The in the (VPA) is celebrating the release of two albums showcasing the Syracuse University Singers and faculty.

“” features the Syracuse University Singers, conducted by , professor and director of the Setnor School of Music. VPA alumni and faculty contributed new a cappella choral music for the project.

The University Singers began gathering contemporary music in 2022 when the ensemble was invited to present the featured closing concert of the Society of Composers, Inc., Region 2 Conference, hosted by the Setnor School of Music in Crouse College.

The program debuted all new music, including three works by guest composer and alumnus Nilo Alcala G’09.

“The concert was in November and went very well, so at the end of the semester we recorded the music during the last couple of days of classes,” says Warren.

Two additional songs were added during the spring semester, including the album’s namesake, “Sing Me Awake,” by Dylan Kim ’24, then a student composer in the choir. , associate professor of composition in the Setnor School of Music, also contributed a piece, “I Have a Bird in Spring.”

While celebrating the release of the album, the University Singers are also looking toward the future. This February, they will hold a concert bringing the 40-part voice piece “Spem in Alium” to life with the Southern Tier Singers’ Collective and the Binghamton University Chamber Singers.

The Setnor School of Music also commemorates the release of an album from two faculty members, composer Draper and organist , associate professor of applied music and performance (organ).

The culmination of a six-year artistic partnership, “” presents eight contemporary works that place the organ in conversation with violin, trombone, solo voices, choir and three distinctive pipe organs.

The project began in 2019 when Laver asked new VPA faculty member Draper to write her first work for organ. Draper’s use of the organ impressed Laver.

“What surprised me most was how quickly Natalie adapted to the organ and made it an extension of her compositional voice,” says Laver. “The organ can be a daunting instrument to write for, but Natalie embraced the challenge.”

As the music took shape, the pair drew on the University community. The album features Setnor faculty , violin, and G’26, soprano, Department of Drama instructor G’24, mezzo-soprano, as well as the Hendricks Chapel Choir under the direction of . Setnor alumna Katerina Skafidas ’20, soprano, also contributed.

The album’s use of the academic phrase et al. (“and others”) is a nod toward the collaborative spirit it embodies.

The organ itself becomes a collaborator through the work of Draper. In the title work, “Interlaced,” violin and organ intertwine to create what she describes as a “super-instrument.”

“The organ is so often a solo instrument—it felt liberating to open it up to chamber possibilities,” says Draper. “In many ways, this album is a celebration of the collaborative spirit on every level.”

That vision was made possible with support from organizations including the New York State Council on the Arts, CNY Arts, Sonoma Bach and several chapters of the American Guild of Organists, whose support helped transform an initial commission into a multi-year creative endeavor.

All are welcome to celebrate the album’s release at a on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 11 a.m. in Setnor Auditorium.

When Jordan Potash ’98 graduated from Syracuse University, he never thought his resume would keep bringing him back to campus.

“The last time I returned was in 2019, when the named a speaker series after me,” says Potash, a Washington, D.C., resident who is an author, educator and licensed art therapist.

Potash also is an advocate for “general peacebuilding and community development, leading arts-based dialogues to bridge differences.”

This ethos will be on display on Oct. 22, when he and student leaders headline the eighth annual Potash Keynote Speaker Series. They will engage in an informal panel discussion about LGBTQ+ community building, running from 7 to 9 p.m. in room 304ABC of the Schine Student Center.

The event, which is part of the University’s observance of , coincides with the center’s 25th anniversary.

“The discussion will touch on how queer culture has changed at Syracuse University,” says Emily Stewart, director of the LGBTQ+ Resource Center, which is a member of the University’s (IC). “It will examine how our center meets student needs today and how LGBTQ+ students and allies can contribute to change in the current landscape while taking care of themselves.”

Credited for laying the groundwork for the center as a student, Potash is excited to engage in an open dialogue about LGBTQ+ history and activism.

“Our identities and priorities are everything,” says Potash,��who teaches art therapy at George Washington University.��“It’s our diversity that makes the LGBTQ+ Resource Center viable and sustainable.”

