Coco Wing Yun Wong G’27, a clinical mental health counseling master’s degree student in the and former graduate student employee in Health Promotion at the Barnes Center at the Arch, has been named the 2026 recipient of the .

The award is given to just one student nationally each year by the Foundation for Play Therapy. Named in memory of Dr. Charles Schaefer, a co-founder of the Association for Play Therapy, the scholarship provides $5,000 toward training and supervision as Wong works toward a registered play therapist credential.

Wong’s path to the field began in high school in Macau, China, where a single picture—of a colorful room full of toys, a child and a play therapist—stuck with her long before she had any formal training.

That interest carried her through an undergraduate degree in psychology at Peking University, a gap year that included two months as a full-time volunteer supporting children and adolescents with developmental disabilities in Yunnan, China; two full-time jobs in Macau (one in a residential setting for adults with substance use disorders; one as a pre-school counselor); and, eventually, a weekly ferry commute from Macau to Hong Kong, the closest place she could find training in Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT).

In this interview, Wong talks about the scholarship’s importance, what play therapy is (and is not), her experience studying with the School of Education and her future goals.

Growing up as an��Akwesasne Mohawk��in Central New York, Jadalyn George ’30 knew that seeing herself reflected in her teachers��fostered a sense of belonging.����
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“It also��made me a better student,”��she says.����
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Convinced that representation matters��in the K-12 classroom,��George��is part of the new����(ITPP) in Syracuse University’s����(SOE).��
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She��is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in����while minoring in��.��The program enables her to��be��certified in New York state to��teach grades 1-6 and students with disabilities in all grades.������
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George��is excited to��interact with other “native educator minds” on campus.��
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“I have so many knowledgeable peers,”��she��says. “I also have spaces where I can study, eat and hold meetings with people with similar interests and backgrounds.”����

Reducing Barriers

George found out about ITPP from Tammy Bluewolf-Kennedy ’04, G’10,��an assistant director of admissions who��is in charge of��Indigenous recruitment and supports partnership programs.��
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The��Oneida Nation citizen��has worn many hats at the University, but������’s��her current one of which�������’s��proudest—not just for what it��represents��but also the tasks associated with it.����

“ITPP is personal to me,”��Bluewolf-Kennedy��says. “Young Indigenous minds need to see themselves in their teachers, who, in turn,��must��understand their��students’��cultures, histories and lived experiences.”��
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ITPP��offers��the��,��the result of an anonymous��$150,000 gift.����
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The��scholarship, whose name is��Onondaga for��“They Build a Path for Them,”��is awarded up to��seven undergraduates per cohort.��In addition to covering��30% of��each student’s��tuition, it��underwrites the costs of��professional development, conference��participation��and study-away opportunities.����
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“We’re reducing financial barriers for Indigenous students��who want to become��inclusive education and community teachers,” says Bluewolf-Kennedy,��who also��chairs the University’s Native Faculty and Staff Association, as well as the Native American Indian Education Association of New York.��“It’s mission critical.”������

��Learning on Sacred Ground��

The lack of consistency in Indigenous teacher preparation programs is well documented. The barriers are��financial,��cultural��and systemic.������
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“Most teacher training programs are local in scope,”��Bluewolf-Kennedy says. “Ours��extends��to the��nearly��600��sovereign��Nations��across the United States and Canada. This��breadth��is reflected in our faculty and curricula.”����
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Becky Rose, assistant director of academic and career advising in SOE,��notes��the holistic nature of ITPP.����

She��explains that��students can pursue a B.S. in��inclusive childhood education or��,��the latter of which��leads to New��York state-certification to teach grades 7-12 and students with disabilities in all grade levels.����
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“ITPP��is completed in eight semesters, five of which have a field component,”��says Rose,�����ձʱ�’s��dedicated academic advisor.��“We offer��many��experiences in the Syracuse area and��throughout��New York��City��via��[SOE’s]��.”��
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Another selling point is�����ձʱ�’s��many nonacademic offerings—from the����and��the����group, both housed at 113 Euclid Ave.,��to��the����in��Shaw Hall.��
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“These supports are coordinated for student success,”��says Rose, a tribally enrolled member of the Echota Cherokee.������
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“Syracuse University��stands on the ancestral lands of��the Onondaga Nation, Firekeepers of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy,”��says Bluewolf-Kennedy.��“Whether you’re Indigenous or not, you’re learning on sacred ground.”��������������

Jessamyn Neuhaus, director of the University’s (CTLE), has been named the inaugural Meredith Professor of Teaching and Learning Excellence. The appointment, part of the , is among the University’s highest teaching honors, recognizing faculty who combine excellence in the classroom with a strong record of scholarly contribution to teaching and learning.

