On Dec. 21, 1988, Gwen Baxter, a doctor, was in her Main Street home in Lockerbie, Scotland, when a roar shook the house. Through the kitchen window, she and her family witnessed a fireball.

A terrorist bomb had caused Pan Am Flight 103 to explode over the small Scottish town. Debris struck the house’s thick Victorian sandstone walls, and a boulder of earth landed in the back garden. Gwen went over the back fence to help, getting neighbors out of wrecked homes.

Her grandson, James Johnson, was not aware of the full extent of his grandmother’s involvement that night until a couple of weeks before he left for Syracuse University in October 2025 as part of its first cohort of Lockerbie Fellows.

A Trustee of Tundergarth Kirks Trust

A first-year student at the University of Strathclyde studying law, politics and international relations, Johnson is carrying that story forward. He has been named a trustee of the , which owns and preserves three Pan Am 103 memorial sites in Lockerbie.

The invitation arrived while he rode the London Underground to a meeting for his work with the mental health charity Anna Freud. TKT Trustee Dianne Thomson told him the board had agreed unanimously, then urged him to think it over. Hours later, after his mother called it a great idea, Johnson texted back: yes.

“I was quite surprised, actually,” he says. “I was not expecting it at all.”

Carrying the Legacy Forward

Johnson, who grew up in Lockerbie and now lives in nearby Lochmaben, knew some of the details from his family of what had taken place. But when he applied to be a Lockerbie Fellow, he only briefly mentioned his family connections to the bombing in his application, so that he could focus on his own qualities.

“I wanted to have the honor to help carry on the legacy of all those who were involved in that night,” he says, “and carry on the memory of everyone who was lost in 1988.”

In Syracuse, as one of 10 fellows in the inaugural cohort, he felt the weight of that memory. During the annual Rose-Laying Ceremony, as Lockerbie Fellow Grace Key read the names of the 11 Lockerbie residents killed on the ground, each fellow laid a rose in their memory. Roses were then laid for the Syracuse student victims, the Pan Am Flight 103 crew and the Pan Am Flight 103 passengers.

“It makes you realize how big of a gap these people have left physically and emotionally,” Johnson says. He kept thinking of how many of the 270 victims were younger than he is now, and that they never got to finish university, have careers or start families.

Waiting at the airport in Newark for the flight home, he proposed a “Sitting in Solidarity” event in Lockerbie, mirroring what is done on the Syracuse campus during Remembrance Week. Lockerbie Academy Deputy Head Teacher Kerry Currie loved the idea, and the fellows carried it out last year on Dec. 19. At the Dec. 21 anniversary service at Tundergarth, TKT trust chair Lori Carnochan said that Johnson “spoke so eloquently of his time in Syracuse.” Johnson, in his speech commemorating the 37^th anniversary of the tragedy, said that the renewal of the Lockerbie-Syracuse connection further illustrated the spirit of Lockerbie.

“As a town, and community, our motto is ‘Forward Lockerbie,’” he said. “The 10 of us participating in not just looking back but also acting forward has embodied our vision of Lockerbie as fellows.”

Closer to home, Johnson has helped teach. Invited into a history class of 13-year-olds at Lockerbie Academy, he shared his grandmother’s story and his time in Syracuse. Students who wouldn’t always engage in classes listened closely, and many shared their own family connections. “It was nice to see a different side of them and how respectful they were about it,” he says.

He has also been involved in visits to Lockerbie by Syracuse students studying at the University’s London abroad center. “James epitomizes the lasting legacy of the disaster on the young people of Lockerbie,” says Stewart Clegg, assistant director for student well-being at Syracuse University London. “He has spoken to our students about the responsibility to remember those that were lost and also to share stories about the incredible humanity shown by the community in the aftermath.”

His supporters see Johnson’s promise as a keeper of the Pan Am 103 legacy. Dumfriesshire Member of Parliament David Mundell calls his trustee role “another tangible example” of how the Lockerbie-Syracuse connection benefits the community. “The fellowship program not only gives Lockerbie students a greater insight into events of December 1988 and its impact on their community and Syracuse, but also broadens their horizons and builds their confidence allowing them to become more engaged citizens, as James has demonstrated so well,” Mundell says.

Currie says Johnson brings “a valuable young, community-focused perspective” to the trust’s plans for an educational space at the site.

