Andrea-Rose Oates ’26 can relate to the mix of feelings new students may face as they arrive at ���ϲ����� for Welcome Week.

It was only three years ago that Oates embarked on her own Orange journey as a dual major studying public relations in the and policy studies in the and the .

Andrea-Rose Oates

On , Oates will address the Class of 2029 inside the JMA Wireless Dome as the New Student Convocation speaker, sharing her insights about being a new student.

“I didn’t know what I was doing. But that’s the beauty of move-in. I was extremely nervous as most new students are, but I was also excited about the possibilities,” Oates says. “You’re about to step into this new chapter of your life and the University is there to help you get started.”

SU News caught up with Oates to learn more about her favorite memories from her first year on campus, her life-changing summer internship with NBCUniversal and her advice to the new students in the Class of 2029.

1. She made close friends on day one.

“I was blessed to live in Sadler Hall and my first year was truly the best year of my life. What makes ���ϲ����� truly great is the people. I was fortunate to meet some of my very best friends on day one of college. I found my people, my Sadler family. We ate dinner together and hung out together and it made me feel at home. I met so many people who were from all different walks of life and that’s something I loved and appreciated.”

“I was fortunate to meet some of my very best friends on day one of college. I found my people, my Sadler family,” Oates says.

2. She found joy in her many ���ϲ����� experiences.

“At the end of my freshman year, I joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. We formed immediate friendships and bonds that made ���ϲ����� feel even more like home. My advice is to find what makes you feel comfortable, what makes you feel like you’re at home. Find your people, your hobbies, your niche. That’s what makes your experience at ���ϲ����� 20 times better because that’s where you find joy and can be the most authentic version of yourself.”

3. She focused on her own journey.

“I learned something new every month on campus, but my big three for when I was a freshman are the following:

1. Don’t compare your college experience to the experience your friends on campus or at other schools are having.
2. It’s OK to be alone. Learn to be comfortable when you have those moments when you’re by yourself on campus.
3. Your friends in college will change. It’s easy to meet friends on the first day and think these are your friends for the next four years. They could be, but we’re here for four years and it’s all about growing and meeting new people.”

4. She tells intentionally impactful stories.

“This is the internship I’ve wished for my whole life. To be at 30 Rock in the position I’m in has been a life-changing experience. I’m working for not only NBC 4 but the national NBC team and I wanted to be very intentional with how I approached this internship. Anytime I’m writing a story I want to make sure I’m not only delivering the most accurate coverage, but that I’m also appealing to the different types of audiences for the stories I’m writing.”

“This is the internship I’ve wished for my whole life,” Oates says.

5. She always embraces the small moments.

“My speech will have a lot of life lessons I’ve learned, including meeting new people, putting yourself out there and embracing life’s small moments. That’s something important I had to learn early on. College isn’t about the big moments; it’s about embracing those small moments and always being present, whether it’s dinner in the dining hall, studying in Bird Library with your friends or walking through the Schine [Student Center].”

���ϲ����� professor J. Christopher Hamilton has worked for a number of media conglomerates, including Paramount Global, as a business executive and lawyer. He says the federal government’s role in this merger and the conditions attached to it could reshape American media in a number of ways.

In a corporate climate where politically sensitive programming can suddenly be deemed expendable, perception may matter as much as reality.

J. Christopher Hamilton

• “The timing raises uncomfortable questions. Just days before the deal closed, BET indefinitely suspended its Hip-Hop and Soul Train Awards, two of the most visible televised celebrations of Black culture. Official statements cited low ratings, but is it a coincidence that this decision came as the merged entity was navigating federal approval tied to DEI pullbacks? In a corporate climate where politically sensitive programming can suddenly be deemed expendable, perception may matter as much as reality.”

Prof. Hamilton says the decisions made by Paramount Skydance in its early days will set the tone for the merger.

• “Will we see a steady retreat from politically or culturally challenging material? Will “mainstream appeal” be the new euphemism for risk-averse, government-friendly content? Or will the company’s tech-driven growth strategy open new lanes for diverse, innovative storytelling despite the rollback of formal DEI policies?”

If this merger becomes the template for future government-blessed media deals, the cost may be far greater than the $8 billion on the balance sheet.

J. Christopher Hamilton

Prof. Hamilton adds there’s no question that the new combined company is stronger than either Paramount or Skydance could have been on their own.

• “But in this marriage, the real test won’t be whether it can outgun Disney or Netflix; it will be whether it can prove that political conditions don’t mean cultural compromise. Because if this merger becomes the template for future government-blessed media deals, the cost may be far greater than the $8 billion on the balance sheet.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
cjmunoz@syr.edu

The former television anchor and reporter returned from a three-week Fulbright Specialist experience in Kosovo, where he trained journalists at the country’s public service broadcaster, Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), as part of the New Trends in Communication project.

Adornato, associate professor and chair of broadcast and digital journalism in the , went into the field with reporters, covering a variety of stories, and led sessions on social media and audience engagement.

“It was such a rewarding experience,” Adornato says. “I was welcomed with open arms and felt right at home at RTK.”

Below, he reflects on the experience and his continued collaboration with RTK.

Please tell us a little about RTK.

Ilire Zajmi, at left, director of training for RTK, and Anthony Adornato, center, watch the work going on in the RTK control room.

RTK was established after the Kosovo War (February 1998 to June 1999) and operates both radio and television platforms. As Kosovo’s national broadcaster, RTK plays a vital role in delivering news across the country. Its services are available through both terrestrial and satellite networks, reaching not only people in Kosovo but also members of the significant Kosovar diaspora who left the country after the war.

RTK provides programming in both Albanian and Serbian, reflecting the country’s linguistic diversity. While it is primarily funded through the state budget, this financial structure has raised ongoing concerns about editorial independence and long-term sustainability.

What kind of training did you give, and what are some of the trends and best practices that you shared with the journalists?

Anthony Adornato, at right, with RTK journalist Qëndresa Duraku Xharra

I worked closely with both the social media and website teams, as well as with journalists in the main newsroom. I had the chance to go into the field with journalists to cover a variety of stories, including a court case involving a politician and the environmental effects of a polluted river on a local neighborhood. These stories were featured in RTK’s national evening news.

In addition to fieldwork, I led hands-on sessions focused on mobile journalism, multimedia storytelling and social media strategy. The social media team quickly applied new Instagram approaches we developed together, aiming to offer followers more meaningful content and interaction. We also explored such current trends as solutions journalism and audience engagement tactics—approaches that help news organizations build trust and connect more deeply with their communities.

Kosovo is a young democracy. How critical is RTK’s work there?

RTK’s role is absolutely critical. Witnessing efforts to build democratic systems, particularly a free press, was incredibly impactful. As a public broadcaster, RTK is central to informing citizens, promoting transparency and contributing to a shared national identity in a post-conflict society.

It also plays an important role in countering disinformation from foreign actors. Russia—and to some extent Serbia—are known to push disinformation in Kosovo as part of broader regional strategies in the Balkans. These narratives often aim to undermine Kosovo’s independence and state institutions and promote anti-democratic sentiment.

What similarities/differences have you seen between media in Kosovo and the United States?

One of the most striking similarities is the shared passion for journalism. In both countries, journalists are deeply committed to truth-telling and serving the public interest. While Kosovo’s media sector operates with more limited resources and infrastructure, the core values of journalism—accuracy, accountability and integrity—are clearly present.

Anthony Adornato, center, is pictured with, from left, Gjergj Anton Filipaj (RTK), Nora Nimani Musa (program coordinator, American Councils for International Education, Kosovo), Ilire Zajmi (RTK) and Bekim Shehu (RTK).

RTK journalists work under challenging conditions, with outdated equipment, staffing shortages and low wages. Despite these hurdles, they remain dedicated to providing reliable information to the public. The challenges they face highlight the resilience and determination of those working in public media.

RTK faces significant challenges common to public media in transitional democracies, including threats to editorial independence, given that it is government funded, and lack of sustainable funding. Currently, RTK is navigating a severe financial crisis due to the failure of institutions to allocate the legally approved budget. The International and European Federations of Journalists, along with the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, have urged authorities to ensure stable funding for RTK.

Will your collaboration with the RTK journalists continue into the future?

We ended my stay by discussing future visits and ongoing collaboration. I see this Fulbright Specialist experience as just the beginning of a long-term partnership. Now that I understand RTK’s internal operations and have developed strong relationships with many of the journalists, we’re brainstorming ways to continue knowledge-sharing and training well beyond this initial visit.

What would you say to fellow faculty who might be interested in pursuing a similar Fulbright experience?

A Fulbright—whether through the Specialist Program or the U.S. Scholar Program—is personally and professionally enriching in ways that exceeded my expectations. It offers a unique opportunity to share your expertise while also learning from colleagues abroad.

Fulbright experiences often lead to longer-term collaborations. For example, in 2021 I was a Fulbright Scholar in Italy. After teaching a mobile and social media journalism course to Italian master’s students in Milan, I’ve been invited back each year, and the course is now a regular part of the curriculum. If you are applying for a Fulbright Scholar, you’ll want to time that with a sabbatical because these are typically a minimum of a semester. The Fulbright Specialist program is shorter-term, so even those who are not eligible for a sabbatical could easily make this work.

Look at the required application materials. That will give you an idea of the time commitment. Also, chat with those who have taken part in the Fulbright program. There is a CNY Fulbright Chapter that could be of help too—the members have taken part in some type of Fulbright and include professors and practitioners.

Two faculty volunteers with the (��ճ���)’s ��received a new internal award recognizing their achievements in maintaining academic integrity standards and policies across the University.

Academic Integrity Outstanding Service Awards were presented to , associate dean for academic affairs in the , and , assistant teaching professor of in the .

The recipients “go well above and beyond for our department,” says Kate Marzen, CTLE assistant director of academic expectations. “We could not fulfill our responsibilities and commitment to the ���ϲ����� community without the amazing volunteers involved in this program.”

Aileen Gallagher

Gallagher has been deeply involved with academic integrity, Marzen says. During the 2024-25 academic year, Gallagher served as academic integrity coordinator for the Newhouse School, spearheading campaigns to share procedural updates, creating a sense of faculty buy-in and modeling positive academic integrity collaborations. She previously supported the academic integrity office in every possible capacity, providing comprehensive case submission, faculty interview completion and faculty panelist service. “These are roles that require diligence, attention to detail and balance between student empathy and policy implementation, which Aileen has mastered,” Marzen says.

Laura Lisnyczyj

Lisnyczyj continually provides valuable feedback from a faculty perspective, which has helped the academic integrity team improve the academic integrity seminar, faculty reporting forms and policy violation and sanction classification rubric, Marzen says. “She is also an academic integrity champion in the classroom, helping students navigate situations and questions, modeling positive academic integrity behavior and teaching the importance of self-advocacy, following course/assignment expectations and asking questions if a student lacks clarity. Her unrelenting student-centeredness and focus makes her beyond deserving of this award,” Marzen says.

