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

The 2026 recipients are the following:

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

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

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

Maya Philipp: Tracking Whales in the Azores

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sarah Schreiber: Teaching English in Cambodia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Family Connection

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

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

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

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

Scholarship Based on Experience

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where you live affects how healthy you are. That idea sits at the center of Miriam Mutambudzi’s research—and behind the two-year project she led as the 2024–26 .

is an associate professor of public health in the . Her work explores how conditions like housing, employment and economic stability shape people’s health over their lifetimes.

For the Lender fellowship, she and a team of student fellows set out to examine housing as a structural determinant of health, reviewing the research evidence and engaging directly with community members to understand how this plays out in Syracuse.

Working in partnership with the University’s and the , the team reviewed research on housing and health, then engaged community members directly through the (TMR) series. The fellowship culminated when student fellows presented as panelists at a TMR session—offering their findings to the public as emerging experts in the field.

We spoke with Mutambudzi recently about the team’s work.

What did the community tell you that the data couldn’t?

Community voices from sessions like “The Conditions of Home: Health, Safety and Access” described how housing quality, environmental safety, neighborhood conditions and instability affect daily stress, food access and overall health and well-being in ways that do not show up in traditional datasets.

These conversations also revealed gaps in existing evidence, particularly around how local housing policies, service systems and lived experiences intersect in Syracuse—areas that would benefit from further research to better quantify these issues and understand their impact.

How did TMR become part of that work?

As the landscape for relevant research shifted in ways outside our control, it became clear that data analysis alone was insufficient to fully capture the lived realities of housing disparities in Syracuse. TMR was a natural fit, as the focus was on housing and provided an opportunity to incorporate community-engaged work in a meaningful way, one I don’t think we could have replicated any other way.

What role did the student fellows play?

They were genuine research partners, leading development of data briefings drawn from publicly available sources and peer-reviewed literature, then building presentations for the TMR sessions that framed topics for the roundtable’s participants.

Prior to each session, fellows met with panelists to learn about their lived experience in Syracuse and their work, using these conversations to develop informed moderator questions for the roundtable discussions. That process ensured that each session reflected both rigorous evidence and real community knowledge.

How has this project informed your ongoing research?

This work has helped me see how housing shapes health and everyday life beyond what quantitative data alone can fully capture. It has broadened my understanding of how housing, as a structural determinant, independently shapes health outcomes and survival. I look forward to bringing these community insights into that ongoing research.

What does this work mean for people living in Syracuse, and other areas like it?

The patterns we are seeing in Syracuse connect to broader research on how structural disparity in housing shape health and survival across communities. This work points to the need for both local action and research that can better quantify these impacts and inform policy and practice.

Student Fellows

The 2024–26 Lender student fellow team consists of:

• Tomiwa “Tommy” DaSilva ’26, a double major in public health and policy studies and citizenship and civic engagement in the Maxwell School
• Adara “Darla” Hobbs ’22, G’26, a graduate student in Pan-African studies in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and recipient of a certificate of advanced studies in public management and policy from the Maxwell School. She is an alumna of the communication and rhetorical studies program in the College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Jamea Candy Johnson ’25, G’26, a graduate student in public health in the Maxwell School and an alumna of the psychology program in A&S
• Sabrina Lussier ’26, a triple major in geography, citizenship and civic engagement, and environmental sustainability and policy in the Maxwell School
• Shreya Potluri ’27, an architecture major in the School of Architecture

Faculty in the (VPA) and the (A&S) have received (NEA) grants to support their community-engaged creative arts programs.

The awards—$20,000 for a collaborative filmmaking production program aimed at Syracuse City youth and $18,200 for two years of artist residencies at a campus-affiliated cultural center—reflect the University’s commitment to connecting academic and creative work with the Central New York community.

Teens With a Movie Camera

Now in its third year, “” brings about a dozen local high school students to campus each summer for a three-week media arts production collaboration. Working with film faculty and University students, teens ages 13 to 18 make original short films using smartphones and everyday objects and then present them publicly.

Their work has been shown at the and at . It has also been screened in national and international film festivals, including the Thomas Edison Film festival, where “” won an honorable mention; and in the New Year/New Work Film Festival at The Film-Makers’ Cooperative��in NYC.

The program is co-led by , associate professor in VPA’s Department of Film and Media Arts; VPA film program alumnus G’23 and , a Guggenheim fellow and adjunct professor of photography at Onondaga Community College.

The trio is assisted by undergraduate and graduate film and media arts students. The program aims to empower teens by voicing their ideas through images and public presentation, according to Mišo Suchý. He says production relies heavily on improvisation “because it is undertaken as a zero-budget creative production based on the ethos of the tradition of independent cinema and low-budget experimental filmmaking.”

This summer’s program will explore themes of “defying gravity” and “overcoming the impossible.” Interested teens can apply on the program’s .

Community Folk Art Center

A second NEA grant of $18,200 will support “Rooted & Rising,” an artist residency program at the (CFAC), a University-affiliated cultural hub dedicated to promoting artists of the African Diaspora.

The residency is directed by , executive director of CFAC and assistant professor of African American studies in A&S. The grant will allow a program beginning in summer 2026 continuing through the end of 2027 that will support four artists over the two-year period. In addition to interacting with students in A&S programs, the artists will develop workshops, exhibitions, talks and free public events.

