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Eleven Syracuse University students and alumni have been selected as 2026 recipients of awards, with three additional students named as alternates. The prestigious program, which funds English teaching assistantships and study/research grants in more than 140 countries, will send this year’s Syracuse cohort across four continents to teach, conduct research and build cross-cultural connections.

The 2026 recipients are the following:

• Bobby Battle ’26 (School of Education), English Teaching Assistantship (ETA), Spain
• Christian Bevilacqua ’24, G’26 (School of Education, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences), study grant, United Kingdom
• Gabriel Calloway ’26 (Maxwell School and A&S), ETA, Brazil
• Andrew Danik G’23 (Maxwell School), research award, Namibia
• Molly Grow ’26 (School of Education), ETA, South Korea
• Troyesha Parks ’22, G’23 (Falk College of Sport, Maxwell School), ETA, Taiwan
• Maya Philipp (Ph.D. in biology, College of Arts and Sciences), Azores Regional Government Research Award, Portugal
• Sarah Schreiber ’26 (Maxwell School and A&S), ETA, Cambodia
• Iona Volynets ’24 (Maxwell School and A&S), research award, Kazakhstan
• Anya von Wolff ’26 (College of Visual and Performing Arts), Fulbright Combined Award, Austria
• Ernestine Whitaker G’26 (Ph.D. student in anthropology, Maxwell School), study grant, Italy

Three additional students were named alternates: Nathaniel Hasanaj ’25 (Maxwell School and A&S), ETA, Kosovo; Sarah Leonard ’26 (School of Education), ETA, Spain; and Lilyan Minicozzi ’26 (VPA), study grant, United Kingdom.

Two of the recipients—Maya Philipp and Sarah Schreiber—show the two sides of the program up close: one heading abroad to conduct research, the other to teach.

Maya Philipp: Tracking Whales in the Azores

Philipp will spend her Fulbright year in the Azores, working with researchers at the Institute of Marine Science–Okeanos at the University of the Azores to study sperm whale distribution and behavior.

Her project draws on high-resolution biologging tags that capture audio, location and movement data from whales, paired with satellite oceanographic data, allowing her to model where the animals are likely to be and what they’re doing at any given time.

The work will form the third chapter of her doctoral dissertation, which examines how large whales’ movement patterns reveal the “prey landscapes” they navigate in shifting marine environments.

Philipp’s research carries real stakes beyond her dissertation. The Azores sit along one of the busiest shipping corridors connecting the Americas and Europe, and rising vessel traffic has coincided with a growing number of sperm whale injuries and deaths. By predicting where whales will surface and travel, Philipp’s models could help ships steer clear of high-risk zones, reducing collisions while also helping whale-watching operators locate the animals.

Beyond the science, Philipp sees the year as a chance to deepen her Portuguese and immerse herself in local life, serving as a cultural ambassador as much as a researcher.

“By the end of the program, I hope to come away with insights that can help protect sperm whales while serving the local economy, and collaborations that will continue well after my time as a Fulbright researcher,” she says.

Sarah Schreiber: Teaching English in Cambodia

Schreiber says her background in international relations and environmental policy gives her a unique perspective on the English��language learning classroom.

“I have been a language student myself many times, which will aid me in understanding my students’ needs and designing exercises that work best for them,” she says. “My studies at Syracuse taught me the intercultural communication skills necessary to succeed.”

Her interest in Cambodia traces back to an undergraduate paper on women under the Khmer Rouge, which she wrote for a course on atrocity studies. It left her wanting to understand more about how Cambodia has rebuilt itself over the past three decades. She’s spent the months leading up to her departure studying Khmer and connecting with fellow Fulbright grantees headed to the region.

Beyond the classroom, Schreiber plans to volunteer after school hours running English clubs, and possibly a dance club as well, as part of a broader effort to serve as a thoughtful guest in the country and a genuine cultural bridge between Cambodia and the United States.