The academic integrity team implements and supports the University’s academic integrity policies and procedures. They work with faculty, instructors, students and staff to promote understanding of the University’s academic integrity policy and coordinate its administration, and they maintain records of all academic integrity cases. The team also creates online resources for classroom use, joins faculty in making academic integrity presentations and is available for consultation about academic integrity standards. The team consists of two full-time employees, several part-time student panelists, a spring practicum student and a pool of volunteers.

“The day my dad died, part of me died too including my identity,” Mahoney says.

The tragedy thrust Mahoney, a seasoned journalist, into an unfamiliar position. Suddenly, she was the subject of the story rather than the one covering it. She found herself conflicted when interview requests began flooding her inbox.

“I was honestly torn on whether I should speak out or not,” she says. “I had spent a decade asking people to share their hard stories with me. Ultimately, I said yes to doing interviews because I wanted to show the world that my dad was a human being who shouldn’t have had to run for his life in a grocery store parking lot.”

Questions Lead to Connections

What began as a desire to honor her father’s memory evolved into something much larger. The shooting left Mahoney with many questions and the reporter within her needed to find the answers.

Four years later, Mahoney has created a podcast that not only tells her story but explores what she calls the “web of pain”—the far-reaching impacts and unexpected connections that extend well beyond the immediate victims of mass violence.

“I’m really asking people to walk with me from the day of the shooting through the trial and the years in between when I’m grappling with grief and trauma,” Mahoney says.

One of the most surprising discoveries in Mahoney’s journey was finding love stories emerging from tragedy. In the third episode of “Senseless,” she shares the story of Logan, a store employee who survived the shooting and helped others to safety, and Olivia, who lost her mother in the attack. The two survivors eventually found each other and fell in love while processing their shared trauma.

“So often we talk about the hard parts of grief and it’s so hard, but there are also some beautiful things to come out of it,” Mahoney says.

Newhouse Training

“Senseless” is built on a foundation of research, interviews and storytelling—journalism skills Mahoney learned in college and has sharpened throughout her professional life in broadcasting.

“Newhouse has been fundamental in my career as a TV reporter, a radio reporter and now as a podcaster,” she says. “I still have professors’ comments in the back of my head. They’re still there.”

However, Mahoney acknowledges she can’t be objective, a tenet of journalism, while producing the podcast. Sharing this personal story requires her to be vulnerable, raw and real. “It would be disingenuous to pretend that it didn’t happen to me,” she says.

A Message of Hope

The transition from daily news reporting to long-form podcasting has allowed Mahoney to explore stories with unprecedented depth. She says she’s discovered the power of patient storytelling, which has required a significant adjustment to her usual process but has proven transformative.

“What I hope people take away is that we can get on the other side of these hard, hard things,” Mahoney says. “That we can find joy again.”

She says she’s learned how to find joy through the process of producing her podcast and sharing her story. She also feels a sense of pride; she’s proud of the podcast and proud of herself for “getting back up after this.”

“I would give it all back to have my dad back,” Mahoney says. “But I’ve learned to slow down, live boldly, raise my voice. I think life is so much shorter than we really think it is.”

Check out�� featuring Mahoney. A transcript [PDF]��is also available.

Larry Swiader

Instructional design program alumnus Lawrence “Larry” Swiader ’89, G’93 has built a career at the intersection of storytelling, education and technology—a path that’s taken him from the early days of analog editing as a student in the to leading cutting-edge educational projects using artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) at the .

Today, as chief digital officer of the Trust, Swiader leverages a blend of media expertise and instructional design to bring history to life for everyone from elementary school students to tourists to amateur historians.

Ask the Right Questions

A ���ϲ����� native, Swiader first attended the University for television production. “I started my undergrad using a typewriter,” he says. “By my master’s degree, I was using a Macintosh, during the period that served as the beginning of what would become the World Wide Web.”

After earning an undergraduate degree, he worked in television production, before following his future wife—fellow Newhouse School graduate Zoe Leoudaki G’89—to Greece. There, Swiader began teaching alongside his media work: “I really loved the classroom experience, and I started to look for a way to marry those two worlds: media and education.”

That search led him back to ���ϲ�����—this time to the School of Education’s (IDDE) program. “It was a great opportunity to go back home,” Swiader says. “���ϲ�����’s instructional design program not only taught me how to use technology and media to help people learn but also instilled in me the importance of evaluation—how to ask the right questions and measure success. That mindset has stayed with me ever since.”

He next moved into the corporate world, joining UPS, where he developed instructor-led and computer-based training modules. One memorable module trained employees to spot over-labeling—a fraud technique—using a “Mission Impossible” theme to keep learners engaged. “You want to hold people’s attention,” he says about designing online trainings. “Gamifying learning is one way to do that.”

But history and cultural education were always his passion. An earlier stint at the Foundation of the Hellenic World in Athens—a virtual museum project—gave Swiader his first taste of what would become a lifelong commitment to museum-based education. “It’s really a labor of love,” he says.

Start With the Learner

In 1998, Swiader moved to Washington, D.C., to join the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. There, over the course of a decade, he helped develop digital educational resources that deepened public understanding of one of the darkest chapters in history.

That role was followed by another impactful chapter at The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (now called “Power to Decide”), where he led development of the award-winning hub , a digital birth control support network.

“In instructional design, we talk about the domains of learning: cognitive, psychomotor and affective,” he says. “Behavior change happens in the affective domain—changing attitudes. That was the focus of Bedsider, understanding what prevented people from using birth control effectively and designing media that responded to those insights.”

The American Battlefield Trust team is preparing for America’s Semiquincentennial, marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed.

Now at the American Battlefield Trust, Swiader continues to blend storytelling with strategy, overseeing digital tools and educational programs that preserve and promote American history. The Trust’s websites, mobile apps and virtual teacher institutes all reflect his core instructional philosophy: Start with the learner.

Whether it’s museum visitors or UPS drivers, you have to understand the user, he says: “Empathy belongs at the center of instructional design, design thinking and even social marketing. Too often, we get excited about a tool—like AR or AI—and go looking for a problem to solve. I believe, first understand the problem. Then find the right tool.”

Ever More Accessible

Swiader’s work increasingly incorporates emerging technology—particularly AI. “AI helps us be more productive,” he says, pointing to its role in content generation and voiceover production. For example, staff use it to generate a daily quiz featured on social media. Creation of these can be very time consuming, Swiader says, but AI can create quick first drafts that his team can then edit and customize.

Additionally, many of the apps rely on presenting audio versions of stories: “Rather than be burdened by the cost and expense of using voiceover talent in every circumstance, we can now use AI and only hire talent when it makes sense. This new ability allows us to create more content—apps, web presentations—than we would have before.”

A concern, he stresses, is the ethical responsibilities around using AI. “We need to be transparent with our audiences about its use,” he says. “Still, I’m excited about the potential in AI to help us make history ever more accessible.”

A current project Swiader is excited about is , a mobile battlefield tour app and website that will soon include tour sites in New York state. “Nearly one-third of the battles of the American Revolution were fought in New York,” he says. This project will start with battlefield tours for the Oriskany, Newtown and Bennington state historic sites before expanding to others, such as Saratoga and Johnstown. Each battlefield will feature a walking tour within the corresponding park and will encourage visitors to drive to partner sites, historic markers and local museums.

Bring History to Life

Reflecting on his journey, Swiader credits his mentors—the Newhouse School’s Richard Breyer and Peter Moller and the School of Education’s Nick Smith, Rob Branch and Phil Doughty—for shaping his approach.

Although Swiader incorporates the latest digital tools into the American Battlefield Trust’s educational offerings, he says, “Don’t chase shiny tools … Let the problem guide the solution.”

In fact, an anecdote from Branch about solving the “real problem” behind an issue has stuck with him. The challenge: A slow elevator. One solution is to replace it. “That would be a very expensive solution,” he says. “But another is to put in a mirror. This addresses the problem, which was not necessarily the elevator being slow, but people complaining about the elevator being slow … a mirror gives people something to do.”

He found this to be a smart example of how we’re designing for the wrong things: “We too often come up with solutions without trying to really understand what the problem is.”

As the U.S. prepares for its semiquincentennial, Swiader sees digital education playing a critical role. “From Lexington and Concord in 2025 to Yorktown in 2031, we have an opportunity to help people reconnect with our history,” he says, referring to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. “We’ll use audio and video storytelling, along with AR, to bring history to life. It’ll be like walking with the best possible guide in your pocket.”

His advice for current IDDE students? “Write well. It’s still the foundation for everything—from audio scripts to web content.” And don’t chase shiny tools, he adds: “Let the problem guide the solution.”

Story by Ashley Kang ’04, G’11

The immersive trip, led by Bandier Program Director Bill Werde and Imraan Farukhi, associate professor of television, radio and film, took students to Mexico City; Bogotá and Medellín, Colombia; and Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil; and included more than 75 meetings with top executives from companies like Universal Music Group, Sony, Warner Music, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon and Live Nation.

The goal of the trip was to give students a firsthand look at how the global music business operates in emerging markets. “With music subscription growth leveling off in mature markets like the United States, there’s a massive push to grow new subscribers in regions like Latin America,” says Werde. “These trips are about immersing students in culturally rich hubs and provoking them to think about how to ethically engage these markets.”

Bandier students and faculty toured famed urban reclamation zone Comuna 13 in Medellín, Colombia.

For Bandier student Emmett Milberg ’27, one of the most memorable moments came in Medellín, where the group visited Karol G’s label, Bichota Records. “We got to meet her team, tour the office and even visit her restaurant and nightclub,” he says. “It was incredible to see the machine behind one of the most prominent faces of this cultural shift. It really reinforced my love for Latin music and made me want to pursue a career that involves this region.”

Bria Lewis ’26, another student on the trip, was most impressed by a visit to Carlos Vives’ “Vives Universe” in Bogotá. “Carlos Vives himself gave us a tour, but what really stuck with me was the music school,” she says. “The kids performed for us, and we even got to play instruments with them. It reminded me that music is about culture, connection and creating moments that bring people together.”

Students enjoy a tour of Vives Universe led by legendary Colombian singer Carlos Vives (back row, third from left). The compound includes a school, studios, a record label and a restaurant where the group dined.

The trip also challenged students to think beyond a U.S.-centric view of the industry. “Artist development in Latin America often starts with culture and authenticity, not virality,” Lewis says. “Executives emphasized that identity isn’t just part of the strategy. It’s the foundation.”

Students also gained insight into the complexities of the Latin American market. Lewis noted the unique challenges artists face when trying to cross over between Spanish-speaking countries and Brazil, where Portuguese is the dominant language. “Each country has its own ecosystem and way of working,” Lewis says. “Success in one place doesn’t always translate to another.” Beyond the boardrooms and studios, students experienced the region’s rich cultural heritage, from the Teotihuacan pyramids in Mexico to the Christ the Redeemer landmark in Brazil. They also attended music festivals in Mexico and Brazil, and spent nights out at shows and clubs, gaining a deeper appreciation for the local music scenes.

