Go back in time with this selection of historic images from the . The photos capture the evolution of the campus, student life and the community that has defined the University through the years.

To learn more about materials and photos in the University Archives, part of the in the , visit its .

Syracuse University Libraries’   has announced that the have been processed and are now open for research. The archival collection measures 103 linear feet and documents the remarkable life and career of the trailblazing marathoner, broadcast journalist, author, sports and social advocate, and Syracuse alumna.

Switzer ’68, G’72 made history in 1967 when she became the first woman to officially register for and run in the Boston Marathon. Her perseverance in the face of a race official’s attempt to physically remove her from the course became one of sport’s most iconic moments and a beacon for women’s rights and equality in sport. Switzer went on to win the 1974 New York City Marathon.

She originated and developed the Avon International Running Circuit, a landmark global women’s running program instrumental in securing the inclusion of the women’s marathon in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, and earned an Emmy Award for her sports broadcasting work. Switzer was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2011 for creating positive global social change and was part of the inaugural class of the National Distance Running Hall of Fame. This past February, the University honored Switzer by raising her iconic running bib, number 261, to the rafters of the JMA Wireless Dome during a women’s basketball game.

The Switzer Papers have grown substantially through a series of donations beginning in 2005. The collection includes extensive photographic material, news clippings, speeches, correspondence, scrapbooks and memorabilia. A major addition to the collection, pre-inventoried by Jenny Smith G’25, Switzer’s personal archive assistant, was transferred to the SCRC in July 2025. This addition significantly expanded the holdings with a substantial body of audio and video recordings documenting Switzer’s decades of broadcast journalism work, global Avon Running Circuit events, Olympic coverage, interviews, speeches and appearances on programs ranging from the Oprah Winfrey Show to network morning news. In total, the Kathrine Switzer Papers fill a meaningful gap in the archival record of women’s athletics and Title IX-era activism.

“The Kathrine Switzer Papers offer an extraordinary window into the history of women in sport and the tireless advocacy that transformed it,” says Nicolette A. Dobrowolski, director of the SCRC. “With the significant addition of media and photographic materials in 2025, this collection is now an even richer resource for research in athletics, gender history, broadcast journalism and social change.”

The processing of the collection was completed this past spring. Students, faculty, staff and the public are invited to explore materials supporting research in women’s and gender studies, journalism, sports history, communication, public policy, sociology and activism.

“Women’s running has created one of the greatest social revolutions of the last century. Millions of women now run for the empowerment it brings them, changing forever their sense of limitation and power. Being a major part of making that happen has been relentless work, but also the greatest honor and privilege,” says Switzer. “I am deeply grateful to SCRC for making the documentation of this historic achievement available for broad research and engagement.”

To learn more about the collection or arrange a research visit, contact  SCRC at scrc@syr.edu.

Sam Kurland ’26 spent more than five years in and out of hospitals to treat chronic brain inflammation when she was 10 years old. Kurland’s doctors eventually diagnosed her with autoimmune encephalopathy, caused by an infection.

The PET scan that displayed widespread inflammation in her brain became the inspiration for Kurland’s business venture: a line of high-end fashion garments featuring blown-up imagery of brain scans, cancer cell slides and histology printed onto clothing and accessories.

“I want to turn something scary into something beautiful,” says Kurland, who earned a graphic design major from the and a minor in fashion design from the . “You wouldn’t even know you were looking at medical imagery when you’re looking at the pieces.”

Kurland arrived at the without a business plan, a legal entity or a clear sense of what came next.

On her first visit, Sarah Schreiber ’26 sat down and produced a document highlighting Kurland’s business goals—including her dream of one day dressing celebrities for the Met Gala—that served as the foundation for a business plan.

“She got the ideas in my head and turned them into something concrete,” Kurland says. “That was the moment when I thought, okay, I can actually do this. We’re all going through this totally new experience of starting our businesses together.”

Turning a Concept Into a Product

Kurland hopes to launch her clothing line—featuring dresses, blouses, handbags, ties and pocket squares—for presale by the end of the month.

A scan of Kurland’s brain tumor adorns the front of a tank top, while imagery of her sister’s rare thoracic injury inspired another of Kurland’s fashion pieces.

Twenty percent of proceeds will go directly to the specific medical research initiatives depicted in each piece. Kurland has been in contact with medical research facilities to secure additional imaging.

“What we wear matters. I’m trying to bring meaning back to clothing. There is emotional resonance and value that goes beyond something looking cute,” Kurland says.

