George Saunders on campus

“George Saunders is the author of more than a dozen books—from short story and essay collections to novels and a children’s book—that offer an incisive, comedic and urgent perspective on our world,” says David Steinberger, chair of the board of directors of the National Book Foundation. “Throughout his career, Saunders has captured the imagination of readers and mentored countless writers in and outside of the classroom. It is our honor to celebrate his oeuvre and creative generosity with the 2025 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.”

“Congratulations to George on this well-deserved honor. This achievement is yet another example of the high caliber of faculty nurturing our students,” says Behzad Mortazavi, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Saunders has earned numerous accolades throughout his literary career. His novel “Lincoln in the Bardo” won the 2017 Man Booker Prize; his short story collection “Liberation Day” was named one of President Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2022; and three of his works were featured in The New York Times’ list of the . Saunders’ upcoming novel, “Vigil,” set to be published by Random House on Jan. 27, 2026, follows oil company CEO K.J. Boone through a passage between life and death, where he must face the consequences of his actions.

Saunders will be presented with the DCAL Medal by Deborah Treisman, fiction editor at The New Yorker, at the 76th National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner on Nov. 19 in New York.

The 2025 Winston Fisher cohort at AlphaSights, an information services company, in midtown Manhattan.

With so many career possibilities open to them, how can students explore which fits their interests? The  offers a variety of programming to facilitate career exploration and readiness, such as .

Over spring break, a group of 17 A&S | Maxwell undergraduates had the chance to experience one of those immersion trips: the annual Winston Fisher Seminar in New York City, which allows undergraduate students from all majors across the and the to explore how their liberal arts education can be leveraged into a wide variety of careers in the business world.

Founded in 2006 by Fisher Brothers partner, AREA15 CEO, Dean’s Advisory Board member and Trustee Winston Fisher ’96, the weeklong Winston Fisher Seminar allows students to spend time developing and presenting business plans, touring different employers and gaining critical networking experience with recruiters and alumni.

During this year’s immersion, participants visited several high-profile organizations, including Penguin Random House, Major League Baseball, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Morgan Stanley, iHeartMedia and more.

“Connecting with the students throughout the week, hearing their business plans and learning about their aspirations is truly one of the highlights of my year,” Fisher says. “As a firm believer in the power of a liberal arts education, I’m excited to see where their journeys take them and the impact they’ll have on the world.”

“There’s no substitute for the first-hand knowledge and experience Winston’s seminar provides. In addition to gaining insight into the professional world and entrepreneurship, students build lasting relationships with peers and accomplished members of our alumni community,” says , director of employer and alumni engagement.

Check out these other photos from the 2025 Winston Fisher Seminar:

Students kick off the 2025 Winston Fisher Seminar with benefactor Winston Fisher ’96 at Fisher Brothers.

Students hear from an alumni panel led by policy studies alumna Kate Abogado ’20 at Deloitte.

Psychology and forensic science major Seth Cohen ’25 speaks with Charlamagne tha God on the set of The Breakfast Club.

On April 21, the hosted its annual Undergraduate Research Festival in the Milton Atrium of the Life Sciences Complex. Throughout the day, well over 100 undergraduate students presented their findings to fellow peers, faculty, staff and interested visitors.

With projects ranging from Experiences of Deaf Women in Reproductive Healthcare Settings (Katie Miles ’24 and Ainsley Rodio ’25) to Long-Term Single People’s Experiences of Being Single (Maxum O’Halloran ’23), the impressive science- and humanities-related research on display investigated past topics through a modern lens and explored the innovations of today and the future.

Chemistry major Jack Pocorobba with his project titled, “Forever Chemicals” No More: Photocatalytic Degradation of PFOA. (Photo provided by @suchemistry on Instagram)

Chemistry major Samantha Tran explaining her research to attendees. Her project was titled, “Flouroplatin” Pt(IV) Pro-Probes for Fluorescence Detection of Cisplatin by In-Situ Reduction and Co-Localization of a Blue Emitting Fluorophore.

Physics major Hong Boem Lee with his project, The Effect of Ionic Strength in MAP65 Binding to Microtubules. (Photo provided by @physicssyracuseu on Instagram)

Forensic Science major Natalia Y. Pedraza presented findings from her project, Recovering Trace Evidence from Archival Samples. (Photo provided by @SUForensics on Twitter)

This spring break, | students once again traveled to New York City to gain first-hand knowledge of how a liberal arts degree can prepare them for a career in business.

Thanks to the Winston Fisher Seminar—one of A&S | Maxwell’s signature learning experiences—students from a variety of majors had the opportunity to learn about internship and job opportunities with a range of employers, develop and present business plans, and make valuable connections with industry leaders, experts, alumni and recruiters. The seminar was founded by real estate developer, Dean’s Advisory Board and Trustee  Winston Fisher ’96. “Liberal arts has been important in my success. It taught me to think and write creatively, and to look at different patterns,” says Fisher, which is why he started this seminar.

During the weeklong trip, student participants visited top organizations including Centerview Partners, Ernst & Young, Latham & Watkins and Sotheby’s, among others, seeing memorable examples of successful professionals who have leveraged their liberal arts education into satisfying careers. Students were introduced to the wide range of options open to them in the metropolitan New York City area and ultimately came back to campus with a unique competitive advantage for their future, in whatever field they choose.

Take a look at scenes from this year’s Winston Fisher Seminar below.

Hien Truong ’25 and Bakary Darboe ’25 at Fisher Brothers real estate firm, one of the many destinations visited during this year’s Winston Fisher immersion.

Throughout their NYC excursion, participants had the chance to build relationships with one another—and enjoy New York’s unique views.

At Morton’s Steakhouse, students gained invaluable networking experience with alumni and recruiters through a networking dinner.