‘I Wanted To Create Support Systems for People Like Me’

If anyone embodied interdisciplinary learning at the University in the late ’90s, it was Potash, a senior class marshal who majored in and studio arts in the .

Potash’s non-academic pursuits—he was a student leader, resident advisor and peer mentor—also shaped his trajectory. “I was heavily involved with , and what became the ,” he says.

Before his senior year, Potash heard about an LGBTQ+ safe space campaign at Beaver College (now Arcadia University) in suburban Philadelphia, where his mother worked and underwent LGBTQ+ ally training.

Not wishing to be outdone by Arcadia, he approached Barry Wells, then senior vice president and dean of student affairs, about bringing an ally training program to Syracuse University.

“I wanted to create support systems for people like me,” Potash says.

Numerous people rushed to his aid, including Missy Mathis-Hanlon G’95, now director of . She not only helped Potash put his ideas on paper but also encouraged him to expand the program into a center.

Convinced of its potential, Wells brought the proposal before the , which, in turn, passed a motion to form an ad hoc committee.

In 2001, more than two years after Potash graduated, the resource center opened its doors. “It was an unforgettable moment,” he says, smiling.

A Welcoming Space for All

Located on the first floor of the Schine Student Center, the LGBTQ+ Resource Center takes a holistic approach to education, health and wellness, and advocacy.

All are welcome at the center, which facilitates systemic change on campus and offers a range of services, resources and programs.

“I see it as a safe space for students dealing with issues about their sexual orientation and gender identity,” says Potash, whose advocacy is rooted in the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. that were instilled in him by his mentor, Francis McMillan Parks. “It’s uplifting to see so many LGBTQ+ allies—friends, family members, colleagues—there, as well.”

Mathis-Hanlon says that, despite evolving societal and political pressures, the center remains true to the original vision.

“As part of the IC, the center is thoughtfully placed to help students embrace their intersectionality,” she says.

Potash admits that while the LGBTQ+ Resource Center remains a “group effort,” certain people, like founding director Adrea Jaehnig (who stepped down in 2010), have left an indelible mark on it.

“Adrea helped grow the center from a single-person office into a robust resource hub for the community,” he says. “She epitomized how to lead with care.”

Thirty-eight years after the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, the 2026-27 Remembrance Scholars and Lockerbie Fellows will lead Syracuse University’s annual Remembrance Week, Oct. 18-24.

Remembrance Week activities are planned to look back on the impact of the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. The bombing claimed the lives of 270 people, including 35 students returning from a semester of study abroad in London and Florence through the University’s Division of International Programs Abroad (now Syracuse Abroad) and 11 Lockerbie residents.

The week will also highlight how students are acting forward. During their scholarship year, this year’s Remembrance Scholars are engaged in a broad range of “Act Forward” projects on Remembrance education, community healing through the arts, a participatory awareness art campaign, remembering through recipes, a Remembrance and global citizenship and walking tour, intercultural dialogue and aviation safety.

The Remembrance Scholars will be joined by the 2026-27 Lockerbie Fellows on the Syracuse campus for the week. The fellows are 10 students from Lockerbie Academy chosen through a competitive process. During their time in Syracuse, the Lockerbie Fellows, accompanied by Lockerbie Academy Deputy Head Teachers Catherine Carrick and Kerry Currie (a 1996-97 Lockerbie Scholar), will represent the 11 Lockerbie residents who died in the bombing and 2002-03 Lockerbie Scholar Andrew McClune, who died during his scholarship year in Syracuse.

This year’s Lockerbie Fellows are Max Atkinson, Carly Black, Anna Byers, Megan Curry, Falon Oliphant, Amy Oliver, Imogen Reid, Emma Sloan, Joshua Thompson and Lewis White.

Remembrance Week will be held Sunday, Oct. 18, through Saturday, Oct. 24. All activities are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. For more information, visit .