Kurland plans to launch on Coveted, a mobile fashion marketplace founded by fellow LaunchPad member Naheem Cadiz III ’28.

That kind of peer-driven support defines the LaunchPad experience for many student entrepreneurs.

Finding His Place, Then Paying It Forward

Shahaan Khan had just started working at the LaunchPad when he overheard a student entrepreneur, Haley Greene, discussing the difficulty of finding a reliable backend developer for her mental health app, Miirror.

Khan, who is pursuing a master’s degree in applied human-centered AI from the , helped Greene better understand behavioral patterns of Miirror’s app users, including how and where users were engaging with the platform. Just as important, Khan showed where users were abandoning the app.

Last semester, Khan held weekly AI office hours at the LaunchPad for students seeking guidance on AI tools to advance their ideas.

“When I’m in the LaunchPad, I just think of it as all my friends,” Khan says. “It’s a warm environment, an open-concept space where everybody cares about helping solve the problems we’re all working on.”

Competitors Who Coach Each Other

After Kurland and Greene competed for Hult Prize funding, Greene approached Kurland with a suggestion for improving her pitch.

As she listened to Kurland’s pitch, Greene noticed that Kurland’s personal story—her years spent in the hospital and the medical journey that inspired the brand—wasn’t featured prominently enough in the presentation. Greene pulled up Kurland’s slide deck and started rearranging it.

“Haley said, ‘Your story is your product,’” Kurland says. “‘That’s so much more powerful.’ And she’s right. It’s not like anyone can just make this. It’s because of my passion for helping fund medical research that makes it what it is.”

Kurland incorporated the feedback, restructuring her pitch deck to lead with the more personal narrative rather than the product itself.

“That’s just the kind of supportive environment we have among entrepreneurs on campus,” Kurland says. “Students don’t view each other as competitors. Everyone is willing to offer advice and feedback to help you improve your idea.”

Learning Together, Growing Together

When entrepreneur Jacob Kaplan ’27 expressed interest in wearing one of Kurland’s pieces at a LaunchPad pitch event, she decided to branch out into menswear.

“I almost turned a blind eye to that possibility, but thankfully, I was able to connect with the right people who opened my eyes to a whole new audience,” Kurland says.

For Kurland and countless student entrepreneurs, the LaunchPad doesn’t simply offer access to resources; it provides a community where students can bounce ideas off each other.

“I don’t have a team,” Kurland says. “But it feels like I’m not doing it alone. If I’m stressed or I don’t know what the next move is, I can go, and there are people there who are willing to help. That collaborative space is truly special.”

University researchers with groundbreaking ideas in semiconductors, microelectronics or advanced materials are invited to apply for an entrepreneurship-focused hybrid course offered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program through Syracuse University this fall. The virtual course, which runs through September and October, includes an opportunity for an in-person immersion experience at SEMICON West, North America’s premier microelectronics conference, in San Francisco in October.

Interested working individual researchers and innovators .

The course provides hands-on entrepreneurship training and one-on-one coaching tailored to researchers working in far-reaching sectors that are critical to the next generation of semiconductor innovation. Successful applicants will be researchers working on solutions to enhance the performance and efficiency of electronic devices with applications to semiconductors across industries including big chip fabrication projects, consumer electronics, automotive, telecommunications, healthcare, artificial intelligence hardware and high-power materials.

Applications might range from 3D integrated circuits, system-on-chip integration and computing chips for tasks like pattern recognition, learning and sensory processing. Big data and machine learning innovations are also of interest, as well as conventional semiconductor design and manufacturing applications. The course benefits anyone interested in being part of the research, design, commercialization and supply chain associated with these industries.

Offered jointly by Syracuse University and Cornell University as part of the Interior Northeast I-Corps Hub (IN I-Corps), this NSF-sponsored course is open to faculty, postdocs, Ph.D. and master’s students, undergraduates and community-based startups working on semiconductor-related technologies with commercial potential.

Syracuse’s NSF I-Corps program is a partnership between and . The Syracuse Center of Excellence () serves as tech scout for the program.

The course opens for pre-course work on Monday, Sept. 21, and will follow this schedule:

Virtual:

Session 1: Monday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to noon

Session 2a: Wednesday, Sept. 30 (individual mentoring sessions)

Session 2b: Friday, Oct. 2, from 10 a.m. to noon

Session 3: Wednesday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m. to noon

Session 4: Wednesday, Oct. 7 (individual mentoring sessions)

In-person at SEMICON West in San Francisco:  

Tuesday, Oct. 13, through Thursday, Oct. 15

Virtual wrap-up:

Session 6: Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon

Teams selected to participate may receive up to $5,000 in travel reimbursement, enabling participants to conduct in-person customer discovery interviews and attend specialized workshops during SEMICON West. Participation in this conference provides unmatched exposure to global industry leaders, cutting-edge technologies and potential collaborators or customers. Conference attendees include executives, engineers, startups and policy leaders shaping the future of chips.

