged those conflicts.

Charles and Mary Sue Willie and their daughter, Sarah Willie-LeBreton.

My siblings and I were not allowed to storm out of a room or slam a door if we had an argument or a conflict. The expectation was we would hash out the issue together. We had a family council that met Sunday nights to talk about our issues, but we also watched our parents engage in both community building and conflict resolution as part of their personal and professional lives. Seeing how our parents willingly engaged with conflict and searched for a resolution resonated with us.

My parents expected us to share our special skills with others, they expected us to continue to grow throughout our lives and that, as part of that growth, we would become leaders in our communities.

What fuels and motivates your work in higher education?

I鈥檝e long been interested in inequality, whether it’s racial, sex/gender, class, sexual orientation, religion or nationality. That led me to teach courses on race and ethnicity on every campus where I have spent time. Along the way, I got very interested in working with departments about how they can better serve students and the college as a whole. That combination led me to be thinking more about what the student, faculty and staff experience is like on campus in terms of inequality.

Excellence in research, scholarship, creativity and the quality of the residential experience for students depends on having people from a variety of backgrounds, a variety of learning styles and a variety of approaches to the different kinds of intellectual conundrums with which we wrestle.

On the budget front, the good news is we are running a balanced budget in FY25. We鈥檙e six months into that, almost seven. The challenge is that it is going to be difficult to do the same thing for FY26, which starts on July 1, 2025. It is going to be difficult because of significant headwinds, including health care costs, labor costs, the changing landscape in athletics, and master鈥檚 and international enrollment. I think producing a balanced budget for FY26, which we are required to do over the course of this semester, will require or really mandate some tough choices to keep our university strong, but we鈥檙e working through it.

On enrollment, I am pleased to report that both new first-year and transfer undergraduate enrollment for spring 2025 exceeded goals, with wonderful groups of students This semester 黑料不打烊 received 35 new starting first-year students in January. Our goal was 30. And we received 90 new transfer students. Our goal was 75.

Looking toward next year, this past Jan. 5 was the deadline for fall 2025 undergraduate first-year applications. Once again, for the fifth consecutive year, 黑料不打烊 received a record number of first-year undergraduate applications. More than 46,000 have applied to be part of our academic community.

Undergraduate transfer applications for fall 2025 also are trending up from last year at this time.

There is a lot of work still to do before we welcome our first-year undergraduate class in August. But these are really good signs that we have a strong pool of applicants. It鈥檚 at a time where a growing number of our peers do not, and are facing undergraduate enrollment shortfalls and much more budget uncertainty as a result.

Turning to the fundraising campaign, the Forever Orange Campaign, which we launched publicly in November 2019, the campaign closed on Dec. 31, 2024, a couple weeks ago. The campaign exceeded its goals in every category. The total raised was $1.59 billion, $90 million dollars beyond our goal. We reached this milestone with support from 125,699 unique donors, which was nearly 700 donors above our goal. And alumni engagement in the University over the course of the campaign increased to 20.5%. That鈥檚 roughly a doubling of alumni engagement over where we were at the start of the campaign, and half a percent above our goal. Most importantly, it means thousands of alumni from every school and college are now more involved and invested in the future of 黑料不打烊.

I am really grateful to a lot of people who helped us get to this point. That includes Chief Advancement Officer Tracy Barlok and all the hardworking team in Advancement, but also the deans in the schools and colleges and their teams. Thanks also to all the faculty and staff across the University who shared their groundbreaking work, their stories, their teaching, who helped and mentored students, who inspired alumni, parents, friends, and a very substantial number of current students, to give. I also have to acknowledge the hard work of so many of our students who let us tell their stories and who helped us in reaching out to donors, alumni, and friends. I think the campaign has changed the University significantly, not just in state-of-the-art new facilities that advance our academic goals, but also in real improvements to the student experience and lots of initiatives to support the faculty, including new chairs and research funds. We鈥檙e going talk more later in the spring about what comes next for fundraising. But for now, it seems like a good time to just celebrate what was by far the most successful fundraising campaign in the University鈥檚 history.

The last thing I want to say is I think it鈥檚 important for all of us to acknowledge not just the horrible fires that have devastated the Los Angeles area, but how many members of our community have been involved. We had many students in our SULA center a week prior to classes starting here on campus, at the height of the fires. Fortunately, the new SULA center, and the areas where our students reside, were never in evacuation zones. But many of our alumni, many of our students from the LA area, and some of our staff were very seriously affected. It was a lot of work to ensure we had plans for taking care of our students and our alumni and friends in case we needed to move quickly.

I want to thank the academic affairs team, public safety team, and communications team, who worked closely with the people on the ground in Los Angeles for 黑料不打烊, and especially the dedicated faculty and staff in the center, who focused on our students when they had their own serious worries. We are very fortunate to have that team in Los Angeles.

I wish everyone a successful spring semester. I am looking forward to questions after the provost鈥檚 remarks. Thank you.

Jana Rosinski, SCRC instruction and education librarian, is looking forward to having the fellows bring attention to areas of unique strength in the SCRC collections as follows:

• Brahmbhatt will rework his course The Art of Devotion in South Asia (REL 300), rooted in the . Smith was the first to hold a position in Hindu studies in the religion
  

  Arun Brahmbhatt

  department at 黑料不打烊, a position Brahmbhatt now holds. The poster archive, comprising over 3,500 specimens of visual and print material Smith collected on his many trips to India, serves as a unique lens into South Asian visual culture from the 1950s through the 1980s, offering snapshots of how devotional iconography functioned within the spaces and activities of daily life. With his students, Brahmbhatt will deeply examine the commonalities in these visuals that transcend the boundaries of genre, religious tradition, time and space, while remaining sensitive to the specificities of historical circumstance, to explore how the language of devotional love is used to both uphold and challenge social norms and communal identity. On the significance of the collection to the focus of the course, Brahmbhatt explains, 鈥淲hen we think about religious images, we often focus on works of 鈥榟igh art.鈥� On the contrary, by exploring the Smith archive, students will train their eyes on images that may seem unremarkable from an artistic perspective, but that nonetheless play an outsize role in Hindu devotional lives.鈥�

• Zeke Leonard is re-envisioning his long-standing course Sustainable Furniture and Lighting (DES
  

  Zeke Leonard

  561), a design and build studio in which students create both a lighting and seating object. By making use of hand diagrammatic drawings from draftspersons, along with original captures of the design process in conceptual sketches and material research of designers, Leonard鈥檚 students will fully engage with the process of design as functional art and craft. Making use of the papers of iconic mid-20th century industrial designers such as , and , Leonard and his students will explore function and form critically, contextualizing design in response to aesthetic style, cultural movements or moments historically, and the needs of bodies and spaces. Leonard states, 鈥淎s a design/build class, this class has always been a making class.鈥� However, at its core it is a design鈥痗lass. By accessing process documents from historic standouts in the field, the students will be contemplating and learning from another type of making, that of making ideation drawings, sketches and technical drawings for production.鈥�

黑料不打烊 Libraries鈥� aims to support innovative curriculum development and foster new ideas about how to transform the role of special collections in University instruction. Each fellow receives a $5,000 payment along with guidance on how to provide students with a unique opportunity to research, analyze and interpret SCRC鈥檚 primary source materials in their class, and ongoing course support.

George Bain G’06, a member of the Library Associates, and William F. Gaske 鈥�72, a member of the Libraries Advisory Board, provided generous gift funding towards the SCRC Faculty Fellows Program. Original funding for the program was made possible through the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, which promotes the advancement and perpetuation of humanistic inquiry and artistic creativity by encouraging excellence in scholarship and in the performing arts, and by supporting research libraries and other institutions that transmit our cultural heritage.

To learn more about the Faculty Fellows Program or teaching with SCRC, contact Jana Rosinski, SCRC鈥檚 Instruction and Education Librarian at jrosinsk@syr.edu. For more information about how to financially support a Faculty Fellow for the 2026-27 academic year and beyond, contact Ron Thiele at rlthiele@syr.edu or 315.560.9419.

The 40th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Planning Committee is proud to announce the 2025 Unsung Hero Award winners: Andrea-Rose Oates 鈥�26, James K. Duah-Agyeman G鈥�99, Student Coalition on Race and Equity (SCORE), Laurence Segal and Jamie Jackson (posthumously).

The Unsung Hero Award is given to community members, students, faculty and staff who have made a positive impact on the lives of others but are not widely recognized for their contributions. The awards were created to honor Dr. King鈥檚 vision of creating positive change in a troubled world.

The award winners will be recognized at the 40th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Sunday, Jan. 26, featuring keynote speaker Sarah Willie-LeBreton, president of Smith College. Tickets for the celebration are available听.

The Unsung Heroes are:

Andrea-Rose Oates 鈥�26 (黑料不打烊 student)

Oates, a public relations major in the and policy studies major in the and , has dedicated her life to community service, leadership and social justice. She is the president and founder of 鈥淕irlz Rize,鈥� a nonprofit initiative focused on fighting for girls’ education opportunities.

Through her work last summer with NBCUniversal, Oates amplified underrepresented voices by highlighting community challenges and successes. Her summer internships with Comcast and Hilco Redevelopment Partners demonstrated her ability to translate corporate resources into meaningful community outreach.

Oates鈥� leadership roles at 黑料不打烊 have included serving as president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Iota Upsilon chapter; co-secretary for the Black Student Union; events chair for the Women in Communications Club; a member of the Newhouse Student Representative Committee and an account associate for Hill Communications. She is dedicated to fostering inclusive, collaborative spaces that inspire academic and social growth and sustainable, generational change.

鈥淎ndrea-Rose doesn’t merely identify problems; she acts, empowering others to take part in solutions,鈥� says nominator Diya Gupta. 鈥淗er actions reflect Dr. King’s enduring call to serve others and create a world where equity and justice prevail.鈥�

James Duah-Agyeman G鈥�99 (黑料不打烊 Faculty/Staff)

Duah-Agyeman, former director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs and special advisor to the Men of Color Initiative, has a 38-year record of achievement at 黑料不打烊鈥攁s a graduate student, teacher, academic counselor, administrator and leader.

鈥淭here are many who talk the talk of service, inclusion and integrity, but in the context of engagement with the world, Dr. D has walked the walk again and again,鈥� says nominator Barry L. Wells. 鈥淚n the process, he has set a powerful example for students, faculty, staff, and community members in how one person can make a significant difference in the development and expansion of a community that values service and inclusion.鈥�

Duah-Agyeman most recently led Multicultural Affairs in developing programs to advance inclusion on the SU campus by creating best-in-class programs like the WellsLink Leadership Program; Dimensions, a peer mentoring program for women of color; and the Men of Color Initiative. He was instrumental in piloting and introducing the Conversations About Race and Ethnicity (C.A.R.E.) intergroup dialogue programs on campus. He also advocated for inclusion through his community work with Interfaith Works of Central New York and the Ghana Society of CNY.

Student Coalition on Race and Equity (SCORE) (Youth Community Organization)

听The Student Coalition on Race and Equity (SCORE) was launched in 2020, after the murder of George Floyd. SCORE harnesses the talent and leadership skills of high school students across Onondaga County to combat oppression and foster equity. It empowers youth, known as SCORE leaders, to educate adults on topics related to race and equity, sharing insights from their unique perspectives as young people.

After completing five weeks of training in equity-based topics and being equipped with the skills necessary to facilitate interactive workshops, SCORE Leaders take on the role of educators, leading workshop sessions for community stakeholders each August. SCORE has provided workshops on implicit bias and Black history to almost 3,000 community members.

