The Office has recognized two volunteers for outstanding service in helping to maintain academic integrity standards and policies across the University.

Recipients of the 2026 Academic Integrity Outstanding Service Award are , assistant teaching professor in the and , associate director of the Experiential Center in the .

Dunham and Henderson exemplify the ��identified by the as essential to academic integrity work, says Kate Marzen, director of the Academic Integrity Office. Their handling of academic integrity cases and their visible support of the process make them exemplary models as volunteers, she says.

Dunham was recognized for managing academic integrity cases with thoroughness and precision, engaging fully in the process and embodying fairness without letting the complexities of cases hamper his focus on required procedures.

“His approach illustrates that the strength of the academic integrity process depends on faculty who take it seriously and implement it ethically,” Marzen says. “He supports students involved in the process, using hearing time to express his care for them, explain his thought process and ensure students know they can and will be successful. This approach reflects the understanding that academic integrity is educational and not punitive in its purpose.”

Henderson was honored for conducting her work in a meaningful way that illustrates the reliability of the academic integrity process, and for being one of the office’s most genuine and effective ambassadors, Marzen says.

“She brings a clear understanding of why academic integrity matters beyond the immediate classroom, demonstrating both institutional trust and care for students. She approaches every training, faculty conversation and academic integrity-related connection with openness about the office and positivity about the work. She repeatedly helps us build relationships and creates opportunities to engage with the campus community,” Marzen says. “That kind of peer advocacy is so valuable because it is often small moments made meaningful by role models like her that help build confidence in the academic integrity process.”

Henderson served as the Whitman School’s academic integrity coordinator for several years before moving into her current role and has continued volunteering as a hearing chair.

The Academic Integrity Outstanding Service Awards were launched last year;�� inaugural recipients were , associate dean for academic affairs in the , and , assistant teaching professor of in the .

The Office of Academic Integrity promotes and facilitates campus policies and best practices for integrity through educational initiatives for students, staff and faculty. For more information visit the Academic Integrity Office .

The welcomed more than 100 researchers, practitioners, students and community partners for Voices of Service 2026, the second annual showcase of veteran-focused research, curricula and resources.

The event was co-organized by the , the (IVMF) and the , led by U.S. Navy veteran .

The event drew presenters and attendees from across campus and Central New York for an afternoon of conversation, connection and shared purpose.

Sixty-two poster and table presentations demonstrated the breadth of work underway at the University in support of veterans and the military-connected community. Topics covered behavioral health, legal services, community programs and more. The IVMF contributed 11 presentations across its research and evaluation, community insights and impact and digital library teams.

“I loved seeing students, faculty, staff and researchers from on and off campus taking time to connect, share and discuss the ways that we here in Syracuse are supporting—and can continue to support—work that improves the lives of service members, veterans and military-connected individuals,” says , managing director of research and evaluation at the IVMF.

The event reflected the depth of collaboration that has taken shape around veteran-focused work at the University. Representatives from the and other regional veteran service organizations were among those in attendance, underscoring the NVRC’s role as a regional hub where the veteran support ecosystem comes together across institutional lines.

IVMF scholars shared findings from several active projects examining how coordinated care networks serve the military-connected community. One study, led by a team including IVMF research associate Zachary Bridgewater, examined factors influencing whether service referrals made through the AmericaServes coordinated care model were successfully resolved.

The findings suggest that network-level factors, including the accuracy of referrals and the adequacy of available resources, play a more significant role in outcomes than client demographics alone. Researchers noted that this points to the equitable design of the AmericaServes model, while also identifying areas where investment in network capacity could improve access.

Additional research addressed the state of veteran services coordination in New York and New Mexico, the potential for deeper collaboration between AmericaServes networks and VA Medical Centers, and the development of a shared data standard aimed at improving interoperability across coordinated care platforms.

Rosalinda Vasquez Maury, the director of applied research and analytics, presented findings on military spouse employment that put a sharp point on one of the community’s most persistent economic challenges. Military spouses relocate 3.6 times more often than civilian families, and the earnings gap between those who moved in the past year and those who remained in place was 32 percent. The research demonstrates that the problem is not job access but career continuity.

Student researchers were also among the presenters. Paul Sagoe, a Ph.D. candidate in the and a two-time recipient of the , presented work on a nanoparticle-based therapeutic system designed to treat arthritis, a condition that affects veterans at a disproportionate rate.