Participants who complete regional courses may be eligible to receive lineage and a letter of recommendation for the  which includes a $50K grant). Learn more about courses here: and .

For questions about this SEMICON course, contact Linda Dickerson Hartsock, advisor for strategic initiatives for Syracuse University Libraries, at ldhart01@syr.edu

In partnership with CNY Arts, “” delivered a record-breaking exhibition of 70 works of art from 29 faculty and staff members across 19 different University departments. The 53rd annual exhibition returned to Bird Library from May 28 to June 11.

This year, expanded the program’s official selections, giving more artists the chance to showcase their work at future exhibitions. As always, the finalists will be included in the finale exhibition at the Everson Museum of Art. New this year, CNY Arts created a category of recognition for runners-up. These artists will be invited to exhibit their work at Art in the Atrium, July 10-Aug. 2.

The University will once again be well-represented at the upcoming exhibitions with 14 works selected by the panel of judges assembled by CNY Arts.

The following finalists will be featured in the “On My Own Time” finale exhibition at the Everson Museum of Art, Oct. 3-Nov. 8:

• Kelley Parker, Syracuse University Libraries, “The World Within” (photograph);
• Jessica Vangronigen, life sciences program in the College of Arts and Sciences, “Feelin’ Salty” (printmaking);
• Scott Samson, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, “Arctic Abstract” (photograph);
• Dana Cusano, Biology Department in the College of Arts and Sciences, “Panthera Leo” (drawing);
• Zachary Wilkie, Libraries, untitled painting;
• Autumn Wallingford, Division of Communications and Marketing, “Succession of Survival Mode” (mixed media); and
• Taiwo Ositimehin, Strategic Initiatives and Innovation, “Adaralewa by Twinzy Adire” (fiber art).

The following runners-up will be featured in an exhibition at the Art in the Atrium gallery, 201 E. Washington St. in Syracuse, July 10-Aug. 2. The exhibition is free and open to the public on Fridays, from noon to 5 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays, from noon to 8 p.m.:

• Stuart Rotblat, Information Technology Services, untitled photograph;
• Molly Cavanaugh, Economics Department in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, “The Pride of Lady Eboshi” (fiber art);
• Donna Movsovich, Law Library, “Mountains and Sky” (fiber art);
• Meghan Murphy, Department of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, “untitled piece no. 2868” (drawing);
• Margaret Voss, Falk College of Sport, “Good Morning Sunshine” (painting);
• James Beagle, materials distribution, untitled drawing; and
• Meghan Graham, Office of the Chief Operations Officer, “Aurora Borealis Scarf” (fiber art).

In addition to the judges’ selections, visitors to the “On My Own Time” exhibition had a chance to cast ballots for their favorite piece in the exhibition. This year, “Resilience,” a painting by Qingyi Yu from health services, was recognized for the most ballots cast in the People’s Choice category.

“Syracuse University was once again a leading employer with our ‘On My Own Time’ exhibition. For 53 years we’ve partnered with CNY Arts, creating this wonderful opportunity for our faculty and staff to showcase their talents and to connect in meaningful ways as a community,” says Alex Dietrich, interim chief human resources officer. “If you missed our original exhibition, I would encourage you to experience the amazing artistry of our colleagues who were selected to show their work at the upcoming event at Art in the Atrium gallery and the Everson Museum of Art.”

Two students whose ventures focus on accessible design and student well-being have been awarded Spring 2026 Intelligence++ Venture Grants through Syracuse University’s initiative, administered through .

The competitive funding program supports student innovators developing products, services and creative ventures that improve accessibility and quality of life for people with intellectual disabilities and neurodivergent communities.

This year’s recipients are Rudransh Rajput ’28 () and Cassia Soodak ’26 (). Both ventures emerged from the interdisciplinary Intelligence++ program, which combines accessible entrepreneurship, disability-centered design and innovation.

Rajput earned funding to advance development of RUDY AI, an AI-powered platform designed to help neurodivergent and socially vulnerable students build meaningful social connections and improve campus belonging.

A student in the and an 1870 Scholar, Rajput developed the idea after observing the growing problem of student isolation and disengagement on college campuses. The platform focuses on students who may struggle to navigate traditional social environments, including students with ADHD, autism, anxiety and related challenges.