“Jessamyn has already reshaped how our campus talks about teaching, and this appointment reflects the depth and reach of that work,” says , vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer. “She brings both rigorous scholarship and genuine warmth to every conversation about pedagogy, and faculty across every school and college have felt the benefit of her leadership.”

As Meredith Professor, Neuhaus will identify a topic related to teaching excellence to guide programming over her term, working in partnership with the Office of Academic Affairs to develop workshops, peer mentoring opportunities and campuswide conversations that support faculty at every stage of their careers.

Neuhaus, a professor in the , has served as CTLE director since August 2024. During her tenure, she has revised the mission and vision of the CTLE and expanded programming and consultation services, including an annual Course Redesign Institute, increased opportunities for student-faculty pedagogical partnerships and direct support for documenting and evaluating effective teaching. As a highly collaborative leader, she has co-created programming with a wide variety of campus partners, such as Syracuse University Art Museum, the Center for Disability Resources, the College of Arts and Sciences and SOURCE, among others.

Neuhaus is working on a reimagined Meredith Symposium, a Universitywide celebration of teaching innovation and excellence, set to take place in March.

“I’m truly honored to receive this prestigious appointment,” Neuhaus says. “The Meredith Professor Program is one of Syracuse University’s most significant and enduring investments in teaching excellence, and I’m absolutely thrilled that this recognition will help me continue to build strong campus partnerships and to expand the CTLE’s outreach and impact.”

Neuhaus was previously director of the Center for Teaching Excellence and a professor of history at SUNY Plattsburgh. A recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, she has more than 20 years of classroom experience, teaching courses on U.S. history, gender studies and popular culture. She most recently taught the honors seminar, “Problems with Grades.” Neuhaus is a nationally recognized scholar of teaching and learning and regularly gives invited keynotes and plenary talks. She is the author of Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts and Nerds Who Want to Be Effective Teachers and Snafu Edu: Teaching and Learning When Things Go Wrong in the College Classroom. She is editor of the anthology Picture a Professor: Intersectional Teaching Strategies for Interrupting Bias about Faculty and Increasing Student Learning and editor of Teaching History: A Journal of Methods. Her forthcoming book, Unessays: Reimagining Research Papers in the Post-Information Age will be published in the Oklahoma University Press series, “Teaching, Engaging and Thriving in Higher Ed.”

Sebastian Melendez ’24, G’26 arrived at Syracuse University from Grand Island, New York, with two passions that, at first glance, might not seem a natural pairing. He wanted to study interior design, and he also wanted to give back to his community, yet he wasn’t sure how—or whether—those two paths could coexist.

A minor in����from the School of Education, paired with his B.F.A. in Environmental and Interior Design from the , gave him room to explore both careers rather than choose between them. By the time he graduated in 2024, Melendez had found his answer: he enrolled in SOE’s����program, intent on carrying his design sensibility—including an eye for who belongs in a space, and who gets overlooked—into the work of supporting students.

Now completing his master’s degree program, Melendez has spent the past two years balancing internships at Syracuse City School District (SCSD) and nearby West Genesee High School with a full life outside the classroom, working as an interior design intern at Syracuse-based Dwyer Architectural and volunteering with Young Life Syracuse East, a Christian ministry where he leads worship and group fitness.

That range and depth of interest shows up in how he talks about his time at SOE, as a period of personal growth as much as professional preparation. We asked Melendez to reflect on his experience in the School Counseling program.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark your calendar: The Summit kicks off festivities on Thursday, Sept. 17.

Reflecting Chancellor Haynie’s belief that the University’s greatest strength is its people, The Summit invites the University community to explore the ideas, people and collaboration defining Syracuse University’s future.

The schedule is designed so community members can drop in for a single session or take part in the entire day.