All students were assisted by the (CFSA) in the preparation of their Fulbright applications. Students and alumni interested in the 2026-27 Fulbright cycle should contact the CFSA at cfsa@syr.edu.

Aaron Lener ’27 still remembers the exact moment linguistics stopped being a subject he was curious about and became the work of his life.

As a high school senior sitting in on a historical linguistics class by , associate professor of linguistics in the , Lener heard about the Bantoid languages of West Africa.

By the time classes started that fall, he had a research proposal in hand and a seat on Green’s research team. Three years later, that early spark has grown into a body of work substantial enough to earn him a , one of the most competitive graduate fellowships in the country.

The Beinecke Scholarship provides substantial funding for the graduate education of young people of exceptional promise. It is open to junior-year college students and was created to enable them to be courageous in selecting research or creative-focused courses of graduate study in the arts, humanities or social sciences. Lener was one of 16 Beinecke Scholars selected from a national pool of nominated students in 2026.

Lener’s résumé is wide-ranging. He is a double major in linguistic studies and international relations, a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program and is a 2026-27 Remembrance Scholar. He has engaged in fieldwork on endangered Nigerian languages, a policy internship in Brussels, Belgium, and a courtroom-observation stint in New York’s court system. During a study abroad semester in Strasbourg, France, he also held a position inside the Council of Europe’s Directorate General of Social Rights, where he researched case law affecting more than 700 million people.

A Family Connection

All of Lener’s work around the power of language traces back to his home. Lener grew up in rural Homer, New York, 35 minutes from the Onondaga Nation, with a great-grandmother born to Mohawk Nation parents.

Hearing family stories about language repression left him, in his words, with “an acute understanding of the dangers of language loss,” an awareness that now animates his research on Jhar and Gwak, two severely understudied Jarawan languages spoken in Nigeria.

As the only syntactician on Green’s team, Lener has spent three years building an analysis of how these languages express negation, working from recordings gathered through WhatsApp calls with native speakers thousands of miles away.

It is at times frustrating work—Lener describes trying to parse grammatical structure over calls with motorcycles in the background—but it has already produced a first-author paper under review at Studies in African Linguistics and presentations at conferences from Cornell to the University of Notre Dame to the Annual Conference on African Linguistics in Buffalo.

Scholarship Based on Experience

Much of Lener’s distinctive scholarship draws on experience outside a linguistics department. His Russian minor, initially a personal interest, turned out to connect directly to his fieldwork.

Much of the foundational theory behind modern syntax emerged from the Russian Formalist movement. Lener has researched that history alongside his African-language work, a link made more urgent, he says, by Russia’s growing military presence in West African nations like Burkina Faso and Niger, not far from where his Jhar and Gwak language consultants live.

A summer with Education International in Brussels had him producing a policy toolkit on mother-tongue education for teachers’ federations across Africa. His work in Strasbourg, reviewing European Social Charter compliance and researching labor protections for platform workers, has little to do with Jarawan syntax on its surface. But Lener sees it as one more facet of the same conviction: that language, whether encoded in grammar or in law, is fundamentally about how people are seen and protected.

After noticing members of his own rural community were struggling to connect with the Spanish-speaking migrant workers who had recently moved there, Lener started a series of community Spanish classes in Homer. He later taught English to refugees from Ukraine, Sudan and Afghanistan through a Syracuse resettlement program. Showing people that unfamiliar languages and cultures “are not scary” is one of the most direct ways to combat the fear that comes from a lack of exposure.

Jolynn Parker, director of Syracuse’s , says Lener has “extraordinary energy, boundless curiosity and a keen analytical mind.”

“Aaron is poised to be a leader in the field of linguistics and to contribute meaningfully to the description and preservation of threatened languages,” she says.

As for the future, Lener is certain he will be using language to make a difference in the world.

“I want to look in the mirror and tell myself, with confidence, that I am doing something good for others,” he says.��

Angelie “Angie” Serrano Baéz ’27 has never been one to do things halfway.