Those who require accommodations to fully participate in these events should contact Tamara Hamilton at��315.443.4282 or��tnhami01@syr.edu. The week’s schedule is as follows:

��All Week��

• Empty Seats Display, Kenneth A. Shaw Quadrangle:��The Empty Seats Display is a visual representation of the Syracuse University students lost aboard Pan Am Flight 103. The exhibition is meant to serve as a reminder of how a loss in the past can inspire positive actions in the present. This year’s Remembrance Scholars and Lockerbie Fellows will sit in solidarity in the chairs for 35 minutes on Wednesday, Oct. 21, beginning at 2 p.m.
• Pen-and-ink drawings of the Syracuse University study abroad student victims will be on display in Hendricks Chapel.
• Blue and white flags, one for each of the 270 Pan Am 103 victims, will be on display in the area between the Newhouse School of Public Communications and Schine Student Center. Also, the Hall of Languages, Hendricks Chapel and the JMA Wireless Dome will be lit in blue in honor of Remembrance Week.
• The Remembrance Quilt will be on display in Hendricks Chapel. The quilt was created by the 1998-99 Remembrance Scholars, members of the Hendricks Chapel Quilters and many other contributors to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the bombing. The stories of the SU student victims are told through the design of each quilt block.
• Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives temporary exhibition, Bird Library, first floor display case near Starbucks café: A temporary exhibition of materials from the Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives’ collections pertaining to the sculptural work��“Dark Elegy”�� by Suse Lowenstein will be on display throughout the week. Lowenstein lost her eldest son, Syracuse University student Alexander Lowenstein, in the bombing.

Sunday, Oct. 18

• Candlelight Vigil, Hendricks Chapel steps, 5 p.m.: The Remembrance Scholars will remember the 270 victims of Pan Am 103. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be available. The event will be .

Tuesday, Oct. 20

• A Remembrance Week Reception will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Syracuse University Washington D.C. Center. Contact Cameron MacPherson at camacphe@syr.edu for more information or to register.

Wednesday, Oct. 21

• “Sitting in Solidarity,” Kenneth A. Shaw Quadrangle, 2 p.m.: The Remembrance and Lockerbie Fellows will sit in the empty chairs on the Quad for 35 minutes.
• Film Screening, 107 Hall of Languages, 6:30-8 p.m.: The first installment of the Netflix drama series “The Bombing of Pan Am 103” will be presented.

Thursday, Oct. 22

• Act Forward Symposium, lobby of Heroy Geology Laboratory, 6-7 p.m.: The Remembrance Scholars will present posters that share their plans to “act forward” through outreach, research, education and creative projects designed to benefit the community.
• Lockerbie Fellows Presentation, Heroy Geology Laboratory, 001 Auditorium, 7-8 p.m.: The Lockerbie Fellows will speak on their personal experiences and offer reflections.

Friday, Oct. 23

• Rose-Laying Ceremony, Place of Remembrance, 2:03 p.m.: American Sign Language interpretation will be available for this event. The Rose-Laying Ceremony and Remembrance Convocation will be .
• Remembrance Scholar Convocation, Hendricks Chapel, 3 p.m.: ​This annual convocation will honor the 2026-27 Remembrance Scholars. ASL interpretation and CART will be available. A reception in the Allyn Innovation Center, located on the first floor of Link Hall, will immediately follow.

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Standing at the podium in the JMA Wireless Dome on Sept. 18, made a promise: the University will not retreat from the turbulence of the moment in which artificial intelligence, climate change and fraying democratic institutions are outpacing society’s ability to adapt.

Syracuse University will meet it directly.

“We must commit to being a place that reflects the full breadth of human experience, because the problems facing this world will not be solved by any one kind of mind,” Haynie said.

Students, he said, are not people waiting to become leaders—“you already are those people”—and the University’s obligation is not to shield them from difficulty but to forge in them the capacity to engage it.

To faculty, he asked them to model intellectual humility, to reach across disciplinary lines “with generosity, grace and civility,” and to hold students to standards that honor their potential.

Haynie referenced a 1966 speech Robert Kennedy delivered in Cape Town, South Africa, in which Kennedy described acts of moral courage as “ripples of hope” that build into unstoppable currents.

“We know that each time one of our graduates goes out into the world—and acts with courage and knowledge and care and clarity—they send forth a ripple,” he said. “And at our best, Syracuse University is where those ripples begin.”