The Passport Challenge

Pick up a limited-edition Syracuse keychain and event passport in Panasci Lounge during the Summit Showcase, then collect three different commemorative charms as you move through the day. Complete at least five passport activities and turn it in at Orange Fest on Sept. 18 for a chance to win tickets to the University Suite at a men’s basketball game. Also stop by for inauguration keepsakes, including blankets and drinkware, showing your Syracuse University spirit.

Start the Day With Big Ideas

Head to Schine Student Center at 9 a.m. for the Syracuse Summit Showcase, where schools and colleges from across campus will have tables organized around five themes: artificial intelligence, experiential inquiry, creating (innovation, invention and design), engagement and access. Presentations include the following:

• Check out hands-on demos, including an immersive crime scene experience from Forensic and National Security Sciences; live hearing tests from the Gebbie Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic team; and inventions built by students from Invent@SU.
• The College of Engineering and Computer Science and School of Information Studies are teaming up on an AI and robotics showcase.
• The Newhouse School of Public Communications will spotlight student-led national reporting alongside an interactive opportunity with the Center for the Creator Economy.
• The College of Arts and Sciences will showcase community-engaged humanistic scholarship and its impact on the Syracuse community.
• The College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) will showcase art, design and performances across all disciplines.
• Other participants also include the School of Architecture, Falk College, the College of Law, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the National Veterans Resource Center.

Keynote: Future in Focus

At noon, Goldstein Auditorium is the place for Future in Focus, where members of our community will share personal stories of change, resilience and reinvention through a series of short talks.

Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. for a complimentary lunch buffet, and the program will begin at noon.

An Afternoon of Discovery

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., there will be a full slate of collaborative sessions across campus.

• Discover study abroad and away. Find out about the variety of opportunities available from representatives on the Quad (11 a.m.-3 p.m.).
• Committing to Academic Access and Inclusion for All Learners at SU and Beyond (1-1:45 p.m., Huntington Hall Commons), a panel with the School of Education, College of Law and College of Professional Studies.
• VPA in the Making: Ideas, Experiments, Performances and Possibilities (1-5 p.m., first floor, Shaffer Art Building), featuring a college-wide exhibition of student, faculty and alumni work, with pop-up performances in Shemin Auditorium.
• Game Changers: A Conversation with Mike Levine of CAA Sports (2-3 p.m., Flaum Grand Hall, Whitman School of Management). Levine, the co-founder of CAA’s Sports Division, talks career and the business of sports media with Falk College Dean Jeremy Jordan.
• Veteran and Military-Connected Syracuse: Education, Research and Impact (3-4:30 p.m., National Veterans Resource Center Lobby). Meet student veterans and ROTC cadets, tour the Hall of Honor and NVRC Gallery, and grab complimentary coffee from the Canteen Café.
• Solving Grand Challenges Together (3-3:45 p.m., Schine Student Center). College of Arts and Sciences faculty and researchers dig into interdisciplinary work spanning the University.
• The 38th Annual Herbert Lourie Memorial Lecture on Health Policy (3:30-5 p.m., Strasser Legacy Room, Eggers Hall). Journalist and author Gary Taubes will speak on diet, disease and the limits of scientific consensus.
• AI Across Syracuse: Ideas, Innovation and Impact (4-4:45 p.m., Schine Student Center). Faculty from across the University will share how their program, unit or initiative is working with AI and why it matters.

Elsewhere, don’t miss two exhibitions at Bird Library: “” (all day) tracing the impact of the University’s 13 chancellors across more than 150 years, and “” (2 to 5 p.m.), a University Archives pop-up on how students have driven change on campus.

On the Einhorn Walk, stop by “Charting Our Future Together.” At this interactive station, you can add your own ideas about where Syracuse should be headed, from what campus looks like in 20 years to what every student should experience by 2045.

Get involved. Find your community. Be flexible with your career path.

Seated inside the JMA Wireless Dome for their first official gathering as Syracuse University students, more than 3,600 first-year and transfer students heard that core message Thursday morning from New Student Convocation student speaker Elyas A. Layachi ’27.

Layachi, a double major in mathematics in the����and inclusive adolescent education in the��, told the new students that he thought his Orange path would be “linear”—a degree in aerospace engineering, an internship at NASA and a space exploration job before graduation.

But early in his first semester, a professor’s question about his interests and passions sent him toward a new academic course, one that led to research teams, clubs, religious organizations and community service.