Jackson says the residencies will create meaningful opportunities for Syracuse University students to engage directly with working artists while also expanding access to arts programming for the Central New York community. They also offer the artists “the time, space and institutional support to develop new work grounded in public engagement and cultural dialogue,” Jackson says.

The project reflects CFAC’s mission to bridge scholarship, creative expression and community wellness through support of multidisciplinary artists.

More information about NEA grants and their impact on communities is available on the .

From insightful conversations to shared reflections on meaningful work, the����(EHN) Community Showcase offered a powerful reminder of what’s possible when people come together in collaboration.

The event brought together faculty, students and staff from the University with community partners to celebrate projects that address local and regional needs and opportunities through research, teaching and creative work.

The third annual showcase featured panel discussions and table presentations highlighting dozens of initiatives connected to EHN, housed in the (A&S). Collectively, the showcased work represented collaborations across more than 50 departments from nine schools and colleges at Syracuse University, and partnerships with more than 75 community-based organizations.

Projects ranged from arts- and storytelling-based initiatives to STEM research and educational programs focused on community empowerment, environmental sustainability and cultural preservation.

“This is an annual event where we showcase all of the projects, courses and community engagement happening all across the city and region,” says Mary-Jo Robinson, program manager for the EHN. “The hope is to demonstrate the incredible work that’s being done, broaden exposure to these projects and help strengthen connections between partners.”

The event featured panel discussions, allowing speakers to share lessons learned, reflect on challenges and discuss opportunities to sustain and grow their work. Panels focused on EHN’s����and�� initiatives, the new��, sustained long-term partnerships and��.

The showcase underscored the continued growth of EHN since its founding in 2020 by��, Dean’s Professor of Community Engagement and associate professor of writing and rhetoric in A&S. Today, EHN supports more than 350 collaborators from across the University and works with dozens of community partners locally and nationally, from neighborhood-based organizations in Syracuse like the Northside Learning Center to the nation’s preeminent cultural institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“The EHN approaches the humanities not as a bounded academic domain, but as a set of practices that span disciplines and permeate everyday life—across ages, institutions, cultures and communities,” says Nordquist. “The work of the EHN is to recognize, support and connect these practices so that we can collectively respond to the demands of the present while sustaining long traditions of reflection, inquiry, creativity and learning.”

Robinson emphasized that the event is as much about relationship-building as it is about visibility. “EHN exists to support this work and to help make connections,” she says. “When people come together in a space like this, it creates new possibilities for collaboration and helps ensure that community-engaged work remains central to the University’s mission.”

Free and open to the public, the Community Showcase welcomed attendees of all ages and backgrounds, reinforcing EHN’s commitment to accessibility and mutual exchange. As the network continues to grow, the annual showcase remains a key moment to reflect on the impact of community-engaged scholarship in Central New York.

Projects and courses represented at the event included: The Refugee Assistants Program’s Artisan Pathways, Black Women’s Art Ecosystems, Black/Arab Relationalities Initiative (BARI), CODE∧SHIFT, Deaf New Americans CODA Tutoring Program, Documenting the Haudenosaunee Influence on American Democracy (EHN Engaged Course), Environmental Storytelling Series CNY, Geography of Memory: Unsettling Stories (EHN Engaged Course), Hear Together, La Casita, Advanced Methods for Language Teaching (EHN Engaged Course), ME/WE Art Therapy Lab and Studio, Mindfully Growing, Narratio, Native America and the World: The Haudenosaunee (EHN Engaged Course), Natural Science Explorers Program, NOON, Not in the Books, Indigenous Values Initiative, Poetry and Environmental Justice (EHN Engaged Course), Project Mend, Public Scholarship Certificate Program, Safeguarding Syracuse Communities, Southside Connections/Southside Stories, Stories of Indigenous Dispossession Across the Americas (EHN Engaged Course), Teens with a Movie Camera, Traveling Teaching (EHN Engaged Course), Visualizing Care and Resisting Gentrification, We/Re-do Shakespeare (EHN Engaged Course) and Write Out.

Together, they took a corner bakery-grocery and turned it into a new cornerstone of a Syracuse Northside neighborhood.

The project for design students from Syracuse University’s (VPA) and construction management students from (SUNY ESF) was both an experiential learning opportunity and a chance for them to undertake engaged citizenship in the year they worked with community residents and organizers of , a community nonprofit.

Students redesigned an aging, two-story bakery and apartment structure at 601 Park Street owned by Northside Futures into a modern building serving expanded residential and commercial needs. Northside Futures is a collaborative project of the Northside Learning Center and Justice Capital that focuses on workforce training and small business development, housing, remediation and property management, and community wellness and safety for residents of Syracuse’s Northside neighborhood.

The project provided real-world professional experience through the VPA course DES 451 (also known as “Meaningful Partnership”).

The cross-institutional collaboration also involves SUNY ESF course CME 454, , along with Northside Futures and the University’s .

The Real Thing

“This is not a hypothetical,” says , assistant teaching professor in the School of Design and program coordinator. “It has real users, real challenges and real goals. Students engaged deeply with the community, developed real solutions for real stakeholders and came away with a genuine understanding of what it takes to bring a project to life.”

