, associate professor of writing and rhetoric in the (A&S), has been awarded the $10,000 Syracuse Prize from CNY Arts. Berry was recognized for his work withĚý, a community-engaged writing and multimodal publishing initiative that supports incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals and their families.

The inaugural Syracuse Prize honors community members who have made significant contributions to the cultural vitality and civic life of the City of Syracuse. Berry accepted the award at a ceremony on May 14, with the recognition receiving coverage from regional media outlets, includingĚýĚý˛š˛ÔťĺĚý.

Founded by Berry in 2022, Project Mend is an open-access national archive developed in partnership with theĚýĚýin Syracuse. The initiative centers the creative and scholarly work of people directly impacted by incarceration, offering paid editorial and design apprenticeships that provide participants with professional skills and pathways to future opportunity.

“I believe the arts should be accessible to everyone, including those rebuilding their lives after prison,” says Berry. “Initiatives like Project Mend remind us that creativity, storytelling and multimodal publishing are powerful forms of education, healing and community.”

A central component of the initiative isĚý“Mend,” a print and digital journal that publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry and visual art by incarcerated people, formerly incarcerated individuals and their families. This spring, Project Mend celebrated the release ofĚý“Mend’s”Ěý, marking a significant milestone in the project’s continued growth and national reach.

Project Mend also serves as a high-impact experiential learning site for students. Many students first encounter the project through Berry’s courses in A&S and continue through internships and apprenticeships, translating their work with “Mend” into career pathways in publishing, communications, social services, nonprofit leadership and graduate study.

The Syracuse Prize is the latest in a series of honors recognizing Berry’s leadership on Project Mend. In 2025, he received the Outstanding College–Community Partnership Award from the Coalition for Community Writing, which recognized Project Mend’s collaborative and reciprocal engagement with justice-impacted communities. Berry has also received support through the University’s Office of Research’s Good to Great Grant Program, which supports high-impact initiatives with strong potential for national reach.

Additional funding has come from a Humanities New York Post-Incarceration Humanities Partnership, supported by the Mellon Foundation and the CNY Humanities Corridor. On campus, the project is further supported by the Engaged Humanities Network, the Humanities Center, the SOURCE, Syracuse University Libraries and the Department of Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition.

As the initiative continues to expand, so do opportunities for innovative forms of engagement. In spring 2026, Berry launched “,” a podcast that offers members of the team a space to reflect on themes explored inĚý“Mend.” The first episode, released in March and titled “Mental Health and Solidarity in Prison,” was inspired by Rebekha Nilsen’s 2026Ěý“Mend”Ěýarticle “,” extending the essay’s exploration of loss, care and resistance through collective conversation.

Berry is also developing a book,Ěý“Literacy and the Humanities After Prison,” which examines how literacy and humanities-based practices shape the lives of people impacted by the criminal legal system.

James Tarby Jr. ’27 took notice in 2021 when Syracuse University began partnering with his unit, the 174th Attack Wing of the Air National Guard. The new program offered guard members tuition assistance that brought the University’s cost down to no more than the SUNY tuition rate. A year later, the University on his base.

Tarby watched as a few of his fellow airmen enrolled to pursue their degrees. By 2022, he decided it was his turn to finish a bachelor’s with the College of Professional Studies, which he had attempted to complete elsewhere previously.

This time, it stuck, and Tarby’s persistence has paid off as he has worked toward his bachelor of science in cybersecurity administration, with a minor in knowledge management. He is this year’s recipient of the Dr. Frank E. Funk Military Student Excellence Award from the .

The award honors Funk, who served as a navigator with the 463rd Bomb Group of the 15th Air Corps during World War II. He was shot down over Czechoslovakia and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war, later attending Syracuse on the G.I. Bill. The award recognizes Syracuse students who are current members of the military as they pursue their undergraduate degree with the College of Professional Studies, acknowledging those who exemplify the “highest standards of dedication, leadership and perseverance” as they balance the demands of their job and school.

Receiving the award is not something Tarby, who has served in the military for the last 26 years, takes lightly.

“That means a lot,” Tarby says. “My grandfathers were both military. One was World War II, one was in Korea, both in the Army. And for Dr. Frank Funk to have lived through what he lived through in World War II and persevering—it means a lot.”

Achieving What Felt Out of Reach

Tarby says it feels somewhat ironic to be recognized for his academic achievements now.

“I really was not a student who enjoyed school through high school,” he says. “I always was the kid that did the bare minimum, just to be able to play sports.”

After high school, he started out at SUNY Morrisville, but found it wasn’t right for him. He joined the Marines in 2000. He tried college again in the spring of 2005, after returning from a deployment to Africa, attending Columbia College of Missouri, which was on the base of the 174th Attack Wing.