鈥淪CORE is a powerful program that not only centers and draws from the creativity and expertise of youth, but it also engages youth in meaningfully powerful professional experience,鈥� says nominator Jenny Dombroske. 鈥淥ur community is fortunate to have this access to the insights of youth and the opportunity to learn some of the hardest lessons from them, so that we may contribute to the future that they want for themselves.鈥�

Laurence Segal (Community Member)

Segal quietly fights every single day for cancer patients, the homeless, the downtrodden and people the rest of society cast aside, says his brother and nominator, Andrew Segal.

Laurence has been known to stop his car and help stranded motorists, using his own AAA card to help them. Through his organization, , he has returned millions of bottles and cans for cancer patients and research and pulled millions of pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House of CNY. He hosts multiple every month that impact thousands of people, and he constantly strives to make the world a better place.

This summer, Segal cleaned up trash on city streets and passed out hot meals, cold drinks, sanitizers, masks and first aid kits to people experiencing homelessness. He has spent countless hours with cancer patients holding their hands while they go through chemotherapy, radiation and long hospital stays.

鈥淗e makes a difference constantly, but just chooses to keep it silent,鈥� Andrew Segal says. 鈥淗e is the gem of our family, and a gem in CNY.鈥�

Jamie Jackson (Special Posthumous Recognition)

Jackson, a longtime employee with 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Parking and Transportation Services, was in a unique position to connect with almost every person on campus for over 20 years. He was assigned to the Quad lot outside Hendricks Chapel, where he offered assistance to campus visitors and befriended many members of the campus community. Jackson passed away unexpectedly in September 2024.

He was a graduate of Onondaga Community College and a U.S. Navy and U.S. Army veteran. In his obituary, he was remembered as a 鈥渨onderful son, beloved husband, fantastic father, a devoted veteran, terrific brother, great friend, kind uncle, good outdoorsman, strong record keeper and avid sports fan.鈥�

Dara Harper, communications director at Hendricks Chapel, got to know Jackson well.

鈥淚n my opinion, Jamie’s role on campus was utterly unsung. He, a veteran, a dad, a confidante, a judge, a quiet and constant friend, touched every person on campus,鈥� she says. 鈥淭o tell you that he was the parking attendant limits his story to a singular piece of who he was. And for many of us, he is still just right outside.鈥�

Jackson鈥檚 loss is felt every day on the University campus. 鈥淛amie embodied the kindness, fortitude and patience that we all should strive for in this world,鈥� says Harper. 鈥淗e was a GOOD man, which is just the simplest way of saying that he was a hero.鈥�

The Lender Global program was launched last year to offer students innovative research opportunities to examine social justice issues from a global perspective. The first cohort is studying environmental issues at the 黑料不打烊 Abroad center in London now. In Santiago, student fellows will study the impact and consequences of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, which lasted from 1973 to 1990, during which more than 3,000 people died or disappeared, 200,000 suffered exile and 27,000 were tortured.

Three student fellowships will be awarded to students who plan to during the 2025-26 academic year. All students who have been accepted to study there via the OrangeAbroad portal will be invited to express interest in the fellowship project.

Information Session

An online information session about the program is scheduled Thursday, Jan. 30, from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. ET, with Mauricio Paredes, Santiago Center director. Students. interested in studying Spanish, human rights, engineering and/or collective memory in Santiago can register for the session .

for Fall 2025 semester 黑料不打烊 Abroad programs are currently open and have a deadline of March 15. Applications for Spring 2026 abroad programs open on May 15.

Redress, Prevention

Student fellows will take courses about that period in Chilean history and will also work on a hands-on project at a memorial museum. They will also get involved with community members, share their new findings, enhance how victims are remembered and gain an understanding of how commemorative education can help redress and prevent human rights abuses.

Mauricio Paredes

The initiative will be led by Director , an expert on Chilean internment camps, nationalism and U.S. involvement in Chilean politics who teaches courses about human rights, political memory and Latin American dictatorships. He will teach the course, 鈥淒ictatorships, Human Rights and Historical Memory in Chile and the Southern Cone鈥� and lead examinations of how the country has rebuilt art, culture and institutions since 1990. 听Paredes will also guide student fellows in enhancing a current display of victims of that time at Santiago鈥檚 (Museum of Memory and Human Rights). The museum documents the human rights violations committed by the State of Chile between 1973 and 1990 and provides those .

Parades鈥� viewpoint on the topic is unique. He is not only a scholar of the Pinochet dictatorship and the outcomes of that era, but was also a political prisoner of that government, so understands firsthand the impacts of political violence and the importance of social justice.

鈥淥ne of the most important aspects of this project is its potential to demonstrate that abolishing democracy and installing terror as a means of accomplishing political goals will affect not only one鈥檚 political enemies but can also put everyone鈥檚 safety and integrity at risk,鈥� Paredes says. 鈥淸This project] can serve as a reminder that once terror is unleashed, nobody is safe.鈥�

Students chosen for Lender Global’s Santiago 2025-26 fellowship will conduct exhibit work at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. (Photo courtesy Museum of Memory and Human Rights)

Specialized Interests

Due to its unique nature, students who have specialized capabilities and interests that align with the project are encouraged to apply.

They include:

• A Spanish-speaking fellow to conduct an archival project exploring motivations for collateral killings and work with local collections and organizations to understand what happened to victims of the dictatorship (Fall 2025)
• An engineering fellow to work with a local technician to enhance a lighting system for the museum鈥檚 exhibit of victims鈥� photographs (Spring 2026)
• A design-centric fellow to develop materials that will be used to share research findings with broader audiences, comprising an enhanced display at the museum (and for later exhibit on the 黑料不打烊 campus) (Spring 2026)

A group of students studying at the 黑料不打烊 Santiago Center in 2023 visited the high peaks of Patagonia while there. Center Director Mauricio Paredes, third from left, accompanied them. (Photo courtesy 黑料不打烊 Abroad)

, Lender Center director, says the Santiago program鈥檚 location and structure provide students a rare opportunity in the field of social justice studies to learn about the victims of political violence and mass death and get involved with the communities that experienced those atrocities. 鈥淭his is such a powerful project and it brings together many of the key topics the Lender Center has engaged with in the past. It is exactly the kind of global perspective on social justice we seek to foster with the Lender Global partnership,鈥� he says.

Audie Klotz

Founded in 1959, the ISA is comprised of more than 7,000 members around the world, including academics, practitioners, policy experts, private sector workers and independent researchers. A hub for the exchange of ideas, networking and programmatic initiatives, its conferences, virtual programs and sponsored journals (published by Oxford University Press) encompass a range of topics that foster the development of new ideas, relationships and skillsets.

Klotz will serve a three-year term鈥攁s president-elect, president and past-president鈥攕tarting at the annual convention in March 2025. She previously served a two-year term as a vice president-elect and vice president (2016-2018), among other roles within the association.

Shana Kushner Gadarian, associate dean for research and professor of political science, praised Klotz for her selection and says she is highly qualified to lead the prestigious organization.

鈥淥ver the course of her career, Professor Klotz has developed a body of scholarship that is well-known and widely cited and that has influenced several distinct areas of research in political science and international studies,鈥� Gadarian says, adding that the position will be mutually beneficial, as it will 鈥渃reate opportunities for Maxwell faculty and students to more deeply engage with critical international issues of our time.鈥�

A specialist on global migration and international norms, Klotz has received awards and accolades for her scholarship and teaching, including the 2023 Wasserstrom Prize from 黑料不打烊, the 2020 Distinguished Scholar Award from the International Organization Section of ISA, and the 2018 Distinguished Scholar Award from the Ethnicity, Nationalism and Migration Studies Section of ISA.

Klotz is the author of 鈥淢igration and National Identity in South Africa, 1860-2010鈥� (Cambridge University Press, 2013), and Cornell University Press will publish a second edition of her book, 鈥淣orms in International Relations: The Struggle against Apartheid,鈥� later this year. Her research has been supported with a Fulbright fellowship and by several funders including the National Science Foundation, the Social Science Research Council and the MacArthur Foundation.

This story was written by Mikayla Melo

Andrew Joncas

Joncas is a visionary technology leader with over 25 years of experience in designing and implementing transformative IT and data strategies. During his tenure at the University, he has managed multimillion-dollar technology portfolios, driven AI-powered innovations and optimized data infrastructure to support academic and research excellence.

鈥淎ndrew brings deep technical knowledge and hands-on experience that perfectly aligns with this position,鈥� Rubin says. 鈥淗is expertise in AI and data innovation will help drive forward our university’s strategic goals in enterprise data management, enhancing both academic programs and operational capabilities.鈥�

In his new role, Joncas will lead the strategic direction and operational execution of the University鈥檚 enterprise data and AI initiatives, including data access, governance, reporting and analysis.

鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to step into this new role and explore how we can harness the power of university data and artificial intelligence,鈥� Joncas says. 鈥淭ogether, we have a unique opportunity to drive innovation and create transformative solutions for the entire University community.”

ITS will begin the search for Joncas鈥檚 successor as assistant vice president for infrastructure this month. In the interim, the ITS Infrastructure and Networking teams will report to Eric Sedore, associate vice president for information technology and chief technology officer.

Erin Cuevas (Boghosian Fellow 2024-2025)

Erin Cuevas

will teach the visiting critic studio, 鈥淟eotard 2.0: Redefining Performance,鈥� which will extend the body into spatial architecture, exploring the performer鈥檚 body as a canvas for creating inhabitable, kinetic environments that embed social narratives within the wearables we design. Traditionally a functional garment that accentuates movement while maintaining freedom of motion, the quintessential ballet leotard will be the studio鈥檚 point of departure, beginning with a standard pattern and transforming it into an extension of the dancer鈥檚 body. Students will explore how the garment can complement and contrast movement while investigating the potential for wearables to mediate between body and space. Using both analog and digital media, they will refine and obsess their craft through detailed construction and tectonic experimentation. Throughout the course, students will investigate themes of embodiment and the potential for wearables to provoke social discourse on contemporary issues. Their final deliverable鈥攁 leotard garment to be photographed and captured on a dancer鈥檚 body鈥攚ill bridge audience and performer relationships, becoming a canvas for discussion and interaction between parties. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the work, students will collaborate with experts in fields such as fashion design, dance, computational design, and film; workshops with these professionals will guide the process of constructing and evolving their apparel. This studio is co-enrolled with the in the , and students will work in collaborative groups.

Cuevas鈥� fellowship research will culminate in the form of a participatory public performance in the fall of 2025.

Sekou Cooke (sekou cooke STUDIO)

Sekou Cooke

will teach the visiting critic studio, 鈥淐ommunity Collaborations: Urban Farms, Collaborative Design, and Prototyping,鈥� which, partially funded by the at 黑料不打烊, is primarily invested in models of collaboration between community partners and designers, particularly urban farms around 黑料不打烊. While learning from multiple urban farms in the city, students will work directly with the community garden of the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ in the Southside neighborhood of 黑料不打烊. They will assess the needs of the community garden for storage, shading, water collection, etc. then produce designs and full-scale prototypes for a new intervention on the site. Each design will be reviewed by local partners, stakeholders, and the directors of the Lender Center. Prototypes will also be displayed temporarily on-site for community feedback. To further familiarize themselves with the site, client, and community, students will dedicate their entire Tuesday studio session each week to working with local urban gardens providing any necessary volunteer services needed on those dates.

Alex Sheft and John Farrace (Sheft Farrace)

Alex Sheft and John Farrace

and will teach the visiting critic studio, 鈥淏rick Lust,鈥� which will focus on the comprehensive design of a brick-and-mortar flagship store for 鈥渄igitally native brands鈥� in Los Angeles鈥� rapidly evolving Arts District in Downtown L.A. Conceived as an immersive introduction to retail design, the studio will delve into the history and core principles of store design while addressing the unique challenge of translating a brand’s digital identity into a compelling physical retail experience. Divided into four key phases鈥攂rand research dossier, retail lexicon, concept design pitch deck, and flagship store design鈥攖he course鈥檚 curriculum will go beyond design fundamentals, emphasizing practical strategies that architects can leverage to enhance their impact and agency throughout a project.