“This grant means we can move from scrappy mode to building a prototype for discovery and validation,” Rajput says. “We know the problem is real because we’ve seen it firsthand on campus. This gives us the runway to get in front of more universities, refine the product with real student feedback and prove that you can measurably move the needle on retention and loneliness at the same time.”

Rajput will work closely with the Intelligence++ program and during the fall semester, focusing on user-centered product development and testing.

The second grant recipient, Soodak, is building a venture at the intersection of adaptive fashion, disability studies and nightlife culture. Her company, Ms. Spellled, creates sensory-friendly ravewear and club clothing designed specifically for neurodivergent individuals. The garments feature tactile and fidget-friendly elements intended to support sensory regulation while maintaining bold, expressive aesthetics.

Soodak, who previously served as an InclusiveU peer mentor and event planner, says the venture was inspired by her own experiences with ADHD, autism, dyslexia and sensory processing differences.

“Neurodivergent people shape rave culture, yet remain largely invisible within it,” Soodak says. “Ms. Spellled aims to redefine adaptive design as expressive, culturally relevant and empowering.”

The venture combines adaptive design with alternative fashion aesthetics through upcycled garments, tactile fabric manipulations, custom graphics and handmade pieces.

Soodak has already tested prototypes with neurodivergent users and models in both fashion-show and real-world rave settings, receiving strong feedback on both the sensory functionality and visual appeal of the designs. “With this funding, I will be able to transition Ms. Spellled from a thesis-based project into an actively developing fashion brand and business,” Soodak says.

She plans to use the grant to produce an initial collection of sensory-friendly garments, expand prototype testing and launch the brand through pop-up events and independent retail partnerships in New York City.

Soodak is a graduate of the Intelligence++ program and previously won a top student prize at the annual Intelligence++ Innovation Showcase, where student inventions are evaluated by industry experts and educators. Her work has also earned recognition within the University’s fashion program, including selection for a New York City design showcase and the Joan Rysitzky Prize for Excellence in Surface Design.

Her senior thesis collection, “DanceFloor Freaks,” explored Brooklyn techno clubs as safe spaces for neurodivergent and queer communities and became the creative foundation for Ms. Spellled. She has also participated in adaptive fashion networking events and developed relationships with organizations including Runway of Dreams and ARISE.

Edouard Agbor has spent years building a solution to a problem he knows intimately.

Growing up in Cameroon, he watched talented students lose access to life-changing educational opportunities—not because they weren’t qualified, but because the system designed to help them was broken, expensive and often predatory.

A first-generation student, Agbor’s parents did not attend university. He was unprepared to navigate a complex education system alone and, like so many promising students, fell victim to scam.

“I lost over $800,” says Agbor. “That money took me over a year and a half to save.”

Inspired by his experience, Agbor, a graduate student in applied human-centered AI in the , founded , an AI platform that connects African students with verified academic and funding opportunities across the continent and the world.

“I started building the system for two reasons: so that nobody would have to be in my shoes, and to collect information that will permit the continent to get ahead,” says Agbor. “Instead of just mapping to academic excellence, what about the talents that these people have? Can it open the door? We increase their chances of getting a scholarship, fellowship and getting access to those funds without being scammed.”

A Platform Built on Personal Experience

GritGateway’s matching engine uses a psychometric model called GritScore that measures resilience, resourcefulness and experience rather than GPA alone. The platform hasn’t formally launched or spent any marketing dollars and has already attracted 1,000 student users across more than 25 African countries.

Agbor is confident the technology works because he used it to advance his own education. It was the GritGateway tool that suggested Syracuse University would be a good fit for him, given his interests in AI and entrepreneurship and such resources as the at . He’s been a regular at the LaunchPad since he arrived on campus in January. That’s where he connected with teammate Souleymane Bah ’26, a then-senior in the . Bah believed in his venture and helped him share, pitch and grow the idea, freeing Agbor to continue to develop and test features.

“I’ve been so impressed with how this team has refined their business development plan, but even more impressed with the tremendous amount of work they’ve put into the service and how they’ve leveraged AI tools,” says Traci Geisler, director of the LaunchPad. “This venture has identified and addressed not only a gap in service but a true need. The interest in this product has been amazing and just continues to grow.”

Putting It to the Test

Agbor and Bah are not the only ones who believe in this idea. The team won several entrepreneurship competitions this past spring, including the Lerner Center Social Impact Pitch Competition, where GritGateway took home the top prize of $5,000.