The rising senior from Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, is pursuing not one, not two, but three majors—political science, international relations, and law, society and policy in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, along with a minor in Latin American studies. And, she just completed a semester abroad at Syracuse University’s center in Madrid, Spain.

That drive extends well beyond the classroom. Serrano Baéz participates in the Renée Crown University Honors Program and Kappa Alpha Pi pre-law/pre-government professional fraternity. She is active with La L.U.C.H.A., the Latinx student organization, and the Puerto Rican Student Association, where she will serve as president in her senior year. She has also volunteered as a tutor with the University’s Literacy Corps and served as a peer mentor through the Wellslink program, which pairs incoming students with returning students.

Her combination of academic achievement and commitment to others made her the selection committee’s choice for the 2026-27 Matthew Ross Wanetik Memorial Scholarship, which honors a Maxwell School student who passed away from an undetected heart ailment while studying abroad in 2008.

The parallels between Serrano Baéz and Wanetik are striking. Wanetik majored in political science and international relations and was deeply engaged in campus and community life, including service work through his fraternity. Serrano Baéz shares that spirit of involvement. She volunteers with the Make-a-Wish Foundation and We Rise Above the Streets Recovery and Outreach, a nonprofit that serves homeless and marginalized members of the community.

When asked who inspires her, she says, “My parents, because they have worked so hard to make getting an education possible for me and for my siblings.”

In her senior year, Serrano Baéz plans to complete her international relations capstone and honors thesis and begin preparing law school applications. She is considering her options. Corporate law is one possibility. She credits the scholarship with helping keep that path within reach.

“Scholarships like this are such a meaningful way to honor the legacy of Syracuse community members while also supporting current students like me who might need a little extra help to pursue higher education,” she says. “Receiving the Matthew Ross Wanetik Memorial Scholarship has truly been a blessing, and I hope it also encourages other students to take advantage of the resources available to them and apply for opportunities like this.”

The 2026-27 selection committee included two Maxwell alumni: Marshall Spevak, who received a �����������ǰ�’s degree in political science in 2010 and serves as CEO of the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial, and Erin T. Hamilton, who received a �����������ǰ�’s degree in international relations in 2019 and works in the U.S. State Department. Hamilton received the Wanetik scholarship in spring 2018.

Two recent graduates from the University’s have 2026 Laureates of the , one of the highest honors bestowed by the nation’s engineering honor society.

Tova Fink ’26 and Sadie Meyer ’26, both members of Syracuse University’s New York Beta chapter of Tau Beta Pi, join a select group of just 130 laureates chosen since the recognition program began in 1982.

Tau Beta Pi, founded in 1885, is the second-oldest honor society in the United States and the only engineering honor society representing the full range of engineering disciplines. The laureate designation recognizes graduating members who have distinguished themselves through academic achievement, leadership and service to their communities.

Both Fink and Meyer studied biomedical engineering and held leadership roles within the University’s Tau Beta Pi chapter. ��Meyer was chapter president, and Fink was chapter vice president while also being active in campus organizations, including the Biomedical Engineering Society.

“Tova and Sadie represent the very best of what our biomedical engineering program strives to produce: rigorous, curious engineers who also lead with integrity and give back to their communities,” says Julie Hasenwinkel, interim dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “This recognition from Tau Beta Pi is a tremendous honor, and one that Syracuse University is proud to celebrate.”

As part of the honor, Fink and Meyer have been invited to attend the Tau Beta Pi Association’s 2026 Convention, set for Oct. 8-10 in Tucson, Arizona. Each laureate and a guest will be recognized during the Laureate Banquet.

Tau Beta Pi has more than 600,000 initiated members and 255 collegiate chapters nationwide. The laureate program remains one of the association’s most exclusive honors, with fewer than three recipients selected on average each year since its inception.

Syracuse University’s Office of Alumni and Constituent Engagement (ACE) announces the newest members of the Syracuse University Alumni Association (SUAA) Board of Directors and the Generation Orange Leadership Council (GOLC).