Farrace will give a on Tuesday, March 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the atrium of Slocum Hall.

Pablo Sequero (salazarsequeromedina)

Pablo Sequero

will teach the visiting critic studio, 鈥淩ural Assemblies: Climate, Affordability and Adaptation鈥� which will explore the relationship between climate adaptation, affordability, and material assembly through the design of a series of small-scale additions to pre-existing vernacular structures. The studio will focus on the hinterlands of Spain, the so-called 鈥淓mptied Spain.鈥� In the past decades, the rural exodus has left most towns and villages as ghost towns, currently struggling between depopulation, lack of infrastructure, and the climate emergency. These areas of high historic, ecological, and cultural value have also been subject to extreme weather events throughout 2024, highlighting their climate vulnerability. Heat waves, extreme drought and flash flooding continue to proliferate, including the most recent 鈥淕ota-fria鈥� heavy rainfall storms that have caused severe damage. As cities remained resilient to these weather events, small and rural villages were almost destroyed. Further, the housing affordability crisis in metropolitan areas, mostly on the coast, and the accelerated depopulation of rural municipalities due to a lack of infrastructure, make the promise of reimagining the hinterlands a necessary utopia. For their explorations, students will travel to Madrid, Spain, and the hinterlands around the Madrid region, where they will visit, document, survey, and redraw a long list of recent remarkable case study projects鈥攆rom adaptive re-use of historic structures, to projects that foreground circular initiatives and new materialities, to collectives that provide climate-resilient frameworks鈥攆or communities to reinhabit almost abandoned rural municipalities.

The liberal arts offerings through the (A&S) and the have always equipped students with the critical and creative thinking skills needed throughout their lifetimes.

Today, thanks to an important revision of the foundational (LAC), the two schools will offer a reimagined, robust and contemporary curriculum that will prepare students for adaptability and success in a constantly evolving world. The new LAC, slated to be implemented in the Fall 2025 semester, will apply only to those students matriculating beginning in the fall of 2025.

The College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School will offer a reimagined, robust and contemporary curriculum that will prepare students for adaptability and success in a constantly evolving world.

Executive Director of Esports Joey Gawrysiak addresses the crowd during the grand opening of the Gaming and Esports Center on campus. (Photo by Tiancheng Tang 鈥�26)

Continuing to innovate as a leading higher education institution for and gaming in the United States, 黑料不打烊 has officially opened its new, state-of-the-art Gaming and Esports Center鈥攁n exciting arena for competitors and those new to the action to take part in this ever-growing, evolving sports field. The community gaming space elevates the esports offerings at the University in support of student engagement opportunities and first-of-its-kind academic programming.

Pictured from left to right are Chancellor Kent Syverud, Braeden Cheverie-Leonard ’26, Gabriel Goodwin ’28, and Brianna Nechifor ’26.

鈥淭his new best-in-class esports center is an important milestone in a project that is still underway to make us the best university for esports and gaming,鈥� said 黑料不打烊 Chancellor and President , during its opening celebration Friday. 鈥淣o other university of our stature is investing in esports like we are. This gives 黑料不打烊 a unique opportunity to level up while others aren鈥檛 even in the game.鈥�

The 5,800-square-foot center inside the Schine Student Center is the second recreational gaming and esports facility on campus. The esports gaming room at the Barnes Center at The Arch has attracted more than 100,000 visits by students since opening in 2019.

The new facility will allow even more students the opportunity to try their hand at esports and gaming while strengthening the University鈥檚 commitment to leading the way in esports through the creation of a space that sets the University apart from its peer institutions.

Joey Gawrysiak

The Gaming and Esports Center offers something for every member of the University community, says , executive director of esports, including the first-of-its-kind esports communications and management degree program, offered jointly by the听听and the听.

The center will house the University鈥檚 competitive esports varsity teams and feature a long, elevated stage with 10 computers where teams square off in competition. Each computer has a camera attached to the top for live streaming, and there are two long, video boards running in front of and behind the stage, perfect for displaying match stats, graphics and video replays to the crowd of spectators seated in front of the stage.

The facility is also meant for gamers of all levels and interests. There are 24 high-end personal computers and assorted console gaming on systems like Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox, along with virtual and augmented reality offerings, two racing simulators, classic arcade games and tabletop gaming.

鈥淲e鈥檙e setting a new standard for what esports and gaming can be, and 黑料不打烊 is embracing the impact esports and gaming can have at an institution of higher education,鈥� Gawrysiak says. 鈥淭his space shows that we鈥檙e innovative and that we have an eye on the future of gaming and esports. We’re using esports and gaming as an educational opportunity, and this facility is a showcase of all things gaming for all members of our campus community.鈥�

A member of the University community tries out one of the racing simulators housed in the new Gaming and Esports Center. (Photo by Cathleen O’Hare)

The University and global esports and gaming organization have collaborated on a multi-year partnership designed to enhance student engagement opportunities and support the University鈥檚 esports degree program. Along with an opportunity to participate in an intensive, three-week study abroad program in South Korea, the partnership will bring Gen.G鈥檚 Campus Takeover conference and program to 黑料不打烊 to celebrate the University鈥檚 Gaming and Esports Center.

The center also features a production area鈥攚here students can receive real-world experiences live streaming varsity and club esports competitions鈥攁nd a space for student broadcasters to provide play-by-play and color commentary from the matches.

Will Delgado 鈥�26 has been involved with esports since his first year on campus, first as a broadcaster and then as a content creator for the esports program鈥檚 social media channels. Delgado shot, edited and produced the esports promotional video that was shown during Friday鈥檚 grand opening.

Will Delgado

鈥淭his space is going to have a huge impact on the campus community. It will help educate and inform our students on the potential career opportunities presented by esports,鈥� says Delgado, who is studying both supply chain management in the and television, radio and film in the .

鈥淏y getting involved with esports, students can walk away with career skills and experiences that will serve them well in this industry.听 I should know, as I want to merge my passions for gaming, esports and content creation into an esports career when I graduate,鈥� says Delgado, who is a resident advisor for an esports-centric Living Learning Community in Haven Hall.

During the ceremony, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Counter Strike 2 varsity team, which claimed a national championship from the National Association of Collegiate Esports, was honored with a trophy presentation that will proudly be displayed in the center. It鈥檚 the first of what Gawrysiak hopes is many trophies to come.

Later this summer, the University is launching construction on a competitive esports arena inside the Marley Building. The third esports venue on campus will provide real-world, professional experiences to esports student-athletes and to members of the esports academic degree program.

The Gaming and Esports Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week and is located immediately next to the campus bookstore. All games and experiences are free to play for members of the University community.

Members of the University community watch a competition featuring members of the 黑料不打烊 esports team. (Photo by Cathleen O’Hare)

• 鈥淭rump will not re-enter the White House for two more weeks, but he has already generated tensions with key European allies by threatening to use military force to acquire Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark. The Western alliance has been united in condemning Russia for its violation of Ukraine鈥檚 sovereignty since it invaded in 2014 and again in 2022, but Trump鈥檚 comments display no recognition of basic principles of sovereignty and international law. Presidents Putin and Xi are likely watching from the sidelines with popcorn.鈥�

• 鈥淥ver-interpretating President-elect鈥檚 Donald Trump鈥檚 statements about the US buying Greenland from Denmark would be a mistake. Trump throws out a lot of ideas for consideration, but most of them are just that, an idea, and in the end may not be workable. Trump is concerned about Arctic security and sees Greenland as gateway to the Arctic 鈥� which it is. However, his national security concerns about Russia and China can be easily accommodated by Denmark and Greenland within the NATO context.鈥�

To arrange interviews, please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, executive director of media relations, at ejmbuq

Darwin Han-Lin Tsen

is an assistant teaching professor of Chinese at 黑料不打烊鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences. His fields of study include modern and contemporary Chinese and Japanese literature and culture, critical theory and literary theory, film, Asian and Eastern European postsocialism, as well as Asian American literature.

Darwin answers five questions below. He is available for interview and his answers below can be quoted directly.

Q: Can you explain what encompasses Lunar New Year and what makes it so important?

A: Lunar New Year – or more accurately, the lunisolar new year – celebrates the coming of the first new moon according to a lunar calendar.听This is the most important time of gathering and celebration for Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Tibetan communities in their countries of origin and all around the world. Not to mention, a time to feast!

Q: What is the significance of the Chinese zodiac sign? What should be known about the year of the snake?

A: The Chinese zodiacs developed in parallel to the Babylonian zodiacs, basing itself on the “twelve earthly branches”, with each branch corresponding to the astrological signs one can observe within a month. Those signs were then given a unity in the form of twelve animals. The snake signifies wisdom, elegance, and spirituality; translated into modern terms, it indicates intelligence and strategic prowess. And so hopefully in the year of the snake, humanity will find the smarts to solve our common problems.

Q: What are some of the lesser-known celebrations or traditions associated with this event?

A: There are probably countless lesser-known celebrations, since so many people in so many different regions celebrate Lunar New Year! I can only speak to some traditions of Taiwan, where I’m from. In Taipei, apparently, at the end-of-year company dinner before the New Year, if a whole boiled or roasted chicken’s head is staring at you, it means that you might lose your job soon. In Tainan, to the south of Taiwan, there’s this wild event called the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival, where folks celebrate the night before Lantern Festival (the 15^th听of the Lunar Calendar’s first month) by setting off massive amounts of fireworks. It’s kind of like a mosh pit. ()

Q: For the first time,听. What are your thoughts around the broader observation of the holiday?

A: That’s very cool, and a “better late than ever” sign of recognition for the Asian American community of New York. Traditionally, Lunar New Years gives 3-7 days off, but hopefully our kids will be able to get some rest and recharge.

Q: For those less familiar with the holiday, what is the one takeaway you鈥檇 want them to know about Lunar New Year?

A: I hope everyone knows that it’s a holiday about peace, love, and finding time for oneself and the community. And to not hold back on the eating!

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Associate Director of Media Relations
Division of Communications

M听315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |
news.syr.edu |

黑料不打烊

Merit scholarships that retain top first-year students. Fellowships that allow faculty to pursue their interests and bring emerging knowledge back into the classroom. Physical improvements to the , including Flaum Grand Hall, a centralized gathering place welcoming students and the entire Whitman community.

These are some examples of the impact made by the newly launched Whitman Leadership Circle (WLC), a philanthropic giving society created to transform the educational experience by harnessing the power and support of the Whitman School community.

The WLC was created as an opportunity for alumni, parents and friends to directly support Whitman through multi-year leadership commitments. In return, WLC members receive a personalized stewardship experience that includes special recognition, exclusive communication from the dean, invitations to speak at events and attend receptions, seminars and virtual meetings, unique gifts and apparel and opportunities to interact with students and faculty that not only thank them for their generosity but continue to enhance their commitment to the Whitman School鈥檚 mission and vision.

Alex McKelvie

鈥淭he launch of the Whitman Leadership Circle coincides with an exciting transformational time in our history,鈥� says Alex McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School. 鈥淭he energy around the Whitman School is palpable, as we have seen our rankings reach the highest level in over 15 years, and, more importantly, have witnessed our students and faculty continue to succeed in the classroom, in their careers and in their communities.鈥�

The official rollout of the WLC comes one year after the Whitman School restructured its advancement and external engagement team, including hiring Assistant Dean of Advancement and External Engagement Michael Paulus. The team鈥檚 goal over the past year? To recharge alumni, parents and others to raise the level of support for the Whitman School through new strategies and initiatives. The WLC is one example of how these new initiatives are coming to life, as it targets three essential pillars at the Whitman School: enhancing the student experience, providing faculty support and improving the learning environment and facilities.