The competition, now in its second year, is hosted by the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health in partnership with the LaunchPad. This year’s theme—Building Healthier Communities Through Innovation—drew 12 undergraduate teams from eight of the University’s schools and colleges, competing in a two-round format evaluated on problem-solving, viability, research and development, and social impact.

Other winners of the Lerner competition include rising senior Ava Ray Lubkemann ֶ’27, an environmental engineering student, in second place. Lubkemann won $3,000 for a mobile thrift model built around a converted bus that collects donated clothing and redistributes it to underserved communities.

Taking home third place and $1,000 was Haley Greene ’26, who graduated in May with a degree in advertising and applied communication from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, for a digital platform called Miirror that reimagines eating disorder recovery.

Vicente Cuevas, the Lerner Center’s undergraduate student engagement manager, says this year’s competition showcased exactly the kind of thinking it was designed to encourage. He says, “This competition is an opportunity for students to move from idea to action, and to see themselves as changemakers capable of building healthier communities through innovation.”

What Comes Next

All three teams are reinvesting their prize money in their ventures to support continued growth. Agbor and Bah plan to bring GritGateway to scale through new partnerships, while Bah will remain at Syracuse to pursue an M.P.A. at the Maxwell School.

Later this month, the system will launch a dedicated environment for African universities, high schools and nongovernmental organizations to support their students on the platform. Agbor projects 10,000 users by September, and plans are in development to open access to U.S. universities interested in recruiting African talent.

wrapped up participation in the 2025-26 academic year with the Student Library Advisory Board (SLAB), student representatives from across the University.

Participants in SLAB shared their ideas and feedback with Libraries management on the Libraries’ services, resources, spaces and programming in a structured format across the semester. Members also served as ambassadors for the Libraries, gaining leadership and skills in information literacy, communication, civic responsibility, research and creative thinking. Those who completed the Spring 2026 semester received an Engaged Citizenship Digital Badge.

Students are eligible to participate for two semesters. Those who participated in both Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters included:

• Jivishaa Pandit ’26, College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Andrea Jacob G’26, Newhouse School of Public Communications
• Delaney Hendrick ’26, A&S

For the Fall 2025 semester, SLAB students included:

• Min Paing Moe G’29, School of Education
• Phoebe Russell ’28, School of Information Studies
• Nafisa Jeilani ’26, Maxwell School
• Darika Djusupova ’28, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Students who participated in the Spring 2026 semester included:

• Olivia Wisner ’28, Whitman School of Management
• Nicole Balkissoon ’29, School of Information Studies
• Claudia Reto G’26, Maxwell School
• Zach Ehrenreich ’29, School of Architecture
• Mehmooda Shakoor ’27, School of Education
• Elizabeth Akeloko G’26, A&S

Some examples of input from SLAB members that resulted in Libraries improvements included:

• Improved signage around the self-check-out kiosk​s and printers in the library
• Navigation updates to the website​
• Information on size options for the plotter poster printer​
• Improved communication with international students​
• Increased number of hours to reserve some study rooms​

SLAB members shared their feedback on the experience, with one student saying, “Participating in SLAB this semester has been a great experience in professional collaboration and student advocacy. It provided a unique behind the scenes look at how the libraries function and gave me the platform to contribute to the campus culture in a tangible way.”​

Another student reflected, “… SLAB has been a really meaningful way to engage with the Libraries differently—less as a student researcher and more as a bridge between the institution and the people that it serves.”

The Libraries is currently soliciting members for the fall 2026 cohort. can be submitted online. Those with questions can contact libref@syr.edu. SLAB was funded in part through a grant from the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement  (SOURCE).

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

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

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

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

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

Impact on Faculty and Funding

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

senior Abbey Fitzpatrick spent last summer doing archival research in Hollywood. This spring, she brought those findings to a lectern in the University’s at the 5th Annual CHRONOS Undergraduate History Conference.

Fitzpatrick’s research took her to Los Angeles, where history department funding supported archival work at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Warner Bros. archives. Her faculty advisor, professor of history Andrew Cohen, had encouraged her to find a topic with personal resonance and pointed her toward California history.

“It really complemented what I learned in CHRONOS in a real-world way,” Fitzpatrick says.

Hers was one of eight student presentations at the April 3 conference, which drew five Syracuse undergraduates alongside students from New York University, Columbia University and Rochester Institute of Technology—a reflection of the journal’s expanding reputation beyond Syracuse.