Ceremony and Spirit

Haynie’s remarks capped an inauguration filled with enthusiasm, optimism, sentimental moments and Orange spirit.

Chancellor Emeritus Kent Syverud and Dr. Ruth Chen were in attendance, drawing a standing ovation. It was Chancellor Syverud’s first return to campus since beginning treatment for his cancer diagnosis. More than 30 college and university delegates from around the country were also present.

Music throughout the ceremony was provided by the Syracuse University Marching Band, University Singers and Hendricks Chapel Choir. OlaRose Ndubuisi ’29, a student in the College of Arts and Sciences and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the 2024-25 New York State Youth Poet Laureate, delivered an original poem that highlighted Haynie’s connection with students.

‘Mike Is Just Mike’

Vice Chancellor and Provost Lois Agnew said Haynie’s influence reaches well beyond Syracuse’s campus, particularly his advocacy for veterans’ education. Asked often what it’s like working alongside him, she said he doesn’t just talk about the work, he does it; and he doesn’t just say students are the University’s North Star—he lives it.

Vice President and Chief Facilities Officer Pete Sala said Haynie’s promise of partnership isn’t new. Sala said, “Mike is just Mike.” Sala recalled building the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building alongside him and watching him lead the University’s pandemic response in 2020 with clarity and decisiveness.

But what Sala’s own staff remembers the most is that Haynie fishes, works in his yard on Saturdays and opens every conversation by actually wanting to know how you’re doing.

Greetings for the chancellor were also offered by Emily Castillo-Melean ’28, president of the Student Government Association; Jennifer Karas Montez, University Professor and director of graduate studies in sociology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs; Trustee Alonna Berry ’11, president of the University’s Alumni Association; and trustees Shelly Fisher ’80 and Lisa Fontenelli ’86, co-chairs of the Chancellor’s Search Committee.

‘One of the Best Decisions This University Has Made’

Keynote speaker Melvin Stith G’73, G’78, dean emeritus of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, opened his remarks with two words that got the biggest laugh of the day: “You’re welcome.”

Stith, a Vietnam Army veteran, spoke of how 20 years ago, Haynie, a young Air Force veteran, walked into his office to interview for a job teaching entrepreneurship.

“There was something about him,” Stith said. “He captured me from the first conversation.”

Haynie already had a competing offer from Ohio State’s business school, so Stith moved fast to put a Syracuse offer in Haynie’s hands. “That, my friends, is how Whitman hired Mike Haynie,” Stith said, “and it’s one of the best decisions this university has ever made.”

Stith recalled how two months into the job, Haynie came back with an idea to build a bootcamp teaching entrepreneurship to veterans with disabilities and to make it free.

Seventeen veterans showed up for that first Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans in 2007. Four years later, Haynie founded what became the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, which eventually anchored the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building.

Today, those programs have reached more than 235,000 veterans, service members and military families. “One idea, one conversation in my office,” Stith said, “launched a Universitywide commitment that has changed thousands of lives.”

Board of Trustees Chairman Jeffrey Scruggs said that Haynie is the right person to lead Syracuse University into the future. “Chancellor Haynie brings the record of a proven scholar, a celebrated educator, a collaborative builder, a tenacious innovator and a widely respected leader in higher education,” Scruggs said. “Syracuse is fortunate to have a leader of this caliber guiding the University as it continues to build its standing among the world’s great private universities.”

During the Charge of Office and Medallion Presentation, Scruggs placed the Chancellor’s Medallion around his neck and delivered the charge that comes with it: to govern with integrity, to guard the University’s freedom to teach, learn and question without fear, and to build on what his predecessors built.

Moving Ahead With a Promise

Haynie said he stood in front of the University community with a promise.

“We will ask the right questions, together, with honesty and without fear. We will not mistake comfort for excellence. We will not mistake tradition for wisdom,” he said. “Instead, we will engage the world as it is, in all its speed and strangeness and moral complexity. And we will do that because it’s the only honest starting point. And because we understand that engaging what unsettles us is not capitulation, but instead it’s the precondition of transformation.”

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.”