Commitments to the WLC begin at $25,000 or more ($5,000 per year over five years) and can be designated to any restricted or unrestricted fund, ensuring a genuine connection to the area of education each chooses to support. The program encompasses six levels of commitment and extends up to $1 million or more.

鈥淎s I have had the opportunity to meet with more alumni, parents and other supporters from across the country, I am struck by the important role the Whitman School has played in their lives and how much they value Whitman as such a special place,鈥� says Paulus. 鈥淭he goal of the WLC is to harness that value into providing outstanding programs, as well as initiatives that make Whitman stand out and ensure that our students continue to get the best possible educational experience both in and outside of the classroom.鈥�

To date, 70 donors have been recognized in the WLC cohort, including 32 who have pledged their support in the last six months during the silent phase of the WLC鈥檚 launch. Together during this time, these donors have generated over $4.7 million in new support for Whitman.

鈥淥ur goal for the future is to build a storied legacy and create an environment that is as vibrant as the students who enroll at Whitman and the faculty who teach here,鈥� says , vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and executive dean of the Whitman School. 鈥淥ur objective is bold, but our plan of action is specific, measurable and achievable. To ascend to excellence in business education will take a united Whitman community ready to commit to our shared vision鈥� and the Whitman Leadership Circle is a vital component to that success.鈥�

Visit the website to learn more about opportunities to make an impact, or complete the to learn how to become an essential part of the legacy of the Whitman School.

Leondra Tyler 鈥�24 was the inaugural honoree of the Outstanding Future Alumni Award in 2024.

This prestigious honor recognizes a current student who exemplifies exceptional commitment to both the campus and local community through leadership, service and involvement beyond the classroom. The selected student has exactly what the 黑料不打烊 Alumni Association envisions as a strong future graduate and representative of 黑料不打烊 and what it means to be Forever Orange.

The award, presented alongside several other alumni honors, will be conferred during the 黑料不打烊 Alumni Awards Celebration on Friday, April 4, 2025.

2024鈥檚 inaugural honoree, Leondra Tyler 鈥�24, displayed exceptional involvement on and off the 黑料不打烊 campus as a McNair Scholar, Our Time Has Come Scholar and Remembrance Scholar. Tyler graduated cum laude with dual degrees in neuroscience and psychology through the Part-Time Higher Education Opportunity Program. In addition to participating in several research projects on campus, 鈥嬧�媔ncluding a 黑料不打烊 Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE) research fellowship, she was also recognized for her work as a passionate leader with the Hendricks Chapel Food Pantry.

The nomination form is open until Jan. 31, 2025, and anyone can .

For additional information or questions, please contact the Office of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving at 315.443.3258 or alumnievents@syr.edu.

Registration for the annual awards ceremony, which is free and open to the entire 黑料不打烊 community, will open next month.

The class was selected after a rigorous application and review process. Scholars were chosen based on their leadership growth potential and the strength of their personal leadership projects aimed at addressing a critical challenge or need in a community, profession or organization.

Ray Toenniessen

鈥淚 am honored to be selected as a Presidential Leadership Scholar,鈥� Toenniessen says. 鈥淭his is a tremendous opportunity to learn from outstanding leaders across different sectors, exchange fresh ideas and collaborate on solutions to some of our country鈥檚 most pressing challenges. I鈥檓 eager to bring the knowledge and network gained through this program back to our work here at the D鈥橝niello IVMF, where we can continue driving meaningful impact for our nation’s service members, veterans and their families.鈥�

Toenniessen, who served four years as a commissioned officer in the Army, leads more than 100 employees at the D鈥橝niello IVMF, both on campus and across the nation. He advances the Institute鈥檚 16 national training programs and community services, its research and evaluation capabilities, its coalition for veteran-owned businesses and employers, the alumni and engagement network and the D鈥橝niello Institute鈥檚 policy work in Washington D.C.

Toenniessen’s work with the IVMF began upon his return to his alma mater in 2010 after transitioning out of the military, and he became the first national program manager of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans. In his time with the IVMF, he has been instrumental in the development and growth of the organization鈥檚 programs and services, which have impacted more than 230,000 service members, veterans and military family members.

鈥満诹喜淮蜢� and the D鈥橝niello IVMF are proud of Ray Toenniessen鈥檚 selection as a 2025 Presidential Leadership Scholar,” says , vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and the executive director of the IVMF.听鈥淭hroughout his career, Ray has consistently advanced the interests of veterans and military families. We look forward to Ray鈥檚 continued leadership and significant contributions that only will be enhanced by his PLS experience.鈥�

Throughout the program, Toenniessen and the other scholars will travel to each participating presidential center to learn from former presidents, key former administration officials, business and civic leaders and leading academics. They will study and put into practice varying approaches to leadership and exchange ideas to help strengthen their impact.

Scholars have consistently reported remarkable growth in skills, responsibilities and opportunities for impact since the program began in 2015, including 96% of scholars reporting an improvement in how confidently they can lead social change, and 97% reporting they are inspired to accomplish more since beginning the program.

The 2025 program will begin on Jan. 29.

鈥淪enior Class Marshals embody the spirit of academic excellence, personal growth and community engagement, representing the vibrant and inclusive experience of being Orange,” says Sheriah N. Dixon, associate vice president for the , Dean of Students and chair of the selection committee. “We encourage juniors to explore the process and apply to serve as representatives of the Class of 2026.”

In addition to leading their graduating class during Commencement, Senior Class Marshals help to recommend the Commencement speaker, participate in alumni networking, meet with a senior University administrator to discuss their student experience and offer insights and suggestions, represent their class at University-wide functions and more.

For more information about the role, including qualifications and instructions on how to apply, please visit the . The deadline to apply is Monday, Feb. 10.

For questions, contact Tracy Pierce at tmstark@syr.edu or call 315.443.3514.

A 黑料不打烊 senior and an alumna were recently chosen for prestigious graduate fellowships that prepare students for careers in the Foreign Service.

Linda Baguma 鈥�25, an international relations and political science major in the and , has been named a 2025 Rangel Fellow. Alexandria Johnson 鈥�24, an international relations graduate from the Maxwell School and College of Arts and Sciences, has been selected as a 2025 Pickering Fellow.

The Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship aims to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State where they can help formulate, represent and implement U.S. foreign policy. The Rangel Program supports fellows through two years of graduate study, domestic and overseas internships, mentoring and professional development activities.

Funded by the U.S. Department of State, the Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship awards recipients two years of financial support, mentoring and professional development to prepare them for a career in the Foreign Service. Fellows will also complete a domestic internship at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., and an overseas internship at a U.S. embassy.

Linda Baguma

Baguma, a 2024-25 Remembrance Scholar, participated in a Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute (PPIA) at Carnegie Mellon University over the summer. Her interest in the Foreign Service started with her desire to build stronger relationships between the U.S. and Africa, especially in diplomacy and international security.

Baguma was born in Africa and raised in the United States and feels a strong connection to both places. 鈥淕rowing up in a refugee camp and then resettling in the U.S. gave me a unique perspective on the importance of diplomacy in building stronger global relationships,鈥� Baguma says. 鈥淚t helped me understand how important it is to foster cooperation and support across nations and communities to create positive change in the world.鈥�

In addition to her PPIA experience, Baguma spent the Fall 2024 semester studying in South Africa. 鈥淪tudying abroad allowed me to see how international relations works in a country with a very different history and set of challenges. I learned about South Africa鈥檚 policies and how they impact local communities. This experience has made me even more excited about pursuing a career in the Foreign Service, particularly focused on improving U.S.-Africa relations,鈥� she says.

鈥淭he Rangel Fellowship will give me the resources, mentorship and hands-on experience to deepen my knowledge of foreign service and diplomacy. It will provide me with training, internships and access to a network of professionals, all of which will help me develop the skills I need to navigate U.S. foreign policy,鈥� Baguma says. 鈥淭he chance to work in the U.S. Foreign Service will allow me to directly address global issues and contribute to solutions that benefit people around the world. With the Rangel Fellowship, I believe I will be in a stronger position to pursue my goal of working in international affairs, peace and security for Americans and the rest of the world.鈥�

Alexandria听Johnson

Johnson鈥檚 interest in the Foreign Service was sparked in high school in Cleveland, Ohio. 鈥淚 had the privilege to hear from a retired ambassador through the global studies program, which changed my perspective,” Johnson says. “The conversation helped me understand that there are more opportunities beyond my immediate community and it led me to research and learn more about U.S. foreign affairs and the Foreign Service.鈥�

In the summer of 2022, Johnson interned at the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, acting as a liaison between visiting professionals and professionals in her local community. 鈥淚 learned a lot more about international relations and diplomacy, multilateral issues such as human rights and rule of law, my own city, and ultimately about myself. It was a challenging experience that I will never forget,鈥� Johnson says.

In the spring of 2023, Johnson studied abroad in Strasbourg, France, where she interned with the Arab Center for International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Education. She was also a 2023 Rangel Scholar, which funded a short-term summer program that gave her a comprehensive introduction to professions in U.S. foreign affairs. 鈥淚 was surrounded by a cohort of 14 like-minded peers and I loved my experience. It inspired me to contribute my perspective as a Black woman from the Midwest to the field of diplomacy,鈥� Johnson says. 鈥淭he Rangel Summer Enrichment Program ultimately affirmed my commitment to pursuing a career in the Foreign Service to bridge global divides and advocate for inclusive and impactful diplomacy.鈥�

鈥淎ll of these experiences have taught me about diplomacy in different ways and have allowed me to make an impact. They all speak to a commitment to service in the field, which I will continue to strive for,鈥� Johnson says.

Johnson currently works with the Truman Center for National Policy, a national security think tank in Washington, D.C. There, she focuses on subnational diplomacy and democracy building.

鈥淭he Pickering Fellowship will help me to attain my goal of public service. When I reflected on what I wanted out of a career, it had to be public service first and foremost. Coupled with my passion for foreign affairs, it is a perfect fit,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 hope to make positive change and to bring more awareness to what Foreign Service Officers do.”

Baguma and Johnson worked closely with the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) on their applications and to prepare for their fellowship interviews. Students interested in learning more about the Pickering Fellowship and the Rangel Fellowship should contact CFSA.

The entire campus community is invited to participate in these four virtual events, which focus on key areas of the plan:

• Monday, Jan. 27, 3 to 4:15 p.m.: , facilitated by , associate provost for strategic initiatives, and听, associate vice president for academic operations
• Monday, Feb. 17, 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: , facilitated by , vice president for research,听, associate provost for academic programs, and Dekaney
• Friday, March 21, 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: , facilitated by Brown, Eiffe and Hasenwinkel
• Tuesday, April 29, 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: , facilitated by Brown and听, professor of women鈥檚 and gender studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and director of the 黑料不打烊 Humanities Center

The town halls are designed to create an inclusive environment that promotes the sharing of diverse viewpoints, opinions and ideas, reflecting the participatory nature of the plan鈥檚 development during the 2022-23 academic year. Following an introductory presentation about the town hall topic, moderators will facilitate conversation centered on five key questions.

鈥淭hese events will allow our community to come together to discuss progress on the plan and what it means for the future of the University,鈥� says Interim Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer in a message to the campus community. 鈥淲e look forward to hearing from all of you.鈥�

All events will be held on Zoom. To register, .

Madison Kaifas-Steiner, a second lieutenant in the Army National Guard, riding in an MH-60 Blackhawk helicopter while serving as a medical officer.