Students learned about trends in Colombian music from team leaders at Spotify Colombia, the leading subscription service in that market.

Werde emphasized that these experiences are as much about personal growth as professional development. “It’s incredible to see students’ confidence and resilience blossom during these excursions,” he says. “Some are traveling for the first time. Others are stepping far outside their comfort zones. But all of them return with a fuller, more accurate sense of the world and their place in it.”

The president of Warner Music Brazil, Leila Oliveira, became professor for a day, teaching the group about trends in the market she runs.

Ben Nichols, founder of the firm Padel 22, plays Padel. (Photo courtesy of Padel 22)

Why all the racket about Padel? Students and faculty in the collaborated with a global communications consulting firm to release a report about the emerging sport’s rapid rise in popularity.

The report, “Celebrities, Community, Content, and Competition: Padel’s Meteoric Rise in U.S. Popularity,” identifies key reasons behind the explosive growth of Padel, a racket sport that combines elements of tennis and squash.

Factors include more ways to stream Padel tournaments, an increase in community-focused clubs and the influence of celebrity enthusiasts like actress Eva Longoria and Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter.

“Padel in the U.S. won’t be just a sport—it will be a cultural phenomenon,” says Ben Nichols, founder of the firm, . “We’re seeing the same kind of momentum that once launched pickleball, but this time with a broader lifestyle appeal.”

Baneet Bains G’25 led the Newhouse students that produced the report through the Padel 22 partnership. They were supervised by , professor of practice of public relations and associate dean for strategic initiatives in the Newhouse School.

“As a former PR student myself, a big part of my mission is to support students in finding their way into the sport industry at a time when Padel is growing rapidly across the country,” says Nichols.

“To have been able to partner with one of the very best public relations programs in the United States has been an honor,” he says. “I’m thrilled Newhouse has been able to blaze the trail in the college sector by producing this industry-first report.”

What Is Padel and Why Is It Booming?

Padel is typically played in pairs, as doubles, on an enclosed court that is about one-third the size of a tennis court. In Padel, balls can be played off the walls.

There is some social media-fueled debate about how to pronounce the word. Nichols said the correct pronunciation is “PA-dell” (like “paddle”), though some players in the United States call it “pah-DEL.”

Either way, it’s considered the world’s fastest-growing sport, the report said. In the United States, Padel has gained traction through celebrity endorsements, increased exposure through digital content and investment in elite clubs and tournaments.

According to the Padel report released Wednesday, U.S. court construction skyrocketed from fewer than 30 in 2020 to more than 600 in 2024, with projections of 30,000 by 2030.

“Media growth and engagement serves as one of the key drivers of the success of emerging sports across the U.S.,” says , director of the . “The report shows that a combination of celebrity influence, community activation and content creation are all key drivers in Padel’s emergence.”

Hands-on Learning at the Newhouse School

For the Newhouse team, the collaboration offered students a valuable opportunity to work on a high-profile project about an emerging sports trend, the first research of its kind about Padel in the United States.

“Providing students with hands-on learning opportunities in global sport communications is central to the Newhouse approach of integrating classroom knowledge with real-world impact,” Horn says. “This academic-industry intersection defines the value of a Newhouse educational experience, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, thanks to our industry partners and their desire to help our students succeed.”

Bains, who graduated in May, led a team that ranged from first-year to graduate students.

“This project was the ultimate hands-on experience of what we’ve been learning in the classroom,” she says, “working together in a setting that mimicked a professional environment.”

.

This past January, Executive Director of Esports Joey Gawrysiak (left) and Gen.G CEO Arnold Hur announced a multi-year partnership designed to enhance student engagement opportunities with such events as the Campus Takeover in September.

���ϲ����� and global esports and gaming organization have opened general registration at for its first Campus Takeover Sept. 20-21. The two-day conference will bring students and administrators to ���ϲ����� to highlight career opportunities within the esports industry and various ways in which students can use esports for project-based learning within the careers of their choice.

Campus Takeover will offer diverse programming headlined by the first-ever national Esports Business Case Study Competition for undergraduate students interested in esports, traditional sports and gaming. The event will also feature daily keynote presentations, industry panels for collegiate esports professionals, career panels for students interested in working for the esports industry and daily networking events. Campus Takeover will feed into the University’s from Sept. 22-26 hosted by .

“When we announced our multiyear partnership with ���ϲ����� in December, we committed to enhancing student engagement opportunities,” says Gen.G CEO Arnold Hur. “Campus Takeover will provide that opportunity for anyone interested in esports and gaming to learn more about our industry and build an impactful career.”

Executive Director of Esports Joey Gawrysiak addresses the audience at the grand opening of the Gaming and Esports Center in the Schine Student Center.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to bring Gen.G’s award-winning Campus Takeover event to ���ϲ�����,” says Executive Director of Esports . “This partnership represents more than just a high-profile esports event—it’s an opportunity for students, faculty and staff across disciplines and institutions to come together.

“Campus Takeover will showcase what makes esports such a powerful connector in education,” Gawrysiak adds. “We can’t wait to have everyone on our campus as we offer dynamic programming that focuses on professional development, competition and collaboration.”

Gen.G and ���ϲ����� have also partnered on the, which offers students the opportunity to take part in an intensive, three-week program to study in South Korea. This programming complements the innovative at the University offered jointly by the ��and the , which on July 1, 2025, will launch as the first college on a high-research activity campus to focus on sport-related disciplines.

The esports program includes three tracks: esports business and management, esports communications, and esports media and design. It prepares students for an exciting career in esports and related industries through classes in event management and marketing, broadcasting/production, communications, content creation, entrepreneurship, strategic communications and esports experience and design.

Noah (left) and Ian Eagle on the broadcast set at NBC

There’s a new father-son sportscasting team on the national scene, one with a decidedly Orange background: Ian ’90 and Noah Eagle ’19.

Ian finished his second year as the lead announcer for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and has crafted an award-winning career calling NFL, NBA and college basketball games on a variety of national broadcast networks. He’s also the longtime Brooklyn Nets TV announcer for the YES Network.

Noah is a rising star, working the Super Bowl and serving as the voice of Team USA basketball at the Olympics, the radio voice of the Los Angeles Clippers, and broadcasting French Open tennis and countless primetime college football and basketball games.

“When Noah was calling Team USA basketball games at the Summer Olympics, I was watching as a fan but also as a proud father and as a broadcaster who studies what the broadcaster is saying and what information they’re using in the moment,” Ian says. “I was blown away by Noah’s calls, his coverage and his choice of words in the moment. He crushed it, and he’ll always have that moment for the rest of his life.”

Noah Eagle (left) served as the voice of Team USA basketball at the Summer Olympics.

Growing up, Noah always saw how excited his dad was calling games and thought it could be a fun career option to pursue.

“I see it’s possible and knew what to expect with this job and what comes with it, but I didn’t do anything with that until I got to ���ϲ�����,” Noah says. “By the time I got there as a freshman, I was singularly focused and really had a feeling of what I wanted to do so I could attack it.”

The Eagles were both nominated for a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Personality/Play-by-Play, and on June 30, Ian will receive the National Sportscaster of the Year Award from the National Sports Media Association.

Ian Eagle (far left) wrapped up his second season as the lead announcer for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Sportscasting and a love for ���ϲ����� runs in the Eagle family. Ian earned a broadcast journalism degree and Noah earned a broadcast and digital journalism degree from the . Ian’s wife, Alisa (Terry) Eagle ’90, earned a retailing degree from what is now the , and his daughter, Erin ’21, earned an advertising degree from Newhouse.

In honor of Father’s Day, the Eagles stopped by the “’Cuse Conversations” podcast to discuss their special bond and reflect on the important role ���ϲ����� has played in their lives.

Check out�� featuring Ian and Noah Eagle. A transcript [PDF]��is also available.

How special is it to share a profession with Noah?

Ian Eagle: The pride that you have as a dad that your child is interested in what you do and interested at a level that they want to pursue it, and they want to make it their life’s work—it’s been more than I could have ever expected.

The conversations we now have are nuanced, because it’s not just dad and kid, it’s someone that fully understands what I’ve done, and now I’m living vicariously through him as he goes through navigating those experiences.

How would you describe your relationship with him?

Noah Eagle: He’s meant everything to me. The best thing he’s done was to stay as hands-off as possible unless I came to him and really wanted help. But for the most part, he let me learn for myself and enjoy everything else that comes with this job by myself.

He was always there as a sounding board. I’m incredibly thankful that we’re in the position right now where we’re both doing great events and we both get to share those experiences together.

What are some of your lasting memories of raising Noah?

Ian Eagle: Sports is the connection we’ll always have. He was really into sports at a young age, which was very similar to me. When he was 6 or 7 years old, he was studying the stats and learning the names and backgrounds of athletes. That’s a bond any sports fan can share.

But the more important part for our relationship was his love for TV, movies and music. We watched all the classic movies of the 1970s and 1980s that shaped me as a person, from “Animal House,” and “Stripes,” to “Blues Brothers,” and “Caddyshack.” That he has so much love and appreciation for that and can quote lines from my favorite movies is probably more at the core of our relationship than sports.

What are some of your favorite memories of growing up with your dad?

Noah Eagle: We had a lot of great games that I got to go to with him and those are memories that stick out forever. There were certain times on birthdays where he would take me on trips, including the first time I ever got to fly by myself was meeting him going to a Duke basketball game when I turned 14. It’s more so the little moments in the house or going out to dinner to California Pizza Kitchen. Those are the memories that stick out the most.

What does it mean to be an alumnus of ���ϲ�����?

Ian Eagle: It is the backbone of what I do. I showed up and had nothing other than a dream of what I wanted to do. Everything I learned was based on that school and that experience and the people I came in contact with and the people that took me under their wing. I never would have met my wife, my soulmate, without ���ϲ�����. For our kids to go there and experience ���ϲ����� is so special.

Noah Eagle: My mom best described it when we went to visit. The sun was shining, everyone was smiling and you could feel this kinetic energy around campus. My mom and I walk onto the Quad and she says, “This is my happy place.” I asked why she said that, and she said, “You’ll understand one day if you come.” She was right. Every time I come back, the special memories flood your brain.

Ian and Noah Eagle shared a special moment in February of 2018 when Ian was calling the ���ϲ����� vs. Miami men’s basketball game for CBS and Noah was broadcasting for WAER-FM.

Note: This conversation has been edited for brevity.

���ϲ����� Libraries’ Blackstone LaunchPad welcomed new members of the Founders Circle from the Class of 2025.

welcomed 34 graduates of the Class of 2025 as new members of the Founders Circle. They were selected in recognition of launching or leading ventures at the University while students, as well as contributing to building the Blackstone LaunchPad. The Founders Circle is a group of dedicated LaunchPad alumni entrepreneurs and innovation professionals, who plan to continue to be mentors and role models for current students. They exemplify the University’s spirit of entrepreneurship.