The Syracuse University community is coming together this week to mark 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Special events will honor those who lost their lives and recognize the sacrifices of our nation’s first responders and military-connected members who showed extraordinary courage in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93 killed 2,977 people, including 30 Syracuse University alumni.

In observance of the day, and the (OVMA) are holding a starting at 8:46 a.m., the same time when hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower.

At precisely 8:46 a.m., there will be a moment of silence in the chapel, followed by a chime ringing 25 times in honor of those who died that day. At the conclusion of the service, 25 candles will be lit to remember the victims.

Here’s a complete rundown of the events happening on campus:

• Sept. 11: Hendricks Chapel 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony, an interfaith memorial service, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. The event will be and will include remarks from several of the chapel’s chaplains and performances from the and José “Peppie” Calvar, director of the Hendricks Chapel Choir and professor and assistant director of choral activities at the Setnor School of Music.
• Sept. 11: 9/11 , JMA Wireless Dome. Registration starts at 8 a.m., followed by an opening ceremony at 8:30 a.m. The climb starts at 8:46 a.m. and ends at noon.
  • Note: the Hendricks Remembrance Ceremony and the Syracuse University Ambulance Stair Climb and Walk will happen simultaneously starting at 8:46 a.m.

• Sept. 11: College of Law ’Cuse Vet Fest, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Levy Atrium. Syracuse-area veterans are invited to a , hosted at the College of Law. This is a joint effort between the��, the College of Law’s����and the . Free admission and free parking in the Irving Avenue Garage.
• Sept. 12: , noon to 3 p.m., Women’s Building Field. Celebrate our and enjoy free food, non-alcoholic beverages, a cash bar, games, music and shuttled transportation to and from the event. This is a collaboration between the OVMA, the , and the .

• Sept. 12: vs. the University of California, Berkeley, 3:30 p.m., JMA Dome.
• Sept. 14: , 4 to 7 p.m., National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building, K.G. Tan Auditorium. Following a moment of silence for those who lost their lives, there will be a panel discussion from 4 to 5 p.m. featuring Chris Meek��’92, G’18, founder and CEO of the ; , dean of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications��who reported from the Pentagon on 9/11; and professors����and��, who will reflect on the enduring legacy of the first responders, survivors and everyday citizens. Following the discussion will be a screening of the documentary, “,” from 5 to 7 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

A new era for Syracuse University begins this month.

The University will formally install as its 13th chancellor and president during an Investiture Ceremony at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18 in the JMA Wireless Dome. The moment is part of a , Sept. 17-18, to mark this historic University milestone.

The events are a chance for the University community to come together, honor Chancellor Haynie’s leadership, affirm its values and look ahead to Syracuse University’s shared future.

Students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the Orange are encouraged to .

What to Expect at the Investiture

The ceremony will feature performances from the Syracuse University Marching Band, University Singers, Hendricks Chapel Choir and Otto Tunes; remarks from trustees, faculty, students, staff and alumni representatives; and a keynote address from Melvin T. Stith G’73, G’78, dean emeritus of the .

Investiture Chairman and Board of Trustees Chair Jeff Scruggs will formally install Chancellor Haynie by bestowing the chancellor’s medallion before Haynie outlines his vision for the University’s path forward during his inaugural address.

Attendees will end the ceremony by singing the alma mater. The Investiture Ceremony will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person.

Keep the Celebration Going at Orange Fest

Immediately following the Investiture Ceremony, the celebration continues with Orange Fest, a free, family-friendly event from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in the Dome. Orange Fest will include food, student performances, carnival games, service dogs, hoops and a dunk tank starring University leaders and hands-on activities at the Maker’s Market craft stations.