鈥淭here were days we鈥檇 be out there in the snow, freezing, and I鈥檇 think, 鈥榃hat am I doing?鈥欌�� Kaifas-Steiner recalls. 鈥淏ut honestly, those tough conditions built a sense of camaraderie and resilience. You learn to embrace the challenge鈥攁nd maybe even enjoy it a little.鈥�

While most cadets in the Army ROTC program are 黑料不打烊 students, a handful come from nearby colleges and universities. Through the cross-town program, 黑料不打烊 hosts cadets from Le Moyne College, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, SUNY Oswego, Morrisville State College and Onondaga Community College. This arrangement allows students to pursue their academic goals while gaining the military sciences education needed for their careers.

Kaifas-Steiner didn鈥檛 have a military background or family ties to guide her decision to serve. Yet, something about ROTC drew her in, offering the chance to push her limits and pursue something bigger than herself. What began as a leap of faith soon became a transformative journey, leading Madison from the snowy fields of 黑料不打烊 to a deployment in Morocco as a medical officer鈥攁nd eventually back to 黑料不打烊鈥檚 campus, where she now works at the D鈥橝niello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF).

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know what I was doing at first,鈥� Kaifas-Steiner says. 鈥淚 walked into ROTC with no military background, no family experience. I was completely lost.鈥�

The lessons she learned as a cadet laid the foundation for her early career as a commissioned officer, though she admits some lessons required real-world experience to fully grasp.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 understand what they were talking about when I was in ROTC, but the officer and non-commissioned officer (NCO) relationship鈥攈ow important that is鈥攃ame to fruition in Morocco,鈥� Kaifas-Steiner says. 鈥淚 developed a really good relationship with my platoon sergeant (PSG). Now I talk to him all the time, and I just keep learning from all these different types of people.鈥�

Kaifas-Steiner recently joined the staff at IVMF, one of the military-affiliated organizations in the

Madison Kaifas-Steiner as a newly commissioned second lieutenant upon graduating from Le Moyne College and the U.S. Army ROTC program at 黑料不打烊 in 2022.

National Veterans Resource Center on campus. As part of the enrollment and advising team, she is often the first point of contact for IVMF program participants. Her experience as a first lieutenant in the New York National Guard gives her unique insight into the needs of service members, veterans and their families.

鈥淭his place changed everything for me,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t set the tone for my life, my family, and my future. I wanted to give back to veterans and keep learning from them, so the IVMF was the perfect fit for me.鈥�

Reflecting on her journey, Kaifas-Steiner offers this advice to current ROTC cadets preparing to commission: 鈥淪tay open and stay humble. You鈥檙e never the smartest person in the room, and that鈥檚 a good thing. Learn from the people around you. You never know who you鈥檒l meet or what opportunities will come your way.鈥�

For Kaifas-Steiner, the ROTC program was more than a stepping stone鈥攊t was a transformative experience. 鈥淚t forever changed my life,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he program, the people and the opportunities I鈥檝e had since鈥擨鈥檓 so grateful for all of it.鈥�

黑料不打烊鈥檚 Office of Veteran and Military Affairs wants to hear from U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force ROTC cadets who have graduated and are currently serving. If you鈥檇 like to share your military experiences since commissioning, consider submitting your profile to the . Your story could inspire future generations of Orange leaders, in and out of uniform.

The competitive grant program, open to New York State-based individuals and teams who work in any of the design fields, helps to fund self-generated projects that seek to answer the question: Where can design go next? Recognizing design as an art form that can enhance our quality of life, the Independent Projects program seeks proposals that emphasize artistry and design excellence that may contribute to a broader understanding of design, and/or that advance a design discipline. Grants are made possible by NYSCA with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

As part of the 2024 cycle, a panel of 10 designers and educators active in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, industrial design, fashion, materials research and fabrication, history and preservation, graphic design, and community-centered design, selected 25 creative and research proposals to receive Independent Projects grants of $10,000 each.

Representing an array of locales, disciplines, formats and modes of practice, the selected projects demonstrate the potential for creative innovation and exemplify the program鈥檚 goal of making design accessible to the communities of New York state.

鈥淐ongratulations to our 黑料不打烊 Architecture faculty on their selection for an Independent Projects grant by the Architectural League of New York and the New York State Council on the Arts,鈥� says Michael Speaks, dean of the School of Architecture. 鈥淭hese prestigious grants will fund their forward-thinking design projects and research, reflecting the innovative mindset and strong commitment to social engagement that distinguishes our school.鈥�

鈦�Freeway Futures

黑料不打烊 is fractured by the presence of the I-81 viaduct. As its demolition looms imminent, the interdisciplinary team of School of Architecture faculty and ; , assistant professor in the department of landscape architecture at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; and Yuting Fang and Gianna Rullo, School of Architecture student research interns, will work to design scenarios to assess the present condition of the freeway and to identify catalytic solutions for creating a sustainable and livable post-freeway future for the greater 黑料不打烊 community. This process will culminate in an exhibition and strategic plan that will be disseminated to community collaborators.

鈥淲e are excited to be selected by the Architectural League of New York and the New York State Council on the Arts to take on this very important research for the Central New York region,鈥� says Ali. 鈥淎lthough this grant will support the initial research, the ambition is to grow the work into a body of knowledge on systems thinking and strategies for approaching post-infrastructural sites through landscape remediation and civic-minded architecture.鈥�

Birthing in Alabama: Design and Redesign of Reproduction

Featuring the work of School of Architecture Distinguished Professor , “Birthing in Alabama” is a research and design project about the historical, social and political dimensions of birthing, and engages the inherently political practice of architecture through this study. Consisting of an installation and a mockup of a wall section for the Alabama Birthing Center site, the project makes visible numerous structural inequities creating immense challenges to birthing healthcare across Alabama and brings the voices of those fighting to improve access into the conversation. The project is one of 25 site-specific, newly commissioned installations currently on view in the exhibition, 鈥�鈥� at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, in New York City.

鈥淏eing selected to receive a NYSCA grant is always an immense honor,鈥� says Brown. 鈥淭he award was instrumental in helping support my installation, Birthing in Alabama: Designing Spaces for Reproduction, for the Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial.鈥�

In-Process: Alternative Methods in Reading Evolving Buildings

In-Process is an upcoming exhibition in the historic GereBlock building, a 150-year-old former warehouse in 黑料不打烊, New York, located along the Erie Canal. Designed by a collaborative team of seven architects鈥� School of Architecture faculty , , and ; Rocio Crosetto, MIT Belluschi Fellow; Laura Salazar-Altobelli, assistant professor at Pratt Institute School of Architecture; and Pablo Sequero, School of Architecture visiting critic鈥攖he exhibit highlights adaptive reuse and the cultural significance of underutilized industrial structures in post-industrial cities, inviting visitors to engage with strategies of continual adaptation and collective narratives in their own built environments.

Designed as an immersive experience, the project showcases innovative methods of documentation, analysis, and public engagement to transform perceptions of historic building stock, inspire similar preservation efforts in Central New York鈥檚 underserved communities, and to establish a framework for adaptive reuse that balances historical integrity with contemporary needs.

鈥淎s a collective of designers, educators, researchers, and practitioners committed to socially impactful projects, receiving this grant provides a platform to showcase our recent efforts in 黑料不打烊,鈥� says Rodr铆guez. 鈥淭he exhibition will serve as a valuable opportunity to deepen and expand conversations with community stakeholders, creatives, students, and policymakers, highlighting the importance of reimagining adaptive reuse in post-industrial cities across the United States.鈥�

To view all of the 2024 Independent Projects grant recipients, visit . Continuing a successful collaboration since 2022, the League and NYSCA are pleased to once again partner to administer the Independent Projects program again in 2025.

will hold a reading of Mary Chase鈥檚 classic comedy 鈥淗arvey,鈥� directed by associate artistic director Melissa Crespo and featuring a cast comprised entirely of local actors, including 黑料不打烊 Department of Drama faculty members and 黑料不打烊 Stage artistic director Robert Hupp.

鈥淗arvey鈥� will be presented in the Archbold Theatre at 黑料不打烊 Stage, 820 E. Genesee St., 黑料不打烊, New York, on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free of charge and must be reserved in advance at .

The Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which tells the story of a good-natured man whose best friend is an invisible six-foot-tall rabbit, served a major inspiration for playwright Eboni Booth鈥檚 鈥淧rimary Trust,鈥� which will Jan. 22 through Feb. 9 in the Archbold Theatre.

鈥淚t鈥檚 wild how similar and uniquely different Harvey and Primary Trust are from one another,鈥� Crespo says. 鈥淭he first won the Pulitzer Prize in 1945, while the second won in 2024. Both plays deal with kindness and the importance of community care. I hope theaters around the country are encouraged to produce both plays in conversation with one another. It鈥檚 especially exciting to have a cast of local actors perform in 鈥楬arvey鈥� on top of the 鈥楶rimary Trust鈥� set, which happens to be set in Central New York.”

鈥淗arvey鈥� premiered on Broadway in 1944 and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1945. The playwright adapted her own script into an Oscar-winning film in 1950, starring Jimmy Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd. 鈥淗arvey鈥� was last seen on Broadway in 2012, starring Jim Parsons, for which he received a Tony nomination.

About Harvey

Elwood P. Dowd insists on including his friend Harvey in all of his sister Veta鈥檚 social gatherings. Trouble is, Harvey is an imaginary six-and-a-half foot-tall rabbit. To avoid future embarrassment for her family鈥攁nd especially for her daughter, Myrtle Mae鈥擵eta decides to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium. At the sanitarium, a frantic Veta explains to the staff that her years of living with Elwood鈥檚 hallucination have caused her to see Harvey also, and so the doctors mistakenly commit her instead of her mild-mannered brother. The truth comes out, however; Veta is freed, and the search is on for Elwood, who eventually arrives at the sanitarium of his own volition, looking for Harvey. But it seems that Elwood and his invisible companion have had a strange influence on more than one of the doctors. Only at the end does Veta realize that maybe Harvey isn鈥檛 so bad after all.

Harvey

• By Mary Chase
• Directed by Melissa Crespo
• Stage managed by Rachel Mondschein

Cast (in alphabetical order)

• Tanner Effinger (Elwood P. Dowd)
• Robert Hupp (Judge Gaffney)
• Lilli Komureck (Veta Simmons, Betty Chumley)
• Alexis Martin (Myrtle Simmons)
• Krystal Osborne (Miss Johnson, Nurse Ruth Kelly)
• Derek Emerson Powell (Dr. Lyman Sanderson)
• Blake Segal (Duane Wilson, E.J. Lofgren)
• Holly Thuma (Mrs. Ethel Chauvenet)
• Karis Wiggins (Dr. William R. Chumley)

Lori Brown

Distinguished Professor Lori Brown and her collaborators, Trish Cafferky and Dr. Yashica Robinson, are included in this year鈥檚 Design Triennial with their installation 鈥�.

The work is one of 25 site-specific, newly commissioned installations at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, home to the exhibition 鈥�.鈥� The exhibition explores design鈥檚 role in shaping the physical and emotional realities of home across the U.S., U.S. territories and tribal nations.

The installation, featuring Brown鈥檚 work, centers on the efforts of obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Robinson to create a new and expanded network of home health care services and alternatives to hospital births. This work reveals ongoing inequities in the state鈥攔esulting from economics, racial injustice, public policy and distance from health care facilities.

鈥淏irthing in Alabama: Design of Reproduction鈥� extends two decades of research, advocacy and activism focusing on reproductive health care by Brown. The installation provides a platform to question where and how architecture contributes to a wide and diverse public and to examine questions of how law and policy shape spaces of birthing access across geographic boundaries and spatial conditions.

For 鈥淏irthing in Alabama,鈥� Brown and a team of architectural researchers mapped the legacy of laws and building and zoning codes to contextualize these challenges and present designed alternatives to alleviate their impact.