In 2007, after his enlistment with the Marines ended, he joined the 174th Attack Wing, and attempted college again in 2017 through Southern New Hampshire University, but a deployment to Afghanistan interrupted his studies.

“To be here is just phenomenal,” Tarby says.

Tarby may not have considered himself a natural student, but Jonah Fugo, Tarby’s academic advisor, says his mentee “consistently stands out as a top student who approaches every class with dedication, balance and maturity.”

He always looked forward to meeting with Tarby, who he describes as “kind, flexible and responsive.”

“James is a model student in every sense,” Fugo says. “He embodies the qualities we hope to see in all of our learners, and it has been a privilege to support him in his academic journey.”

Tarby says settling on cybersecurity for a major was easy, given the work he does with the 174th Communication Squadron. He only recently learned he was just two classes short of having his minor in knowledge management, so he is pursuing those credits past this spring.

Tarby says he’s had an incredible experience with his advisors and instructors at Syracuse. Learning from teachers across the world with real-world knowledge who “genuinely care” has been a highlight, he says. One professor, he recalled, was in South Africa and was up at 3 a.m. to teach the class at 6 p.m. on the East Coast.

“It shows you how much they actually care to be doing it,” Tarby says. “There’s several other instructors that have provided information on getting certifications and pushing you into the real world, and they live the actual real world experience of the career field. So all around, it’s just been great.”

Setting An Example

Once he’s done with schoolwork, Tarby says he’s looking forward to being able to focus again on his family, bowling and coaching.Ěý Tarby is an amateur bowler, playing in a national tournament yearly, and he also is the head coach for the Chittenango High School trap team.

“It’ll be nice to just relax a little bit and not have to worry about the rush to make sure I’m getting stuff done on time,” he says.

Tarby says the best advice he has for those considering returning to school while working and balancing other life responsibilities is to be persistent.

“Don’t give up,” he says. “Look to the people around you. My wife has several degrees and she’s pushed me quite a bit, so look to the people around you for support. That’s the biggest thing you’ll find, that even if you have kids, the kids will push you hard, too.”

Showing his own kids that he could return and finish his degree was a significant motivator, he says.

“I wanted them to be able to see that it can be done, even as I consider myself the old guy, being able to have it done,” Tarby says. “My daughter graduates from high school in ’28 so for me, it was a push to be like, ‘Alright, gotta get it done before she graduates high school.’ It’s just that push, that’s what the drive has been.”

Three Newhouse School students set out to tell stories often overlooked: a business owner surviving a wildfire’s economic fallout, a traveling veterinarian’s life serving rural communities and a man lifting others out of homelessness. What they filmed earned top honors from the White House News Photographers Association—and lessons about the privilege of sharing someone’s story.

The annually recognizes the best in visual journalism with its “The Eyes of History” contest, and its calls out emerging journalists for their storytelling with video and photography.

The three honorees—Jess Van ’26, a photography major in the visual communications department; Kaitlin Campbell ’26, a broadcast and digital journalism major; and Alex Fairchild ’29, an active duty Marine Corps sergeant in the program—each approached their stories with the aim of looking past the obvious narrative and shared conviction that the people in front of their cameras deserved to have their stories told.

Jess Van: Ěý

Van was awarded first place in the category of in-depth features and documentary for her film “After the Ashes” on the economic impacts of the Los Angeles wildfires to small business owners in Pacific Palisades. The 13-minute documentary, which served as Van’s capstone project, follows Ruby, a nail salon owner whose building miraculously survived the flames but was still severely disrupted by the disaster.

Van, who is from Cambodia, has a personal connection to the Palisades. When she first came to the U.S. for school, she connected with two mentors who lived in the area.

She visited in March 2025 during spring break, months after the destructive fires swept through the community. Both mentors lost their homes in the fire.

“I always felt like it’s my second home,” Van says. “It was heartbreaking to see the town and the people that lost their homes. It’s not just property, it’s about memories and the connection that you have.”

Van, who minored in geography, decided to make a film focused on the impact to those who worked, but didn’t live, in the affluent neighborhood.

“The backbone of the place, like the gardener, the nail salon owner, the restaurant worker, who also were impacted by this fire,” Van says.

Through one of her mentors, she connected with Ruby, a nail salon owner, whose business survived the fires, even though everything around it burned to the ground. Still, the impact to Ruby’s livelihood was severe as the community’s local economy ground to a halt following the fires.

“It’s a privilege for me to be let in to someone else’s life,” Van says. “It’s their story, and the fact that they feel like comfortable enough to share their vulnerability with me is a privilege.”