Before the Ceremony: The Summit and a Prime-Time Game Watch

The Investiture Ceremony caps the on-campus festivities, which begin Thursday, Sept. 17, with “The Summit: Syracuse University Into the Future,” a campuswide showcase from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Among the highlights of the summit are the following:

• The Syracuse Summit Showcase, an exhibition featuring poster sessions, talks and hands-on demonstrations from every school and college, organized around five themes: artificial intelligence, experiential inquiry, creation and innovation, global engagement and access, from 9-11:30 a.m.;
• “Charting Our Future Together,” an interactive art installation where attendees share their vision for the University’s path forward;
• “,” an exhibition at Bird Library honoring all 13 Syracuse chancellors, and “,” a pop-up exhibition that spotlights the students who have driven transformation throughout the University’s history;
• “The Keynote: Future in Focus” is an afternoon of storytelling that showcases members of the Orange community reflecting on what it means to navigate change thoughtfully and intentionally; and
• Cross-campus workshops that highlight the breadth and impact of the University’s academic excellence through interdisciplinary experiences and collaborative partnerships between schools and colleges.

That evening, fans can cheer on the Orange as the football team plays Atlantic Coast Conference foe Pittsburgh during a free Chancellor’s Inauguration Game Watch Party at Miron Victory Court inside the JMA Wireless Dome. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. with kickoff at 7:30 p.m.

Attendees can enjoy snacks and appetizers, test their knowledge at trivia, receive fun giveaways and witness a halftime performance from the Marching Band and the Dance Team.

Both the Game Watch Party and Orange Fest are free and open to the public.

Change is coming to the this fall, and it’s the good kind. As Father Gerry Waterman prepares to depart from campus ministry after ten years of faithful service at the University, two new Conventual Franciscan friars are stepping in to carry that legacy forward: Father Emanuel “Manny” Vasconcelos, OFM Conv., and Brother Nicholas Romeo, OFM Conv., together with Campus Minister Patrick McLaughlin, will form the next chapter of Catholic life at .

Father Manny Vasconcelos: A Homecoming to Community

Father Manny is moving to Syracuse from Washington, D.C., but his roots trace back to New Bedford, Massachusetts, “once the whaling capital of the world,” he likes to note. He grew up in a tight-knit Portuguese community, the kind his parents found when they emigrated from Portugal in the early 1970s.

“Their faith really was what brought them an anchor and made them deepen their relationship with God, being so far away from family and home,” Father Manny says. “And so they found a home in the church.”

That sense of a faith-as-home would shape his own path. Before entering religious life, Father Manny spent four years as a high school campus minister and religious studies teacher at Cathedral High School in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was there, working alongside two Franciscan friars on the school’s ministry team, that he felt the first pull toward community life.

“I started feeling a draw to living out a call to ministry in community,” he says. “And I knew I would live it out best with the help of a community, rather than on my own.”

He’s now been a Franciscan friar for 15 years and a priest for eight, having earned a bachelor’s degree in theology from Providence College in Rhode Island, a master’s in education and a Master of Divinity from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. His first assignment took him to St. Anne’s parish in Columbus, Georgia, where he also served as chaplain to a small but devoted group of Catholic students at Columbus State University, about 15 students in a heavily Baptist community.

That small group left a big mark. In the years since, Father Manny has officiated a surprising number of their weddings.

“They know a priest, so they call me,” he says with a laugh.

Fluent in English and Portuguese, Father Manny is already looking forward to Syracuse University’s choral music scene. He caught a glimpse of the Hendricks Chapel Choir’s talented student singers during the SU Catholic chapel’s dedication and Father Gerry’s farewell celebration, and he’s hoping to find his way into a pew, or maybe even a choir loft, himself.

Brother Nick Romeo: Faith Rooted Early

If Father Manny found his calling gradually, Brother Nick found his very early.

Growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, in a family anchored by Sunday Mass, Brother Nick was, by his own admission, “a big church dork.” He decorated his childhood bedroom for the liturgical seasons, sourcing his colored decor from the linen closet without his mother’s full knowledge and built tiny Advent candles out of Legos. In eighth grade, he played the role of Jesus in a Stations of the Cross performed in mime.

“It was cool, it was the ’90s,” he says, laughing.

Like most people, he went through what he calls his “fake atheist phase,” until a junior year morality teacher, himself a friar, changed his perspective. Brother Nick joined the Franciscans right out of high school, at 17 years old, requiring his parents to sign a permission form.

Twenty-two years and 19 professed vows later, he hasn’t looked back.