These passionate alumni began their terms on July 1. Under the guidance of SUAA President Alonna Berry ’11 and VP/President-elect Katie Walpole ’12, they will work in partnership with the ACE to foster connections within the Orange community and advance the mission of Syracuse University.

New Members of the SUAA Board of Directors

James Balducci G’69

Generation Orange Leadership Council

The Generation Orange Leadership Council (GOLC) welcomes several enthusiastic new members, all of whom are graduates from the last 10 years. The council strives to nurture relationships and encourage lifelong engagement among the University’s young alumni through programming and communications that are uniquely tailored to their own needs and perspectives.

Dana Casullo ’20

Casullo earned a degree in broadcast and digital journalism from the Newhouse School. Based in Stoneham, Massachusetts, she is a communications and public relations professional with experience as a television news reporter and boutique agency marketer, including representing a New England Patriots player. She currently volunteers with the Audax Charitable Foundation and is passionate about mentoring young alumni.

Sam Cestari ’21, G’23

Cestari earned a master’s degree in public diplomacy from the Maxwell School after majoring in finance in the Whitman School with minors in economics, psychology and sport analytics as an undergraduate. Based in Washington, D.C., Cestari works in government affairs and brings professional experience in media relations and AmeriCorps service. He aims to grow the University’s D.C. presence and enhance young alumni career development resources.

Kelsey Davis ’19, G’20

Davis earned a master’s degree in entrepreneurship from the Whitman School after graduating with television, radio and film and innovation design degrees from the Newhouse School. Based in Bentonville, Arkansas, Davis is a product designer at Walmart, working on global associate communications. She is also an adjunct professor and a former LaunchPad entrepreneur who scaled a national creator-brand platform.

Megan Edenfeld ’25

Syracuse University today announced the launch of a sweeping for Fall 2026, giving students an unusually complete set of pathways into one of the most consequential fields of the century.

The portfolio includes standalone �����������ǰ�’s and �������ٱ��’s degree programs, cross-disciplinary minors, hands-on co-curricular opportunities and research that together make up a single, coherent ecosystem.

“While AI degree programs are proliferating nationally, few institutions are bringing the full picture to market at once,” says , vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer. “This is an entire environment for students who want to master AI and shape what it becomes. Whether they want to build the technology, govern it or apply it to a wide range of disciplines, there is now a clear path for these students at Syracuse.”

Academic Opportunities in AI

The Syracuse AI portfolio includes new and degrees in artificial intelligence science; a new �����������ǰ�’s degree in ; a �������ٱ��’s degree in ; seven AI minors; a broad research portfolio across multiple schools and colleges; and a peer-led bootcamp designed to provide students with hands-on AI experience as soon as they arrive on campus.

“Artificial intelligence isn’t confined to a single classroom or discipline at Syracuse University—it’s woven into how our students learn, how our faculty conduct research and how we prepare graduates for a workforce being reshaped by this technology,” says , senior vice president for digital transformation, chief digital officer and interim dean of the . “From new degree programs to cross-campus research initiatives, we’re building an AI portfolio that reflects both the urgency and the opportunity this moment demands.”

The breadth and depth of this portfolio are what distinguishes the Syracuse approach. The �����������ǰ�’s in integrative artificial intelligence is designed for students who want to combine AI with other interests, from public affairs to design to the life sciences. The seven new minors let students in any major add AI fluency in areas like policy, ethics and data. And the AI Bootcamp, a student-led program offering stackable microcredentials, provides students with AI immersion even before they declare a major.

Students are also driving the momentum through the student-led AI organization, United AI, which gives undergraduates hands-on research experience through its Foundry program, cross-campus education initiatives and direct partnerships with leading AI companies.

“Students don’t experience AI as a single subject, and we didn’t want to teach it that way,” says , interim dean of the and associate provost for academic programs. “We built this portfolio so that a future engineer, a future policymaker and a future artist can all find a serious path into AI here and can start the moment they arrive on campus.”