“One in three veterans has arthritis, which is five times more compared to the civilian population,” says Sagoe, who was recently awarded the 2026 Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence in student research. “That calls for a clinical need to really look into how we can bring about a cure.”

Sagoe’s research focuses on using a nanoparticle-based delivery system to target macrophages, the key cells driving arthritis progression in the joint.

The event also highlighted work extending beyond the IVMF. Kenneth Marfilius ’07, a U.S. Air Force veteran and director of the (ORP), spoke to the value the showcase holds for veteran-serving organizations across the region.

“Events like the Voices of Service Symposium are critically important for the continued growth and visibility of the ORP,” Marfilius says. “This year, I was especially encouraged by the strong second-year response and the notable increase in posters, which truly reflected the breadth and depth of the work being done across campus in support of veterans and military-connected individuals. The symposium creates a space where research, practice and lived experience come together, reinforcing our commitment to innovation, collaboration and impact.”

Marfilius also highlighted the event’s value for external organizations looking to connect with the University’s veteran-focused ecosystem.

“For veteran-serving organizations and nonprofits, attending Voices of Service offers a meaningful opportunity to connect directly with students, faculty and interdisciplinary partners who are actively engaged in this work,” says Marfilius. “It allows organizations to identify emerging talent, build partnerships and gain insight into innovative programs and research that can inform and strengthen their own services.”

The ORP is currently advancing its partnership with the VA’s Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership program, a federal initiative designed to enhance student veterans’ access to healthcare, mental health services and academic support. Additional initiatives include work on veteran transition and reintegration, workforce development pathways into military and veteran-serving professions, and an interdisciplinary legal-social work partnership aimed at reducing barriers to care.

The IVMF Digital Library, now in its fourth year, also showcased its newly launched SU Research Collection, which aggregates the University’s research publications related to veterans and military-connected populations.

The posters from this year’s event can be seen in the .

From partnering with students in the classroom to building cross-campus collaboration that led to real-time improvements, the University’s commitment to meaningful assessment took center stage at the seventh annual One University Assessment Celebration on April 10. The event, hosted by Academic Affairs and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE), included awards and poster presentations.

In her opening remarks, Julie Hasenwinkel, associate provost for academic programs, highlighted the importance of celebrating the many ways faculty, staff and students engaged in assessment across the University over the past year.

Awards were given in five categories.

• Institutional Effectiveness Champions: This award honors campus community members who champion meaningful assessment and who have made outstanding contributions to the University’s culture of improvement. The recipients were:
  • Academic programs: Xiyuan Liu, associate teaching professor, Dean’s Faculty Fellow for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering and Computer Science
  • Co-curricular programs: Emily Dittman, director, Syracuse University Art Museum
  • Course feedback: Magdelín Montenegro, part-time instructor, Spanish, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Shared competencies: ‘Cuse Works
  • Shared competencies student champion: Fetch Collective magazine
• Outstanding Assessment: This award recognizes a distinguished academic, co-curricular and functional area for overall robust assessment. The recipients were:
  • Academic: Library and information science master’s degree program, School of Information Studies
  • Co-curricular: Disability Cultural Center
  • Functional: Office of Pre-College Programs
• Best Engagement Strategies: This award recognizes the engagement of faculty, staff and students in the assessment process. The recipients were:
  • Faculty engagement: Ash Heim and Vera McIlvain, the biology department, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Staff engagement: Arts at SU
  • Student engagement: Linguistic studies master’s degree program, College of Arts and Sciences
• Best Use of Results: This award recognizes an academic, co-curricular and functional area for how assessment results are used in making decisions. The recipients were:
  • Academic: Bachelor’s of biomedical engineering degree program, College of Engineering and Computer Science
  • Co-curricular: LGBTQ+ Resource Center
  • Functional: Syracuse University Libraries
• Collaborative Inquiry and Action: This award recognizes a partnership that extends beyond a single school, college, division or unit and uses strong assessment methods and data as a catalyst for improvement. The recipient was:
  • First Year Seminar

Following the awards, 2025 poster presenters were acknowledged for their efforts to collaborate, experiment, reflect and innovate in their areas over this academic year. Assessment Leadership Institute faculty participants included:

• Ben Akih Kumgeh, Xiyuan Liu, Karen Martinez Soto, Anupam Pandey and Mehmet Sarimurat, mechanical and aerospace engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Alex Méndez Giner, film and media arts, College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Ash Heim and Vera McIlvain, biology, College of Arts and Sciences
• Jane Read, geography and the environment, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Nancy Rindfuss, nutrition and food studies, Falk College of Sport

Recipients of the 2025-26 “Student Engagement in Assessment” grant included:

• Civil and environmental engineering: Yilei Shi
• Civil and environmental engineering: Svetoslava Todorova
• Communication sciences and disorders: Charles Nudelman
• Environment, sustainability and policy: Jane Read
• Nutrition science: Claire Cooney, Nikki Beckwith
• Setnor School of Music: Klark Johnson
• School of Social Work: Nadaya Brantley
• The Writing Center: Collie Fulford

Closing the event, Laura Harrington, director of institutional effectiveness, reflected on the deeper meaning of the work: “At its root, the word ‘assess’ comes from Latin, meaning ‘to sit beside.’ This is what it asks of us: to sit beside our work, take stock of what we see, and take action… Assessment isn’t a requirement. It’s a practice,” Harrington said.

Explore photos, award highlights and full poster presentations on the .

Story by A’yla James

Orange Success 2.0, an upgraded student success platform that will give Syracuse University faculty, staff and advisors a more powerful, intuitive set of tools to help students thrive, is set to launch Monday, May 18. The platform is powered by , a prominent higher education student success management system.

“Orange Success 2.0 is a key part of Syracuse University’s ongoing investment in the infrastructure, people and culture that make student success possible,” says Tommy Powell, assistant provost for academic programs in the Office of Academic Affairs.

What Is Orange Success 2.0?

The current has long served as a cornerstone of the University’s student support infrastructure. Building on that foundation, Orange Success 2.0 leverages the Navigate360 platform to offer stronger advising tools, improved early alert capabilities and clearer visibility into student engagement and progress. It integrates student data and advising workflows into a single, unified experience and allows faculty and advisors to coordinate support across academic and student service offices.

The rollout is coordinated through the (CSE), housed at 100 Sims Drive, which consolidates 14 student-facing departments under one unified structure serving more than 14,000 students.

Comprehensive, on-site training for Orange Success 2.0 was offered this semester, with more than 200 faculty and staff members participating. The sessions were tailored to meet the needs of different campus audiences, including academic advisors, faculty members and frontline student support staff, and covered platform features, advising best practices and strategies for using data to support students more effectively, among other topics.

“The breadth of participation across schools, colleges and departments reflects how seriously our community takes its responsibility to every student on campus,” ��Powell says. “We are set for a strong launch on May 18.”

Over the coming month, CSE will continue to onboard users, gather feedback from early participants and refine the configuration of Orange Success 2.0 to meet the evolving needs of the campus community.

Following the launch, users will continue to access the platform through MySlice. A knowledge base featuring step-by-step guides, instructional videos and FAQs will also be available to support users throughout the transition, and additional training sessions will be held in the fall.

For more information about Orange Success 2.0., call 315.443.2005 or email orangesuccess@syr.edu.

On Friday, April 17, Syracuse University paused to say thank you to students, faculty and staff at its annual One University Awards ceremony.

Two major awards—the Chancellor’s Medal and the Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence—were bestowed. The ceremony also included the presentation of the Student-Athlete Award, Seinfeld Scholarship, Meredith Professorship for Teaching Excellence, Teaching Recognition Award, Enduring Values Award, William Pearson Tolley Medal, Chancellor’s Award for Innovation and the Chancellor’s Forever Orange Award.

Emeriti faculty who retired in 2025 and employees who celebrated years of service milestones in 2025 were . This year’s University Scholars, Senior Class and School and College Marshals and Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars were also .

Award Recipients��

�ճ����Chancellor’s Medal��is the University’s highest honor and is awarded to individuals in honor of their trailblazing and extraordinary contributions to the University, to an academic body of knowledge or to society.

This year’s recipients are , senior vice president and chief student experience officer, and , senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

�ճ����Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence��recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions in four overarching categories:

• The award for��Excellence in Student Research��recognizes students who have engaged in collaborative research that has the potential to make a deep and lasting impact on greater society. This year’s recipients are Paul Sagoe, doctoral student in biomedical and chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (graduate), and Sadie Meyer ’26, a biomedical engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and mathematics major in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S).