Johnson intends to keep going. “It’ll always be a part of my life,” he says.

The second cohort of Lockerbie Fellows will arrive in Syracuse on Oct. 17 to participate in the University’s .

As he walked across the Shaw Quad during the Orange Blast Involvement Fair his freshman year, Jesús Tiburcio Zane ’27 was drawn to a particular table that felt like home and tradition and would connect him to others who would help him find his footing.

That table belonged to (La L.U.C.H.A.)—the University’s largest Latiné Recognized Student Organization (RSO) and one of its oldest, on campus since 1989.

Soon, executive board members, including Sidney Mejia ’25, G’26, then co-vice president of the RSO, began mentoring Tiburcio Zane, a first-generation college student, sharing their favorite study spots and dining hall recommendations.

“Those tips helped me thrive during my freshman year. With La L.U.C.H.A., I found a home for my Latiné culture and a place where I could share my Mexican traditions and customs,” says Tiburcio Zane, president of La L.U.C.H.A. and a dual major in accounting and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises in the . “The group helped me find my people, my voice and my community on campus.”

Before she arrived on campus, Diana Bonilla-Prado ’28 made a thorough list of RSOs she hoped to join, with La L.U.C.H.A. among the top.

For Bonilla-Prado, a first-generation college student with family roots from El Salvador, joining La L.U.C.H.A. was a chance to strengthen her connection to her heritage, increase Latiné cultural awareness and give back.

After an introductory meeting with then-president Jasmine Rodriguez ’25, Bonilla-Prado says she knew right away she was where she was meant to be. Today, she serves as La L.U.C.H.A. co-vice president.

“When I came to Syracuse, everything about the college experience was brand new to me. La L.U.C.H.A. welcomed me with open arms and pushed me to become the best version of myself,” says Bonilla-Prado, who is studying political science in the and information management and technology in the .

The organization is open to all students, regardless of their cultural background or heritage. During , La L.U.C.H.A. organized several events, including “Nuestra Identidad,”��an interactive cultural workshop designed to give students a space to explore, celebrate and share who they are; and Café con Leche, a conversation about the history of coffee in Latin America and the Caribbean.

To close out Latine Heritage Month, La L.U.C.H.A. and several other Latin student organizations will come together to enjoy food, music and fun games during , from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14, in the Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center.

Bonilla-Prado and Tiburcio Zane sat down with Syracuse University Today to discuss their heritage and why students should join La L.U.C.H.A.

Join La L.U.C.H.A.

Tiburcio Zane and Bonilla-Prado are always looking to recruit new members. Interested students can email laluchasu@gmail.com or follow La L.U.C.H.A. on , , and .

Three new residence halls being constructed on Ostrom, Waverly and Comstock avenues are set to reshape campus living, with nearly 1,900 new beds, a dining center, a convenience store and dozens of new lounges and study rooms between them.

The halls, which will starting in fall 2027, all feature four- and two-bedroom style suites with in-suite bathrooms. They’ll all have modern amenities, including air conditioning. Each residence hall will also have wellness rooms, a sound-insolated instrument practice room and a community kitchen on their main floors.

Current first-year students will have the opportunity to select the new residences during room selection in March 2027.

Here’s what students can expect from each building, one stat at a time.

544 University Place (Ostrom Avenue)

• 568 beds, 173 units. That includes one resident director apartment, so there’s always staff support close by.
• 183 student bathrooms and 172 showers. No sprinting down the hall in a towel.
• 25 lounges, plus 11 more shared with the lobbies—36 spots to study or hang out.
• 5 dedicated study rooms for when the lounge gets too loud.
• 654 windows and 1,298 doors, for a building that lets in plenty of natural light.
• About 250 tons of structural steel frame the building.
• Built with a road trip’s worth of materials. Crews trucked in 1,626 prefabricated stud panels from Los Angeles—about 1,250 miles—along with more than 170 precast pieces weighing nearly 2,000 tons.
• 35,000 cubic yards of earth were dug out to make room for it—enough to fill more than 2,500 dump trucks.
• Builders used over 1 million square feet of drywall to close it all in.