“This group of LaunchPad graduates were unbelievably driven and proactively looked for and leveraged every opportunity and connection to move the needle forward with their respective ventures,” says Traci Geisler, director of the LaunchPad. “By the time they graduated, some of these students had ventures in market generating revenue, some started their next venture, some raised thousands of dollars in capital and some have hired employees. We’re excited to see what’s next for them and how they will continue to change their communities for the better.”

• Adam Thomson, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
• Aditee Malviya G’25, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Adya Parida, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Aidan R Turner, School of Architecture
• Alie Savane, College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Anjaneya Padwal G’25, School of Information Studies
• Anthony Smith, Newhouse School
• Anthony Thomas, School of Information Studies
• Asha Breedlove, Newhouse School
• Bakary Darboe, Maxwell School
• Bryson Carter, Newhouse School
• Cesar Sassoon, School of Information Studies
• Dhwani Vora G’25, School of Information Studies
• Dominique Camp G’25, David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
• Donovan Capdeville, College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Elizabeth Paulin, College of Arts and Sciences
• Emily Santiago, School of Information Studies
• Fatim Batrou Cisse G’25, Falk College
• Grace�� Conturso, School of Information Studies
• Julie Gross, College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Kathryn Kelley, Newhouse School
• Lindy Truitt, College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Megan Kane, Newhouse School
• Mian Hamid, School of Information Studies
• Nicholas Panetta, Martin J. Whitman School of Management
• Oliver Raycroft, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Paula Ibelings, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Skylar Takac, Whitman School and Newhouse School
• Stacy Collier, Newhouse School
• Sydney Moore G25, Whitman School
• Thomas O’Brien, College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Tosin Alabi G’25, Whitman School
• Tyler Marma G’25, Newhouse School
• Waqar Hussain G’25, Whitman School

Robert Thompson

Newhouse School and University Professor Bob Thompson was for his long-running lecture series that uses classic television to bridge generational divides and spark important conversation. The segment, produced by NBC’s Brian Cheung ’15—a University alumnus and University Scholar—highlights Thompson’s “Tuesdays with Bleier.”

For 18 years, this weekly gathering has brought together students, faculty and staff to watch and discuss unedited television broadcasts from decades past—from “Howdy Doody,” “The Flying Nun” and “The Brady Bunch,” to early YouTube clips. The weekly luncheon discussion explores how television has shaped and reflected American culture, while fostering intergenerational dialogue through shared media experiences.

NBC’s coverage emphasized the emotional and educational impact of the class. One student shared how a clip from “Howdy Doody” helped him connect with his grandmother, who was in the late stages of dementia. Another noted how the class gave her new ways to relate to her parents through pop culture references, while another brought his mom and dad to one of Thompson’s discussions.

Thompson told NBC, “If you want to understand the country we live in, you have to understand its presidencies, the wars its fought, its political parties. But you also have to understand its lawn ornaments, its love songs, and its sitcoms.”

Tuesday’s at Bleier take place in Thompson’s office in Newhouse 3, every Tuesday at noon, and are open to all.

At the New York City Clio Sports Award Show in December 2024, the student team comprised of art director Jack Wojtowicz and copywriter Micaela Kraker won three Clio Sports Awards: two Bronze Awards and one Shortlist Award. They won for their campaign “One Eagles Nation” for Duolingo.

The student team comprised of art director Meiling Xiong and copywriter Maggie Mallon won a Silver Clio Entertainment Award for their campaign “Real Housewives of Duolingo” at the Los Angeles Entertainment Clio Award Show in November 2024.

The awarded campaigns were created in professor of practice ’s Portfolio III course, the culminating course for at the Newhouse School, where students learn to create conceptually strong, integrated campaigns using mediums including emerging technologies, digital, outdoor and experiential.

The Clio Sports Awards celebrate the best in global sports advertising. Only five winners worldwide were selected in the student category, and��“One Eagles Nation”��was one of them, earning a Bronze Award. It also won a second Bronze in the student category, where only eight winners were recognized globally. Additionally, it won a Shortlist Award in the category, among only three winners worldwide.

View the Bronze Award-winning campaign in a two-minute case study video: “.”

Print ad for “One Eagles Nation” ad campaign

Through their research, Wojtowicz and Kraker found that Philadelphia football fans are fiercely passionate, but with 34% living outside the U.S., their chants don’t always reach the Philly stadium. The students’ campaign uses Duolingo’s platform to connect international Eagles fans with those in Philadelphia.

To bring this concept to life, they started with the idea of Eagles Ambassadors. Eagles fans who are in America will download Duolingo, and the most active learners on the app will be chosen as Eagles Ambassadors. As part of the campaign, Eagles bars will be set up around the world, and the Eagles Ambassadors will livestream directly from the stadium tailgates to these Eagles bars.

For the first time ever, Eagles fans around the world will virtually tailgate in the parking lot of Lincoln Financial Field. Using their Duolingo skills, Eagles Ambassadors will initiate chants back and forth between people in the stadium and people in the Eagles bars in other countries, so that the fans can share their love for the favorite team.

As they chant, automatic captions will be generated so the fans can fully understand one another. This will allow people in major cities like Berlin, London and Paris to get the full Philly experience. The Eagles Ambassadors will also ensure that fans around the world get a chance to chant on the Jumbotron at the Lincoln Financial Stadium. To generate local buzz, the “One Eagles Nation” campaign includes putting posters around Philadelphia, spreading the word with cheeky messaging. Wojtowicz and Kraker also created a series of three print ads featuring similar messaging.

“The best ideas combine two things that don’t initially seem like they’d fit together…like Philadelphia Eagles fandom and learning a foreign language. But the creative team found the sweet spot where those two elements intersect and the result is an idea you never saw coming,” says Wojtowicz and Kraker’s creative mentor, Bruce Jacobson ’92, group creative director at VML and Newhouse creative advertising alumnus, when praising their idea.

How did the students manage to get such an accomplished mentor during their time in Portfolio III? For the class, White, using her industry connections, created a mentorship program to pair each student creative team with an award-winning creative director from a top ad agency.

In Portfolio III, White gives each student creative team weekly one-on-one feedback to help them push their ideas further. Concurrently, student teams meet with their industry mentor typically three to five times during the semester, which also helps them elevate their ideas.

The Clio Entertainment Awards celebrate excellence in entertainment advertising. Xiong and Mallon’s “Real Housewives of Duolingo” campaign made its mark at the Entertainment Clio Awards, winning a Silver Clio in the category. This team was announced as just one of 11 winners in this category.

View the Silver Award-winning campaign in a two-minute case study video: “.”

A fiery collaboration between��Duolingo��and��Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise, this campaign brings drama to language learning like never before. Xiong and Mallon realized that learning a new language can sometimes be tedious, even boring, work, especially for busy adults. So, they came up with the perfect remedy to boredom: a spicy collaboration with the Real Housewives reality show and Duolingo to help people learn their new language of choice.

After a one-month streak��on Duolingo, users connect their accounts to the Peacock streaming service, select the language they’re learning, and watch any��Real Housewives episode with subtitles in that language. The drama unfolds in two parts. First, Duolingo breaks down the reality show’s scenes, teaching grammar and pronunciation. Second, on TikTok, fans recreate legendary scenes in the language they are learning with English subtitles, using the hashtag #RHODL.

Next, the 10 videos that get the most likes on TikTok earn a spot on the��Housewives’ reunion episode—but with a twist. The people who created these viral videos will be invited to join the reunion episode in person. At the show, they must��recite an iconic Real Housewives line in their learned language. Make a mistake? A Housewives cast member delivers the ultimate penalty: a splash of Pinot right to the face.

This campaign taps into Generation Z and millennials’ love for binge-watching reality TV, all to turn language learning from a chore into a must-share experience.

Sam Mazur ‘96, a proud Newhouse creative advertising alumnus and freelance creative director with credits at Wieden+Kennedy, Ogilvy and Terri & Sandy, mentored the duo alongside White to help them bring the heat.

“What better way to get someone interested in learning a language, which can be a difficult and cumbersome process, than by adding something as flavorful as the��Real Housewives��to the mix? Tapping into a fandom means truly tapping into culture, and that can be a powerful way to connect an audience to a brand. And they nailed it,” White says.

The creative advertising students’ success in the competition highlights the Newhouse creative advertising program’s ability to develop talent that truly makes an impact, creating work that resonates with experts in the industry who are also judges in these competitions.

Story by Molly Egan

Malcolm Taylor ’26 prepares to embark on a 2,000 mile trip on Route 66 to get to LA Newhouse program. (Photo by Malcolm’s dad Garland Taylor.)

“If you ever plan to travel west, travel my way, take the highway that’s the best.” It’s been nearly 80 years since Nat King Cole uttered the now famous lyrics, “Get your kicks on Route 66,” but still to this day long distance drivers are enjoying the ride along this historic byway. The trip was recently (and safely) completed by Newhouse student Malcolm Taylor ’26, a rising senior majoring in photography with a minor in art photography from Chicago, the terminus of Route 66.

The Arch of St. Louis as Taylor passed through Missouri on the second day of his journey.

Taylor is in Los Angeles this summer taking part in the and decided to take the 2,000 mile drive in his silver 2018 Buick Regal to get there. Taylor’s field of study created a great photographic opportunity, and he shared some of the images with ���ϲ�����.

According to Taylor, “It was dark by the time I got to Tulsa. But as the sun set, I was astounded by Oklahoma’s multicolor sunset. One of the prettiest I’ve seen!”

“This trip was much more than transportation to LA,” says Taylor, who comes from a family of road trippers. “My dad is a self-described nomad. We’ve driven to Maine, Florida, New Orleans, there and back again, and I loved every minute of it. I’ve always dreamed of completing the Route 66 drive, Chicago to LA, solo. It’s been my goal ever since I was a kid. This trip is the culmination of all of those hours spent in the car watching my dad not just transport us, but show me the real America.”

As Taylor notes, “arriving in Amarillo, Texas, I was floored by the beauty of the sunlight pouring through my hotel window. I used to opportunity to create a mysterious self-portrait.”

During his journey, Taylor made a stop in New Mexico to visit his high school art teacher who is building a home in the desert.

In New Mexico, Taylor met up with his high school photography teacher Benjamin Jaffe. For the past two years Jaffe has been building a home in the middle of the New Mexico desert.

The side trip allowed him to capture incredible photos of the other worldly landscape.

Taylor visited his high school art teacher along the way. “After telling me stories of rattlesnakes and mice with the Hantavirus, Jaffe took me up to a beautiful vista where I made this portrait of a rock face at dusk.”

His trip overall was “filled with trials and tribulations,” including a needed tire repair on day one and a slight wrong way turn on day two, but overall Taylor described the drive and stops along the way as an incredibly rewarding experience.

A roadside stop along Route 66 in New Mexico at sunset.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing,” he says, adding that “I’m proud of overcoming these obstacles and learning from them.” A true sign that this trip was about the journey as much as the destination.