• The award for��Outstanding Contributions to the Student Experience and University Initiatives��acknowledges faculty and staff who, through their work, enhance the undergraduate experience for students or make invaluable contributions to supporting and advancing the University’s mission and goals. The recipients are��, teaching professor, director of clinical education and director of the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic in the College of Law (faculty);��, data analyst for advising and career services, A&S (professional staff); and , office manager for the Intercultural Collective in the Student Experience division (support staff).
• �ճ����Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction��award is intended for faculty members who are collaborators in work of intellectual richness that has the potential for future impact. The work of these nominees offers possibilities for collaboration within the University and outside in partnership with others. This year’s honoree is , professor of psychology in A&S and director of the Center for Health Behavior Research and Innovation.
• Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence, Lifetime Achievement Award. This award honors those who have made extraordinary contributions toward advancing all four pillars of excellence over the arc of their careers while at Syracuse University and beyond. This year’s recipient is��, professor in the School of Art, College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Other Awards Presented

�ճ����Student-Athlete Award��recognizes the top male and female student athletes and presented to the senior student-athletes with the highest cumulative grade point average over the course of their academic and athletic careers. This year’s recipients are Ruben Rojas Betanzos ’26, a bioengineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, an MBA student in the Whitman School of Management and member of the men’s cross-country team; and Nora Radke ’26, a biology major and neuroscience major in A&S and member of the women’s rowing team.

Seinfeld Scholarship: Each year the University honors the talents of outstanding faculty or students through an award made possible by Judith Greenberg Seinfeld ’56, H’25, a distinguished alumna and member of the University Board of Trustees. Awards are made to those who have been determined by their peers to have made outstanding contributions to the beauty of the world, to have added to human values and to ending human abuse anywhere in the world, and to have demonstrated passion for excellence, creativity and originality in academic or artistic fields. This year, the designation is bestowed upon , associate professor and Dean’s Professor of Community Engagement in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Composition in A&S.

�ճ����Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professorships for Teaching Excellence��were created in 1995 to recognize and reward outstanding teaching among faculty. The 2026-29 Meredith Professors are , Milton and Ann Stevenson Endowed Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, and chair of biomedical and chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and , associate professor and chair of visual communications in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. The 2023-26 Meredith Professors, and , and a 2019-22 Meredith Professor, , were also recognized.

In 2001, the Meredith Professorship Program was expanded to recognize teaching excellence by non-tenured faculty and adjunct and part-time instructors. Awards are given in two categories:��Early Performance�����Ի���Continuing Excellence.

This year’s honorees in the Early Performance category are , assistant professor in the School of Architecture; , assistant professor of political science in the Maxwell School; , assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in ECS; , assistant professor of anthropology in the Maxwell School; , assistant teaching professor of electrical engineering and computer science in ECS; , assistant professor of visual communications in the Newhouse School; and , assistant professor of writing, rhetoric and composition in A&S.

The two honorees in the Continuing Excellence category are , Distinguished Professor of Photography in the Newhouse School, and , associate teaching professor and graduate director of public relations in the Newhouse School.

�ճ����Enduring Values Award recognizes an individual who is integral in helping students achieve academic excellence at a university that is welcoming to all. This year’s recipient is , associate dean of community and engagement and professor of public relations in the Newhouse School.

�ճ����William Pearson Tolley Medal for Distinguished Leadership in Lifelong Learning��is based in the School of Education and honors national or international leadership in support of lifelong learning. This year’s recipient is Alice Kendrick ’70, G’79, G’93, retired superintendent of the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District.

The Chancellor’s Award for Innovation is bestowed upon an individual who advances academic and technical excellence through the introduction and implementation of extraordinary new methods and ideas to benefit the Syracuse University community. This year’s recipient is , senior vice president for digital transformation and chief digital officer.

�ճ����Chancellor’s Forever Orange Award��recognizes individual students, faculty or staff who—by virtue of extraordinary hard work, good values and commitment to excellence—have come to embody the best of Syracuse University. This year’s recipient is�� ’80, director of athletics.

Seven faculty members will leverage Syracuse University’s for research and program development this summer, supported by funding from the .