315 Waverly Ave.

• The biggest of the three, with 765 beds and 252 units, including two resident director and assistant resident director apartments.
• A dining center with 590 seats
• A convenience store (800 square feet) and 2,100 square feet of retail dining, so essentials and a quick bite are steps from your room. The convenience store will be the University’s first to feature frictionless technology, allowing shoppers to select their products and go without waiting in line.
• 406 student bathrooms and 251 showers, the most of any of the three halls.
• 24 study rooms and 29 lounges, giving students plenty of room to spread out during finals season.
• A tower crane that stood 202 feet tall with a 235-foot boom helped raise the building, which saw 77 concrete pours in its construction.
• About 1,003 tons of steel and cold-formed metal framing went into the structure.
• Crews expect to log about 500,000 labor hours and a peak crew of roughly 250 workers by the time the project wraps.

501 Comstock Ave.

• 539 beds and 166 units, including one resident director apartment.
• 285 student bathrooms and 165 showers—bathrooms here are counted along with shower rooms and water closets.
• 19 study rooms and 23 lounges, plus 1,900 square feet of third-party retail space.
• 610 windows and 1,114 doors across the building.
• 839 tons of structural steel went into the frame, along with cold-formed metal framing.
• Crews on site have logged 84,058 labor hours since breaking ground in December 2025, with a peak of 134 workers on site.
• A tower crane 173 feet tall with a 164-foot hook reach helped place 5,680 cubic yards of concrete across 32 pours.

Together, the three halls add up to 1,872 new beds, 4,053 total rooms, 48 study rooms and 77 lounges to Syracuse’s campus. And yes, Ostrom Avenue and 544 University Place are the same building, so don’t let the two names throw you when move-in day comes around.

The first known Chancellor Investiture Ceremony in higher education in medieval Europe occurred more than 800 years ago on the campus of the University of Oxford in England. The role of a university chancellor looked vastly different from what it does for , who will be sworn in as at 2 p.m. Friday in the JMA Wireless Dome.

Investiture comes from the Latin word “investire,” which means “to clothe,” according to , associate history professor in the .

During those early Investiture Ceremonies, which Kyle says were often held in unheated stone buildings, the church ran universities, and the professors were monks. Investiture Ceremonies carried with them a religious significance, with monks wearing modest robes with hoods to provide warmth as they presided over these ceremonies.

When the pilgrims came to America, Kyle says they brought with them the rites and rituals of those first Investiture Ceremonies, including wearing the “cappa clausa,” an oversized gown. Eventually, universities adopted mortarboards, scarves and stoles to their academic ceremonies.

When Chancellor Haynie is officially installed, he will also be wearing a medallion on a chain, containing the University’s motto in Latin, “suos cultores scientia coronat,” which translates to “knowledge crowns those who seek her.”

Investiture Ceremonies have evolved over the years, Kyle says, taking on objects that signify the authority of the office. Among them is the mace, carried at Syracuse University by macebearer Sam Clemence, the Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor Emeritus.

“While these ceremonies are clearly symbolic, some symbolism is really important because an Investiture Ceremony reflects on who we are as a University, what we value and what’s really important to Syracuse University,” adds , associate professor and faculty director of graduate studies in the .

Chancellor Haynie will become the first internally selected chancellor in more than 50 years. Ahead of his installation, Kyle and Engstrom sat down with Syracuse University Today to discuss the significance of Investiture Ceremonies.

For the fifth summer, Syracuse University put its physics labs and faculty mentors to work for 12 high school students from the (SCSD). Students were led through six weeks of college-level research that culminated in a poster session and celebration on Aug. 7 in the Physics Building.

The Syracuse University-Summer High School Internship Program (SU-SHIP) gives students hands-on laboratory experience alongside faculty, graduate and postdoctoral students in the (A&S) .

“This is a full-time job over the summer for these students, most of whom are really interested in physics and engineering,” says , professor of physics and the founding director of the program. “We offer these students a pre-college experience where they can study and learn from each other and from our faculty and students. It’s the perfect way to help them further their passion for science and engineering.”

This year, thanks to the efforts of , Ross says the program received “essential” funding from . Additional funding was provided by the , research funds contributed by faculty members across campus and an anonymous gift.

Removing Barriers, Building Community

The idea for SU-SHIP, which launched in the summer of 2022, stemmed from a conversation Ross had with Ruell Branch ’24, an SCSD graduate who was seeking out hands-on experiences in a physics lab over the summer after his freshman year.

Branch recognized that SU-SHIP would strengthen the University’s connection with the community and inspire students like himself to pursue STEM careers. As a Henninger High School student, Branch excelled in physics under the guidance of Melanie Pelcher G’11, who organized classroom visits where Ross and SU-SHIP faculty could meet with interested students.