“Changing majors, because one professor was willing to ask me an honest question, changed the trajectory of my time here and ultimately of my life,” Layachi told the crowd. “Every student in the Dome today has something powerful before them: the opportunity to learn and grow at this amazing institution.”

Those incoming students arrive from every corner of the map: 45 states, including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico; 19 Indigenous nations and 55 countries.

Resist the Urge to Seek Comfort in This New Beginning

, a member of the Syracuse University community for more than two decades, began his remarks by noting a shared trait: the students were new to Syracuse, and Chancellor Haynie was new to his current leadership role.

While it can be easy for students to seek comfort in the familiar during times of change, Chancellor Haynie recommended employing the opposite approach, telling students to resist being “pulled toward wanting some assurance that the unfamiliar will quickly become familiar, and that the road ahead will smooth itself out.”

“At Syracuse, our obligation is to arm our students with the tools to think clearly under pressure, to lead with conviction while remaining open to the fact that they may be wrong, and to act with purpose even when the path is anything but clear,” Chancellor Haynie said.

Haynie pointed to Ethan, an orientation leader and a dual major in business and communications, as an example. Over the summer, Ethan told Chancellor Haynie that he was enrolling in a course where he’d learn to sing and play guitar, not to advance his major, but to “force himself out of his comfort zone,” Haynie said.

“New students, be like Ethan,” Haynie said. “Discomfort is where character is built. Discomfort is where leaders are made.”

‘This Window Will Only Be Open for a Brief Time’

As he stepped to the podium, brought with him a stuffed Otto the Orange, “the best mascot in all of higher education,” which elicited applause from the audience.

Referring to their time on campus as a “metaphorical window” that “will only be open for a very brief time,” Groves urged new students to take intriguing new classes, meet extraordinary people and always extend respect to everyone on campus.

“I want you to think about the kind of community you want to be part of and then act in a way that helps achieve that goal,” Groves said.

‘Determined to Make Their Mark on the World’

, vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer, reminded the incoming class that there is no such thing as a typical Syracuse University student.

While each student possesses differing academic and co-curricular interests and personal and professional goals, Syracuse University students “love their University in ways that are rare among college students” and are “bold, ambitious and determined to make their mark on the world.”

“You are bringing a personality, background, abilities, perspectives, interests and dreams that��we’ve��never��encountered��before,” Agnew said. “You’ll��forge a path here that is your own, and you will leave a unique and extraordinary mark on the University through the life you create here.”

To conclude the convocation, the new students recited the charge, which dates back to 1871, and sang the alma mater, following the Orange tradition by swaying as the lyrics were sung.

Syracuse University’s three study away locations, which provide distinct and wide-ranging opportunities for students, are an equally valuable resource for their professors.

Several faculty members capitalized on those resources this summer, supported by funding from the new program offered by the . The awards were established as a direct result of work done on the University’s academic strategic plan, “,” with the aim of facilitating in Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C.

“These locations give our faculty a rare kind of reach,” says , associate provost for strategic initiatives. “These are fully embedded footholds in three of the most influential cities in the world. They provide an opportunity to extend the classroom into the center of the industries our students are preparing to enter, and to let that experience shape both scholarship and pedagogy in expansive ways.”

Participating faculty members agree that the experience enhanced their professional work and helped lay the groundwork for new academic experiences. , associate professor of public administration and international affairs at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, was one of them. He conducted archival research at the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library and think tank collections with an eye toward building a study away program centered on peacekeeping and global governance. “New York City is one of the world’s great cities and a hub for innovation, international business, civil society and global governance,” he says. “It has been great spending the summer learning how to access the best of what the city has to offer to enhance the education of Syracuse students.”

Elyas A. Layachi ’27 thought he had his Syracuse University journey figured out the day he arrived on campus.

He planned to study aerospace engineering, but he soon realized that while engineering interested him, it wasn’t his passion.

After self-reflection and conversations with family, friends, professors and advisors, he decided to double major in mathematics in the and inclusive adolescent education in the . It was a decision that opened the door to research, mentorship and leadership roles he never expected to pursue.

On , Layachi will address the more than 3,600 first-year and transfer students as the New Student Convocation speaker inside the JMA Wireless Dome, encouraging the newest members of the Orange family to stay flexible in mapping out their path.