In all, she spent 14 months working on the documentary, which she plans to continue submitting to film festivals.

“Hearing what people say after they watch the film, ‘I never thought about this’ and ‘This angle is very rewarding,’ we all know the disaster affects everyone, regardless of their economic background,” Van says. “But to have the opportunity to capture [it] in a way that people don’t really think about is the most important part. That’s the goal of the film, and to have that accomplished, and hearing that feedback, just feel really good.”

Kaitlin Campbell:

Campbell was awarded first place for her story “” in the category of broadcast news storytelling. Campbell wanted to do a feature story to push herself outside of the daily headlines she typically worked on. Driving around upstate New York, she was struck by the farms she passed and began brainstorming stories.

She began to notice, as she looked up farms in the area, that even separated by hundreds of miles, they listed the same veterinarian: Melanie Parker.

Campbell filmed Parker over the course of a few days and then put together the three-and-a-half minute feature. The story ultimately aired on , Newhouse’s broadcast and digital news outlet.

The best part of working on the story was getting to know Parker, Campbell says. Parker is someone, she says, who “hypes up other people, but doesn’t hype up herself.”

Having her story recognized by the White House News Photographers Association affirms for Campbell that she’s “doing the right thing” with her career.

“It just makes me feel like, ‘OK, I’m where I’m supposed to be,’” she says. “I’m supposed to be producing stories like these. I’m supposed to be getting out in the community and pushing myself.”

Alex Fairchild:

Fairchild was awarded second place in the category of broadcast news storytelling for his story “Hire Ground: A Hand Up, Not a Hand Out.”

Fairchild, an active duty sergeant in the Marine Corps, worked on the feature with classmates Dillon Buck and Devin Andrews as part of a broadcast journalism class with , associate professor and chair of broadcast and digital journalism at Newhouse. At the time, Fairchild was participating in the Advanced Military Visual Journalism program, but he is now pursuing an online .

The original goal, he says, was to do a story related to , a local nonprofit that hosts programs that help unhoused individuals in the Syracuse area.

“All of us had the mindset that the story is always more important than getting an assignment done,” he says.

The nonprofit connected Fairchild and his classmates to Kevin, a man who used to be unhoused but who now helps others through Hire Ground, a jobs program run by In My Father’s Kitchen. The story ended up airing on Spectrum News.

“The most rewarding part was actually being out there and participating in the work that In My Father’s Kitchen was doing,” Fairchild says. “Yes, we reached out to do a story on Kevin, but it ended up being an eye-opening experience for all of us and we met people that we’ll never forget.”

The University’s honored five of its alumni on April 30Ěý ,Ěý the school’s signature alumni recognition event. Held at the Syracuse University Washington, D.C., Center, the evening brought together members of the Maxwell community—alumni, faculty, advisory board members and friends of the school—for a lively, standing-room only celebration of careers that have spanned climate finance, diplomacy, food security, public administration and the law.

Dean David M. Van Slyke welcomed guests and set the tone for the evening with remarks that acknowledged both the weight of the current moment and the enduring relevance of Maxwell’s mission.

“We are gathering tonight at a moment when the ideals that animate this school—free inquiry, rigorous evidence, the willingness to engage across differences—remain under considerable pressure,” Van Slyke said. “Taken together, these five careers span climate, diplomacy, food security, equity and the law, but they share something more fundamental: a willingness to engage the hardest problems of our time with rigor, integrity and a genuine sense of public responsibility. That is what Maxwell prepares people to do, and these honorees have done it at the highest levels.”

Emily Fredenberg | Compass Award

The evening’s first honoree was Emily Fredenberg G’16, recipient of the Maxwell Compass Award, which recognizes an early-career alumna for professional accomplishments and impact. As senior officer of programs and advocacy at the Global Child Nutrition Foundation, Fredenberg has spent the decade since earning her M.P.A. degree and a master’s degree in international relations at Maxwell working to ensure that the world’s most vulnerable children have access to school meals—serving with the World Food Programme in Lebanon and Rwanda before moving to her current global role.

Reflecting on her time at Maxwell, Fredenberg credited not only her education but the community it gave her. She also offered a personal note: her husband, Sean Mills, a Syracuse University College of Law graduate, was at home in Alaska caring for their five-month-old son, Rhys.

“Becoming a new mom, this past year has made my work feel even more urgent,” Fredenberg said. “Holding my infant son, I feel the weight—and the hope—of the world he will grow up in which continues to motivate me. Maxwell helped shape my compass. It’s the place that taught me that service is not just a career path. It’s a lifelong journey.”