“From the beginning, this was a great opportunity to partner with the Syracuse City School District and provide training and hands-on research experiences,” Ross says. “It’s really important that we tap into the technical science and engineering talent that we have here locally, and that we show them what’s possible.”

Ross says the program was designed to remove obstacles that often keep students from pursuing this path. SCSD students each receive a $6,000 stipend, breakfast and lunch, and free daily transportation courtesy of Jim Dispenza ’98, who owns and operates .

“Transportation is one of the biggest barriers for these students, who could spend upwards of two hours taking the bus to and from the program,” Ross says. “You don’t want to make it harder for someone to pursue this path.”

Making Physics a Full-Time Summer Job

Students log approximately 35-40 hours each week honing their research skills. Between testing out theories in the lab, students eat in the University’s dining halls, explore the campus maker spaces and learn why Syracuse University could be their college destination for studying physics.

The program accepts any interested student, regardless of funding availability. Volunteers from neighboring Jamesville-DeWitt and Fayetteville-Manlius high schools joined the recent cohort for the full experience.

Research That Sparks Curiosity

The list of SU-SHIP projects from this summer was diverse, with students working on the following projects:

• studying how cells organize themselves during division
• understanding bacteria biofilm mechanics
• observing how fruit fly maggots respond to vibration
• simulating what happens when black holes tear apart stars
• understanding mechanics of origami

Before diving into specialized lab work, all students complete a two-week boot camp covering experimental research skills, electronics, computational science, biotechnology and 3D printing, giving them a shared foundation across multiple scientific disciplines.

“You need to understand how physics research works, and we provide that background,” Ross says. “Our students learn the basic skills of biotechnology, microscopy, additive manufacturing and math, and they’re exposed to everything they will encounter in the lab.”

That research experience teaches students something their previous classroom experiences often can’t: that failure is part of discovery, not something to fear.

“Failing the right way means you’re learning something,” Ross says. “There’s a learning process that comes from watching and iterating on it. What happens with research is very different from the classroom.”

This year’s program welcomed 12 SCSD students who received a full stipend to attend, along with a record number of students from neighboring districts and nine returning students who served as near-peer mentors.

Seven faculty research groups hosted student researchers, including physics faculty members , , , , and Earth and environmental sciences faculty member .

The program’s first cohort graduated from college this year, with many students continuing to study STEM fields at the University.

On Friday, Sept. 11, 25 years after the terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001, Syracuse University gathered to share solemn moments of remembrance and hope.

A , 25 Years of Remembrance and Resilience, was held in . At the same time, members of the University and greater Syracuse communities were climbing stairs in the JMA Wireless Dome to honor the New York City first responders lost on that day.

Remembering Through Prayer and Reflection

The memorial service, a partnership between Hendricks Chapel and the , began with the ceremonial ringing of 25 chimes at 8:46 a.m., the time that the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

The attacks resulted in 2,977 lives lost that day: 2,753 in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 aboard United Flight 93—a litany the Rev. Corey MacPherson, dean of Hendricks Chapel, offered as both fact and prayer.

He recalled Father Mychal Judge, the New York City Fire Department chaplain and first officially recognized victim of the attacks, carried from the North Tower and laid before the altar of a nearby church.

“The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep,” MacPherson said of the moment, recalled by a colleague who witnessed it.

, interim chief human resources officer and a former Navy fighter pilot, shared a reflection on that day. She described standing before an aircraft on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, oblivious and self-absorbed on what was supposed to be her first flight of Navy Flight School—before everything changed.

Dietrich recounted, years later, being interviewed by a student for a class assignment and stumbling over dates and sequences she thought she knew by heart, realizing that “a feeling belongs to the person who felt it, but a fact can be handed to someone who wasn’t there.”

Her charge to the room was simple: “learn the names, carry the numbers accurately and then act forward—find something bigger than yourself and give yourself to it.”

Frank Caravita ’29, a medicinal chemistry major in the and Army ROTC cadet, performed the national anthem. The Syracuse University Brass Ensemble, led by James Spencer, professor emeritus in the A&S,��and Jose “Peppie” Calvar, professor in the in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, performed musical selections during the service.