Robust Research

Syracuse University boasts a robust and growing portfolio of research and creative activity related to artificial intelligence. With work spanning engineering, computer science, law, public policy, communications and the humanities, faculty and students are applying AI to challenges ranging from cybersecurity and health care to media literacy and the arts. This interdisciplinary momentum reflects the University’s commitment to advancing AI research that is both technically rigorous and grounded in real-world impact.

“Our faculty are not studying artificial intelligence in the abstract,” says , vice president for research. “They are building systems that detect synthetic media, investigating how algorithmic decision-making affects communities, developing new approaches to cybersecurity and creating new AI capabilities beyond today’s large language models. Students who come to Syracuse will learn from researchers who are actively shaping how AI is built, governed and understood.”

Learn more about artificial intelligence at Syracuse University by visiting .

We asked faculty and staff to share photos of their favorite recent high school graduates. Congratulations to all, and good luck as you continue your journeys!

This May a group of Syracuse Florence students traded the familiar cobblestones of Tuscany for the sun-drenched markets and volcanic hillsides of Sicily.

From April 30 to May 9, they traveled the length of the island as part of Culinary Crossings, a Signature Seminar designed and led by food studies Professor Olivier De Maret that used cuisine as a window onto centuries of Mediterranean history, culture, and exchange.

The seminar was exclusively food-focused unlike a previous travel seminar led by De Maret in collaboration with retired photography professor Stefania Talini. “This time around we focused on getting to know the people that make up the island’s food system,” he says.

Markets, Farms and Family Tables

The ten-day itinerary moved students through some of Sicily’s most distinctive culinary landscapes. In Palermo, they dove headfirst into the city’s legendary street food culture with a guided tour of the Ballarò market—one of the oldest and most vibrant outdoor markets in southern Italy—complete with tastings.

On the contrast to Florence, De Maret says, “Especially the energy we witnessed in Palermo’s outdoor markets, as well as the kindness, openness and hospitality Sicilians showed us.”

From Palermo, the group traveled east to the island’s rolling interior, stopping at the Azienda Agricola Fiumefreddo near Troina before continuing to the Baroque city of Siracusa, where they were based for four nights.

Days out of Siracusa brought visits to the Bonajuto chocolate factory in Modica—Sicily’s legendary chocolate-making center, where the ancient Aztec-influenced method of cold-processing cacao has been practiced since the 1700s, as well as a cooking class in Noto and a visit to Il Biviere, an organic citrus farm in Lentini.

The seminar concluded near Etna, where students visited the Fattorie Romeo del Castello in Randazzo, a historic wine and farming estate on the volcano’s northern slopes, before a final dinner together in Taormina.

Transformed by These Experiences

The highlights of the trip were the two farm visits: Fiumefreddo and Romeo del Castello.

“In both places, we were warmly welcomed into family homes and involved in daily activities,” says De Maret. “Besides learning new skills such as gardening, we felt the care and joy put into the production, preparation and sharing of food in very intimate contexts. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that most of us were transformed by these experiences,�� including the families hosting us.”

Why Sicily?

The choice of Sicily as a destination was itself pedagogically significant. De Maret sees the island’s cuisine as a kind of living archive of the Mediterranean world—layered with the influences of Greek, Arab, Norman, Spanish and Italian cultures that have passed through over millennia.

“Sicily and its cuisine provide a fascinating lens through which to approach these exchanges,” he says, “and reflect on what makes Italian cuisine Italian, if anything.”

That question—deceptively simple, endlessly complex—was central to what he hoped students would take away.

“The multiplicity of meanings associated with Sicilian cuisine, and how the history of the island and contemporary interests shape it,” De Maret says of the seminar’s core lessons.

Beyond the specifics of Sicilian food, he hopes the experience planted a more lasting habit of mind: “I hope that students now see the value of thinking through food in order to understand the world and their place in it—and that they will keep thinking critically about broader social and cultural processes at play in kitchens and beyond.”