Susan T. Gooden | Charles V. Willie Advocate Award

Susan T. Gooden ĚýG’95, G’96, who received a master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science from the Maxwell School, was awarded the Charles V. Willie Advocate Award, named for the late Maxwell scholar and community activist. The award honors individuals whose contributions reflect Maxwell’s commitment to an environment that is welcoming to all and oriented toward engaged citizenship. Gooden is dean of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, a founding editor of the Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration, and a past president of the American Society for Public Administration.

Accepting the award, Gooden reflected on what the honor meant in the context of its namesake’s legacy—and of what citizenship demands.

“Maxwell instilled in me the belief that scholarship must engage the world it seeks to improve, and that it must inform policy, strengthen institutions and expand opportunity,” she said. “I accept this award with gratitude and with a continued commitment to advancing a public service that is thoughtful, engaged, grounded in equity and worthy of the communities it serves.”

Jeff Eckel | Bridge Award

Jeff Eckel G’82, founder and longtime CEO of HASI, received the Maxwell Bridge Award, which honors outstanding, transformative leadership in business with a commitment to advancing the public good. Eckel, who earned an M.P.A. from Maxwell, pioneered the use of finance as a tool for accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy, including overseeing HASI’s 2013 public offering as the first dedicated climate solutions investor and developing CarbonCount, a tool for measuring how efficiently capital investments reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In his remarks, Eckel drew a direct line from his Maxwell education to the investment philosophy that has guided his career.

“The Maxwell School instilled in me the idea that the public and private sectors do not have to be opposing forces,” he said. “Our investment thesis is that in a world increasingly defined by climate change, we will make superior returns investing in climate solutions—that you can do well by doing good, and that capital can be a powerful tool in the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

The public relations programs at the University’s have been recognized as the best in the country by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

The NewhouseĚýĚý˛š˛ÔťĺĚýĚýpublic relations programs each received prestigious Silver Anvil Awards during theĚýĚýon May 14 in New York City. The honor goes to the nation’s outstanding higher education programs in public relations.

, a professor of practice and chair of the PR department, andĚý, assistant teaching professor and director of the PR master’s program, accepted the awards for the Newhouse School.

PRSA is the leading professional organization serving the communications community through a network of more than 400 professional and student chapters in the United States and around the world. The Anvil Awards represent the highest standard of performance in the public relations profession.

The University’sĚýĚýannounced the winners of the 2026Ěý, which recognize excellence in media industry reporting.

The top prizes were announced Tuesday night at an event in New York City that also featured a conversation with NBC News journalist and “Dateline” anchor Lester Holt,Ěý.

Cheryl Wills ’89, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and anchor for Spectrum News NY1, served as master of ceremonies.

Finalists wereĚý. Chosen by a panel of journalists and journalism educators, the winners of the juried categories are:

Best Single Article/Story

Jesse Barron
The New York Times Magazine
“”

Best Profile

Antonia Hitchens
The New Yorker
“”

Best Commentary

Pamela Alma Weymouth
The Nation Magazine
“”

Best Media Newsletter

Oliver Darcy
Status

• “
• “
• “

Special Topic: Best Coverage of the Future of Late-Night Television

Kayla Cobb and Adam Chitwood
TheWrap
“”

John M. Higgins Award for Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting

Josh Dzieza
The Verge
““

Additionally, the followingĚý were formally presented:

Fred Dressler Leadership Award

NBC News award-winning journalist and “Dateline” anchor

Lorraine Branham Award

About the Mirror Awards

Established by the Newhouse School in 2006, theĚýĚýhonor the writers, reporters and editors who hold a mirror to their own industry for the public’s benefit. The competition is open to anyone who conducts reporting, commentary or criticism of the media industries in a format intended for a mass audience. Eligible work includes print, broadcast and online editorial content focusing on the development or distribution of news and entertainment. Winners are chosen by a group of journalists and journalism educators.

, director of research development for the arts and humanities in the and the (A&S), has been recognized with the 2026 Innovation Award from the (NORDP).

The award recognizes professionals who advance research development through partnerships, new tools and techniques or the creation and sharing of knowledge that produces demonstrable results. Workman and her NORDP colleague, Allison DeVries of Chapman University, received the award in recognition of the evolution of the (CASSH) affinity group, which they founded in 2022. The group, which has grown to more than 150 NORDP members across the country, helps them marshal and create collective resources and share best practices, case studies and challenges in support of faculty in the humanities, creative arts and social sciences areas.

“I’m honored to receive this award and proud to have had a part in bringing the CASSH group together four years ago when it seemed rare to have a designated arts and humanities research development staff member housed in an R1 institution,” Workman says. The group has gained momentum “because higher education recognizes the value of this support nationwide as integral to the national research landscape and vital to an individual institution’s research ecosystem,” she says.