Prayers and reflections throughout the service were spoken in Korean, English and Hebrew, as chaplains from different traditions spoke of peace, justice and the refusal to let grief harden into hatred.

Twenty-five candles were ceremonially lit by Imam Amir Durić, assistant dean for religious and spiritual life, to symbolize healing and hope, and to recognize a personal and public commitment to serve as instruments of peace.

The service closed with the Mourner’s Kaddish, performed by Jewish Chaplain Rabbi Natan Levy, and the long, mournful call of the shofar.

Climbing to Remember

At the same time, more than 100 members of the community climbed stairs in the JMA Wireless Dome to remember the New York City first responders who died on 9/11. The event was sponsored by in collaboration with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). The climb raised more than $5,100 for the NFFF.

SUA members handed out memorial cards bearing the photos of fallen 9/11 first responders. Participants were encouraged to take one, to wear it and to research the story of the person on the card.

SUA Vice President Christopher Henderson Jr. ’28, a public health major in the , organized the memorial climb. He is a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Conklin, New York, following in the footsteps of his dad.

Henderson was not born when 9/11 happened, and he says it is important for all, especially future generations, to honor and remember the sacrifice made by first responders on that day.

“They set a precedent for how you respond to emergencies, how you look at them and how you treat them afterwards,” he says. “A lot of responder safety issues have been improved since that time, and it is important we continue it. We owe the 9/11 first responders a debt of gratitude.”

As the reality and gravity of the terrorist attacks on the United States began to sink in on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Syracuse University community members rallied to act.

• Thousands flocked to a Maxwell-sponsored blood drive the next day, eager to donate, and a collection of supplies for rescue workers was quickly organized.
• Administrators gave daily updates from Hendricks Chapel, and faculty members shared their expertise with members of the media and in public forums.
• The Office of Student Affairs offered support to students, and a fund was established to help students directly affected by the attacks.

At gatherings, the University and larger community came together to express their grief and resolve.

Nearly 2,000 people gathered outside of Hendricks Chapel to attend a vigil sponsored by the Student Association (SA). In the first football game following the attacks, members of the cheerleading squad placed American flags on each of the then-Carrier Dome’s 50,000 seats. Spectators waved the flags during a special pre-game show performed by the Pride of the Orange Marching Band.

In Their Own Words

Perhaps one of the most poignant tributes to those lost in and affected by the tragedy were the Sheets of Expression, an initiative also sponsored by SA. For several days following Sept. 11, large white sheets were spread out on the grass on the Quad in front of Hendricks Chapel, offering members of the community a blank canvas to share their messages.

“We felt it was important to allow students a chance to grieve,” SA President Ben Riemer ’02 told Syracuse University Magazine in 2001. “It turned out to be a great-community building event.”

The messages reflected the mood of members of the community in the early days following the attacks.

Among the messages:

• “Forget Superman. My dad and all NYC firefighters are real superheroes. I love you, Dad. I love you Steve, Father Mike and everyone else who has passed away because of this. Never will our lives be the same. Please pray for all those missing.”
• “If everyone believed in ‘an eye for an eye’ the world would be blind (Ghandi).”
• “There is something wrong with this world.”
• “I can’t count how many times I have gone past the Pentagon. Someone has attacked my home (D.C.). Never did I think that would ever happen. If there is anything positive from this, it is my hope that Americans and the world will come closer because of this tragedy.”
• “8:45 a.m.”
• “Hug someone today because you can.”
• “Forgive us.”
• “I’ll never understand how this problem began but I’ll do anything I can to help fix it.”
• “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved through understanding (Albert Einstein).”
• “Terrorism is nothing new to our campus. In 1988 we dealt with the loss of 35 of our own students as well as many other innocent victims when Pan Am 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. Again, we relive the pain with the attack on America in the past few days. When is it ever going to stop? Why do innocent lives need to be lost to make a point? Those who were lost will never be forgotten. We will always remember you and work towards the promise of a better tomorrow.”

University community members were also given opportunities to share their thoughts on sheets on the first anniversary in 2002 and the 10th anniversary in 2011. All of the sheets are kept in the as part of the .

Riemer, now an attorney in Dallas, still remembers the deep impact on the SU community.

“We didn’t know if there were more attacks coming, most people assumed there were, and it was just a very scary and sad time,” he says. “We came up with the Sheets of Expression as a way for students to have an outlet to express themselves.”