Culinary Crossings: Food Culture, Identity and the Mediterranean is offered as part of the University’s Signature Seminars initiative, which supports faculty-led travel courses that extend classroom learning into the field.

Students interested in studying abroad in Florence can apply for Fall 2027 programs beginning Nov. 15.

When the Orange women’s basketball team earned its spot in the NCAA Tournament this spring, head coach ’89 wasn’t expecting company from incoming Chancellor J. Michael Haynie on Selection Sunday.

“I’m not thinking anyone is going to come over to our party,” Legette-Jack says of the appearance by Haynie, who had just been named the University’s 13th president and chancellor a week and a half earlier. “And not only did he come, but he stayed almost to the very end. He celebrated with the team and the fans.”

For Legette-Jack, the moment said something about who Haynie is. “He’s a listener. He’s an enthusiast. He’s very intelligent,” she says. “I sense that he’s going to see all of us and our goodness, and if we have struggles, he’s going to be an ear to listen.”

That leadership instinct—to show up, pay attention and treat people like they matter—runs through the accounts of students, faculty, community leaders and national figures who have worked alongside Haynie during his nearly two decades at Syracuse University.

He Meets People Where They Are

When , professor and director of the in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) and a member of the chancellor search committee, invited Haynie to tour the Nancy Cantor Warehouse earlier this spring, she noticed something right away: he came alone.

“There was no driver, no ‘handlers,’ no entourage of any kind,” Stokes-Rees says. “It feels like he really prioritizes doing things himself and taking the time to make personal connections.”

As they walked through the fashion design studio on the seventh floor, Haynie recognized the first student they encountered, by name. He knew her sorority and that he was having dinner with them the following Tuesday.

“This little moment is a perfect example of who he is,” Stokes-Rees says. “Truly student-focused, super friendly and energetic with everyone he meets. He brings a genuine desire to be actively involved in all aspects of University life.”

Legette-Jack sees the same quality in how Haynie communicates. “He can come to your level of communication,” she says. “You don’t feel like you’re speaking to somebody way above you.”

He Listens First, Then Acts

Thomas O’Brien ’25, a VPA film program alumnus and project coordinator with the , traces his working relationship with Haynie to a single moment.

As a junior, O’Brien was invited to speak at New Student Convocation in the JMA Wireless Dome. Afterward, in the green room, Haynie handed him a neon sticky note with his email address and two words: “Let’s talk.”

“I still have the sticky note to this day,” O’Brien says.

Within two weeks, O’Brien was in Haynie’s office discussing his social media business. Over the following year, their conversations shifted. It was no longer about O’Brien’s venture, but explored a bigger question: How could Syracuse University meaningfully explore the creator economy?

That exchange helped lay the groundwork for the Center for the Creator Economy, a joint initiative between the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, where O’Brien develops programming for student creators as the center’s first full-time employee.

“He saw me, heard me and wanted me to succeed. He gave me a shot, and I took it,” O’Brien says. “That’s what university leaders should always aim to do.”

Leonel “Leo” Aviles ’26, a recent graduate of the , Marine Corps veteran and outgoing president of the , experienced a similar pattern of connection leading to opportunity.

After getting to know Aviles through veteran events and regular meetings with the organization’s executive board, Haynie introduced him to Erik Smith, president and CEO of Saab’s U.S. operations, during a Syracuse football game where Aviles was honored as a Hometown Hero. That introduction led to Aviles securing a position as a cyber analyst at Saab after graduation.

“He did this simply because he wanted to help,” Aviles says. “He saw potential in me and took the initiative to create an opportunity without expecting anything in return.”

He Has the Record to Match

Haynie’s reach extends well beyond campus. Bob McDonald, who served as U.S. secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) from 2014-17 and is the former chairman and CEO of Procter & Gamble, first sought out Haynie as a leader in the veterans space. McDonald asked him to serve as vice chair of the VA’s external advisory committee. When the chair stepped back for family obligations, Haynie became the de facto leader.