Workman came to Syracuse in 2019 and built a dedicated arts and humanities research development infrastructure from scratch. She now connects with more than 200 faculty across eight schools and colleges and partners with and several University-affiliated arts organizations.

Beyond campus, she is part of the , an 11-university consortium for collaborative research, teaching and programming. She co-leads its HF4 Corridor Futures and Initiatives working group with program manager Aimee Germain to offer professional development opportunities for faculty.

Impact on Faculty and Funding

Prior to Workman’s arrival, scholars navigated grant funding alone or through informal networks, often missing critical opportunities, says , senior director of research development in the Office of Research, who co-nominated Workman for the award.

She says Workman has contributed to faculty winning prestigious awards, including summer stipends, a and a grant. Workman has also supported a fellowship, an digital justice grant and several successful applications.

In 2025, Workman supported 64 grant proposals seeking $44 million in funding. She recently helped nine arts faculty and five organizations secure awards, making Syracuse the only university in the state to receive multiple awards in that cycle, Chianese says.

, professor of women’s and gender studies and director of the Syracuse University Humanities Center and the Central New York Humanities Corridor, says Workman’s Corridor support has deepened scholarly community across the region and has had significant impact on Syracuse faculty success.

“Sarah has been instrumental in several prestigious Mellon awards, including our first and ensuing New Directions fellowships and many other highly competitive awards and grants,” says May, who co-nominated Workman for the award. “Many of these awards have been substantial enough to transform individual career trajectories and drive transformational work at the University and inĚý wider communities locally and nationally.” May says faculty frequently remark about how much they enjoy collaborating with Workman and appreciate her support.

, assistant professor of music history and cultures in A&S, credits Workman with helping her secure a , a first for Syracuse among 200 competing institutions. “I am deeply grateful for her thoughtful engagement with my research and for helping make its relevance accessible to a broader interdisciplinary readership,” PeĂąate says.

, associate professor in women’s and gender studies in A&S, says Workman’s guidance “proved instrumental in shaping two grant proposals into competitive, fundable projects. Her careful feedback led to key revisions that directly contributed to securing a major award from a private funder. In a context of shrinking funding, Sarah’s leadership has been indispensable for the success of humanities’ interdisciplinary, social justice-centered research.”

While Workman focuses on the arts and humanities, the Office of Research supports faculty across disciplines through a broader research development team. Researchers across campus partner with team members on proposal development, funding searches, cohort writing programs for competitive federal awards and strategic guidance on funding opportunities. Faculty interested in support for their projects can learn more about .

Katherine McDonald, professor of public health in the and associate vice president for research for Syracuse University, with a from the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)—recognition of nearly two decades of scholarship advocating for the inclusion of people with disabilities in research.

The AAIDD is the nation’s oldest and largest organization of professionals in the field and promotes evidence-based policies, research and universal human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Sesqui Award for Research recognizes members for outstanding contributions and will be presented at the organization’s 150th annual meeting in June in Chicago.

McDonald was nominated by peers and selected by the AAIDD board of directors for her work. Her professional journey is deeply personal: as a young person, she lived with people with intellectual disability in L’Arche communities in Syracuse, and outside of Geneva, Switzerland. She developed lifelong relationships and came to understand the pressing need to advance disability rights and belonging. Using socioecological theory and community-engaged research, her work focuses on the ethical, legal and social implications of research involving adults with developmental disabilities, as well as strategies to promote the responsible inclusion of people with disabilities in scientific study.

With collaborator Ariel Schwartz from the University of New Hampshire, McDonald created Research Ethics for All, an accessible research ethics education program designed specifically for community research partners with developmental disabilities. They also created the Equipped to Engage Toolkit which provides resources to support the engagement of people with intellectual disabilities as research partners.

McDonald’s research has been supported by grant funding from the National Institutes of Health; the U.S. Department of Education; the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research; and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, among others. She is published in leading journals including the Disability and Health Journal, American Journal of Bioethics and the American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

McDonald is a faculty affiliate at the Aging Studies Institute, the Burton Blatt Institute, the Consortium for Culture and Medicine and in the disability studies program, and is a research affiliate at the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health. As associate vice president for research, she supports faculty scholarship, strengthens mentoring and identifies strategic opportunities to advance the University’s research enterprise.

“Katie’s research sits at the intersection of science and social justice, and this recognition from AAIDD reflects the significance of the real public health impact she has had over nearly two decades,” says David Larsen, professor and chair of public health. “Her commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities are not just subjects of research but active participants has set a global standard.”