He also remembers the vigil that SA held in Hendricks Chapel.

“The entire chapel was filled, shoulder to shoulder, and there was hardly a dry eye in sight. It was good to be together,” he says. “I remember walking out on the Quad and reading some of the things people had written and being overcome. I can’t believe it’s been 25 years.”

As ��turns��15 this year,��it��is marking its own coming of age by exploring one of the most cherished traditions across Latino cultures: the��,��the celebration of a girl’s 15^th���������ٳ�岹��.

La Casita was founded in 2011 by College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Professor and former faculty member , working with other University faculty, staff, and community leaders. Its development grew out of a two-year participatory process of community dialogues, workshops and focus groups where Syracuse residents helped shape what the center would become.

Over��15 years,��La Casita��has served thousands of��students and local residents��and has become “much more than a��cultural center,” says��, executive director of the University’s��. “It is simultaneously a community resource, a learning environment, a research site and an archive of Latino life in Central New York.”

Among��La Casita’s most significant achievements��are the��documentation and preservation of��its ���������ٳ����New York Heritage Digital Collections��and��a partnership with the����that explores ��migration, family, identity and cultural memory in Latino communities.

As an experiential learning and research environment, La Casita has��hosted more than 2,600 students from the University and��other regional institutions as interns, researchers and volunteers who often remain connected with the center long after graduation.

Last year,��34 students held internships or assistantships;��170 students logged 2,000+ hours of volunteer or service-learning activity;��11 University courses integrated��La Casita programming;��and��12 student researchers��used its materials and programs.

Eighty youths enjoy weekly after-school programs and 30 women are engaged in adult programming. A new collaboration with Buena Vida of Central New York extends programming to elders.

A Forefront Role

After 15 years of building trust and reciprocal relationships between the University and Syracuse’s Latino communities, Paniagua sees an opportunity to position the��University at the forefront of research on Latino communities, cultural memory and community-engaged learning.

“La Casita is at an important moment,” Paniagua says. “We want to continue strengthening the programs that have become central to our mission: youth arts and education, arts and cultural programming, community-engaged research and opportunities for students. We also want to think ambitiously about its role in the next 15 years. Our programs have generated thousands of photographs, oral histories, research projects, exhibitions, student experiences and community stories. Examining those materials for this anniversary has made us realize how important that institutional history has become.”

Anniversary Events��

Two events��mark��La Casita’s anniversary. An exhibition, “Sueños��de��Quinceañera/Quinceañera��Dreams,”�� opens��.

Argentine-American author����will��present a talk��about��her books,��“” and “,” on .

Both events are free and open to the public and are part of this year’s Syracuse Symposium, “.”

Students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to work with acclaimed researcher and storyteller and the award-winning by applying for the 2026-28 Lender Center for Social Justice Student Fellowship. Berry, an associate professor of writing, rhetoric and composition in the , ��is the 2026-28 Lender Faculty Fellow.

Berry’s work explores how publishing and collaborative media production can create new opportunities for civic participation, public dialogue and professional development for people impacted by the criminal legal system.

Project Mend is a multimodal, grassroots-level, open-access archive of creative works and narratives produced by incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals and their communities.

The of “,” a print and digital journal of published fiction, nonfiction, poetry and visual art, was released last spring.

For his work on Project Mend, Berry was awarded the $10,000 Syracuse Prize from . He was also recognized with the ‘s Outstanding College-Community Partnership Award.

Hands-On Experience

Lender Student Fellowships are open to graduate and undergraduate students from all schools and colleges. Five students will be selected to work with Berry as active co-creators alongside Project Mend’s interdisciplinary editorial and production teams.

Along with hands-on experience in collaborative scholarship, community partnership and public-facing media production, students will review and edit submissions, interview writers, develop podcasts, assist with film, multimedia and theater productions or conduct research on incarceration, reentry, community publishing and the public humanities.

Berry says he hopes student fellows “gain a richer understanding of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people beyond statistics or stereotypes… [and see] the humanities as having the potential to promote public dialogue and communication across difference.”

Stipends Provided

Undergraduate fellows receive a $2,000 stipend and graduate student fellows receive $5,000 across the two-year research term. They also have access to additional research funds and support. Fellows will present their work at a symposium in May 2028.

Application deadline is Friday, Oct. 2, at 5 p.m.