Founded in 2017 by , professor in ��VPA’s , the program became a formal service-learning initiative in 2022 through the Shaw Center. In addition to Dunham, , SUNY ESF associate professor in the Department of Sustainable Resources Management, is a co-teacher. ’84, transportation coordinator at the Shaw Center, ��handles logistics.

During its first six years, Meaningful Partnership operated as a three-way collaboration among designers, construction managers and community stakeholders. This year it expanded to four components—with members of the Northside Futures cohort joining as active participants. They learned hands-on construction and trade skills alongside the students while accumulating design literacy for future independent community development. That model is an authentic co-design process where residents are positioned as empowered decision-makers shaping the future of their neighborhood, Lee says.

Two-Semester Overview

In the project, students from both institutions work together for a full year. Last fall, 19 environmental and interior design (EDI) students examined the facility, conducted site visits and client meetings, developed construction blueprints and presented final designs.

In the spring, 17 construction management engineering (CME) students joined them. They used the construction documents to prepare estimates, construction schedules, decide phasing and logistics, suggest value engineering strategies and explore sustainable grants and programs for the project.

Community-Centered Project

Dunham says direct communication with clients is essential to the project’s success.

“During our site visit students were able to speak directly with building owner Northside Futures and the building’s occupants (a residential tenant, the bakery owner and neighbors) and continued to obtain feedback throughout the process,” she says. “That kind of direct engagement with the people who live and work in these spaces is invaluable and it is very much part of what makes this process real.”

In addition to the bakery redesign, students developed alternatives for using an adjacent lot where a dilapidated garage was due for demolition.

Community members suggested building a library, day care center and a community/gym workout space for that structure.��The client ultimately chose the idea of a laundromat, Dunham says, since it filled a real need, made sense financially as a revenue stream and was the right fit for the neighborhood.

Human Context

EDI student Ella Mchale says residents’ involvement expanded her understanding of the city and provided a true client experience.

“What we achieved goes so much deeper than just a design project,” she says. “Our community member Fatima helped ground us and gave us the real human context we needed to design with purpose. We took that seriously and created something accessible and meaningful while still bringing our own design concept to the table.”

EDI student and project manager Jolie Ramos says that despite language and cultural differences, “a bond was built based on the betterment of our shared community.”

“That exposure beyond our University bubble gave us the opportunity to not only engage with our community but to form intimate personal connections,” she says. “It was really beautiful to watch the relationships unfold and grow.”

Cultivating Community

“At its core, this project is about community, understanding and creating meaningful impact,” Dunham says. “The community representatives who came into our class shared their culture, needs and challenges and were a true voice for their neighborhood. The connections they formed with our students were genuine and those voices shaped everything. That deeply resonated with our students and it showed in everything they produced.”

Meaningful Partnership’s staying power results from an intentional and ongoing investment of time, interest and shared resources, says Lee.

“Community partnership is something that must be continuously cultivated and is grounded in relationship-building and trust,” she says. “It means sharing resources, lived experience, cultural knowledge and social awareness alongside academic expertise and a commitment to paying that knowledge forward.”

In an age when artificial intelligence can generate content instantly, the human ability to write with clarity, originality and critical insight has become more essential than ever.

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) have ample opportunity to strengthen their writing through a rich landscape of publications and digital platforms. Aurantium, Broadly Textual, Intertext and Mend are among the outlets where students build strong portfolios, sharpen their professional communication skills and engage in experiential learning that prepares them for careers in writing, publishing, media and advocacy.

Aurantium: Making Philosophy Accessible and Alive

Like its namesake, ��(the Latin word for orange) is vibrant, inviting and full of fresh perspective. Founded in 2023, this student-led undergraduate philosophy journal was created to invite curiosity, creativity and conversation across disciplines. Supported by the and the Philosophy Club, the journal publishes two issues each year: one focused on the Syracuse University and SUNY ESF community and another open to contributors worldwide.

Essays, reflections, creative writing and artwork all find a home in Aurantium, making it a space where philosophy is explored not as an abstract exercise, but as a living, interdisciplinary practice.

For editor-in-chief Brielle Brzytwa ’28, discovering philosophy was anything but immediate. “In high school it felt abstract, inaccessible and frustratingly stuffy,” she recalls. It wasn’t until college that philosophy began to feel meaningful, and that transformation shaped her vision for Aurantium. “Philosophy doesn’t have to be confined to dense texts or exclusive academic spaces,” she says. “It can—and should—invite curiosity and conversation.”

As editor-in-chief, Brzytwa has made accessibility a guiding principle. She describes the journal as a place where ideas are not only preserved but “shared, challenged and reimagined,” with an emphasis on amplifying a range of undergraduate voices.

Broadly Textual: Building Community Through Public Scholarship

For graduate students eager to share their ideas beyond the boundaries of academic journals, ��offers an inviting and meaningful platform. Overseen by William P. Tolley Distinguished Teaching Professor , the online publication highlights graduate student work designed for public audiences, featuring literary and cultural commentary, , and thoughtful explorations of digital media and identity. With its focus on a broad variety of subject matter, the publication encourages students to see scholarship as both collaborative and accessible.