This marks McDonald’s third major honor from AAIDD; she received the Early Career Award in 2012 and the Research Award in 2023. She is also a fellow of the AAIDD and serves on the editorial board of Autism in Adulthood. Her work has also been recognized with a Chancellor’s Citation for Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction from Syracuse University in 2024.

—Story by Mikayla Melo

Before the incoming class of sport analytics students take their first class in theĚý, they receive a life lesson from , chair of the sport analytics department.

Paul, a sports economist, highlights how recent graduates are blazing a trail across the sports landscape. He then tells the newest sport analytics students that they, too, are destined to make a lasting impact as some of the best and brightest minds.

“It can be scary starting off at college, but when they think about all the wonderful things they are going to accomplish in their careers, it’s rewarding seeing how excited students get about their futures,” Paul says. “That’s what keeps me going.”

The message hit home for Gavin Stein ’26 and Jacob Kalamvokis ’26, who assembled the nomination that helped Paul receive the (SOURCE) Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring.

“He’s sharing how sport analytics graduates are taking over the world, and that you’re all going to continue that,” Stein says. “To an 18-year-old freshman who hadn’t even taken a class yet, Dr. Paul’s words left a lasting impression.”

“I was nervous after that speech, because I was just starting here, but I was ready to run through a brick wall. I knew I could do anything I wanted to,” Kalamvokis says.

An Investment in the Next Generation of Leaders

The annual SOURCE Award is based on student nominations, honoring faculty members who provide exceptional guidance to undergraduate researchers. During the ceremony, which was held on March 26, Kalamvokis and Stein presented the award to Paul, reading excerpts from their nominations to those in attendance.

Stein and Kalamvokis say Paul is passionate about supporting student-driven research, and that, through a willingness to lend a helping hand or offer constructive feedback, Paul exemplifies what it means to invest in the next generation of sport analytics leaders.

Paul views his role as part cheerleader, part coach: there to share his expertise and position the students in a place where they can succeed.

“As educators, our end goal is to help our students live out their dreams by working in this industry,” Paul says. “They put their faith in us to help them fulfill those dreams. We encourage them and set them up for success once they graduate.”

Wins on the National Stage

The confidence Paul instilled in them on day one has fueled their growth as researchers.

Competing head-to-head against teams of law school students from across the country, Stein and classmates Liam Roberts ’26 and Sam Otley ’26 became the first team of undergraduate researchers to Tulane Professional Basketball Negotiation Competition in February.

Stein and Kalamvokis have also presented their research at marquee events, including the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Analytics Conference, the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference and the Arizona State NBA Trade Deadline competition.

“From freshman year, I’ve known I want to work in the NBA, but I truly couldn’t have imagined back then being in the position I am in now,” Stein says. “The trust and support that Dr. Paul showed in all of us from literally the second we stepped on campus is what has driven all of us to accomplish what we have at Syracuse.”

Kalamvokis and sport analytics Associate Professor presented “Statistical Accuracy of Sports Betting Markets and Their Efficiency” at the 2025 International Association of Sports Economists Conference in Las Vegas.

“Dr. Paul is a huge driving force for what the student researchers can do here. He’s such a special, unique leader,” says Kalamvokis, named an inaugural Class of 2026 Falk College Scholar. “He’s the beating heart of this program, the father of sport analytics on campus, and knowing he’s in your corner gives you freedom and the confidence to go out and pursue your dreams.”

“It’s amazing to see what our students are capable of,” Paul says. “Getting to watch our students grow and evolve, I’m blessed and lucky to be a part of that.”

Congratulations, Class of 2026! Surrounded by family, friends, faculty and their fellow students, the University celebrated its newest graduates during the annual Commencement ceremony in the JMA Wireless Dome on Sunday, May 10.

NBC Sports broadcaster Mike Tirico ’88 returned to campus to deliver the keynote address. Acting Chancellor J. Michael Haynie conferred degrees on approximately 6,679 candidates.

These photos capture the energy, emotion and Orange pride of this milestone weekend. For more Commencement coverage, check out the keynote address by Tirico, Acting Chancellor Haynie’s remarks, a tribute to Chancellor Emeritus Kent Syverud’s leadership and student speaker and University Scholar Sadie Shaula Meyer ’26 addressing her fellow classmates.

(Photos by Amy Manley unless otherwise noted)

Susan Wright ’26 took her first class at Syracuse University in the fall of 1987, the same year she started working in the registrar’s office. Working full-time, she wasn’t able to take a class every semester, but credit by credit, balancing her job and personal life, she continued to forge ahead, earning an associate degree in 1998.

She immediately set her sights on her next degree—a bachelor’s. Through the decades, after her work was done in the registrar’s office, she’d turn her attention to the class she was taking.