“He deserves credit for the transformation of the VA, raising trust among veterans from 47% to near 80%,” McDonald says. “He knows how to lead and is great at building strategic partnerships and robust systems that deliver results.”

That reach is visible in the work Haynie built at Syracuse and championed nationally. Megan Andros, director of workforce and veterans at The Heinz Endowments, has worked alongside Haynie for more than a decade through the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), which he founded.

What stays with her is his knack for seeing challenges before others do. Years ago, she was invited to a meeting Haynie convened with the U.S. Department of Defense, bringing higher education and the military together to collaborate—rather than compete—in the face of shared recruiting and enrollment pressures, long before those pressures became the crisis confronting universities today.

“He recognizes the most important issues early, and he gets the right people in the room to work on them before they become crises,” Andros says. “That combination of foresight, conviction, and the ability to move people toward a shared goal for the greater good is exactly what Syracuse needs as it steps into its next chapter.”

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon witnessed Haynie’s steady, guiding hand during the COVID-19 pandemic and the recruitment of Micron Technology to the Central New York region.

“I think certainly his military background played out during the pandemic as the JMA Wireless Dome turned into essentially one of the largest healthcare testing facilities,” McMahon says of Haynie’s track record of leading the University’s COVID response. “Being able to get the school open, and have it stay open, with the rigorous regulatory environment that we were in was a testament to his leadership.”

McMahon sees that same steady hand at work as the region positions itself around Micron’s planned semiconductor investment. “This next chapter is one where the University has real opportunities to grow in disciplines that maybe historically they weren’t competing in,” he says. “He understands the opportunity at hand.”

Back on campus, Stokes-Rees sees a university positioned to meet the moment.

“At a time when higher education faces real disruption, Syracuse needs a leader who leans into innovation rather than away from it, and that is exactly who Mike Haynie is,” she says.

Go back in time with this selection of historic images from the . The photos capture the evolution of the campus, student life and the community that has defined the University through the years.

To learn more about materials and photos in the University Archives, part of the in the , visit its .

Syracuse Stage has announced current artistic director Robert Hupp’s retirement after a decade of leading the region’s premier professional theatre. He will step down at the completion of the 2026-27 season and will remain in Central New York with his wife, Clea, after programming the 2027-28 season. Over the coming months, Syracuse Stage and Management Consultants for the Arts (MCA) will conduct a national search for the next artistic director.

“Bob is not only a remarkable theatremaker, but a tireless champion of the arts with the kind of leadership and wisdom that only comes from having worked with the best and the brightest in his field, and he leaves Syracuse Stage with a strong artistic foundation that will carry us into our next chapter,” says Syracuse Stage Board of Trustees Chair Dick Driscoll. “On behalf of the entire board, I extend eternal gratitude for everything Bob has helped us accomplish as we begin our search for a new artistic director.”

Appointed in 2016 after tenures at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre and the Jean Cocteau Repertory in New York City, Hupp directed many acclaimed productions at Syracuse Stage, including “The Three Musketeers,” “Next to Normal,” “Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express” and “Our Town.” He oversaw artistic programming leading to multiple years of operating surpluses, a financial foundation which helped the company maintain full employment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hupp’s production of “Amadeus” (March 2020) was an early streaming success that reached audiences in 49 states and was lauded by the late Wall Street Journal critic Terry Teachout as a standout virtual offering directed with “exhilarating clarity.”

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve this past decade as Syracuse Stage’s artistic director,” says Hupp. “I’m proud of the diverse theatrical stories our resident and guest artists have created, and of the new work, community engagement and educational programming that define Syracuse Stage for Central New York.�� I’m also grateful for the tremendous support the community and Syracuse University have afforded our theatre. I look forward in the coming season to supporting our fantastic staff as they work with our dedicated board of trustees to chart the exciting future of Syracuse Stage.”