The initiative, launched this year, provides full-time faculty members with $10,000 for high-impact summer projects based in Los Angeles, New York City or Washington, D.C.

“These faculty members will chart new territory, using study away sites to push disciplinary and interdisciplinary research forward, forge partnerships across sectors and reimagine how students learn,” says , associate provost for strategic initiatives. “We are excited to see the new initiatives that grow out of these summer projects.”

Los Angeles

, assistant professor of fashion design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ School of Design, will conduct a one-week research “sprint” investigating adaptive apparel needs for disabled performing artists, a population that is largely overlooked in existing research. Through interviews with disabled performers, Jiang will examine pain points around range of motion, quick changes, heat management, assistive device interfaces and aesthetic expression. The project will conclude with an Inclusive Performancewear Listening Session and the development of an Inclusive Adaptive Performancewear Design Requirements Toolkit.

Following the summer project, Jiang will bring VPA faculty and students into the research as stakeholders and collaborators and focus on developing prototype garment directions informed by the toolkit. She plans to return to LA next summer to engage in wear trials, follow-up interviews with original participants and the creation of a refined toolkit.

, associate professor of sport management, and , senior associate dean and professor of sport management in the David B. Falk College of Sport, plan to develop two new interdisciplinary courses and advance a growing research agenda. The first course, Sport Business, Hip Hop and Fashion, will examine the commercial and cultural intersections of sport, hip hop and the global fashion economy, using LA’s streetwear ecosystem and athlete-driven enterprises as living case studies. The second, Venue Hospitality: Sport Facilities as Engines of Experience, will use LA’s facility landscape—including the Intuit Dome, SoFi Stadium and Crypto.com Arena—to explore the idea of modern sport venues as hospitality enterprises. The pair will meet with venue directors and industry professionals to generate curriculum content, confirm guest lecturers and support Falk College’s newly funded research partnership with a leading stadium technology company.

The courses, which Pauline and Tainsky plan to launch next spring, will be designed for sustained industry engagement through recurring guest speaker infrastructure and applied student projects, while the relationships developed in LA will be expanded into internship and capstone opportunities for sport management undergraduates.

New York City

, assistant professor of sport analytics in Falk College, will begin building the groundwork for a repeatable women’s sports analytics study away program that will be centered on the city’s concentrated women’s professional sports ecosystem and emphasize city-specific partnerships, hands-on student experiences and exclusive data access. She will conduct exploratory meetings with leadership at organizations including WNBA headquarters, NWSL headquarters, Gotham FC, the New York Liberty and the New York Sirens, as well as with sports analytics firms and women’s sports media companies.

Rubenstein plans to establish relationships with multiple organizational partners, secure letters of intent or MOUs, complete a feasibility report and develop a draft curriculum and syllabus informed directly by industry input. She envisions the program generating a network of industry partners committed to ongoing data sharing for research, internships and classroom collaboration, with findings integrated into coursework. The program also has potential as a student recruitment tool, and as a pathway for faculty research through sustained engagement with the New York study away site.

, associate professor of public administration and international affairs in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, will build a sustained, credit-bearing study away program centered on peacekeeping and global governance. He will conduct archival research at the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library and think tank collections to support ongoing work on multilateral diplomacy and peace operations. He will also cultivate relationships with alumni, practitioners and New York-based NGOs working on human rights, peace building and sustainable development; these organizations will serve as sources of guest speakers, internship opportunities and potential research collaborators for Maxwell students.

The project is designed as a catalyst for a repeatable, on-site intensive course offered at the 400/600 level and open to undergraduate students in international relations, political science and policy studies as well as master’s candidates in international relations. That would bring Maxwell students into direct engagement with the UN, international NGOs, think tanks and global financial institutions, while partnerships with New York organizations would potentially generate collaborative projects that connect scholarly analysis to real-world advocacy and program design.

, assistant professor in the School of Education and VPA’s Setnor School of Music, will deepen partnerships with K-12 schools that are leading the way in modern band and popular music pedagogy. DeAngelis will meet with music educators and administrators at current and prospective partner schools, with a particular focus on programs that blend modern band and contemporary music approaches with traditional models. These efforts will broaden field placement opportunities for University music education students pursuing New York State K-12 certification.