At Sunday’s Commencement, 28 years after she started working toward the degree, WrightĚý graduated with magna cum laude honors, earning a bachelor’s in liberal studies and a minor in linguistics. She was also awarded the Nancy C. Gelling Award from the . The award is presented to the commuter, part-time graduate with the highest overall grade point average. It honors students who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement while balancing the challenges of being part-time, commuter students.

Wright, 72, says she’s still floored by receiving the award.

“I’m like me, really? I’ve just been plodding away,” she says.

Pursuing Her Interests, One Credit at a Time

Wright worked in the registrar’s office until her retirement in 2021. Once she wasn’t working full-time, she was able to take classes during the day, which she says “made a big difference.”

“A couple semesters, I took two because I could, because I couldn’t decide between which one I liked better,” she says. “So I did them both, and they just kind of snowballed, and here I am at the end.”

Working in the registrar’s office through the years was rewarding. She enjoyed helping people across the University.

“The nice thing about being a student, as well as being staff, is you get to see both sides of it,” Wright says. “You know how things are going in the classroom, as well as the things that need to be done in order to get that person to the classroom.”Her first job in the registrar’s office was working as a frontline staff member, fielding questions from students who came into the office. This was long before MySlice or Self-Service.

“You waited to talk to one of us, and we worked with you to try and figure out what the problem was and how to help and how to hopefully send someone away with a solution,” she says.

Being a part-time student throughout her time in the office, she says, added another helpful layer in assisting the students who came in. Later, as her roles changed and grew, she went on to do more managing and building processes behind the scenes and working with the curriculum committee in the University Senate.

Wright says there were many times over the years when she couldn’t pursue her own classes, when there was too much going on with work or her personal life.

“That’s why it’s taken so long,” she says.

She was drawn to liberal studies because she loved that she had access to a broad spectrum of disciplines.

It led her to taking a few classes in criminal justice and a few in geography, which she wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as she did. Over the years, the feeling was the same, that craving to learn more and more skills.

“I have very eclectic tastes, so I’m like, ‘Oh, a little of this, a little of that, how about some more of that? How about some more of that?’” Wright says. “And it was nice to be able to do that and have that be a degree program.”

Never Give Up

Wright says she hopes others considering pursuing a degree part-time take this lesson from her journey: don’t give up. Take it semester by semester, and if you need to take a break because of other things going on in your life, that’s OK.

She says not to let the fact that it might take time slow you down, just keep plugging away.

“Life will intervene, and you just kind of let life do its thing, and then you get back to it,” she says.

Wright also recommends taking a look at what’s going on in your life and asking if you can put in the work needed for a class. If the answer is yes, go for it. If not, wait until the next time the class is offered, or look for another the next semester. She says to make sure you know the requirements for the degree you’re interested in, look at the course catalogue and consider whether the classes meet at times you can attend.

“When I started, everything was on campus, in-person,” she says.

These days there are a lot more offerings for online classes and programs available to students who are working full-time and pursuing a degree part-time, she says.

“Really the thing is, don’t give up, keep going,” Wright says.

The University has been such a big part of her life as a staff member and student over the decades that Wright says she plans to keep supporting the campus as best she can. For now, she plans to embrace her free time in retirement as a graduate of the University.

“I’m just going to enjoy my retirement, and then figure out what else I can learn?” she says. “There’s learning opportunities out there and honing some skills that I already have.”

Ethan Coffel has built his research around one of the most consequential questions of our time: as the climate changes, what happens to the systems human society depends on?

For that work—and for the teaching and service that have made him one of the ’s most distinctive junior faculty members—Coffel has been named this year’s recipient of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Award for Teaching and Research, the school’s highest honor for untenured faculty.

Coffel accepted the award and spoke at the Maxwell School’s Graduate Convocation today in Hendricks Chapel.

The Moynihan Award has been presented annually since 1985, when it was established by then-U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, himself a former member of Maxwell’s junior faculty from 1959 to 1961.

Coffel, assistant professor of geography and the environment, joined Maxwell in fall 2020 following a Neukom Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship at Dartmouth College and holds a Ph.D. in earth and environmental sciences from Columbia University.

His research centers on a simple but urgent idea: human society depends on a stable climate, and as that stability erodes, the consequences reach into food systems, water supplies, energy grids and more. He uses global Earth system models alongside geospatial and socioeconomic data to understand how climate extremes will reshape the world, and what that means for the people living in it.

His current NSF-funded project, detailed in a recent ĚŇ×ÓĘÓĆľ feature, examines not just how climate affects crops, but how crops affect the climate around them. Corn and soybean fields across the Midwest may be moderating local temperatures, buffering the very heat waves that threaten them, and Coffel is working to quantify how much, and whether that effect will hold as the world warms.