“CHRONOS had been thinking of opening our conference to students from other universities for a while,” says Junko Takeda, professor and chair of history and CHRONOS faculty advisor. “But this year, they were able to plan ahead of schedule, reach out to undergraduate directors at multiple universities across the eastern seaboard, send out calls for papers and select a number of external speakers.”

Now in its 21st year of publication, CHRONOS is one of just a few active student-run, undergraduate historical research journals in the country, and one of the only to host a conference. In addition to widening participation beyond Syracuse students, CHRONOS leaders also started to develop a new podcast series.

Fitzpatrick, a history and political science major from Pacific Grove, California, joined CHRONOS as a first-year student and remained deeply engaged for all four years.

That support is a hallmark of CHRONOS’s close ties to Maxwell’s history department.

“It’s so ingrained in the history department, and it allows us to connect with professors in a way that a lot of other clubs don’t have,” she says. “It’s a really awesome opportunity to be able to publish your research and get feedback from other students and professors.”

Fitzpatrick says her CHRONOS experience made her a stronger reader, writer and researcher.

At the conference, she moderated a panel discussion exploring the theme “Intersections: Gender, Sexuality and the Discipline of History,” featuring Albrecht Diem, Carol Faulkner, graduate student Victoria Vidler and undergraduate students Gillian Reed and Ella Burke. Diem is a professor of history who specializes in medieval history, while Faulkner, a professor who specializes in 19th-century American history, gender, women and social movements, is also senior associate dean for academic affairs at Maxwell.

The Range of Research Presented

Student research presented at the conference ranged from a deep dive into the life of Mary Queen of Scots to the politics of abortion in late Cold War Brazil. Several presentations reflected a similar focus on primary-source and archival research—work that students credited in large part to their access to Maxwell faculty with deep experience in those areas.

Jorge A. Morales, a senior studying history and anthropology and a CHRONOS editorial board member, presented findings drawn from slave registries and municipal documents from Caguas, Puerto Rico, in the years before the island abolished slavery in 1873. Morales shared that his family ties to Puerto Rico have made his work deeply personal.

“Growing up in the continental U.S. but still spending a good amount of time visiting family on the island, has made me increasingly interested in understanding how Puerto Rico’s national and cultural identity formed,” he says. “The roles of slavery and enslaved individuals have often been overlooked.”

Morales says interior regions like Caguas have received less scholarly attention than other parts of Puerto Rico. His research aims to help fill that gap.

Like Fitzpatrick, Morales says CHRONOS provided research and editorial experience as well as a strong network of peers.

“I found a community of people who were just as passionate and curious as I was, and I felt like I finally belonged somewhere on campus,” he says, adding, “Every CHRONOS publication is special because it represents not just the work of authors and editors, but of peers and colleagues who come together to learn and to connect that knowledge with the public in a way that fosters curiosity.”

Andrew Cole, a senior studying history and philosophy, presented his research on a foundational monastic text. His work analyzed John Cassian’s “Institutes” through a lens closer to literary criticism—an approach he developed after taking a class with Diem.

Cole was among the students who helped revive CHRONOS after the pandemic.

“At the time, CHRONOS had been in hibernation since before COVID; it was a lot of work to get it up and running but well worth the effort,” he says. “The editorial board is a close-knit community. CHRONOS is unique in that it offers an excellent learning opportunity for both editors and writers—we are dedicated to turning good research papers into excellent, approachable essays.”

The conference presentations included PowerPoint demonstrations and lively question-and-answer sessions in which students praised one another for their research and asked in-depth questions about their research findings. History faculty watched on, clearly gratified.

Takeda provided closing remarks, reflecting on what the students had accomplished.

“I can say without a doubt that my weekly interactions with the CHRONOS board have shown how much our students have developed important critical leadership skills,” she says. “As writers, researchers and presenters, you have told difficult stories. …You’ve explained complexity.”

The conference was held at a moment of transition for CHRONOS. Several members of the current editorial board are graduating seniors—among them Fitzpatrick, Morales and Cole—each preparing to carry the habits of mind CHRONOS instilled into whatever comes next.

Morales says his time with the journal has shaped what he hopes to build in the future.

“My work on CHRONOS has definitely shown me the value of intellectual community,” he says. “It has made me committed to trying to build up a similar sense of academic community between undergraduate and graduate students and faculty at the institutions that I end up studying and hopefully working at in the future.”