Co-editor Elena Selthun first encountered Broadly Textual as a contributor during their first year of graduate study and quickly recognized its value. They describe the experience as “low-pressure and supportive,” an ideal introduction to publishing. Equally important, Selthun was drawn to the publication’s commitment to public humanities. “The public-facing nature of the blog allows graduate students to apply what we learn beyond academia,” they say.

For fellow co-editor Meg Healy, the appeal initially lay in skill-building and community engagement. Over time, she gained a deeper appreciation for the publication’s role in demystifying the publishing process. “There is a strong incentive to publish while in graduate school, but that can be daunting,” Healy says.

Both editors emphasize the sense of connection the publication fosters. Selthun points out that graduate research can often feel siloed, and “Broadly Textual” helps bring students across departments into conversation.

Intertext: Celebrating Writing Across WRT Courses

For more than three decades, has celebrated writing by undergraduate students in the (WRT), and community partners. In April 2026, editors and contributors gathered to mark the release of the journal’s .

Reflecting on their involvement, editors Jules Vinarub and Kairo Rushing wrote in the introduction to the 2026 issue, “This publication relies on the willingness of Syracuse University students to be vulnerable enough to let their truth be on display—sharing themselves with you, allowing you to hear and see their stories.”

Throughout the year, students met with publishing professionals and authors like Rand Timmerman, member of the at Syracuse University, whose essay about a is published in the 2026 issue along with a .

Any student who has taken a WRT course can submit their work to “Intertext,” and submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Students interested in joining the editorial team can enroll in WRT 340: Advanced Editing Studio. For more information, contact Professor Patrick W. Berry.

Mend: Amplifying Voices, Honoring Stories and Creating Purpose

��is an annual publication started by , WRT associate professor, and is dedicated to celebrating the lives and creative work of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, as well as individuals impacted by the criminal legal system. Featuring fiction, poetry and nonfiction on a wide range of topics, the publication offers contributors the freedom to explore personal experience while centering dignity, creativity and voice.

Editor Drew Murphy ’26, who is majoring in writing and rhetoric, and in psychology in A&S, first encountered Mend as a junior through an Engaged Humanities course, WRT 413: Rhetoric and Ethics after Prison, taught by Berry. Guest visits from formerly incarcerated writers involved with Mend left a lasting impression.

“Their stories represented a powerful intersection of my two majors, writing and rhetoric and psychology,” Murphy says, describing the experience as one that immediately sparked curiosity on both personal and professional levels. When Murphy learned about internship opportunities with , the decision felt natural.

“The opportunity to work with impacted individuals while contributing to a publication that shares their stories has been meaningful for both my academic studies and future career ambitions,” she explains.

As Murphy prepares for graduate study in social work, she credits Mend with deepening her belief that thoughtful writing can contribute to meaningful change.

No classroom lecture can replicate the experience of being face-to-face with the evidence of genocide. That’s the premise behind a School of Education (SOE) immersion course that brings students to Washington, D.C., to view historical records, talk with experts in human rights law and policy and worldwide atrocities issues, and experience the visual weight of bearing witness to atrocity crimes.

is a one-week, intense examination of those topics. It is both a standalone experiential inquiry excursion and a component of the SOE interdisciplinary minor, .

The course is open to any undergraduate and is led by G’03 G’07, SOE associate professor, scholar in human rights and current secretary of the . It also includes extensive advance readings, a pre- and a post-trip online class and attendance at the , which is supported by SOE alumni Lauri M. Zell ’77 and Jeffrey M. Zell ’77, who also underwrite the D.C. trip.

Multiple Dimensions

Pre-trip, students read about active international court cases, global justice mechanisms and U.S. foreign policy on atrocity prevention. Then, over six days in D.C., they met experts on human rights law and issues, including representatives of the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, Disability Rights International, the Alliance for Peacebuilding, the Syria Justice Accountability Centre, No Business with Genocide, the Simon-Skjodt Center for Genocide Prevention, the Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice and former officials of the U.S. Department of State Office of Global Criminal Justice.

They also toured the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, the U.S. Supreme Court�� and the Library of Congress. (VPA) alumna and artist ’81 hosted the group for dinner at her D.C. home and an exhibition of her work around human rights, displacement and the refugee crisis.

At Ground Level

SOE inclusive adolescent education and history major Elijah Burke ’27 calls the experience “one of the most formative weeks of my academic career,” providing “a ground-level understanding of this work unlike what I could learn in a classroom. It clarified the direction I want to take toward documentation, education, and advocacy in the international human rights space.”

Hailey Vanish ’27, a social work (SOE) and psychology major in the (A&S), says the immersion “reshaped how I view my studies and the world by emphasizing the importance of awareness, accountability and global engagement.”

Alexa Price ’28, a political science major, came to understand “not only how atrocities around the world start, but how the U.S. chooses to involve itself … the possibility of human rights work … and a glimmer of hope for a peaceful future.”

Initial Unawareness

Students are often initially unaware of historical atrocities and may not recognize how current events contribute to the potential for atrocities to occur, White says.

“Students are consistently surprised by how much they don’t know about what happened, why it happened, what the aftermath looks like, what reconciliation looks like, and the risk factors that lead individuals to commit atrocities,” White says. “They don’t know because we don’t teach human rights education in this country.”