“We are so pleased to welcome these new members to the board and grateful for their commitment to strengthening their alma mater and enhancing the student experience,” says Board Chair Jeff Scruggs. “Their personal and professional experiences and vision will be critical to the work we do to ensure the University achieves its ambitious goals.”

Chancellor Kent Syverud says he is looking forward to working with the new trustees and eliciting their diverse viewpoints. “All of these individuals are outstanding in their fields, and they understand the persistence and passion required to bring about positive change in an organization,” says Chancellor Syverud. “They are role models and mentors and each, in their own way, has established a legacy of excellence and service. We will no doubt benefit from their insights.”

Alonna Berry ’11

Alonna Berry

Given her family history and undergraduate experiences at ���ϲ�����, Berry was destined for a career in leadership, education and service. Today, she is executive director of the , a statewide force for justice reform and community empowerment through programming and advocacy. Throughout her career, whether in politics and policy, or teaching and consulting, she has focused on using the power of education to create positive social change.

Berry a long line of educational leaders in Delaware, including a great-aunt who was the first black female superintendent in the state.

At ���ϲ�����, where she was a 2011 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences with a major in writing and rhetoric, she was offered an opportunity to help run a GED program for inmates. Since then, her life and work have reflected a commitment to education, policy reform and transformative leadership.

After teaching English and math in public schools, Berry gained experience in public policy working in the Delaware Department of Education and was the public face of Teach for America Delaware as manager of alumni and teacher impact. Berry served as the director of Community and Family Services and senior policy advisor for Health, Equity, and Education for the Office of Governor John Carney in Delaware and was the state’s first trauma-informed care coordinator. She also served as a senior director at Social Contract, which helps organizations achieve social impact goals.

Berry founded the Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence, a public charter high school dedicated to service learning, matching the needs of students with the needs of community.

Her passion for service and community was evident as an undergraduate. She was a Remembrance Scholar and active in the Black Celestial Choral Ensemble, often performing at alumni events. An engaged member of the ���ϲ����� Alumni Association, she served as chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and recently became association president.

She has held leadership roles on several boards, including The Delaware Center for Justice, The Milton Historical Society, Next Generation South, The Delaware Historical Society and Delaware Guidance Services and is active in the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Berry is a doctoral candidate in organizational learning and innovation at Wilmington University, holds a post-graduate certificate in virtual online teaching and learning from the University of Pennsylvania, and a graduate degree in management and organizational leadership from Wilmington University.

She lives in Milton, Delaware, with her husband, Benjamin Spears, and son, Malkemus.

Jonathan Resnick ’89

Jonathan Resnick

As president of Jack Resnick & Sons, Resnick understands what it means to uphold and advance a legacy. For nearly a century, the company has been a major force in the dynamic Manhattan real estate market. Joining the company in 1996 and becoming its president in 2007, Resnick oversees the firm’s portfolio of more than five million square feet of commercial, office and retail space, and approximately 900 high-rise luxury rental apartments.

Resnick learned the business from his father, Burton, who learned it from his father and company founder, Jack, who learned from , Israel, who owned brownstones in Harlem.

The Resnick family firm is highly respected in the industry, from ground-up development, construction, leasing and management, earning awards for sustainability and energy efficiency, and credited with revitalizing urban landscapes.

Resnick helped to honor the legacy of a former ���ϲ����� fundraising executive by establishing a scholarship in 2021 in memory of Tom Walsh. Walsh had spent much of his career raising funds to position the University for growth. The creative writing scholarship strengthened the study of arts and literature in the creative writing undergraduate program in the College of Arts and Sciences. Resnick has actively supported other ���ϲ����� fundraising efforts as well, including Hillel and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and was heavily involved in construction of the Fisher Center in New York City.

Resnick serves as chair of the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations in New York City, and sits on the Executive Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York. He is a director of the New York Building Congress, and a former chairman of the Greater New York Construction User Council. He is a board member of the Borough of Manhattan Community College Foundation, RiverSpring Health Plans (the managed care arm of RiverSpring Living) and the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York.

Resnick graduated from ���ϲ����� in 1989 with a B.S. in producing for electronic media from the Newhouse School.

He lives in Harrison, New York, with his wife, Joelle, and two children.

Frank Ryan IV ’90, L’94

undergraduate student-athlete who earned a four year varsity letter to magna cum laude Order of the Coif graduate from the College of Law, Ryan says ���ϲ����� . Today, Ryan is global co-chair, global co-CEO and Americas chair at DLA Piper, a global law firm with more than $4 billion in revenues and offices in more than 40 countries.

Known as a go-to strategist for some of the world’s most sophisticated media and sports companies, including Disney, ABC, the Pac-12 and ESPN, Ryan helped lead the firm through a period of unprecedented growth. He is also founding chair of the firm’s scholarship programs established to assist student athletes and veterans wishing to pursue a legal career.

Ryan joined the firm in 2010 as a partner, U.S. co-chair of the intellectual property and technology practice, and deputy chair of the media, sport and entertainment sector. He was instrumental in strengthening the firm’s growth in technology, life sciences and health care sectors and launching artificial intelligence, health care policy consulting and space exploration practices. Before DLA Piper, he spent nearly 16 years at Nixon Peabody LLP where he was partner and chair of the firm’s litigation practice.

He is a member of the Legal Service Corporation’s Leaders Council, the nation’s largest funder of civil legal aid programs for low-income people, and on the Board of Directors for Beat the Streets NYC. He is also a member of The Wall Street Journal CEO Council and Thomson Reuters’ Global Strategy Board.

Ryan graduated with a B.S. in finance from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management in 1990, though he often calls wrestling his major undergraduate pursuit and was a three-time team captain of the ���ϲ����� Wrestling Team.

Ryan has served on the College of Law’s Board of Advisors since 2004.��He is a former member of the College Law Board of Visitors (1998-2003), the College of Law Associates Council (1998-2016), and in 2017, was awarded ���ϲ�����’s College of Law Distinguished Service Award.

He and his wife, Melissa M. Dunne-Ryan ’90, L’94, have three adult children, Zach, Sean and Will ’26 (Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs/College of Arts and Sciences).

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.

Graduate student employees and librarians at the Student Employee Awards Celebration at Bird Library on April 23

“As dean of the Libraries, I am continually reminded of the vital contributions our student employees make. Across Bird, Belfer, Carnegie, Law and the King+King Architecture Libraries, plus the SU Press, our students help safeguard our facilities, support the growth and care of our collections and uphold our commitment to exceptional service—both in person and online,” says David Seaman, dean of Libraries and University Librarian.

2025 student award recipients and their respective Libraries departments are:

��Kathy and Stanley Walters Student Employee Scholarship Awards

• Sophia Fiumano G’25 (School of Information Studies), Information Literacy
• Dyana Gales ’25 (Newhouse School of Public Communications), Access and Resource Sharing
• Mian Hamid ’25 (School of Information Studies), Facilities and Security
• Ainsley Hoemann ’25 (College of Arts and Sciences), Law Library
• Megan Noba ’25 (Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics), Facilities and Security
• Elizabeth Paulin ’25 (College of Arts and Sciences), Blackstone LaunchPad
• Coral Silver G’25 (College of Arts and Sciences), Special Collections Research Center
• Ella Whicker ’25 (College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs), Special Collections Research Center

Patricia Kutner Strait Student Scholarship Awards

• Taylor Chen ’25 (College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School), Facilities and Security
• Brian Chiao ’25 (College of Arts and Sciences), Facilities and Security
• Aditee Malviya G’25 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), Blackstone LaunchPad
• Rebecca Mejia-Garzaro ’25 (College of Arts and Sciences), Access and Resource Sharing
• Rumini Nguyen ’25 (College of Visual and Performing Arts), Access and Resource Sharing
• Amira Salihovic ’25 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), Facilities and Security
• Kiley Smith G’25 (School of Information Studies), Access and Resource Sharing
• Jeremy Wollman G’25 (School of Information Studies), Special Collections Research Center

Dean’s Commendations Awards

• Anneisha Anorbaah ’25 (College of Arts and Sciences), Facilities and Security
• Nana Camara ’25 (College of Arts and Sciences), Facilities and Security
• Kayla Fyock G’26 (School of Information Studies), Access and Resource Sharing
• Gentry Huddleston G’26 (School of Information Studies), Access and Resource Sharing
• Emma MacDowell G’25 (School of Information Studies), Special Collections Research Center
• Anjaneya Padwal G’25 (School of Information Studies), Blackstone LaunchPad
• Telly Sow ’25 (School of Information Studies), Facilities and Security
• Emily Warfield G’25 (School of Information Studies), Information Literacy

Honorable Recognitions:

• Carolina Aguayo-Pla ’27 (School of Information Studies), Blackstone LaunchPad
• Celes Buffard ’27 (School of Information Studies), Blackstone LaunchPad
• Alexandro Frimpong ’25 (School of Information Studies), Facilities and Security
• Antonio Goncalves ’27 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), Blackstone LaunchPad
• Meagan Gregg G’26 (School of Information Studies), Access and Resource Sharing
• Lars Jendruschewitz ’27 (Newhouse School), Blackstone LaunchPad
• Renee Kurie ’26 (Newhouse School), Blackstone LaunchPad
• Alexander Schulz ’26 (School of Information Studies), Learning and Academic Engagement and Information Literacy
• Aidan Turner G’25 (School of Architecture), Blackstone LaunchPad
• Mary Visco G’25 (College of Arts and Sciences), Special Collections Research Center

“Dean Lodato took the helm of an already strong school and managed to make it even stronger,” Provost Agnew says. “His energetic and collaborative leadership and his emphasis on innovation, industry partnerships and an exemplary student experience have marked his five years as dean and led to many wins for Newhouse.”

Mark Lodato

Lodato became dean in July 2020, and his tenure has been marked by dynamic forward motion, expansion and success in several key areas for the school.

He was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the (IDJC) in Washington, D.C., to create new knowledge, foster a more informed and engaged citizenry and better equip students for success in media, communications, policy, governance and citizenship. He also established the undergraduate program, which dovetails with the work of IDJC and further strengthens Newhouse’s robust study away offerings, which also include and .

Under Lodato’s leadership, the school , making a Newhouse education more accessible to new populations and serving as a model for other ���ϲ����� schools and colleges looking to expand online undergraduate education.

Lodato also spearheaded the creation and renovation of several learning spaces at the school. These include the , which provides co-working and co-location space to media and tech startups who want to work with talented Newhouse students, and the new , a hub for undergraduate and graduate students interested in a career in sports communications.

He has increased investment in research and creative activity, which has resulted in more than $7.3 million in sponsored research funding, and articulated the goal of strengthening the connection between communications and technology, particularly through .

Early in his time at Newhouse, Lodato implemented salary equity across Newhouse professional and support staff and faculty. He also has overseen a 17% growth in the faculty, representing a more diverse population.

“Working with the stellar faculty and staff of the Newhouse School has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and it has been my honor and privilege to serve as dean for the past five years,” Lodato says. “I am excited to continue our work together as we expand and realize our shared vision for the future of the school as a place that provides students with the best possible education and training for careers in communications. And I know that collective work is what makes Newhouse the top communications school in the country!”