Story by Mikayla Melo

Syracuse University Libraries’ LaunchPad hosted an inaugural Athletes for Data Sovereignty (A4DS) Summit and Pitch Competition, in partnership with UMiEconomy through its Charitable Foundation, , on April 24. The pitch competition was open to student-athletes, student-athlete alumni and student entrepreneurs with sports-related ideas. Winners of the pitch competition were:

• Gabriel Josefson ’28 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of XCHKR, won the grand prize of $2,000.
• Zach Richter ’26 (College of Arts and Sciences) and Taran Singh ’26 (Whitman School), founders of Wavelength, tied for second place, winning $750.
• Edouard Agbor G’27 (School of Information Studies), founder of GritGateway, also won $750 for second place.
• Marissa Johnson ’26 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications), founder of Gymify, won $250.
• Dylan McKinley ’26 (Newhouse School), founder of DylanDoesBasketball, won a Tier 1 Marketing Package from UMiEconomy.
• Jase Malloy ’27 (School of Information Studies), founder of ErgoCraft, won a Tier 2 Marketing Package from UMiEconomy.
• Ethan Barone ’26 (Whitman School), founder of CaneCLamp, won a Tier 1 Intellectual Property Legal Package
• Jonathan “Jack” Wren ’26 (Whitman School) and John “Trey ” Adams III ’26 (Whitman School), founders of Happy Duck, won a Tier 2 Intellectual Property Legal Package

In addition to the pitch competition, the summit included interactive games and workshops around the importance of data in industries such as sports, healthcare, media and finance, and how startups can build long-term value beyond short-term deals.

The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) at  is accepting applications now through May 31 for the Alexander N. Charters Adult Education Grants-in-Aid program.

The grant, up to $5,000 depending on the proposal, is awarded to scholars or practitioners doing research using SCRC’s adult education collections. Decisions will be shared by June 15.

Details on the application process are available on the .

Alexander N. Charters (1916-2018) was an internationally recognized American expert in the field of adult and continuing education. Libraries has assembled historical documents and University records, including manuscript, print, visual and media materials related to adult education since 1949.

This material is known collectively as the Alexander N. Charters Library for Educators of Adults, in recognition of Charters’ efforts to promote and expand SCRC’s adult education holdings. Through the generosity of Charters, SCRC offers annual grants to one or more scholars or practitioners wishing to do research using SCRC’s adult education collections with the amount of the award dependent on the scope of the research outlined in the applicant’s proposal.

Syracuse University Libraries recognized its student employees with an awards celebration on April 20. The Libraries typically employs about 150 undergraduate and graduate students each year to contribute to the safety of Libraries’ spaces, the quality and repair of collections, and service support to patrons and student entrepreneurs.

Supervisors nominate student employees who have demonstrated dedicated service over time and significant contributions that have made a lasting impact on the Libraries.

The Libraries recognize these students through the generous support of Kathy and Stanley Walters, the family of Patricia Kutner Strait and the many donors to the Libraries Dean’s Fund.

In addition, this year the Libraries acknowledges Carole and Glenn Johnston for their gift in honor of their daughter, Beth Ann Johnson, who was killed in the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

“We are incredibly fortunate to work alongside our library student employees, whose energy, commitment and talent strengthen our community every day. In my role, I see firsthand the meaningful impact they have across our organization. Many of these students stay with us throughout their time at Syracuse University, growing into trusted and valued members of the SU Libraries community,” says David Seaman, dean of the Libraries and University Librarian.

2026 student award recipients and their respective Libraries departments are:

Kathy and Stanley Walters Student Employee Scholarship Awards

• Souleymane Bah ’26 (College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs), floor monitor, Libraries Facilities and Security
• Niah Edwards ’26 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications), public services student, Special Collections Research Center
• Grace Hoffman G’26 (College of Law), graduate assistant, Access and Resource Sharing
• Ava Lubkemann ’27 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), Orange Innovation Scholar, Strategic Initiatives
• Duyen Thum Pham ’26 (College of Visual and Performing Arts), student assistant, Access and Resource Sharing
• Katie Ryder ’26 (College of Visual and Performing Arts), preservation assistant, Access and Resource Sharing
• Alexander Schulz G’26 (School of Information Studies), Information Literacy Scholar, Information Literacy

Patricia Kutner Strait Student Scholarship Awards

• Mason Burley ’27 (School of Education), preservation assistant, Access and Resource Sharing
• Alani Henderson ’26 (College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs), floor monitor, Libraries Facilities and Security
• Anna Shuff G’26 (School of Information Studies), graduate student archivist, Special Collections Research Center
• Anthony Thomas ’26 (School of Information Studies), innovation mentor/marketing team lead, LaunchPad
• Sreynoch ‘Jess’ Van ’26 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications), photographer/videographer, Marketing and Communications