White says that by participating in the immersion, the students are “really bearing witness to the Holocaust, antisemitism and human rights violations, and becoming aware of what companies do business with countries that are carrying out atrocities, and [recognizing] that they have an obligation not to be silent about these things anymore. It is my hope they come back with the tools to engage with these issues beyond the classroom. This will mean asking harder questions of themselves, their families and friends and their communities … and holding people and institutions accountable and understanding that awareness is meaningless without action.”

Hard, But Rewarding

Facing the intense subject matter head-on is genuinely hard to deal with but also deeply rewarding, White says, and students are fully engaged regarding the information they’ve taken in.

“They talk about this as an amazing trip, how it’s horrible but also kind of invigorating because this is not an abstract idea anymore,” White says. “They are learning from the people who are doing the work and realizing atrocities don’t happen in a vacuum, that there are real, material consequences of decisions that governments and policy makers make. They see that you can do something about this and they’ve been shown ways to participate in atrocity prevention.”

A&S mathematics major Leo Chen ’26 says what he saw at the Holocaust Museum hit home. “Despite being heavy, it serves as an everlasting remembrance of all the lives lost and a forever reminder to future generations of one of the darkest chapters in human history, so that we must do better.”

Those factors also resonated with Destiny Katsitsatekanoniahkwa Lazore Whitebean ’26, a dual major in communication and rhetorical studies in VPA and political science in the Maxwell School | A&S, renewing her long-standing question: “If we recognize the warning signs of genocide happening today but feel powerless or hopeless, what actions can individuals or communities take to help prevent mass atrocities?” She says the week “helped me see the many opportunities to get involved and make a difference.”

Aiden Boyer ’28, a broadcast and digital journalism major in the , says he hopes many more people are able to access the immersion, calling it “a rare opportunity, a program that is a standout in this field.”

As a Minor

The 18-credit provides a more extensive interdisciplinary look at international law, genocide crimes and social justice and human rights issues. Its overall goal is to create awareness of those issues so students can learn how to be responsible citizens in a democratic society.

Graduate students Jamea Candy Johnson ’25, G’27 and Adara “Darla” Hobbs ’26 are taking their affordable housing research out of the classroom and directly to the landlords, developers and community organizers working to solve one of Syracuse’s most pressing challenges.

Thanks to a revamped partnership with (TMR), a longstanding, community-focused series of events hosted by the , Johnson and Hobbs shared their findings directly with key public housing constituents.

The two students are conducting the research as , alongside three of their peers.

“My research focuses on the intersection of housing and health care, especially as it relates to economic stability, and this experience has only solidified that interest,” says Johnson, who is on a pre-med and pre-law track while pursuing a master’s degree in public health from the .

“We need community-driven solutions to the problems facing Syracuse. This needs to be about bringing people together from different backgrounds and perspectives and seeing what we can collectively do to address and solve the housing issue,” says Hobbs, who in May will earn a master’s degree in Pan-African studies from the .

Research With the Community, Not About It

The collaboration with TMR pushed Johnson to conduct qualitative research after engaging directly with those who provide and build housing in the city, and not just those people who need housing.

“It turned out to be one of the best ways to conduct research,” says Johnson, who works for both the Onondaga County Legislature and at the Salvation Army Women’s Shelter.

Rather than crunching numbers and visualizing datasets, the fellows conducted one-on-one interviews with each panelist before every session. They used those conversations to write discussion questions tailored to each speaker’s expertise, questions designed not just for academic audiences, but for the community members filling seats in the room.

Housing as a Health Issue

When panelists from Housing Visions—which develops large multi-unit complexes—and A Tiny Home for Good—which builds small-scale permanent housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness—described how they partner with Helio Health and Upstate Medical to bring health care directly to residents in their units, it reframed the entire conversation.

“We’re not just talking about giving people housing. We’re talking about giving people health care. Health care plus housing is going to lead to better lifelong solutions overall,” Johnson says.

It’s a point echoed by Hobbs, who was born and raised in Syracuse.

“Access to adequate health care, education and healthy food, that all comes underneath the umbrella of economic mobility,” Hobbs says.

Lived Experience as Expertise

What surprised Hobbs most through the TMR process was being recognized as an expert by many of the community leaders she had long admired and respected.

“I’m not just taking something from the panelists, they’re learning something from me as well. I do know what I’m talking about. I do have something valuable to contribute,” she says.

“Our lived experiences as locals and residents are the experiences that should be the change agents,” says Hobbs, who has spent more than a decade working in the Syracuse City School District.

Sharing Their Research Insights

Johnson and Hobbs will participate in “For Syracuse or With Syracuse? What Lender Student Fellows’ Research Reveals About Housing and Health in Syracuse” during the . The session runs from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in Room 100A of the Nancy Cantor Warehouse Auditorium.

“This research program has really emphasized human connection more than anything, and I think that’s the greatest part,” Johnson says.

“Now, I can bring those collective experiences back to my community and hopefully continue to make a difference,” Hobbs says.

More than 280 people representing approximately 110 organizations gathered in downtown Syracuse recently for the 2026 Lender Expo. This is the second year the communitywide convening and dialogue has been hosted by the University’s , and the expanded schedule was made possible by a new sponsorship from .