Lori A. Brown, Trish Cafferky, and Dr. Yashica Robinson’s “Birthing in Alabama: Designing Spaces for Reproduction鈥� exhibition, which delves into a history of birth in Alabama to better understand the various systems that affected the ability of caregivers to provide access to safe and affordable reproductive healthcare. (Photo courtesy of Elliot Goldstein with the Smithsonian Institution)

The installation shows the complicated history of maternity care and access from 1865-2024 and the high rates of maternal mortality for pregnant Black women during this time period. It includes excerpts from Brown’s interviews, bringing the voices of those on the frontline working to expand birthing access across Alabama into the gallery experience.

Brown is an internationally recognized scholar and educator whose research focuses on the relationships between architecture, social justice and gender. She is the co-founder of, a nonprofit dedicated to gender equity in architecture.

Brown鈥檚 research has focused on the physical structures of abortion clinics and how the debate has shaped access to reproductive health care. She is the author of 鈥�,鈥� and many articles including 鈥溾�� that discusses the call for design ideas for what was the sole remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi.

The exhibition is on view now until the summer of 2025 and is installed throughout the Andrew and Louise Carnegie Museum. Each floor is organized on themes of home: 鈥淕oing Home,鈥� 鈥淪eeking Home鈥� and 鈥淏uilding Home.鈥�

鈥淕oing Home鈥� examines how people shape and are shaped by domestic spaces; 鈥淪eeking Home鈥� addresses a range of institutional, experimental and utopian contexts that challenge conventional definitions of home; and 鈥淏uilding Home鈥� presents alternatives to the single-family concept of home.

Brown and her co-collaborators are featured in the 鈥淪eeking Home鈥� section. Installation of the exhibition was supported by the New York Council on the Arts and additional support from the 黑料不打烊 Office of Academic Affairs; Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement and the School of Architecture.

黑料不打烊 head football coach Fran Brown (center) is the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award Newcomer Coach of the Year.

黑料不打烊 head football coach is the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award Newcomer Coach of the Year after his historic first season at the helm of the program.

Brown led the Orange to its first 10-win campaign since 2018 and just third double-digit win season since 2000. In the process, 黑料不打烊 defeated three AP Top-25 teams at the time of their meeting, which was the most in a single season for the University since 1998.

All nine of 鈥機use’s victories came against teams that reached a bowl game this season, including eight in the regular season, which tied Texas for the national lead of most wins over bowl-eligible opponents. Brown’s squad also went 2-0 vs. teams ranked in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

The Orange saw a program-best 12 players earn All-ACC honors in 2024, despite the league now having 17 teams for the first time in conference history. Players shined under Brown’s tutelage, including Quarterback , who became the first 黑料不打烊 player to finish in the top-10 of Heisman Trophy voting since Dwight Freeney in 2001 after his record-breaking campaign. McCord set a new ACC record for passing yards and school bests for completions, yards, touchdown passes and total offense.

Tight end earned AP All-America honors, while being part of a receiving corps that was the only school in the country to have four players with 60-plus catches. , , Gadsden and Jr. all accomplished the feat. Meeks went over 1,000 yards on the season, while Allen was one of two players nationally to have over 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards. He led the nation in receptions by a running back.

Defensively, 10 different players came away with an interception on the season, freshman was named a Freshman All-American by 247Sports, and , and earned All-ACC honors.

Season Tickets for the 2025 season are on sale now at . Now is the time to renew your seats or become a new season ticket holder, as the Orange are coming off one of their best seasons in school history.

• Bird Library (open to all 黑料不打烊 and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry affiliates with a valid user ID):
  • Monday through Thursday: 24 hours
  • Friday: Closes at 10 p.m.
  • Saturday: Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Sunday: Reopens at 10 a.m.
• The Special Collections Research Center (located on the sixth floor):
  • Monday through Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours Wednesday until 7 p.m.

• The Libraries will operate under reduced hours during Spring Break week (March 8-15) and extended hours during final exams (May 2-4).

As a congressionally designated depository for U.S. government documents, Bird Library is open to the public on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on weekends beginning at 10 a.m.

Serving as Universitywide faculty representatives, committee members advise the Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer and work to ensure consistent promotion and tenure processes and promote high academic standards. Members, who must be tenured full professors, serve two-year, staggered terms and are not eligible to serve consecutive terms.

Newly elected committee members are:

• , William Safire Professor of Modern Letters and University Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
• , director, electrical engineering and computer science graduate program, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• , Marjorie Cantor Professor of Aging Studies, Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
• , associate dean for academic affairs, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
• , Albert & Betty Hill Endowed Professor, Martin J. Whitman School of Management
• , Iris Magidson Endowed Professor of Design Leadership and director, School of Design, College of Visual and Performing Arts

Promotion and tenure cases that meet the criteria for review鈥攆or example, those that have substantial disagreement between layers of recommendation or a strong probability of a negative determination鈥攁re taken up by committee members. They offer an advisory vote to the provost but do not issue a formal report or consider appeals.

The committee is convened by Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Jamie Winders. Provost Lois Agnew is chair of the committee, and Vice President for Research Duncan Brown serves in an ex-officio capacity.

The student-run 鈥�Cuse Baja organization participates in rugged, off-road vehicle competitions.

Assuming the position as the club鈥檚 leader, Storrs worked hard to rebuild 鈥�Cuse Baja from the ground up, focusing on recruiting and training the next generation of engineers to take the wheel. Today, ‘Cuse Baja is a thriving student organization that actively competes across the country and the off-road vehicle that was nothing more than a simple frame is now breaking records.

鈥淭he development of our current car has been a long road. With a large amount of reverse-engineering and scrappiness, we managed to cobble together a functional car,鈥� says Storrs.

Despite challenges in their early competitions, 鈥�Cuse Baja didn鈥檛 let any roadblocks slow them down. In September 2024, the club would set new records at the Baja Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) competition held in Michigan. After undergoing rigorous inspections, the team competed at different events that tested their vehicle鈥檚 acceleration, maneuverability, suspension and traction as well as rock-crawling ability.

The final event on the last day of the competition was the endurance race, where each team that passed inspections strives to complete as many laps as possible in 4 hours. 鈥�Cuse Baja completed 15 laps, far exceeding the six laps they completed in a previous competition, making history with the best result from a University Baja team in more than 20 years.

鈥淲e had gone from having never been to a competition to being legitimately competitive in only one year,鈥� says Storrs. 鈥淧rior to us, a Baja team from SU had not raced at a competition in 20 years, so we are enormously proud of our accomplishments.鈥�

鈥淭his year was filled with many great successes allowing our team to meet multiple goals,鈥� says aerospace engineering student Laney Price 鈥�27. 鈥淗owever, when I look back at Michigan, I will not remember our scoring. I鈥檒l remember the excitement our team felt and expressed during that week when we worked through many obstacles to reach that success.鈥�

Through 鈥�Cuse Baja, Storrs has connected with other students who share his passion for designing and building off-road vehicles and gained hands-on experience in engineering through machining and welding. As president and chief engineer, he has also developed valuable leadership skills that have strengthened his team-building and project-management abilities.

鈥淭hroughout my leadership, I have made it my number one priority to recruit and train the next generation of 鈥�Cuse Baja members who will be able to grow the team after I have graduated,鈥� says Storrs. 鈥淥ur current success is due to the large influx of passionate and interested members over the past year, who have shown great initiative in learning and leading the team.鈥�

鈥淚 became a member at the beginning of the 2023 school season and have witnessed 鈥�Cuse Baja grow so much since I鈥檝e been on the team,鈥� says mechanical engineering student Riehen Walsh 鈥�27. 鈥淲ith a new generation car being designed and an ever-growing connection with the local 黑料不打烊 community, I look forward to seeing what the team can become in the upcoming years.鈥�

Even as Storrs prepares to graduate, he believes the club will continue to thrive. 鈥淏aja and the other engineering teams are an invaluable addition to the ECS community, and are, in my opinion, undervalued. We provide practical and hands-on experience to students, which is something that cannot be taught in class. I hope that through our continued success and growth, we can further prove our value to the engineering community.鈥�

A student works on an off-road vehicle as part of the 鈥�Cuse Baja club.

Robert Wilson

is an associate professor in the Geography and the Environment Department at 黑料不打烊. His expertise area includes how animals interact with society and humans.

He is available for interview and his comments below can be quoted directly.

Professor Wilson says:

鈥淭his month, a man in Louisiana died from bird flu (H5N1), which he probably got from exposure to wild birds or chickens in his backyard. And in recent months dairy workers have been sickened by the virus. While H5N1 is not yet spreading from person to person, the continued transmission of the virus from animals to people is very worrisome.

鈥淭he U.S. raises billions of animals a year, and the virus has travelled quickly among the nation鈥檚 chickens, pigs, and dairy cows. In the U.S., each year we raise and slaughter nine billion broiler chickens鈥攖he sort of chickens that people eat. At any one time, hundreds of millions of hens are laying eggs. H5N1 has infected many of these birds, leading egg and poultry producers to cull the chickens in an attempt to limit the virus spread. Even so, other domestic animals, such as pigs and dairy cows, are now infected as well.

鈥淢any of these animals are raised in factory-like conditions where they are stuffed close together. In such cramped quarters, viruses can spread easily among the animals and increase the chance of a zoonotic spillover of H5N1 from animals to humans.

鈥淎nimal right activists have highlighted the terrible living conditions endured by chickens, pigs, and cows raised under industrial agriculture. But the way we treat these animals places us all at risk. We have, in effect, created incubators for the birth of new, more virulent pathogens while detaining animals in spaces that make virus outbreaks nearly inevitable.

鈥淭o protect ourselves, we need to alter the way we raise animals in our modern food system.鈥�

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Associate Director of Media Relations
Division of Communications

M听315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |
news.syr.edu |

黑料不打烊

Yage Huang

Huang recently obtained her doctor of juridical science (SJD) degree from Indiana University Bloomington and holds a master of law degree from China University of Political Science and Law.

Her research interests include criminal procedure law, evidence and human rights. In her position at the Law Library, Huang will provide legal research support, assist with researching and developing law collections, liaise with faculty and provide research instruction to law students, and promote library services to alumni and the local bar.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1931, Elman met his wife, Elise Barnett Elman 鈥�52, while at 黑料不打烊, where he earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in political science and history. He went on to receive a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1955 and a master鈥檚 degree in history from New York University in 1970. Elman was the founder of the firm of Stark, Elman, Amron and Rosen in New York City and became a well-respected attorney over his 40-year career. More recently, he worked as a solo practitioner in New York City specializing in real estate law and banking.

Elman was also a member of the New York State and American bar associations and the American College of Mortgage Attorneys, and he served as an active duty member of the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps for three years. He was a trustee and board president of the Jewish Child Care Association of New York, as well as co-founder of two American history groups at the Harvard Club.

Always dedicated to his alma mater, he was a charter member of the A&S Board of Visitors, now called the听, for 20 years, where he served as chair of the executive committee, later becoming an emeritus board member. Elman also served on the University鈥檚 National Alumni Board and was chair of the Metropolitan New York Advisory Board. In 1996, he received the University鈥檚 Distinguished Alumni Award.

In 1988, he and his wife created the Richard Elman Memorial Fund in Creative Writing Endowment, in memory of his brother, who graduated from A&S in 1955 and became a distinguished author, novelist, poet and professor. The couple also established the Leonard S. and Elise B. Elman Fund for Creative Writing. Both funds allow two distinguished authors to hold a two-day residency at A&S annually as part of the听. Some of the most recent authors include novelist Anelise Chen, poet John Murillo, novelist Katie Katamura, poet Vievee Francis, author Illya Kaminsky and novelist Percival Everett.

“Len was one of the closest friends the creative writing program ever had. Coming from an eminent literary family himself, he wasn’t just generous, he was curious, and he loved to talk books and listen to writers he admired. He’s been one of us for a long time, and the many creative writing faculty who have been here a similarly long time are mourning his loss very personally,鈥� says Associate Professor听, director of the creative writing program.