Dean’s Commendations Awards (in memory of Pan Am 103 victim Beth Ann Johnson)

• Hadja Fatoumata Barry ’26 (School of Information Studies), floor monitor, Libraries Facilities and Security
• Joel Carpenter G’26 (School of Information Studies), Information Literacy Scholar, Information Literacy
• James Harman ’26 (School of Information Studies), student worker, Access and Resource Sharing
• Iman Jamison G’26 (School of Information Studies), graduate instruction assistant, Special Collections Research Center
• Calvin Silver ’26 (School of Information Studies), public services reference, Special Collections Research Center
• Grace Suhadolnik ’26 (School of Information Studies), student worker, Learning and Academic Engagement
• Camren Wych’26 (College of Visual and Performing Arts), floor monitor, Libraries Facilities and Security

Honorable Recognitions:

• Khadija Kante ’26 (Arts and Sciences), floor monitor, Libraries Facilities and Security
• Philomena Kern’26 (School of Information Studies), student archival processing assistant, Special Collections Research Center
• Hannah Marosi G’26 (School of Information Studies), collections team graduate student worker, Department of Research and Scholarship
• Alexus Rowe ’26 (Arts and Sciences), floor monitor, Libraries Facilities and Security
• Mera Singh ’26 (School of Information Studies), floor monitor, Libraries Facilities and Security
• Fatumata ‘Nima’ Sow ’26 (School of Information Studies), floor monitor, Libraries Facilities and Security
• Haven Travis G’26 (School of Information Studies), graduate student assistant, Access and Resource Sharing
• Jiaying Wang ’26 (Arts and Sciences), public services student employee, Special Collections Research Center

Three Syracuse University Libraries’ LaunchPad student start-up teams won prizes in the finals of the , powered by Upstate Capital Association of NY, held in Albany on April 22.

Celes Buffard ’27 (School of Information Studies), founder of SecondWave, won the $10,000 first prize in the learn, work and live category. SecondWave combines financial literacy education with fractional real estate investing, starting with fix-and-flip properties and community development.

Nathan Brekke ’26 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), co-founder of Phloat LLC, won the $2,000 second prize in the products and hardware category. Phloat is a phone case that has an ultra-compact, deployable flotation feature that triggers in the event of a phone falling and sinking into deep water.

Frederick Zindell G’27 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of Renewed Roots, won a $500 best concept stage award in the health and wellbeing category. Renewed Roots is a sustainable alternative to traditional burial options.

The NYBPC attracts some of New York state’s best student entrepreneurs. The competition promotes entrepreneurial opportunities for college students from across the state who pitch their business plans to seasoned investors. Students also get to engage with mentors and judges from the business community.

The finals event connects students with business professionals, provides experiential learning opportunities through competitions, introduces entrepreneurs to available resources through the Entrepreneurship Expo and awards up to $100,000 in cash prizes to help seed new ventures.

This year 60 finalist teams from across the state participated in the competition.

Syracuse University Campus Dining will open and operate a full-service Starbucks inside Bird Library beginning at the start of the Fall 2026 semester. It will take the place of the existing Pages Café, with construction beginning in mid-May 2026 and continuing through late August. The Bird Library location will be the campus’s second full-service Starbucks, joining the café on the ground floor of the Campus West apartment building.

Campus community members can look forward to enjoying all of their favorite Starbucks beverages, food, snacks and merchandise right in the heart of campus.

“As the busiest café on campus, this renovation is exciting news for our campus community,” says Dean of Libraries David Seaman. “We believe the new Starbucks will drive even more student engagement to the Libraries while providing an important service to our students, faculty and staff.”

The transformation of the café in Bird Library follows a multi-year expansion of “We Proudly Serve” Starbucks locations to several other cafes on campus. These are not full-service Starbucks franchises, but cafes that can offer a wide range of Starbucks beverages (such as The Canteen in the National Veterans Resource Center).

The new Starbucks will be staffed entirely by University employees, mirroring the location on West Campus. Employees will undergo training from Starbucks prior to the grand opening.

“We know that our students love Starbucks,” says John Papazoglou, senior vice president and chief operations officer. “We are intent on continuing to bring exciting national brands to campus to enhance our dining options, and this is just the latest – after Choolaah and Yella’s in food.com, and Boar’s Head in Slocum Café. We look forward to providing the next steps in the evolution of our ���ǴDz�.”

More details about the new Starbucks location, including hours and full menu options, will be available closer to the start of the fall semester.