The Lender Center addresses important social issues through interdisciplinary research, community engagement and faculty and student fellowships. The expo is among the most visible expressions of that mission, offering organizations an opportunity to share resources, build partnerships and engage in dialogue about the area’s most pressing needs, says , director.

The program opened with a “State of the Region” panel discussion featuring Syracuse Mayor , Onondaga County Executive , U.S. Rep. and Syracuse City Court Judge .

Also addressing the group was , chief administrative officer and president of health plans at , who discussed the company’s efforts to address community health needs. Workshops covered grant writing, mental health, data collection, legal services, artificial intelligence and conflict resolution. A session, “Where Service Meets Progress,” drew a wide audience on the second day.

The convening also included recognition for , president emerita of InterFaith Works and founding member of the Lender Center Advisory Group, who was honored for her many years of social justice advocacy and community service.

More Event Photos

Each semester, ended his introductory policy studies course in the the same way. He led his students to the first-floor foyer of Maxwell Hall, gathered them before the iconic statue of George Washington, and had them read aloud the Oath of the Athenian City-State engraved on the wall behind it.

The oath’s closing promise, to “transmit this city not only not less, but greater, better and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us,” was in many ways the mission statement Coplin had been living since he arrived at Syracuse University in 1969 as an associate professor. Over the 56 years that followed, he founded the , mentored tens of thousands of students, authored more than 115 books and articles, and became one of the most honored and beloved teachers in the University’s history.

Coplin, professor of policy studies and Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence, retired Jan. 1, 2026.

While he sought a quiet exit from a storied career, his legacy lives on in the impact on countless careers, and in the Bill Coplin Policy Studies Support and Experiential Learning Endowed Fund. Through Coplin’s estate, the fund will become permanently endowed, but it can immediately support policy studies students thanks to his initial contribution.

A devoted alumna is helping to build the foundation. Rebecca Edelman ’03 has pledged to match up to $10,000 in donations made to the fund now through the end of March 2026.

“Coplin’s insistence on action over theory and real skills over fluff has shaped every job I’ve held, every pitch I’ve made and every boardroom I’ve entered,” says Edelman, who now leads Caper Associates LLC, an education venture that seeks to address the gap between traditional learning and workforce readiness. “I owe a great deal to this program, and I am proud to carry its purpose and values forward.”

A Different Drummer

Coplin said he has always been an outlier in academia.

“I never followed a strict academic path,” he says, pointing out that he finished his undergraduate degree at Johns Hopkins with a 3.2 GPA before earning a master’s degree and Ph.D. in international relations from American University. He emerged, by his own account, “completely unconstrained by the reality of academia.”

As a professor, he focused on practicality. What skills do students need? What experiences best prepare them for the real world?

He founded the policy studies undergraduate program in 1977 on the premise of those questions and around the belief that students should leave college ready to make a tangible difference. The program required 30 hours of community service, embedded directly into the curriculum.

Coplin never asked his students to be selfless idealists. “I ask students, ‘Do you want to do good or do well?’” he often said. “The answer should be both, but unless you’re Mother Teresa, you should do well first.”

His mantra, “do well, and do good,” became a guiding principle among alumni, who often referred to themselves as “do gooders” as well as “Coplinites.”

Renee Captor ’80 said his teachings served her well as an attorney and nonprofit director. “Skills really do win, and as it turns out, Excel is life,” she says, offering a nod to some of Coplin’s sayings. Another of his favorites: “Life is an aggregation problem.”

Sam Underwood ’11 remembers receiving a less-than-ideal grade and pointed written feedback on an assignment from Coplin.

“That was the first time anyone had told me in an academic setting that, if I was going to be successful, I needed to apply myself rather than just regurgitating the notes I had read from a book,” says Underwood, who now leads one of Ohio’s fastest-growing startups. His message to Coplin: “You did well, and did good yourself.”

Syracuse University undergraduates are getting their moment to shine this spring, presenting original research and creative work to peers, faculty and the broader campus community across a series of symposia and showcase events running through the end of the semester.

“For a researcher, learning how to effectively present their work is a crucial part of the research process. Whether a student is sharing a completed project with conclusions, or a work-in-progress still in development, the dialogue and conversation with a broader audience is always clarifying,” says Kate Hanson, director of the (SOURCE). “Our undergraduates do incredible research, guided by dedicated faculty mentors, and our campus community is warmly welcomed to engage with and celebrate this work.”

The SOURCE Spring Showcase includes the following:

Thursday, March 26

Lundgren Room, 106 Life Sciences Complex, 4-6 p.m.
The event will feature four “TED-style” student research talks and a presentation of SOURCE and Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) awards.

Friday, March 27

Life Sciences Complex Atrium, 2-4 p.m.
This interdisciplinary event will feature more than 100 students presenting research and creative activity.

The entire campus community is invited to attend the events.

A complete list of programs in March, April and May with event and registration details can be found on (check back for updated information).