An information session will be held Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 2 p.m. in 207 Bowne Hall. ��For more information, visit the .

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When the , outfitted in new uniforms, climbed up the Hendricks Chapel steps to perform prior to the Sept. 5 Syracuse Orange football home opener, it carried with it the of making music and memories.

That legacy has been shaped by generations of students, performers and traditions, as the band has evolved from a small campus ensemble into the nationally recognized organization it is today.

For current members, that legacy is reflected not only in the band’s traditions but also in the relationships and experiences it fosters.

Emma Holman ’27, a percussionist and drum major, says the SUMB has�� given her best friends, her partner and the opportunity to be surrounded by her people.

“When you’re drum major, 200 people are waiting on your cue. That kind of pressure either breaks you or teaches you how to lead calmly, and I think I’ve become a steadier, more decisive person because of it,” Holman says.

The stories of students like Holman, alongside the milestones and traditions that have shaped the band for more than a century, are central to a new exhibition celebrating the SUMB’s 125th anniversary.

The exhibition, “The Pride of the Orange: 125 Years of the SU Marching Band,” will run throughNov. 7. There will be an open house Friday, Sept. 25, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the , located in the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., Syracuse.

The exhibition, curated by museum studies alumnus Daniel Griffaton G’26, explores the history and traditions of the band.

A Universitywide Community

Current band members come from all years and majors, as they are not required to be music majors or to audition for the band. The band is a one-credit course offered in the fall semester through the Setnor School of Music in the .“We have a great collection of students from across campus and from our partner colleges in the area. Many people think that college marching bands are made up entirely of music majors, but that is far from the case,” says Tim Diem, associate professor in the Setnor School and director of SU Bands. “Every year we have over 80 different majors represented, and when you include minors, there are over 110 areas of study, including every college on campus, that these students are pursuing.”

Longtime director of SU Bands Bradley Ethington retired this summer and Natalie Smith, visiting assistant professor in the Setnor School and assistant director of SU Bands, has joined the community.

Planting Orange Musical Roots

Now known as “The Pride of the Orange” and “New York’s College Band,” the band was brought together for the first time in 1901. Hamilton E. Cogswell, supervisor of music for the Syracuse Public School District, directed the first rehearsal of the band on Feb. 4.

The band performed its first concert, in uniform, on May 9 of that year in the Crouse College Auditorium. Its first football game appearance also took place that year, on Oct. 9, at a Syracuse vs. Lafayette College game, and its first men’s basketball appearance happened on Jan. 9, 1909, at a game against St. Lawrence.

The band’s fight song, “Down the Field,” was first played on Nov. 4, 1913, and continues to be played today.

The Evolution of the SUMB Through the Years

��The SUMB has a deep and storied history that has helped it evolve into the modern collegiate band it is today. Among the changes along the way:

• Women were welcomed as part of the band for the first time in 1941, as most of the male band members had shipped off to fight in World War II. Majorettes and the first baton twirler, Jessie Anne Harp, made their debuts in 1945.
• Second twirler Dottie Grover performed at the men’s basketball game in 1952 accompanied by the first-ever basketball pep band. That pep band continues on today as the .
• The band’s first postseason appearance was in the 1953 Orange Bowl. Numerous other bowl appearances, a Super Bowl appearance in 2014, a performance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and performances around the country and abroad have since taken place.
• Judy Delp, the twirler during the 1962 season, was the first referred to as “The Orange Girl.” By the fall of 1966, women were invited to march with the band as musicians; 22 joined the band that year.
• The band toured Europe in August 1970 and won three awards at the World Band Festival in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Upon returning to the field in Syracuse that fall, the public address announcer introduced the band as “The Pride of the Orange,” tagging the band with the moniker it is still known by today.

The uniforms were last updated in 2013, and this year’s refresh is a special nod to this historic anniversary.

The SUMB of Today

The Marching Band continues the traditions of the past, such as performing on the Kenneth A. Shaw Quad before each football game and celebrating home victories by “flipping the banner” at Varsity Pizza.

Holman, the drum major, says her favorite memory of the past three years in SUMB was her first show on the Quad. “Quad shows are different from anything else we do because for those few minutes all eyes are on the band. We’re not an extension of the football team’s halftime, and we’re not background noise for anyone else’s event. We are our own organization, performing as ourselves,” she says.