Under Hupp’s leadership, and in collaboration with the theatre’s resident staff, Syracuse Stage increased its reputation as a leading regional theatre. The company produced two world premieres which later transferred to Broadway (“Thoughts of a Colored Man” and “How to Dance in Ohio”); strengthened its relationship with other regional theatres and producers through co- and enhanced-productions (“The Hello Girls,” “Relentless” and the upcoming world premiere of “Dust and Shadow: The Unraveling of Sherlock Holmes”); and developed commissioned work from nationally recognized artists and playwrights, all while expanding its community engagement and educational programming serving local patrons, students and families.

As part of the company’s 50th anniversary season, Hupp facilitated the largest single donation in Syracuse Stage history, establishing the Julie Lutz New Play Development Fund to be used for the creation of new work with a particular focus on sharing stories from underrepresented voices. The fund helped produce the world premiere production of Rogelio Martinez ‘s “The National Pastime” and will support the upcoming world premiere of Resident Playwright Kyle Bass’ “The Black Nationals” in 2027.

“Bob’s steadfast leadership, artistic vision and dedication to the transformative power of theatre have shaped Syracuse Stage and the cultural life of our region for the past decade,” says Carly DiFulvio Allen, managing director. “His impact extends far beyond the productions on our stage, leaving an enduring artistic legacy and building tremendous momentum for the future. I am profoundly grateful for his partnership and guidance during my first year on staff, and I am honored to work together as we gear up for another season of unparalleled storytelling for the Central New York community.”

Hupp was instrumental in fostering work like award-winning artist Ty Defoe’s “Our Words Are Seeds” which continued the company’s commitment to uplifting Native performers and Indigenous storytelling and led to the Dramatist Guild Foundation recognizing Syracuse Stage as the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Lucille Lortel Foundation Indigenous Theatermaker Award. The theatre is located on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Onondaga Nation, the “Keepers of the Fire” of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

“Being a decent artistic director means knowing when to step up and when to step back. It also means knowing when to step aside,” Hupp says. It’s been a remarkable 10 years, and I am confident Stage is well positioned for even better things to come in the next 10 years.”

For his final show as artistic director, Hupp will direct “Les Misérables,” a personal favorite, as the company’s annual co-production with the Syracuse University Department of Drama.

, the Jessie Page Heroy Professor and chair of the��, has been named associate dean for creativity, scholarship and research for the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S). The two-year term went into effect on Wednesday, July 1.

Hoke succeeds , who will become interim chair of the .

Hoke brings more than 15 years of experience at the University to this role, along with a research record that spans mountain-building processes on four continents. As a geomorphologist and geochemist, he has authored or co-authored more than 70 publications and led or co-led grants totaling more than $1.3 million over the course of his career. His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and Poland’s National Science Center, among others. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America.

“Greg brings an exceptional combination of research expertise, grant leadership and institutional knowledge to this role,” says A&S Dean Behzad Mortazavi. “His work understanding how landscapes, climate and tectonics interact over geologic time is critical in understanding forces affecting our planet today.”

Hoke joined the University as an assistant professor in 2009 and was promoted to associate professor in 2015 and professor in 2022. He has served as department chair of Earth and environmental sciences since 2021, overseeing the department’s academic and research programs. He earned a Ph.D. in geological sciences from Cornell University in 2006 and a bachelor’s degree in geology and geological oceanography from the University of Rhode Island.

In his new role, Hoke will work with faculty across A&S to increase grant funding, research expenditures and award nominations, and to support interdisciplinary collaboration across the College’s research enterprise.

“I’m excited to be in a position where I’ll be able to facilitate research and creative work across the College,” Hoke says. “It is my goal to learn every nook and cranny of research and scholarly work within the College such that every member of the faculty feels seen, heard and supported. I’m looking forward to helping implement the goals outlined in the academic strategic plan, especially the emphasis [on] collaboration across units within Arts and Sciences.”

“I thank Alan for his excellent service as ADR [associate dean of research] this year, and I look forward to working with Greg to advance our research mission,” Mortazavi says.