Other symposia and research-related events this spring include:

• , Wednesday, March 25, 9 a.m.-2:45 p.m., Goldstein Auditorium, Schine Student Center
• , Saturday, March 28, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Life Sciences Complex Atrium
• , Friday, April 3, 9:45 a.m.-4:45 p.m., 608 Bird Library
• , Friday, April 10, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Collegian Hotel and Suites, 1060 E. Genesee St.
• , Thursday, April 16, 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m., Nancy Cantor Warehouse, Auditorium, Room 100A
• , Friday, April 17, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Milton Atrium, Life Sciences Complex
• , Friday, April 17, 10 a.m., 101 Newhouse 1
• , Tuesday, April 28, 3-5 p.m., 220 Eggers Hall
• , Wednesday, April 29, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Hall of Languages, multiple locations (complete schedule will be available on the after April 8)

In a world increasingly shaped by both connection and division, a diverse group of students is embarking on a distinctive journey of leadership and learning. The Global Interfaith Leadership Project (GILP), housed at Hendricks Chapel, represents a pioneering approach to preparing tomorrow’s leaders by combining religious and spiritual formation with practical civic engagement.

The program’s inaugural cohort, selected from across the University’s schools and colleges, brings together undergraduate and graduate students from varied faith traditions and backgrounds. From a Somali Banti student working to address food insecurity, to a chemical engineer coordinating interfaith dialogue, to a public administration student with White House experience, these scholars represent the rich tapestry of perspectives that GILP seeks to cultivate.

A Distinctive Approach to Leadership

What sets GILP apart is its “Roots, Reach and Results” framework—a holistic approach that moves beyond traditional interfaith dialogue. The program deepens students’ own religious or spiritual foundations (Roots), expands understanding and collaboration across traditions (Reach) and works to create tangible positive change in communities (Results).

“This project addresses a crucial need we’re seeing among students today,” explains Imam Amir Durić, GILP project director and assistant dean for religious and spiritual life at Hendricks Chapel. “Students are seeking meaningful opportunities to make a positive and profound impact. At the same time, we’ve witnessed a 150% increase in student participation in religious and spiritual programs at Hendricks Chapel over the past eight years. GILP brings these two trends together in a way that prepares leaders who can heal divides, imagine new possibilities and empower others in service to the common good.”

Diverse Backgrounds, Shared Commitment

The 2026 cohort members come from nine schools and colleges across the University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, spanning architecture, engineering, public policy and environmental science. Their varied academic pursuits reflect the program’s commitment to interfaith leadership across all disciplines.

Among the cohort is Abdirahman Abdi, a senior majoring in African American Studies from the South Side of Syracuse. Drawing on his lived experience as a refugee, he co-founded the Sadaqa Foundation to address food insecurity in Kenya’s Dagahaley Refugee Camp—exemplifying the program’s emphasis on translating spiritual values into concrete community action.

Ronit Hizgiaev, a sophomore in the Maxwell School studying international relations and law, society and policy, brings her experience as multifaith chair for Syracuse Hillel. She has been instrumental in the Salaam Shalom program, where students learn Hebrew and Arabic to find common ground through language. “Ensuring everyone’s voices are heard and accounted for is a crucial value I hold,” she says.

Mian Hamid, a graduate student in the iSchool, serves as Hendricks Chapel’s interfaith engagement coordinator and convener of the Student Assembly of Interfaith Leaders. His role bridges the program’s academic learning with hands-on leadership development, rooted in both empathy and shared action for the common good.

Graduate student Gianna Juarez, pursuing a master of public administration in the Maxwell School, previously served in the Biden-Harris Administration and at United Way Worldwide. Her background in strategic implementation adds depth to discussions about translating interfaith values into policy and practice.

Beyond Dialogue: A Comprehensive Learning Experience

Scholars participate in weekly interactive sessions, civic projects and visits to local and regional faith communities. The program culminates in an international study journey and participation in the Interfaith America Leadership Summit.

The planned trip to Germany and Bosnia-Herzegovina will offer particularly powerful learning opportunities. Students will examine Holocaust memory in Germany and the aftermath of the Bosnian War and Srebrenica Genocide. In Sarajevo—often called the “European Jerusalem”—they will explore centuries of interfaith coexistence at the crossroads of East and West, examining how religious and moral frameworks shape both the best and worst outcomes of human history.

A Tapestry of Faith and Purpose

The cohort spans a wide spectrum of religious and spiritual identities. Sandy Smith, studying forest ecosystem science at SUNY-ESF, brings a spirituality rooted in nature. “Nature teaches us that diversity is our greatest strength,” she notes, “and I believe that through interfaith collaboration, we will bring humanity to its greatest potential.”

Each of the 16 scholars is also developing a civic engagement project aimed at creating lasting change in the Syracuse community and beyond—all grounded in the Roots, Reach and Results framework.

The GILP is a timely response to the challenges of our interconnected yet divided world. These scholars aren’t just learning about interfaith leadership—they are living it, demonstrating that differences can be sources of strength and that a shared commitment to the common good can overcome division.

For more information about GILP at Hendricks Chapel, visit the .

The Lender Center for Social Justice is now accepting applications for the 2026-28 Lender Faculty Fellowship. The two-year research fellowship, now in its eighth year, supports faculty work on the causes of and solutions to complex contemporary social justice issues.

Application Deadline Is April 10

• The fellowships are open to full-time Syracuse University faculty.
• Applications are due by Friday, April 10, at 5 p.m.
• Details about the and required materials are available on the .
• Questions can be directed to��lendercenter@syr.edu.