Two high-visibility events will result from the project: a Fall 2026 professional development day at the Fisher Center featuring workshops and a panel discussion on contemporary music pedagogy with New York City-based educators and leaders in this field; and a Spring 2027 NYC music workshop that will bring partner school students to the Fisher Center for collaborative jam sessions, ensemble coaching and songwriting. These initiatives aim to create a sustained “feedback loop” between the University’s music education program and New York City schools and students, strengthening and expanding New York-based field placements, elevating Syracuse’s profile as a leader in contemporary music education, attracting prospective students and ultimately extending the School of Education’s����student teaching program to include music education.

Washington, D.C.

, teaching professor and executive director of the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic in the College of Law, will utilize the University’s Washington, D.C. site as a sustained hub for interdisciplinary collaboration, alumni engagement and experiential learning in military and veterans law, administrative practice and public policy. She plans to formalize relationships with federal agencies and adjudicative bodies central to military and veterans law and host a reception for stakeholders in these areas. The event will serve to convene agency leaders, alumni and faculty, and engage University government relations and alumni affairs colleagues to build a coordinated institutional strategy and durable programming infrastructure.

The project will include early-stage development of an interdisciplinary speaker series in collaboration with that explores issues at the intersection of military and veterans policy, federal administration and institutional reform. Looking ahead, Kubala aims to establish a three-credit intersession residency course in Washington, serving both residential J.D. and hybrid-online JDi students, with a companion speaker series and alumni event to deepen professional networks. This will position the D.C. campus as a recurring convening hub that integrates academic programming, alumni relations, collaborative research and sustained federal partnerships across the College of Law and the broader University.

In its inaugural year, the Study Away Summer Awards drew 20 applications from faculty across eight schools and colleges. A review committee evaluated proposals based on five key areas: site engagement, research and creative merit, sustained impact, strategic alignment with the priorities outlined in the University’s academic strategic plan, “,” and strength of partnerships.

Recipients will participate in a Universitywide showcase during the 2026-27 academic year, helping establish best practices and inspire broader faculty engagement with the University’s study away sites.

For more information about the awards, contact Dekaney at 315.443.0768��or��emdekane@syr.edu.

When almost 6,000 first-year and transfer students filled out their ��(FYS 101) course feedback over the previous two years—a response rate of nearly 72%—the University listened.

The result was a revamping of FYS 101 for fall 2025��that puts student voices at the center of one of the most important transitions in a young person’s life.

The 15-week, one-credit course brings together all first-year and transfer students for a weekly 55-minute seminar built around discussion, experiential activities and written reflection on what it means to become part of a new community. Each section of the course is co-taught by a (faculty/staff/graduate students) and a (undergraduate students).

The course, established in 2021, was meaningfully redesigned based on direct student feedback.��“The changes we made weren’t driven by assumption,” says��, who directs the program through the University’s��. “Students told us what was working and what wasn’t, and we built from there.”

The redesigned course follows a deliberate content arc—“Self, Campus, Community”—that guides students through an inward-to-outward journey over the semester. New case studies and structured group work have been woven into the curriculum, giving students framework to process their experiences together rather than in isolation.

Last fall’s cohort showed marked gains on most of the course outcomes, Schantz says. And last week, the curriculum revision received the Collaborative Inquiry and Action award at the . That event recognizes faculty and staff for examining and enhancing learning and operational success, highlighting exemplary assessment efforts and showcasing impactful initiatives that enhance teaching, learning, operations and the student experience.

Lead Instructors Sought

, assistant director of new student programs in , has served as a lead instructor. “My highest satisfaction in teaching FYS 101 is seeing students grow into themselves socially, academically and personally over such a short period of time,” he says. “I love watching students who walked in feeling unsure, quiet or overwhelmed begin to participate more, build confidence and recognize that they belong at Syracuse.”

That sense of belonging—sometimes elusive in a student’s first weeks on campus—is the driving purpose behind FYS 101, Schantz says. Now shaped by the students it serves, the course is stronger than ever.

Applications Due April 24

for Fall 2026 FYS 101 lead instructors. The role is open to faculty, staff and graduate students without assistantships. Curriculum, course guides, rubrics and Blackboard infrastructure are already in place, so instructors facilitate rather than build from scratch. Instructors receive a stipend of $2,500 per section.

The application deadline is Friday, April 24. For more information, email firstyear@syr.edu or call 315.443.9035.