Since joining Maxwell, Coffel has published 14 peer-reviewed journal articles, including five as lead author, in some of the field’s most prestigious outlets, including Nature Climate Change and Nature Food. His research has been covered by The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Guardian and the BBC. He has received two National Science Foundation grants, awarded in 2021 and 2023, totaling $942,713.

Peng Gao, professor and chair of the department, nominated Coffel for the award.

“In his five years at Syracuse University, Dr. Coffel has distinguished himself as an exceptional and reflective educator,” Gao wrote. “He approaches course design and instruction with careful deliberation, continuously refining his methods and introducing innovative approaches to enhance the curriculum and foster student engagement.”

That reputation carries into the classroom. Coffel teaches two large-enrollment core courses, GEO 155: The Natural Environment and GEO 215: Global Environmental Change, and has developed three new courses expanding the department’s physical geography curriculum, including GEO 371: Climate Extremes and GEO 700: Seminar in Climate Science, a graduate-level course that draws students from earth science, geography and environmental engineering backgrounds alike.

Dean David M. Van Slyke praised Coffel’s contributions across all three pillars the award recognizes.

“Ethan exemplifies what the Moynihan Award was created to honor—a scholar whose research pushes the field forward, whose students leave his classroom genuinely changed and whose commitment to this department goes well beyond what’s asked of someone at his stage,” Van Slyke said. “This is exactly the kind of recognition Ethan has earned, and we are proud to celebrate it with him.”

Story by Catherine Scott

Every year, the recognizes the people who make graduate education at Syracuse University what it is, honoring the faculty members who mentor and inspire and the teaching assistants who support students while pursuing degrees of their own.

Faculty Awards

At a campus ceremony April 27, Ěýfour faculty members received Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty ,Ěý honoring their impact on graduate education through teaching, research, creative activity and service. ĚýThe awardees were selected by an interdisciplinary group of graduate students.

This year’s faculty honorees are:

• , professor and graduate program director of the television, radio and film program in the
• , assistant professor of biomedical and chemical engineering in the (ECS)
• , assistant professor of biology in the (A&S)
• , professor of philosophy in A&S.

Teaching Assistant Awards

At the same ceremony, 36 teaching assistants were recognized with Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards for their contributions to the educational enterprise and for helping to create strong teaching and learning outcomes across the University. Awardees were nominated by their departments.

The honorees and their programs of study are:

• Rachel Ameen ’20, geography and the environment, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Sarah Appedu, information science and technology, School of Information Studies
• Zachery Robert Barrows Gonzalez, languages, literatures and linguistics, A&S
• Almila Basak G’23, political science, Maxwell School
• Julia Janina Viola Baumgarten, physics, A&S
• Caroline Anne Bowling, architecture, School of Architecture
• Shannon Burth G’23, mass communications, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
• Kirstin Len Clear, human development and family science, A&S
• Rein Desbiens ’23, chemistry, A&S
• Iwona Franczak G’23, sociology, Maxwell School
• Antonio Freiles G’25, philosophy, A&S
• Aliza Haskal, English, A&S

Also honored are:

• Jaihyun Jeon, business administration, Martin J. Whitman School of Management
• Kennedy Reed Jones, communication and rhetorical studies, College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Xiangjing Kong, psychology, A&S
• Shivam Kumar, electrical engineering and computer science, ECS
• Yifan Cheng Li, economics, Maxwell School
• Liam Victor Lieblein, philosophy, A&S
• Ash Lienemann, languages, literatures and linguistics, A&S
• Tyler Logie, earth and environmental sciences, A&S
• Desiree Laurel Martin, mathematics, A&S
• Kerry McNamara G’17, communication sciences and disorders, A&S
• Zaidao Mei G’20, electrical engineering and computer science, ECS
• Fasika Minda Melese G’19, instructional design, development and evaluation, School of Education

Additional recipients are:

• Chelsea Renea Morton, social science, Maxwell School
• Amanda Qi Ni G’21, women’s and gender studies, A&S
• David Aanuoluwa Okanlawon G’24, anthropology, Maxwell School
• Gizem Ozyazici, college science teaching, A&S
• Urmi Manoj Parekh, writing studies, rhetoric and composition, A&S
• John Sackey, biomedical and chemical engineering, ECS
• Sergio Saravia Lopez, sociology, Maxwell School
• Karie Nicole Schmitz G’22, mathematics, A&S
• Lauren Sdun, physics, A&S
• Soham Sinha, English, A&S
• Sabrina Marie Traver G’23, mathematics, A&S
• Jenna Marie Walmer, psychology, A&S

Ěý

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: MagdelĂ­n 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 MĂŠndez 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