What Support Does the Fellowship Provide?

• A stipend of $15,000 covering the faculty member’s work for two summers.
• An additional $5,000 per year allocated to support research initiatives ($10,000 total).
• Another $5,000 dedicated to cover costs of hosting a public symposium at the conclusion of the fellowship, when faculty and student fellows present their work.

Who Are Recent Faculty Fellows and Their Research Topics?

Recent fellows studied these issues:

• , associate professor of mathematics and mathematics education in the and , looked at how data literacy skills can be developed and how data can provide insights into community quality-of-life issues.
• , assistant professor of public health in the , examined economic policies that shaped housing and employment opportunities in Syracuse and the importance of community input and engagement in social issues
• , assistant professor of magazine, news and digital journalism in the , studied post-9/11 news media coverage and how it impacted specific communities.
• , professor of anthropology and Ford-Maxwell Professor of South Asian Studies in the��Maxwell School, led a team that studied how AI systems can transform the concepts of autonomy, accountability, human rights and justice.
• , associate dean for strategic initiatives and research and Georgia Miller Associate Professor in the School of Design at the , assessed how building design impacted accessibility and use of a new women’s wellness center.
• , associate professor of geography and the environment in the Maxwell School, who , particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Good Results, Engaging Research

“Over the past eight years, Lender faculty fellows and their student teams have taken innovative approaches to exploring a wide spectrum of social justice issues,” says , Lender Center director. “We are grateful for their good work and the up-to-date knowledge they have produced, and we are pleased that they have regarded their projects as engaging and transformative research opportunities.”

The sound of drills, hammers and sanders filled the Skybarn on South Campus on Feb. 20, as 141 student volunteers came together to build beds for children in the Syracuse community who don’t have one to call their own.

The partnered with the Syracuse chapter of to work toward SHP’s mission, “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town.”

Throughout the day, the energy inside the venue was upbeat. Students who had never picked up a power drill were guided by more experienced SHP volunteers, sawdust collecting on sneakers as bed frames took shape across the floor.

Over the course of two two-hour shifts, volunteers built 116 bed frames, surpassing the goal of 100 and more than doubling what was done during the inaugural build in 2024. There was laughter, encouragement and a shared sense of purpose that organizers said made the day unlike anything they had experienced before.

A Growing Commitment

The growth of the program has been striking. When SUVO first partnered with SHP on a 2024 build, the group completed 44 beds. In 2025, that number jumped to 88. This year’s total of 116 represents not just a record, but a reflection of deepening commitment across campus.

Students from a wide range of programs and organizations showed up to help, and novel fundraising efforts, such as pie-in-the-face events, helped cover the cost of materials. The planning team included SUVO President Ava Portney ’26, Vice President Ryan Edwards ’26, Secretary Lara Sare ’26 and Treasurer Cody Wade ’26.

Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens ’85 stopped by and addressed volunteers, drawing a direct line between a good night’s sleep and a child’s ability to reach their potential. She noted that 10% of students in the Syracuse City School District lack a permanent address.

“No one’s potential is defined by where they live,” Owens said, “but their ability to be prepared to be the best they can be definitely is affected by how they live.”

She thanked the Syracuse students on behalf of the entire city, telling them the experience of giving to someone who may not be empowered to give to themselves would stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Portney said the eagerness she witnessed among student volunteers was inspiring and proof that community, even in discouraging times, has a way of sustaining itself. “Community is the closest thing to good we can have as humans,” she said.

Wade told the volunteers that a bed is far more than a piece of furniture. “A bed is safety. It’s dignity. And most importantly, it’s hope.”

He urged every volunteer to go a step further and help deliver the beds into the community on a future Saturday. SHP expert volunteers bring community members directly into the homes of families in need to assemble and set up the beds on-site.

‘This Is Where You Sleep’

Dave Hoalcraft ’85, a Syracuse native who worked for the University for 39 years, is now co-president of the Syracuse chapter of SHP. He described one of the deliveries he made in the community that remains at the forefront of his mind. A young girl pointed to a blanket and stuffed animal on the floor when telling him where her bed was. Once the bed was assembled, complete with new bedding, it dawned on her that she now had a safe and cozy place to rest her head at night.

“Sixty times you gave us the opportunity to tell this little girl: ‘This is where you sleep,” Hoalcraft told the first shift of volunteers, which completed 60 bed frames. “You did a lot more than play shop today—you gave 60 kids a warm, safe place to sleep.”

With each passing year, more students have learned about the cause, spread the word and shown up ready to work.

The build has become one of the most anticipated volunteer events on campus, a rare occasion where the output is something tangible: a sturdy wooden frame, carefully sanded and assembled, that will soon hold a mattress, sheets, bedding and a sleeping child who might otherwise have had nothing beneath them but the floor.

For the children of Syracuse who will receive these beds, the impact may be difficult to measure but is impossible to overstate. As Mayor Owens said, everyone’s day begins with how they laid their head the night before. Thanks to 141 Orange volunteers, 116 more children in Syracuse will have a chance to take part in a good night’s sleep.

To volunteer for a bed build, bed deliveries, donate bedding or make a monetary donation, visit . For more information about SUVO activities, email suvo@syr.edu.