In 2016, Elman became president of The Phyllis Backer Foundation, Inc., which was supported by the estate of the late Phyllis Backer, a lifelong resident of Queens, New York, who established the foundation to support nonprofit organizations related to medicine or education with an emphasis on Jewish causes. Under Elman鈥檚 leadership, the foundation鈥檚 board voted unanimously in 2017 on a $1.5 million endowment to establish the听听in the College of Arts and Sciences at 黑料不打烊.

At the time, Elman said he hoped the professorship would give students at the College 鈥渢he opportunity to develop a deeper understanding on the interrelationships between ancient and contemporary Judaism through literature, philosophy, politics and language.鈥� In 2020, the first Phyllis Backer Professor of Jewish Studies was hired, and, currently, Assistant Professor听听holds the position.

鈥淭hanks to Len鈥檚 time, dedication and generosity over the years, A&S has been able to bring numerous unique opportunities to our students,鈥� says A&S Dean Behzad Mortazavi. 鈥淔rom supporting our creative writing program so that students can learn from the nation鈥檚 top writers, to establishing the endowment for the Phyllis Backer Professor of Jewish Studies, which will help students become more engaged citizens, his influence has been incredibly important. A&S will be forever grateful to Len and Elise Elman.鈥�

According to his obituary, Elman was known for his wry sense of humor, as well as his all-encompassing knowledge and his avid love of history. In his free time, he enjoyed being with family and friends, as well as theater, jazz, tennis, skiing and summers on East Hampton, Long Island. He is survived by his wife, Elise, of 71 years, as well as two children, Michael and Susan; a son-in-law, Joseph Ronson; and four grandchildren. A memorial service was held for Elman on Jan. 5 in New York City.

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Effective Jan. 1, 2025, the standard mileage rate is set at 70 cents per mile for business miles driven (up 3 cents from the 2024 rate of 67 cents per mile).

The rates apply to electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, as well as gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.

Employees with questions can reach out to the Comptroller鈥檚 Office at 314.443.3765.

, Baylor University professor of physical therapy and founder of mobility design studio , and , founder of the and a fellow, point to the work on and the adaptive design circles here as a model for other communities to follow.

Connor McGough, center, prepares to board a kayak at the Creekwalk Inner Harbor access point.

The Creekwalk is a 4.8-mile paved pathway that runs from the Southside neighborhood to . When city planners and engineers decided to make accessibility a major focus of the Creekwalk, they tapped into local individuals with a range of backgrounds鈥攎edical and social model disability advocates, inclusive design experts, students at and local individuals with disabilities. , a city facilities engineer, and , City of 黑料不打烊 deputy commissioner of planning and sustainability, first invited local resident to provide a first-person perspective on the plans. McGough, a quadriplegic as the result of an accident听at age 21, is the program coordinator at ARISE Inc., a local independent living center.

Don Carr

The project soon drew in others McGough knew: faculty members , professor of industrial and interaction design, and , professor and coordinator of the , who are both ARISE volunteers.

Also joining the group were Upstate Medical University developmental pediatrician and staff members from the , an inclusive preschool in 黑料不打烊. Galloway and Truesdell were aware of the initiative through their involvement with the adaptive design community here.

James W.R. Fathers

Carr involved School of Design master鈥檚 students because he recognized how the project presented an exceptional opportunity to learn inclusive design via a 鈥渓iving laboratory鈥� at a site adjacent to their class space. He also knew the project supported key University goals for students: experiential learning; community-engaged scholarship; enhanced awareness of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility; and a commitment to human thriving.

The city鈥檚 project leaders welcomed student involvement, Houck says. 鈥淭hese projects are something we鈥檝e collaborated on with Don Carr and with other organizations in the community. Our projects are better for it, and it鈥檚 wonderful we can have that resource. Carr is raising the profile of the work that鈥檚 being done and it鈥檚 great that he鈥檚 involving his students in these efforts.鈥�

Russell Houck, City of 黑料不打烊 facilities engineer, and Owen Kerney, deputy commissioner of planning/sustainability, worked with several disability advocates on the Creekwalk project.

Kerney agrees. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 the first fully inclusive and accessible playground, our sidewalks, our recreational amenities, boat launches or trails that are available to all users, increasing access is an important part of serving the entire community. It鈥檚 something Mayor Walsh and the whole administration has prioritized,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he city has a responsibility to serve everybody, and these types of improvements do just that.鈥�

The User View

The student designers began determining how to create a practical experience at the Inner Harbor site based on the disability community maxim, 鈥淣othing about us without us is for us.鈥� Their first step: borrowing a wheelchair to look at the pathway from a disabled user鈥檚 perspective.

They digitally mapped the entire Creekwalk path, then started ideating. One student created a video game to familiarize users with the trail virtually before they visit. Another made an app that offers information about all pathway features. A third designed an accessible interactive information kiosk housing electrical ports to recharge electric wheelchairs. Others created an animation of the trail that featured a series of accessible kiosks, each equipped with a joystick controller for those with limited dexterity.

Amaan Khan 鈥�23

Amaan Khan ’23, a student who worked on that project and who is now a product and branding designer, said the class with Carr was 鈥渁n absolute pleasure. It taught us that even though societal paradigms are shifting toward inclusivity, we must unlearn many of our ways to better connect people with disabilities to the facilities that already exist. Doing that can unite people and guide them forward as a collaborative community.鈥�

McGough says he welcomed the chance to offer ideas based on his lived experience. 鈥淚 was excited that they listened to my feedback and wanted to follow up on it, and that they were open to suggestions about accessibility in the community spaces,鈥� he says.

Connor McGough

McGough was able to try the kayak launch last fall. It鈥檚 built so someone can comfortably transfer into and out of a boat via a bench, pull bars, hoists and a gradual rolling launch system. 鈥淚 was so excited about this project. Getting out in the boat is such a great experience, getting some sun, being around water and nature, having some exercise and recreation,鈥� McGough says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really freeing because once the boat is in motion, it鈥檚 all me making it happen. It鈥檚 a really nice thing to have when a lot of the time you require assistance from other people and aren鈥檛 able to feel so independent.鈥�

Three Phases

The project has three access points鈥攖he kayak launch at the Inner Harbor and a wheelchair-accessible waterside access ramp at Kirk Park have been built. An access/launch point at Dorwin Avenue is planned as part of the third phase of the Creekwalk trail that is now under design.

A $70,000 grant from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration program supported the Inner Harbor site, and $380,000 from the Honeywell remediation settlement, for improvements connected to Onondaga Lake, was used for the more extensive construction at Kirk Park. The city continues to apply for grants for ongoing accessibility projects.

A wheelchair ramp at this Kirk Park access point allows users to descend from street to water level.

A Model Partnership

Working together came naturally to this group, so it鈥檚 unlikely they were aware of the 鈥渞ipple effect鈥� of their cooperation. Fathers believes the city鈥檚 openness to including disabled users from the start, the involvement of interested supporters and the inclusion of University faculty and students in the project helped the group gel. 鈥淭he way the group came together was kind of an organic thing鈥攂ecause disabled people, designers and clinicians began working together in a matter of hours,鈥� he says.

Fathers tells how Truesdell, who was involved in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 adaptive design collaboration, referenced that coalescing as 鈥渢he 黑料不打烊 effect鈥濃�攕omething she said she had not seen previously in her experience, he says. 鈥淪he means that in 黑料不打烊, it鈥檚 very easy to connect to people with disabilities, their advocates, their families and designers in a way that she hasn鈥檛 seen in any other place. It鈥檚 all about the people here. She said it was a very powerful thing to observe,鈥� Fathers says.

Lu Hao 鈥�23, standing at left, plays a Creekwalk video game created by students in the inclusive and interaction design class. With him are local arts activist Michael John Heagerty (seated left); Peyton Sefick, a 黑料不打烊 adaptive fitness consultant (seated right); Cole Galloway, noted physical therapy professor and founder of mobility design studio GoBabyGo (center back); and Jean Minkel, an internationally recognized expert on seating and mobility. (Photo by Don Carr)

Galloway says the collective advocacy spirit here 鈥渋s particularly rare. It鈥檚 a model the world needs to come here to look at to see what 黑料不打烊 does and how they continue it,鈥� he says. 鈥淲here 黑料不打烊 jumps into the 鈥業鈥檝e never heard of this before鈥� category is that here, the people with the lived experience are the ones with the power. To step back and let the disability community lead and to have city planners listen and take direction from the folks having lived experience, that鈥檚 very unique. So many people in 黑料不打烊 break the mold鈥攜ou鈥檝e got a really radical set of individuals who, from the beginning of the idea, listened and believed and took action from the disability community.鈥�

Hands-On Rewards

The hands-on learning students experienced was important to their training as designers, Carr says. 鈥淚n teaching design, this is a great way to get students to co-design with individuals in our community to address real needs. Together, we鈥檙e able to build, test and modify these ideas on the fly. It鈥檚 very rewarding to work alongside someone and then see their immediate reaction vs. purchasing a product that, in the end, might not address their actual need.鈥�

From an inclusive design standpoint having projects where faculty can jump in helps 黑料不打烊 be a leader in the accessibility space, and having an adaptive design focus is a major attractor for the University鈥檚 graduate design program, Carr says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 because there are opportunities for students to do grant-based work as part of their studies and then apply ideas throughout their careers.鈥�

This is the seventh year the Lender Center has awarded the two-year for research focused on a contemporary social issue. Faculty fellows work with a team of student research fellows. They receive $5,000 each year and $7,500 each of two summers for research support, plus another $5,000 to help publicize and present findings at the annual Lender Center symposium.

The fellowship is open to all full-time faculty members. Applications are due by Friday, April 11, at 5 p.m. Details about the and submission process are available on the听. Questions can be directed to听lendercenter@syr.edu.

鈥淲e encourage faculty to think of social justice in a broad sense and to develop projects that engage local, regional, national or global topics,鈥� says Kendall Phillips, Lender Center director. 鈥淟ender Fellows projects have engaged a wide spectrum of social justice issues. Beyond providing support for research, this program creates a robust community of researchers, and past faculty and student fellows have described their programs as being rich, engaging and transformative experiences.鈥�

Lender Center 2022-24 Faculty Fellow Mona Bhan, left, worked with doctoral students Aren Burnside, center, and ParKer Bryant on projects researching community impacts of artificial intelligence.

Previous Lender Faculty Fellows are:

• (2024-26), assistant professor of public health in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, who is researching the effects of redlining on employment.
• (2023-25), assistant professor of magazine, news and digital journalism in the , who is examining media coverage of Muslim people and communities and the impact of that coverage.
• (2022-24),听associate professor of anthropology and the Ford-Maxwell Professor of South Asian Studies in the听, whose research used a cultural anthropology lens to assess how artificial intelligence (AI) weaponry and AI systems can transform the realities of autonomy, accountability, human rights and justice.
• (2021-23), associate dean for Research and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility; associate professor of environmental and interior design and Georgia Miller Associate Professor. She and her team studied whether the design and location of a new wellness center building affected whether the center reached its objectives.
• (2020-22), associate professor of geography and the environment in the Maxwell School, who continued the work of Evan Weissman, late associate professor of food studies and nutrition in Falk College, who researched the effectiveness of food systems in 黑料不打烊 in meeting community needs, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Casarae Gibson-Abdul-Ghani (2019-21), then an assistant professor of African American studies in the听, who researched the utilization of social media platforms as a way of uncovering social justice trends.