“I came into Syracuse University with absolute certainty about how the rest of my college journey would pan out, but I wish I gave myself more grace when it came to reconsidering that path,” Layachi says. “Once I let go of that certainty, I began to grow into the person I wanted to be from the start.”

Layachi grew into a leader, serving as vice president of the and a ��peer leader, and as an and member. He also participated in the University’s first inclusive study abroad trip to Florence, Italy, served as an undergraduate research assistant for two faculty members and presented original research on virtual reality eye tracking at the American Educational Research Association.

SU Today caught up with Layachi to learn more about his favorite memories from his first year on campus and his advice to the new students in the Class of 2030.

1. He fell in love with the campus from the jump.

“I was drawn to Syracuse University by its size and diversity of majors. This is a beautiful campus that offers students a plethora of clubs, organizations and other ways to get involved outside of the classroom. After visiting the University for prospective student day, I was certain I wanted to commit here.”

2. A warm welcoming reception made him feel right at home.

“My memories from Move-In/Welcome Week are warm. I clearly remember the welcoming smiles from Goon Squad members as they helped me move in, meeting my roommate and floormates for the first time and attending events like the Y2K Party on the Quad. I was nervous, yet motivated and excited to meet new people and get acclimated to college life. Looking back, that first week set the tone for how welcomed and supported I’d continue to feel throughout my time at Syracuse University.”

3. He became his own best advocate.

“I realized that advocating for yourself and taking initiative are key to academic and personal success. Through research programs like and the , I learned to apply research skills in education and gained a newfound passion for educational research. Looking back, Syracuse University gave me the opportunity and resources to pivot, find my footing and grow into the person I’d hoped to become.”

4. His passion for community service motivated his on-campus involvement.

“These experiences in the , First Year Seminar, the Muslim Students’ Association and the Honors Program enabled me to grow as a person and explore my strengths and weaknesses in mentorship, research and public speaking. Being an active student leader on campus improves my leadership skills while letting me give back to the University and help positively impact the college experiences of other students.”

5. He wants to use his degrees to impact educational research and policymaking.

“Once I graduate, I plan to earn a master’s degree in an education field and teach secondary mathematics for at least five years. Further down the line, I hope to earn a doctorate in educational policy or a related field and build a career in educational research and policymaking.”

6. He intends to emphasize the importance of finding community on campus.

“I plan to call on students to be proactive and seek out community at Syracuse University, and I’ll share a personal story about a pivotal early moment that speaks to these themes.”

Moon-Heum Cho and Alexander Corbitt, professors in the University’s , have been awarded a $50,000 planning grant from the ��program to develop a game-based digital learning platform that teaches elementary students AI literacy through personal finance decision-making.

The project,��, will use narrative-driven simulations to help students in grades 3 and 4 understand how AI systems collect data and generate recommendations, applying that understanding to everyday financial scenarios such as saving, budgeting and comparing options. Students will interact with in-game AI agents that offer recommendations, giving them practice in questioning and evaluating AI-generated input rather than accepting it automatically.

The project takes direct aim at a gap that��, an expert in instructional design, and��, who researches gaming, play and literacy, see in how AI literacy is currently taught in K-12 schools.

Most existing approaches lean on abstract conceptual explanations or standalone coding exercises, disconnected from the situations where children actually meet AI. Yet elementary-age students are already encountering algorithmically-targeted content and personalized recommendations daily, well before any formal instruction catches up to that reality.

By grounding AI literacy in the real-world context of personal finance, the project aims to teach students not just what AI is but when to trust its recommendations, when to question them and how to make informed decisions on their own.

The project also responds to a pressing need in New York State, where����must be implemented by the 2027-2028 school year. It centers on Central New York’s Fabius-Pompey school district, a rural, high-needs district where broadband access gaps and limited supplemental learning resources make a free, school-based platform especially valuable.

Following the FINDERS Foundry required stakeholder model, the leadership team brings together researchers, a K-12 educator, a technologist and a parent/guardian representative to co-design the platform alongside students, educators and families.

Over the two-month planning period, the team will pursue three outcomes: building students’ understanding of how AI systems work, strengthening their grasp of core personal finance concepts and developing their ability to critically evaluate AI-driven recommendations.

The work will culminate in a full development-phase proposal for November 2026, with an eye toward eventual regional and multi-state expansion through a future NSF Discovery Research PreK-12 proposal.