Lodato joined the Newhouse School after more than 14 years at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where he served as associate dean and associate general manager at Arizona PBS. He previously spent 16 years as an award-winning television reporter and anchor for network affiliate television stations in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Phoenix and Fort Myers, Florida.

A new collaboration with Advance Local will provide Newhouse School journalism students opportunities to write and report on investigative projects with local impact for newsrooms across the country.

The David Newhouse Investigative Reporting Fellowship program, which launched this year in conjunction with , will allow recipients to pursue individual reporting projects, partner with local reporters and take part in national investigative stories. Finn Lincoln, a senior majoring in , has been named the inaugural fellow.

The program is named for the late David Newhouse, who led The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 for at Penn State University. As editor of The Patriot-News, Newhouse burnished the newspaper’s reputation for tough-minded investigative reporting, publishing work that landed some of Pennsylvania’s most powerful politicians in jail and freed several wrongly convicted people from prison after decades of incarceration.

Later in his career, Newhouse worked as editor at large for The Patriot-News’ parent company Advance��Local, where he helped establish a culture of excellence in digital journalism as the newspaper industry grappled with profound changes brought on by the shift to online publishing.

“David was a fearless leader and an enthusiastic champion of the exciting opportunities that digital platforms provide local journalists,” says John Hassell, senior vice president and editorial director at Advance Local. “It is fitting his legacy should be celebrated with a fellowship that recognizes excellent young journalists and work that makes a difference in people’s lives.”

The program is the latest collaboration between Advance Local and the Newhouse School that provides student journalists with valuable experiences to work alongside professional reporters and editors. Most recently, Newhouse students through coverage of the 2024 election campaign and other investigative reporting projects, along with social media strategy.

The new fellowship program reinforces the Newhouse School’s commitment to partnering with media platforms in support of comprehensive local news coverage, says.

“While exhaustive investigative projects take time to report, they can deliver a lasting positive impact on communities,” Lodato says. “We are proud to partner with Advance Local on this new initiative that supports local news while offering an outlet for our talented students to hone the writing and reporting skills they learn in the classroom.”

The Newhouse School offers several classes that focus on, or include, investigative reporting projects, including an advanced data journalism course that trains students to tell stories with data.

“Until you’ve actually had the experience of requesting public documents, analyzing government data and interviewing the gatekeepers, you can’t really understand what our government is up to or how it works,” says , Knight Chair in Data and Explanatory Journalism at the Newhouse School.

“Data and document reporting is critical for reporters on beats, enterprise, investigations— any kind of reporting,” Upton says.

As a junior, Lincoln took the advanced data journalism class with Upton. The students worked on an exhaustive data reporting project that looked at the on communities across New York State.

Lincoln has already written or contributed to a half-dozen stories since February for AL.com, the Advance Local media platform in Alabama.

“We are excited to have Finn helping research some of the larger investigative projects this year, and it’s been good to see him involved in local news as well,” says Challen Stephens, director of investigations at Advance Local. Stephens, who will run the fellowship program, has led an AL.com newsroom team that has won four Pulitzer Prizes in the past decade.

“We expect to see his name on more great work soon,” Stephens says.

Recipients of the 2025 Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Award were honored by the Graduate School at a campus ceremony April 24. Pictured from left are Joon Young Kim, Scott Landes, Natalie Russo, Eman Tadros, Catherine García, Angela Oliverio and Qiu Wang.

Ten ���ϲ����� faculty members were honored with the Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Award at a campus ceremony April 24. The award, given annually by the , honors professors who have had a significant impact on graduate education through teaching, service and research or creative activities.

This year’s awardees, chosen by an interdisciplinary committee of graduate students, are the following:

• , associate professor of communications, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
• , assistant professor of human development and family science, David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
• , assistant professor of exercise science, Falk College
• , associate professor of sociology, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• , professor of mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences
• , assistant professor of biology, College of Arts and Sciences
• , associate professor and associate chair of psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
• , mechanical and aerospace engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• , assistant professor of marriage and family therapy, Falk College
• , professor of higher education, School of Education

“We know that talented faculty members are the cornerstone of a quality graduate education,” says Peter Vanable, dean of the Graduate School. “This awards program gives us an opportunity to hear directly from our students, as well as from faculty, staff and alumni, about which professors have had a significant positive influence on their studies. We are delighted to recognize these ten individuals for their dedication and contributions to the University.”

Students wearing garments from SOLACE Collective’s new line of clothing for neurodivergent individuals.

Carolyn Fernandes ’25 remembers walking out of an interview for a design internship that she ended up not getting. She wondered if fidgeting with her nails—a common, repetitive expression of her nervous energy every day—was misconstrued as a sign of not paying attention and a reason for her not getting the position.

Carolyn Fernandes

Fernandes is part of the 20% of people worldwide who are neurodivergent and live with neurological differences like autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, bipolar disorder and social anxiety.

Stories like the one above motivated Fernandes and fellow students Lucas d’Oelsnitz ’25, Aphrodite Gioulekas ’25 and Aidan Turner ’25 to create , which aims to provide everyone, especially neurodivergent individuals, with comfortable garments that alleviate anxiety, increase confidence and reduce distractions by providing opportunities for fidgeting discreetly or openly.

“People like me need to fidget to cope and feel comfortable, so I started researching ways clothing could be made to help neurodiverse people like myself feel more comfortable,” Fernandes says.

After an inspiring conversation with Linda Dickerson Hartsock—the retired founder and executive director of —and after taking an class focused on inclusive product design, Turner came up with the idea for SOLACE “to meet the needs of a huge portion of the population that is currently underserved,” says Turner.

Going All-In to Solve an Important Social Issue

Aidan Turner

In October, Turner set about assembling what he proudly refers to as his team of Avengers to turn concept into reality. As part of the group, Turner, a fifth-year architecture student in the , recruited Fernandes, who is studying industrial design in the (VPA) and Spanish and environmental geoscience in the ; d’Oelsnitz, who is studying finance and entrepreneurship in the ; Gioulekas, a fashion design major in VPA; Maria-Camila Molina ’25, a fashion design major in VPA; Christine Ianniello ’25, a biology major in Arts and Sciences; Bobby Anzaldua ’25, an economics major in the ; Bella Tabak ’25, a magazine, news and digital journalism in the ; and Francine��Tongol ’24, a communications design major in VPA.

Lucas d’Oelsnitz

After sharing their personal experiences with uncomfortable clothing with each other, Turner pitched creating the neurodivergent clothing line. The project’s potential impact immediately resonated with d’Oelsnitz. At Whitman, d’Oelsnitz does a lot of idea pitching but always struggles to control his fidgeting. After one of his first pitches before his peers, d’Oelsnitz nearly passed out because, unable to rely on his usual coping mechanisms like playing with his rings, he felt anxious and light-headed.

“Realizing this is something I would wear motivated me to go all-in on this project because this is not just a clothing brand; it’s solving an important social issue,” says d’Oelsnitz, who has ADHD and bouts of anxiety.

Meeting the Unique Needs of Neurodiverse Individuals

The team set out to collect data on how SOLACE could better meet the needs of neurodiverse individuals, beginning with a wardrobe analysis and personal interviews to determine what types of clothing neurodivergent people liked or didn’t like—including textures and how a garment feels.

Lucas d’Oelsnitz (right) discusses SOLACE Collective’s line of clothing with a student during one of 10 on-campus events where students could try on the clothes and provide feedback.

For the next step, Fernandes conducted a survey of 430 people ages 5 to 91 and discovered that 95% of respondents, including 97% of neurodiverse people, experienced discomfort from their clothing.

Incorporating the feedback and relying on sketches, Turner created a visual design brief that served as the blueprint for the first line of clothing, and Fernandes and others on the team used sewing machines to create prototypes from fabric samples collected from their closets and local thrift shops.

Currently there are four prototypes consisting of a matching sweatshirt or hoodie and sweatpants of assorted colors, fabrics and designs:

• Concealed fidgeting: A sweatsuit featuring textured cargo pockets with hidden interior fabrics for discreet sensory engagement
• Participatory fidgeting: A distressed, double-layered top and bottom set with tactile cutouts for visible fidgeting—turning a need into a confident form of self-expression
• Airy and light: A minimal-stitched, ultra-breathable sweat set built for those sensitive to seams and pressure, offering a loose and calming fit
• Clasp cuffs: A crewneck set with subtly exposed, adjustable elastic cuffs that let wearers control tightness for customized comfort

The clothes are tagless (product details and cleaning instructions are screen-printed on the outside), with many of the items providing its wearer a sense of grounded-ness thanks to the use of heavy fabric, while others rely on light and airy fabrics.

“Our product line serves to confirm to a lot of neurodivergent people that what they’re doing is okay and that they can be normal,” says Fernandes, who serves as SOLACE’s industrial designer. “And it’s not just neurodivergent people that want this clothing. If everyone is wearing it, then no one is going to feel like they’re sticking out like a sore thumb while they fidget.”

Aidan Turner (far right) talks with students during one of SOLACE Collective’s on-campus feedback events.

Transforming Vision into Reality

“We try to achieve a grounded feeling while providing warmth and the reassurance that you’re safe. We’re trying to find a sustainable way to produce items of clothing for everyone, no matter how your neurodiversity presents,” says d’Oelsnitz, SOLACE’s project coordinator.

The group has received more than $32,000 in startup investment money through entrepreneurial competitions held on campus and through grants, including the��2025 School of Information Studies’ Raymond von Dran Fund for Student Entrepreneurship iPrize competition. Earlier this semester, they held 10 events on campus for students to try on the clothes and provide feedback.

After running a marketing campaign, including the launch of a website and social media channels, they hope to start accepting pre-orders in late June, with items being distributed to customers by the end of the summer. Knowing how well-received their casual prototypes have been, Turner, Fernandes and d’Oelsnitz next want to expand into business casual clothing.

“I have a passion for designing fashion, for retail and for entrepreneurship, and I was introduced to the lack of solutions that exist for neurodivergent individuals,” says Turner, SOLACE’s team coordinator. “There are a lot of opportunities for us to give this overlooked community reassurance and warmth through our clothing, and I’m proud of what this wonderful team has accomplished so far.”

Members of the campus community learn about the SOLACE Collective’s line of clothing for neurodivergent individuals.

Gisela von Dran, widow of Raymond von Dran, served as a judge and handed out RvD iPrize awards.

Winners of the 2025 School of Information Studies’ (iSchool) Raymond von Dran (RvD) Fund for Student Entrepreneurship iPrize competition and the Hunter Brooks Watson (HBW) Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award were announced on April 10 at the Blackstone LaunchPad in Bird Library. The award competition highlights the University’s entrepreneurial focus. Each team received a $2,000 award.

Raymond von Dran, who served as dean of the School of Information Studies from 1995 until his passing in 2007, was a longtime academic, entrepreneur and staunch supporter of student innovation.