• 鈥�鈥�
  • Thursday, Feb. 27, 5-6:30 p.m. in Bird Library, Room 114
  • Presented by , social science librarian
• 鈥�鈥�
  • Wednesday, March 5, 5:30-7 p.m., online via Zoom
  • Presented by鈥�, librarian for the Newhouse School of Public Communications
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  • Monday, March 17, 5-6:30 p.m., in Bird Library, Room 114
  • Presented by , assistant teaching professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• 鈥�鈥�
  • Monday, March 24, 5-6:30 p.m., in Bird Library, Room 114
  • Presented by , open scholarship librarian, and , IVMF research and digital projects librarian
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  • Tuesday, March 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m., in Bird Library, Room 114
  • Presented by , associate director for research and collections, College of Law Library, and , information literacy scholar, 黑料不打烊 Libraries and reference assistant, College of Law Library
• 鈥溾��
  • Wednesday, April 2, 5:30-7:30 p.m., in Bird Library, Room 114
  • Panelists include , associate professor and director of graduate studies in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs; , associate professor of communications in the Newhouse School of Public Communications; , assistant teaching professor in the College of Arts and Sciences
• 鈥溾��
  • Thursday, April 10, 6:30-7:45 p.m., Online via Zoom
  • Presented by , librarian in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and , online learning librarian

The 53-minute film, 鈥淩aise the Roof: Building Tenant Power in 黑料不打烊,鈥� depicts the formation and activism of the 黑料不打烊 Tenants Union (STU), a grassroots organization that advocates for tenants鈥� rights and legislative change. Purser, associate professor of sociology, partnered with the STU on the project in collaboration with Franklin Thompson of August Fifth Productions, who served as director of photography and producer.

鈥淭he film seeks to reveal how, due to the imbalance of power with their landlords, tenants can make few changes as individuals, sometimes face retaliation for reporting code violations, and often wind up stuck due to the cost of relocation and rent,鈥� says Purser. 鈥淲e wanted to show how tenants organizing collectively can challenge the uneven power imbalance with landlords.鈥�

The film is a culmination of a through the Interdisciplinary Research Leaders (IRL) program sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The IRL program supports action-oriented scholarship undertaken in collaboration with community partners and focuses on equity and health research.

In addition to Purser, the research team included Jamila Michener, professor of government and public policy at Cornell University, and Palmer Harvey, an organizer with STU. The team conducted focus groups throughout the City of 黑料不打烊 to better understand tenants鈥� experiences and introduce them to tenant organizing as a strategy to improve community health. The project was designed to help build STU鈥檚 membership base, and data from the focus groups was incorporated into the documentary.

鈥淭his is a great example of using social science research to have a real-world impact in our local community,鈥� says Shana Kushner Gadarian, associate dean for research and Merle Goldberg Fabian Professor of Excellence in Citizenship and Critical Thinking. 鈥淧rofessor Purser’s work on tenants鈥� experiences in 黑料不打烊 and how they are working together to advocate for policy change can be a valuable resource for other communities facing challenges with power imbalances between renters and landlords and inadequate housing.鈥�

Filming began in October 2023 in numerous locations across the City of 黑料不打烊, including tenants鈥�

Gretchen Purser, associate professor of sociology, is shown during filming with producer and photography director Franklin Thompson of August Fifth Productions.

homes, at union meetings, in offices and at public protests and rallies. Union organizers and tenants are interviewed in the film, along with city officials and Michener.

The tenants shared their experiences with mold, infestation, large rent increases, lead poisoning, structural and plumbing issues, caved-in ceilings and broken furnaces as well as eviction, sexual harassment and predatory rental arrangements.

Purser says the collective organizing aims to achieve tangible improvements in housing conditions for poor and predominantly Black families in the 黑料不打烊 community.

Participants in the film offered various proposals to improve conditions for tenants. For example, Good Cause Eviction legislation would cap rent increases and limit evictions to cases of non-payment or lease violation, prohibiting the kinds of retaliatory evictions that Purser and her colleagues documented throughout their research.

Speakers at the screening at Salt City Market also presented ideas, including an updated rental registry and code enforcement system that would mandate lead inspection, charge additional fees for landlords renting unregistered properties, revoke registry for code violators and allocate funds from penal fees to repair damages. City Auditor Alexander Marion, who participated with organizers in a question-and-answer session, said the eventual goal is to use money from violations, fines, registrations and inspections to better fund code enforcement.

Jocelyn Richards, an STU organizer, hopes the documentary inspires viewers and sparks curiosity about tenant organizing.

鈥淭his documentary reveals that nearly every tenant in 黑料不打烊 is encountering or has encountered similar issues: we’re not alone,鈥� says Richards. 鈥淎nd it’s normal to be fearful of taking action as an individual, but when we come together, we have both more power and more protection from retaliation.鈥�

Film organizers are planning additional screenings in 2025, starting with a showing at the Maxwell School. Members of the University community are invited to join a at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, in the Dr. Paul and Natalie Strasser Legacy Room. Still other viewing opportunities are planned for New York City and Ithaca, New York. The documentary will eventually be publicly available online and accessible on the STU website.

Purser is director of the Law, Society and Policy Integrated Learning Major, research co-director on Advocacy and Activism at the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration, and a senior research associate at the Center for Qualitative and Multi-Method Inquiry. Her research and teaching focuses on the housing struggles of the urban poor, work and labor market transformation, and the policies and practices of poverty management in the U.S. She has written numerous op-eds and public-facing articles on criminal justice reform, inequality and precarious work in the U.S.

Story by Michael Kelly

Professor Geuorguiev writes: “While this rumored proposal remains entirely speculative, the possibility should not be dismissed outright. President-elect Trump has indicated a desire for a political resolution to the TikTok dispute, and Elon Musk is uniquely positioned to facilitate such an outcome. His significant financial resources, established business ties in China through Tesla, and prominence in the social media industry via X make him a potential candidate for brokering a deal acceptable to multiple stakeholders. Additionally, Musk’s recognition and favorability in China could render the arrangement more appealing to Beijing. However, such a move would inevitably raise serious concerns among the American public and the U.S. national security establishment. Musk’s growing web of business and political influence, especially as he gains prominence in the incoming Trump administration, could create significant conflicts of interest that warrant close scrutiny.”

welcomes the new year with playwright Eboni Booth鈥檚 鈥淧rimary Trust,鈥� the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about best friends, new beginnings and the undeniable power of everyday kindness. Directed by 黑料不打烊 Stage Associate Artistic Director Melissa Crespo (鈥淥nce,鈥� 鈥淲hat the Constitution Means to Me,鈥� 鈥淣ative Gardens鈥�), 鈥淧rimary Trust鈥� will run Wednesday, Jan. 22, to Sunday, Feb. 9, in the Archbold Theatre at 黑料不打烊 Stage, 820 E. Genesee St., 黑料不打烊, New York.

鈥淪tage鈥檚 production of 鈥楶rimary Trust鈥� is brought to life by a superb cast and creative team,鈥� says Artistic Director Robert Hupp. 鈥淲e鈥檙e eager to share this timely play so beautifully directed by our associate artistic director, Melissa Crespo. It鈥檚 just the right story at just the right time.鈥�

In Cranberry, New York, a small town just east of Rochester, 38-year-old Kenneth has a good job, a great boss and Bert, the best friend a guy could ask for. But his boss is moving to Florida, the bookstore he works at is closing and Bert? Well, he’s imaginary. As he confronts the traumas that led to his isolated existence, Kenneth must tend to old wounds, forge new friendships and let go of the things he no longer needs.

鈥淓boni Booth鈥檚 beautiful play 鈥楶rimary Trust鈥� about friendship and the smallest of chances is exactly what we need in our sometimes-lonely world,鈥� says Crespo. 鈥淚 hope Central New York audiences will particularly appreciate a story that鈥檚 set in their backyard.鈥�

Garrett Turner (Kenneth) returns to 黑料不打烊 Stage after playing Anger in the world premiere of 鈥淭houghts of Colored Man,鈥� and he is joined by Bjorn DuPaty, making his 黑料不打烊 Stage debut as Bert. The actors reunite after sharing a dressing room as understudies for the Broadway production of 鈥淭houghts of Colored Man鈥� in 2022.

Rounding out the cast of 鈥淧rimary Trust鈥� are Eunice Woods as Corinna, Wally鈥檚 Waiters and Bank Customers; Paul DeBoy (鈥淣ative Gardens,鈥� 鈥淭he Christians鈥�) as Clay, Sam and Le Pousselet Bartender; and Armando Gutierrez (鈥淥nce鈥�) as musician.

Bringing the fictional Central New York town of Cranberry to life is a design team that includes sets by Ann Beyersdorfer (鈥淲hat the Constitution Means to Me,鈥� 鈥淵oga Play鈥�), costumes by Carmen Martinez (鈥淥nce,鈥� 鈥淲hat the Constitution Means to Me鈥�), lighting by Alejandro Fajardo (who worked with Crespo鈥檚 鈥淓l Otro Oz,鈥� a NYTimes Critics Pick), sound by 黑料不打烊 Stage resident sound designer Jacqueline R Herter (鈥淥nce,鈥� 鈥淲hat the Constitution Means to Me,鈥� 鈥淎nnapurna鈥�) and original music by cast member Armando Gutierrez.

All evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m., while all matinee performances begin at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $30, with discounts available for students and groups. Tickets may be purchased online at , by phone at 315.443.3275 or in person at the 黑料不打烊 Stage Box Office. Pay-what-you-will performances for 鈥淧rimary Trust鈥� are Jan. 22鈥�26 inclusive; Prologue conversations, three pre-show discussions that take place one-hour before curtain on Jan. 26, Feb. 1 and Feb. 6; the Wednesday at 1 lecture will take place on Jan. 29 before the 2 p.m. matinee; the post-show talkback will take place on Sunday, Feb. 2, after the 7:30 p.m. performance. 黑料不打烊 Stage has its open-captioned performances scheduled for Jan. 29 and Feb. 9, at 2 p.m. and Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m., as well as an audio-described performance on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. The sensory friendly/relaxed performance of 鈥淧rimary Trust鈥� is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m.

黑料不打烊 Stage is pleased to announce the addition of trivia night, a new event for the 24/25 season. Free for ticket holders, trivia night invites audiences to go head-to-head for a chance to win exciting 黑料不打烊 Stage prizes, in a friendly competition hosted by 鈥淛eopardy!鈥� champion Dillon Hupp with free pizza. Trivia night for 鈥淧rimary Trust鈥� will be held on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performance are required to participate. Pre-registration at is recommended.

In conjunction with 鈥淧rimary Trust,鈥� 黑料不打烊 Stage will present a free reading of 鈥淗arvey鈥� by Mary Chase. The play, about a man whose best friend is an invisible 6-foot-tall rabbit, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1945, was made into an Oscar-winning film starring Jimmy Stewart and was a major inspiration for Booth鈥檚 鈥淧rimary Trust.鈥� The reading will take place in the Archbold Theatre on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m., with free tickets available at 黑料不打烊Stage.org.

Support for the 24/25 season includes season sponsors the Slutzker Family Foundation, the Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation and Advance Media New York. The community partner for 鈥淧rimary Trust鈥� is ACR Health.

Primary Trust

• By Eboni Booth
• Directed by Melissa Crespo
• Scenic design by Ann Beyersdorfer
• Costume design by Carmen Martinez
• Lighting design by Alejandro Fajardo
• Sound design by Jacquline R Hertetr
• Original music by Armando Guttierez
• Stage management by Kristine Schlachter*
• Casting by Bass/Valle Casting

CAST (in alphabetical order)

• Paul DeBoy* (Clay, Sam, Le Pousselet Bartender)
• Bjorn DuPaty* (Bert)
• Armando Gutierrez* (Musician)
• Garrett Turner* (Kenneth)
• Eunice Woods* (Corinna, Wally鈥檚 Waiter, Bank Customer)

*Member of Actors鈥� Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.