More than 140 members of the campus community have spent this academic year engaged in the rigorous process of seeking reaccreditation by the  (MSCHE). Guided by a steering committee co-chaired by , associate provost for academic programs, and , associate vice president for research, the vital undertaking ensures Syracuse University meets and exceeds high standards of educational excellence.

Working Groups Produce Reports

The process began a year ago with the completion of a self-study design and a campus visit from an MSCHE representative. Starting last fall, members of seven working groups evaluated large amounts of evidence compiled by the  and other units. From that data, they developed reports that demonstrate the University’s adherence to MSCHE’s .

“The working group members have been the cornerstone of this process, spending an entire semester immersed in data, evidence and analysis,” Hasenwinkel says. “The draft reports they’ve produced reflect not just rigor, but also a genuine investment in understanding who we are as an institution and where we are headed. This self-study is only possible because of their dedication.”

The seven reports were completed in December and submitted to a writing team that includes Hasenwinkel and McDonald as well as Gabe Coleman, director of project management and operations in the Office of the Chancellor; Jerry Edmonds, chief of staff for academic affairs; Laura Harrington, director of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness; and Wendy Loughlin, executive director of academic communications in the Division of Communications. That team is now working to review and compile the reports into a single self-study document.

Input on Draft Self-Study

A draft self-study report will be made available to the University community for review beginning Monday, Aug. 3, with the public comment period running through Monday, Sept. 14. Feedback from faculty, staff and students is crucial, McDonald says. “A self-study is only as strong as the perspectives that shape it,” she says. “The insights that come from across our University will strengthen the work of our self-study and ensure it reflects the full breadth of the Syracuse experience and key opportunities to further deliver on our mission.”

Input gathered during the open comment period will be taken into consideration as the self-study is finalized. The report will be submitted to MSCHE in December. In March 2027, a group of peer evaluators from other MSCHE-accredited institutions will visit campus, review evidence and meet with key campus leaders and constituencies. A final determination will be made by MSCHE in June 2027.

For more information about MSCHE reaccreditation, visit .

Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer today announced the appointment of as the inaugural Provost’s Innovation Fellow at Syracuse University.

In this role, Horn will develop a Universitywide academic-industry strategy and support faculty in creating industry partnerships that provide experiential learning opportunities and professional connections for students. He will also work to develop new revenue streams through academic-industry initiatives and regularly assess their progress and success.

“I am excited to welcome Professor Horn into this role and know he is the perfect person to lead this important initiative,” Agnew says. “He has already demonstrated an exceptional ability to build meaningful bridges between academic and industry partners, creating opportunities that benefit our students and bolster experiential inquiry. I can think of no one better positioned to shape this strategy from the ground up and ensure that Syracuse remains at the forefront of academic-industry collaboration.”

The two-year appointment begins Aug.��15, 2026,��and runs through June 15, 2028. Horn will report to Agnew and work closely with the academic affairs leadership team, the Division of Communications, deans and associate deans and faculty and career advisors across campus.

Horn has served as associate dean of strategic initiatives for the since July 2022, and as a professor of practice in public relations since August 2018. Over the last four years, Horn has led the development of numerous academic-industry partnerships for the Newhouse School, ranging from executive education immersion programs for corporations—including Delta Air Lines and Lockheed Martin—to creating collaborative student-focused partnerships with Sony, Spectrum News, CBS News and Stations, Advance Local and American Airlines.

As a professor of practice, Horn has forged partnerships with several global sport organizations and communications firms, resulting in student-supported industry research and international projects. Each June, Horn leads a short-term study abroad course to Switzerland to foster hands-on, experiential learning for students with global organizations.

“Connecting students with innovative industry experiences has been the uniting passion of my work since joining the Newhouse faculty in 2018,” Horn says. “I’m thankful to Provost Agnew for this high honor of serving as the inaugural Provost’s Innovation Fellow, as I’m thrilled to expand on the work we’ve built at Newhouse, thanks to Dean Mark Lodato and his vision. I’m particularly looking forward to developing new relationships across the University to help unlock the potential for unique, meaningful and distinctive experiences for students across industries.”

Prior to joining the Newhouse faculty, Horn spent more than 20 years in communications leadership roles in Major League Baseball and Olympic sport, most notably serving as vice president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and as head of communications for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Horn earned a master’s degree in communications management from the Newhouse School.