The 2025 RvD iPrize winners are the following:

• SipSafe, founded by Lindy Elizabeth Truitt ’25 (College of Visual and Performing Arts) and Anjaneya Sanjay Padwal G’25 (School of Information Studies)
• Diabetech, founded by Tosin Alabi G’25 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management)
• InstaHelp, founded by Mirco Sascha Kunz G’26 (Whitman School)
• Game, founded by Carena Gianna Colo G’25 (Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs)
• SOLACE, founded by Carolyn Fernandes G’25 (College of Visual and Performing Arts)
• Pari Beauty, founded by Aarna Taparia ’27 (School of Architecture)
• WW Productions, founded by James Oliver Welch G’28 (College of Visual and Performing Arts) and Reid Willar G’27 (College of Visual and Performing Arts)
• Palmarati, founded by Tommy Brown G’28 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and School of Information Studies) and Oscar Rune Goranson G’28 (Whitman School)
• RYZYN, founded by Celes Buffard ’27 (School of Information Studies)
• BetaKola, founded by Alie Savane ’25 (College of Arts and Sciences)

The Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award began in 2018 through the Hunter Brooks Watson Memorial Fund and is awarded to students who best exemplify “The Spirit of Entrepreneurship.” Prizes honor the memory of Hunter Brooks Watson, a ���ϲ����� student who died tragically in a distracted driving accident. The 2025 HBW Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award Winners are the following:

• Carolina Aguayo-Pla ’27 (Whitman School and School of Information Studies)
• Waqar Hussain ’25 (Whitman School)
• Isabella Carter G’26 (Newhouse School) and Ava Lubkemann G’26 (College of Engineering and Computer Science)
• Ziekariba Nonr Diallo G’28 (School of Information Studies)
• Jase M Malloy ’25 (School of Information Studies)

During a recent visit to Falk College, Women Leaders in Sports CEO Patti Phillips (back row, middle with red jacket) met with ���ϲ����� students from Falk College and the Newhouse School.

One of the many benefits of the new partnership between the nationally recognized and the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics is the mentorship that Women Leaders in Sports executives are providing to Falk students.

That benefit was on full display recently in Falk College, where Women Leaders in Sports Chief Executive Officer and Chief Strategy and Operating Officer met with Falk students for a networking and professional development session and hosted a lunch meeting with students from Falk and the .

We asked Falk College students Emily Gilbert, Lexi Katz and Allison Vims to share what they learned from Phillips and Turner at the lunch session, and here’s what they wrote:

Emily Gilbert ’27 (sport management major, political science minor)

“Meeting with Christina and Patti was a wonderful experience, and learning more about their professional journeys and how they got to where they are now was eye-opening. It was inspiring to hear how Patti started as a coach with mostly male mentors and that pushed her to want to create an environment where women had other women to lean on.

“I asked Patti why she was coming to ���ϲ����� and how the new partnership would be beneficial for female students, and her reply resonated with me. She said their organization is a hub for women to meet other women and learn valuable skills that will help grow their careers.

“Patti also explained how they will tell us the truth about the industry. She said that getting into the industry is not easy and sometimes putting in the work is not enough. There will be times that you will get overlooked, but the Women Leaders in Sports organization is there to help lift us. They will provide us with opportunities to grow, learn and adapt to make us the best candidates so that organizations will have no choice but to hire us.”

Emily Gilbert is the community outreach and fundraising chair for the Women in Sports and Events Club (WISE), vice president of community service for the Sport Management Club and vice president of philanthropy for the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.

Lexi Katz ’27 (sport management major, Spanish minor)

“I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to meet with Patti Phillips and Christina Turner and they shared valuable insights on how to be a successful woman in sports and break into the competitive industry.��I enjoyed hearing their networking and interviewing tips such as making a good first impression, how to follow up and stay connected to build your network, what questions to avoid in an interview, and how women can support each other in different organizations.

Sport management major Lexi Katz (in striped sweater) says she hopes “more students learn about the partnership (with Women Leaders in Sports) and use their network to find other opportunities.”

“One valuable conversation we had was about how important it is to have a growth mindset. If you want to grow and progress in the industry, you need to try new things and push yourself while also being detailed and taking pride in doing the small things.

“We also discussed the partnership between Falk and Women Leaders in Sports and I mentioned how grateful we are to have a dean like Jeremy Jordan, who recognizes the lack of support women have in sports and encourages us to get our foot in any way we can. I hope more students in Falk learn about the partnership, take advantage of it and use their network to find other opportunities. I love all that Patti, Christina, and Women Leaders in Sports are doing, and I am so happy to be part of it.”

Lexi Katz is the communications chair for the Women In Sports and Events Club (WISE), a member of the Sport Management Club and a two-year member of the inventory team for the Sport Management Club’s Sport Charity Auction.

Allison Vims ’27 (sport management major, double minor in business and Spanish)

“My table’s discussion was led by Patti Phillips, who asked us each to individually share our goals and leadership aspirations. Patti made the time to get to know us as individuals and encouraged us to figure out ways that she could help us.

“Over our lunch, my fellow attendees and I began to share stories of our hardships and success stories in the industry. Patti listened first, then broke down scenarios and different ways to attack each situation to ensure that we would keep our seats at the table. The Women Leaders in Sports team ended the lunch with the advice to keep leading, because we, as students, are the future of the sport industry. I left the lunch feeling a sense of empowerment.

“Prior to this lunch, I knew that the partnership would make Falk College stand out from other sport management programs, but I didn’t see how students would be involved. However, being able to ask the CEO her opinions and having the opportunity to share my input as a student leader helped me see how the partnership will benefit students. The future is promising with such an incredible team of leaders backing us! Thank you to both Women Leaders and Falk College for giving me the opportunity to be a leader.

Allison Vilms is president of the Women in Sports and Events Club (WISE) and vice president of programming for the Sport Management Club.

Pioneering Partnership

, the partnership between Women Leaders in Sports and Falk College and was inspired after ���ϲ�����’s Women in Leadership Initiative hosted Women Leaders in Sports CEO Patti Phillips on campus in March 2024 for a series of meetings and presentations.

The partnership creates mentoring, learning, fellowship, internship and membership opportunities for Falk students, provides access to professional memberships to Falk faculty and supports faculty attendance at significant events such as the Women Leaders in Sports National Convention. In October, a contingent of Falk College students, faculty and staff attended the Women Leaders in Sports 2024 National Convention in Baltimore, Maryland.

As part of the collaboration, Phillips serves as special advisor to Falk College Dean Jeremy Jordan and an “executive in residence” at Falk. The partnership also calls for an exchange of relevant ���ϲ����� research and co-creates a Women Leaders in Sports Fellowship.

Thirty-five students have been chosen as the 2025-26 ���ϲ����� Remembrance Scholars.

The scholarships, now in their 36th year, were founded as a tribute to—and means of remembering—the students studying in London and Florence through ���ϲ����� who were killed in the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Those students were among the 270 people who perished in the bombing. The scholarships are funded through an endowment supported by gifts from alumni, friends, parents and corporations.

Significant support for the Remembrance Scholarships has been provided by Jean Thompson ’66 and ���ϲ����� Life Trustee Richard L. Thompson G’67 in memory of Jean Taylor Phelan Terry ’43 and John F. Phelan, Jean Thompson’s parents; by Board of Trustees Chairman Emeritus Steven Barnes ’82 and Deborah Barnes; by The ���ϲ����� Association of Zeta Psi in memory of Alexander Lowenstein; and by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation.

Selection Process

Remembrance Scholars are chosen in their junior year through a competitive selection process. Applicants submitted an essay and a reflective response in multimedia, artistic, musical or written format as part of a comprehensive application. The application evaluation committee is composed of University faculty and staff and current Remembrance Scholars. The $5,000 scholarships are awarded on the basis of community impact, leadership, creativity and thoughtful academic inquiry.

“Remembrance Scholars, through their academic achievements, leadership and contributions to the campus and local communities, exemplify what a ���ϲ����� education has to offer and represent the promise of the students for whom these scholarships are named,” says Lois Agnew, vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer. “We are proud to recognize their accomplishments.”

The Remembrance Scholars plan the Remembrance activities held at the University each year, and the cohort will be recognized during a convocation in the fall.

The 2025-26 Remembrance Scholars, their hometowns, majors and schools and colleges are the following:

• Ellie Allen of Newton, Massachusetts, a citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School and College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Jacqueline Arbogast of Warwick, New York, a television, radio and film major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications;
• Rohan Bangalore of Sterling, Virginia, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School and A&S and a law, society and policy major in the Maxwell School;
• Caiyan Bass of Aurora, Colorado, a communication sciences and disorders major in A&S;
• Michael Capous of Wantagh, New York, a nutrition science major (pre-med track) in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics;
• Belinda Chan of Brooklyn, New York, a social work major in the Falk College;
• Tommy DaSilva of Newark, Delaware, a public health major in the Falk College; a policy studies major in the Maxwell School and A&S, and a citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School;
• Nick Dekaney of ���ϲ�����, New York, a broadcast and digital journalism major in the Newhouse School;
• Ava Downey of Newport Beach, California, a linguistics major in A&S, an international relations major in the Maxwell School and A&S, and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Leah Farrell of New Milford, Connecticut, a citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School and policy studies major in the Maxwell School and A&S and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Abbey Fitzpatrick of Pacific Grove, California, a history and political science major in the Maxwell School and A&S;
• Olivia Fried of Clinton Corners, New York, an international relations major in the Maxwell School and A&S and magazine, news and digital journalism major in the Newhouse School;
• Tanishka Gajula of Chicago, Illinois, a biology major (pre-med track) in A&S;
• Olutoyin Green, of Long Island, New York, a health humanities and political philosophy major in A&S, a law, society and policy major in the Maxwell School, and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Alani Henderson of ���ϲ�����, New York, a political science major in the Maxwell School and A&S and a law, society and policy major the Maxwell School;
• Nico Horning of El Dorado Hills, California, a broadcast and digital journalism major in the Newhouse School;
• Wafiq Khondkar of New Hyde Park, New York, a biotechnology and philosophy major in A&S and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Edward Lu of Robbinsville, New Jersey, a music composition major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA);
• Joy Mao, of Cary, North Carolina, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School and A&S, a television, radio and film major in the Newhouse School, and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Valeria Martinez-Gutierrez of Laredo, Texas, a geography and sociology major in the Maxwell School and A&S; an environment, sustainability and policy major in the Maxwell School, and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• German Nolivos of Miami, Florida, a political science major in the Maxwell School and A&S and a public relations major in the Newhouse School;
• Luiza Owour of Kisumu, Kenya, a biomedical engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS);
• Marc Pantano of Newington, Connecticut, a marketing and supply chain management major in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management;
• Annaliese Pillitteri of Babylon, New York, a film major in VPA;
• Savion Pollard of Queens, New York, an electrical engineering major in ECS and a U.S. Navy veteran;
• Zachary Setzkorn of Overland Park, Kansas, a geography and history major in the Maxwell School and A&S, a social studies education major in the Maxwell School and School of Education, and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Ethan Shavelson of Parkland, Florida, an acting major in VPA;
• Taylor Stubitsch of Arlington Heights, Illinois, a biochemistry and forensic science major in A&S and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Candace Tabb of Rocky Hill, Connecticut, a civil engineering major in ECS;
• Nathan Torabi, of Visalia, California, a political science major in the Maxwell School and A&S; a citizenship and civic engagement and law, society and policy major in the Maxwell School, and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Jacquelyn Trotman of Edison, New Jersey, a retail management major in the Whitman School, an advertising major (creative track) in the Newhouse School, and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Anya Von Wolff of San Francisco, California, a fashion design major in VPA;
• Logan Wagner of Great Falls, Virginia, a political science major in the Maxwell School and A&S, an environmental sustainability and policy major in the Maxwell School and a history of music and cultures major in A&S;
• Gillian Weltman of Rochester, New York, a communications sciences and disorders and neuroscience major in A&S; and
• Ethan Yankey of Roseau, Dominica, a design studies major in VPA.