“My dad thought his son might follow in his footsteps,” Brother Nick says, referencing his father’s 30-plus years as a Baltimore County police officer. “I do not strike fear into the hearts of any criminals, so that wasn’t meant to be.”

Brother Nick holds a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. He also has a master’s degree in education from Boston College, earned during summers while he taught high school ministry: nine years in Buffalo, eight of them as a campus minister, followed by two years in Baltimore. Most recently, he spent time as a vocation director alongside Father Manny, the two working together for the past four years to help young men discern a call to Franciscan life.

Syracuse University Chancellor J. Michael Haynie today announced the appointment of the Rev. Corey S. MacPherson, D.Min., Ph.D., as dean of . Reporting directly to the chancellor, Dean MacPherson will guide the chapel’s multifaith community and continue its role as the spiritual and civic heart of the University. MacPherson’s appointment is effective Aug. 9 and has been approved by the Board of Trustees Executive Committee.

“Hendricks Chapel has been the spiritual heart and soul of this university for nearly 100 years, and it has meaningfully touched the lives of generations of students,” says Chancellor Haynie. “Corey has spent two decades building trust across different faiths and communities, and he knows how to lead an institution through change. I’m confident he’s the right person to lead Hendricks Chapel into its next century.”

MacPherson comes to Syracuse from Penn State University, where he currently serves as director of the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development. In that role, he restructured the office, developed a new religious affiliate agreement and authored a strategic plan to guide the center’s future growth, supporting more than 50 religious and spiritual communities across the campus.

“Hendricks Chapel means a great deal to this University, and to me personally, and I’m honored to help lead it into its next chapter,” says MacPherson. “I’ve spent my career building spaces where people from many traditions, and no tradition, feel welcomed, respected and supported. I look forward to working with students, faculty, staff and the broader Syracuse community to carry that work forward as we approach the chapel’s 100th anniversary.”

MacPherson brings more than two decades of multifaith chaplaincy and institutional leadership to the role. From 2015 to 2025, he served as university chaplain and Protestant campus minister at Colgate University, where he supported 12 religious and secular communities, served as a voting member within the faculty governance structure and participated in the university’s Emergency Operations Command during moments of campus crisis.

Prior to that, MacPherson served from 2009 to 2015 as vice president for spiritual development and church relations at Eastern Nazarene College, where he served on the president’s cabinet and stewarded relationships with more than 700 churches that generated more than $1.3 million annually in support of the college’s mission. Earlier in his career, he founded and led North Shore Church of the Nazarene in Stony Brook, New York, growing it from a house church into a fully organized congregation.

MacPherson holds a Ph.D. in leadership studies and a master of arts degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University, a doctor of ministry degree from Asbury Theological Seminary and a master of divinity degree from Nazarene Theological Seminary. He is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene and currently serves as a chaplain with the U.S. Army Reserve’s 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion, where he advises battalion commanders on ethical concerns and spiritual readiness. MacPherson’s chapter, “A Fractured and Divided Church: A Call to Be One,” will appear in the forthcoming edited volume “Dispatches from Campus,” set for publication by Augsburg Press in spring 2027.

“I’m grateful for the hard work of the search committee,” says Chancellor Haynie. “They moved quickly and carefully, and because of that, we’ll have a strong, experienced leader in place before the new academic year begins.”

The search committee was co-chaired by Dawn Singleton, vice president for the student experience, and David Aitken ’94, G’97, chair of the Hendricks Chapel Advisory Board, and included students, faculty, staff and alumni from across the Orange community.

MacPherson and his family have roots in Central New York, where they lived for more than a decade during his prior work at Colgate University.

“It’s nice to wake up in the morning and know that the things I’ve just planted will be ready to harvest in a couple of weeks,” says Darika Djusupova ’28, one of two student managers at this summer. “The vegetables will be donated, and somebody will get to enjoy the tomatoes I’ve grown.”

That simple, quiet joy is at the heart of everything happening at Pete’s Giving Garden this summer on South Campus, where student managers Djusupova and Maria Buscaglia G’27 spend their days weeding, planting and harvesting food that will be supplied to the at .