“We are thrilled to be celebrating the first 125 years of the SU Bands. The thousands of students that have taken part over the years have built a great tradition and added greatly to the atmosphere on the SU campus,” says Diem. “Here’s to the next 125!”

When Peg Austin agreed to take over a small American Red Cross blood drive in the in 1999, she had no idea how long it would last.

Or that it would eventually pass to her own daughter a quarter century later.

The drive began modestly, run by a student as a community service project. When that student prepared to move on, she needed someone to keep it going.

���ܲ��پ���—t��� associate director, who had been a blood donor since age 16—didn’t pause.

“No hesitancy,” her daughter, Cassandra Ashman ’08, says. “My mother is unstoppable.”

Working with fellow CPR staff members Ann Wicks and Karen Tavernese, Austin built the drive into a fixture of campus life, eventually growing it to six sessions a year—the maximum allowed under the American Red Cross’s 56-day donation cycle.

Outreach and Hard Work

In the early years, registration happened through their outreach and hard work: phone calls, handwritten signup sheets, personal reminder emails and pizza to draw a lunchtime crowd. Austin, who made those phone calls and built relationships with donors on campus, eventually moved it to online registration, which was easier to manage.

One of the most memorable moments during Austin’s 41-year tenure at the University and her work with the blood drive remains with her forever.

A drive had already been scheduled for the day after Sept. 11, 2001, held in what was then Maxwell’s atrium, now known as the Commons in Eggers Hall. People arrived that day in droves, desperate to help.

With only 50 slots available, Austin found herself turning grieving, frightened people away.

“This one woman was just crying, ‘I have to,’” she remembers. “I’m like, ‘All right, I’m just going to put you in.’”

In 2005, Austin received the American Red Cross Real Heroes Award for her work with the Maxwell drive.

Family Legacy

Ashman grew up alongside the blood drive. On days off from school, she would come to work with her mother, helping sign in donors and walk them back to where the blood was drawn.

When the staff member who had taken over the drive after Austin’s retirement in 2024 went on maternity leave, Ashman, now a budget analyst in Maxwell’s Department of Public Administration and International Affairs (PAIA) and a Maxwell alumna herself, was asked to step in. She didn’t hesitate.

“I really like doing it,” Ashman says. “It’s the knowledge that you’re helping someone … that’s empowering.”

Today, the American Red Cross faces the second national blood-supply shortage crisis in its history, with less than a day’s supply of type O blood, the type most commonly transfused and used for immune-compromised newborns.

Ashman says the need has never been more urgent. Donors can now track exactly where their blood goes: one of her recent donations stayed close to home at Crouse Hospital.

For Ashman, carrying the tradition forward wasn’t something she planned, but it felt inevitable.

“It’s amazing how things come around,” she says.

If you are interested in donating, there are .

Between a robotic arm, a robot dog and Otto, the New York State Fair had a high-tech energy last Saturday. The scene was the booth in the Science and Industry Building, where a group of Syracuse University students, faculty and staff spent the day getting fairgoers talking about something most people carry with them every day without giving it much thought: batteries.

The demonstrations leaned into the fun side of energy storage—robots, drones and other gadgets that make battery power visible and exciting. But the underlying message was more personal. Energy storage already shapes daily life in ways that are easily overlooked, powering phones, watches, cars and homes. The fair booth was an example of the ways the Energy Storage Engine serves to make that connection concrete for the public while also working to build the industry in the region.

Syracuse University has been part of that effort since the Engine’s launch in 2024 as an inaugural Regional Innovation Engine funded by the National Science Foundation. The program is designed to establish Upstate New York as a national leader in battery research, manufacturing and workforce development. Led by Binghamton University, the coalition also includes Cornell University, the Rochester Institute of Technology and other academic, industry and government partners working across the battery industry.

, chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS), leads the program at Syracuse. “Events like the New York State Fair let us meet people where they are and show them that battery science isn’t abstract—it’s already part of their daily lives, and it’s a field with real career opportunities right here in Central New York.”

Qiao says visitors to the booth were drawn to hands-on demonstrations and interactive activities. “The robot dogs were especially a big crowd-pleaser, giving visitors a fun, tangible look at our ECS innovations. Families with school-age kids lingered at the interactive stations, and visitors asked about ECS academic programs and the Engine batteries, and how to get involved and connected.”

The Energy Storage Engine booth will remain open through Monday, Sept. 7, which is the last day of the fair.