A Garden Rooted in Need

Pete’s Giving Garden was founded in 2019, after it became clear the Hendricks Chapel Food Pantry needed a steady source of fresh produce. Hendricks Chapel partnered with to bring the idea to life. What started as a single raised bed has since grown into additional raised beds, , ADA-accessible beds, a pollinator garden, apple and pear trees, raspberry bushes and four traditional row gardens. The garden has produced over 600 pounds of produce for the pantry to date and has expanded its partnerships to include the ‘s Food Studies and Nutrition Program.

The garden’s mission has grown, too, now encompassing wellness and research opportunities. But at its heart, the purpose hasn’t changed: growing food for students and using sustainable agriculture practices, row by row.

The food grown finds its way to the , named for beloved , who never forgot what it meant to go without the necessities as a child during the Great Depression. The pantry serves any Syracuse University or SUNY-ESF student with a valid ID, built on the belief that no student should have to choose between groceries and other essentials.

Two Managers, Two Family Gardens

Ask Buscaglia and Djusupova how they first fell in love with gardening and you’ll hear two very different stories that land in the exact same place: family.

Buscaglia traces it back to her dad, who grew tomatoes in their yard when she was a kid. Later, elementary school garden programs introduced her to radishes, jalapeños and corn. Then, something clicked.

“I’ve always had a love for food,” she says, “and what better way to get food than growing it yourself?”

Now a graduate student pursuing her MA in Nutrition Science at the Falk College of Sport, Buscaglia found her way to the garden after meeting the previous managers at an orientation event and thinking, “I want to work in a garden.”

Her advisor agreed she’d be a great fit, and she applied.

Djusupova’s roots in gardening stem from her grandmother’s yard in Kyrgyzstan, where the family had apple trees they’d harvest together each summer, along with tomatoes that became , a Central Asian tomato salad often served alongside the rice dish, plov (pilaf). Djusupova, a rising junior studying computer science, hadn’t gardened much since her childhood, but when she saw the garden manager position posted on Handshake, she was curious and decided to apply.

Neither Buscaglia nor Djusupova came in as an expert. Both are still learning on the job, one weeded row at a time.

What the Garden Has Taught Them

Ask either manager for a favorite harvest, and carrots and cucumbers come up fast. Buscaglia loves pulling carrots that rarely come out in the shape she expects. She’s come to appreciate just how different homegrown vegetables look from what populates grocery store shelves. She’s also had to make peace with bees, an ongoing project for someone who isn’t naturally fond of things that sting or have “unexpected flight patterns,” Buscaglia�� adds with a laugh.

Djusupova has grown especially fond of cucumbers and radishes; she enjoys making her own homemade pickles with both. Radishes from the garden are barely bigger than a nickel and come in shades of pale pink, deep purple and red, nothing like the uniform bunches at the store.

She’s also discovered an unexpected parallel between gardening and her studies as a computer science major in the .

“It’s kind of like a trial-and-error thing, same as with coding,” Djusupova says. “Once you run the script, sometimes it may not work, and you have to tweak a few things.”

When the garden’s first batch of cucumber transplants died from the shock of moving straight from a warm greenhouse into cooler outdoor nights, Djusupova and the team didn’t scrap the plan. They stored the plants in their work shed and then gradually eased the next batch outside until the plants took root and thrived.

For Djusupova, the most meaningful part of the job isn’t the science of it. It’s the knowledge that everything she plants has somewhere to go.

“I have a direct impact on other people’s lives,” she says. “That’s something I really like about the work that I do here.”

“Our Coach Mac Food Pantry patrons are so grateful to receive the fresh produce from the garden,” Alison Murray, Hendricks Chapel’s assistant dean for student assistance, says. “With lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, garlic and more, our students can make almost any dish they’d like. I’m thankful that Maria and Darika bring the veggies to the pantry after each harvest!”

Lydia Krayenhagen, project manager for Sustainability Management, says the two student managers have done a great job overseeing the garden this season.

“In the spring, they created a map detailing where the vegetables and herbs would be planted,” she says. “Now that we’re in the peak of summer, the garden is thriving. They’ve also done a wonderful job leading volunteers when they visit the garden, whether it be students, faculty, or staff.”