Community engagement. Reciprocal learning. Service to others through volunteering.

Those were the principles behind the creation of the in 1994 under the direction of then-���ϲ����� Chancellor Kenneth Shaw and his wife, Mary Ann, who also served as the associate of the Chancellor.

The Shaw Center represented Kenneth and Mary Ann’s promise to the University and Central New York community that student learning would hold the highest priority on campus, promoting volunteer service as a fundamental component of the student experience.

For 30 years, the Shaw Center has proudly served as the University’s hub for academic community engagement. By giving back to nonprofits and organizations around ���ϲ����� through service learning and volunteering, the campus community engages in the high impact practice of experiential learning.

Claire Ceccoli

When senior Claire Ceccoli ’25 learned that there were children who didn’t have a bed to sleep on at night, she chaired the annual bed-building project that benefits the local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Through efforts she spearheaded the last two years, 132 beds have been built and donated to children in need.

“We want to help the community, and we’re also learning from them. It’s a two-way street, doing this work with that reciprocal learning mindset,” says Claire Ceccoli ’25, a Shaw Center leadership intern who is studying public relations in the and psychology in the .

Derek Wallace

Derek Wallace ’00 was in the first group of tutors in the ���ϲ����� City School District during the summer before his sophomore year. He eventually took over as Literacy Corps student manager, planting the managerial and entrepreneurial skills that inspired him to become CEO of Golden Fork Media and founder of the children’s book series and brand, “Kalamata’s Kitchen,” a multimedia property that uses the power of food to help children get excited to experience all that their world has to offer them.

“It’s hard to imagine what I would be doing or where I would be if I wasn’t given those opportunities to do well, do good and create change in the community under the mentorship of [Shaw Center Associate Vice President and Director] Pam Heintz,” says Wallace, who earned dual degrees in policy studies from the and public relations from the Newhouse School.

On April 21, the and ahead of the event, Wallace and Ceccoli discuss how their involvement with the Shaw Center transformed them into leaders in their communities.

Check out�� featuring Ceccoli and Wallace. A transcript [PDF]��is also available.

What drew you to the Shaw Center?

Wallace: I wanted to do impactful things, and the Shaw Center felt like that’s exactly what we were trying to do. There was an innovative vision for how we would leverage the skillset of the students in a way that wasn’t just learning in a classroom. It was applied learning and skills applications outside of the classroom that not only benefited our careers as students but also built bridges to the community.

Ceccoli: What drew me to the Shaw Center was the people. Every intern and staff member is so passionate about the work they’re doing. My whole life, I’ve been interested in mission-driven work and nonprofit work. Having an office at the University that’s committed to these initiatives and getting students into the community, I don’t think I could have found a better or more natural fit.

What activities did you organize with the Shaw Center?

Claire Ceccoli (second from left) poses with two volunteers who helped build beds for Central New York children in need.

Ceccoli: As president of the ���ϲ����� Volunteer Organization, we’ve partnered with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an incredible nonprofit organization, to build beds for children in the community. The ���ϲ����� chapter has delivered 6,000 beds within our area. They always wanted to do a bed build on campus with our students, so I pitched this idea and the staff at the Shaw Center were so supportive. The leader I’ve become today is largely a result of my experiences at the Shaw Center.

Wallace: As a Literacy Corps tutor, I worked in an inclusive kindergarten classroom, reading to children with autism and getting them excited about literacy. I wound up taking over as the student manager, which was one of the best leadership experiences I ever had. Along with my classmate, Chad Duhon, we launched Shooting for A’s, an athletic and academic program that invited fifth and sixth graders to come to campus, meet some of their athlete heroes and learn civics lessons. We also launched a service and experiential learning program, Balancing the Books, in partnership with the Whitman School.

As a Shaw Center volunteer, Derek Wallace (third from left) helped launched Shooting for A’s, an athletic and academic program that taught fifth and sixth graders civics lessons while introducing them to their athlete heroes.

How did the Shaw Center influence your career aspirations?

Derek Wallace relies on lessons learned as a Shaw Center volunteer to fuel his career as CEO of Golden Fork Media and founder of the children’s book series and brand, “Kalamata’s Kitchen.”

Wallace: My career started at the Shaw Center in children’s literacy, and now I’m the co-creator of a children’s book series. It’s a full circle moment for me. The passion I have for the work I do, what led me down this path were the values I learned and the lessons taught at the Shaw Center. Chancellor Shaw, Mary Ann Shaw, Pam Heintz and [Maxwell School] Professor Bill Coplin believed in my abilities to make a difference and they provided mentorship that put me on this path and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Ceccoli: I know this is the type of work I want to do for the rest of my life. This passion that I see in these community organizations and the change that is possible when people take their skills and step up for their community is something that I want to model for the rest of my life.

Lindy Truitt and Anjaneya Padwal, founders of SipSafe+, at the Hult Prize National Qualifier in Boston, Massachusetts.

Lindy Truitt ’25 (College of Visual and Performing Arts) and Anjaneya Padwal G’25 (School of Information Studies), founders of SipSafe+, won the campus qualifier and moved on to compete at the nationals in Boston. Although they did not move on to the final round, they received rave reviews from the judges for both their idea and pitch.

Besides Truitt and Padwal, the following students competed in the campus qualifier:

• Alie Savane ’25 (College of Arts and Sciences), founder of Beta Kola;
• Carolina Aguayo Plá ’28 (School of Information Studies and Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of Frutecho;
• Anthony H. Smith Jr. G’25 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications), Bryson Carter G’25 (Newhouse School), Asha Breedlove G’25 (Newhouse School) and Stacey Collier G’25 (Newhouse School), founders of HBeatzCU;
• Aidan Turner ’25 (School of Architecture), Lucas d’Oelsnitz ’26 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), Carolyn Fernandes ’25 (College of Visual and Performing Arts) and Aphrodite Gioulekas ’25 (Visual and Performing Arts), founders of Solace.

��is a prestigious global business competition started by a partnership between the����and the��. The competition inspires student entrepreneurs to solve the world’s biggest challenges through innovative social enterprises with positive global impact.��Since its inception, over one million students from more than 120 countries have participated in their programs, working to create high-impact startups that address the annual challenge in alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Finalists pitch their businesses to a panel of expert judges, and the winning team receives $1 million in funding to make their idea a reality.

This year’s Hult Prize Competition qualifier was (College of Engineering and Computer Science).

Jim Weiss ’87 (Photo provided by Real Chemistry)

The celebration of the Class of 2025 will take place Saturday, May 10, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. in the JMA Wireless Dome.

Weiss is chairman and founder of��, a global health innovation company. A member of the��, Weiss is an ardent supporter of initiatives that expand learning opportunities at his alma mater. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the Newhouse School.

Weiss and his wife,��, founded the����at Newhouse to develop programming on communications, influencer marketing, artificial intelligence and analytics, and their influence on society and the future of business.

The center aims to ensure students are immersed and educated in the digital world and help them seamlessly transition after graduation into careers in the fast-moving field of strategic marketing and communications.

Real Chemistry also provided the founding gift that established the��. The space is a state-of-the-art social media command center that serves as a central hub for the interfacing of digital media monitored and researched by students and faculty at the Newhouse School.

“Possessing an entrepreneurial spirit and forward-looking mindset, Jim Weiss serves as a role model for students as they begin to forge their own paths in technology-driven industries,” Newhouse Dean�� says. “He offers a distinct perspective as a Newhouse graduate, longtime champion of the school and leader in strategic marketing and communications.”

Under Weiss’ leadership,����has evolved over the past two decades from a one-person consultancy to a team of more than 2,200 employees who partner with clients at the highest levels of organizational decision-making. A pioneer in the application of analytics, data and precision targeting to the biopharmaceutical and health care business, Weiss has said he learned early in his career to follow the data to get to the right outcome.

Today, Real Chemistry uses real-world data, proprietary technologies and analytical insights to solve the health care industry’s most significant challenges. Weiss prides himself as an action-oriented driver to make the world a healthier place for all.

Twelve seniors have been named as the 2025 ���ϲ����� Scholars, the highest undergraduate honor the University bestows.

The ���ϲ����� Scholars Selection Committee, a Universitywide faculty committee, selected the scholars using criteria that included coursework and academic achievement, independent research and creative work, evidence of intellectual growth or innovation in their disciplinary field, a personal statement and faculty letters of recommendation.

“We are proud to recognize our University Scholars for their many accomplishments. Not only have they achieved academic success, they have also embraced opportunities—like research and community service—to enhance and expand their undergraduate experience and make the most of their time here. As they prepare to graduate, we are looking forward to celebrating their future accomplishments and success,” says Interim Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Lois Agnew.

The 2025 ���ϲ����� Scholars are:

• Jonathan Collard de Beaufort, a biochemistry major in the College of Arts and Sciences and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Charlotte Ebel, a public relations major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, a women and gender studies and German language, literature and culture major in the College of Arts and Sciences, and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Abigail Greenfield, a history major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, a political philosophy major in the College of Arts and Sciences, and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Yuming Jiang, a mathematics and physics major in the College of Arts and Sciences and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Sierra Kaplan, a political science major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, a health humanities major in the College of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Emmy Njue, a finance and business analytics majors in the Whitman School of Management;
• Kerrin O’Grady, a biomedical engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and a neuroscience major in the College of Arts and Sciences;
• Morgan Opp, a chemistry and biology major in the College of Arts and Sciences;
• Timothy Paek, a computer science major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Skyla Ross-Graham a psychology major in the College of Arts and Sciences;
• Yifan Shen, an architecture major in the School of Architecture, a music history and cultures major in the College of Arts and Sciences, and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program; and
• Sophia Znamierowski, a biology and neuroscience major in the College of Arts and Sciences, and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.

Gretchen Ritter

“” will begin at 6 p.m. in Grant Auditorium in the Falk College Complex. Led by Regina Luttrell, senior associate dean and associate professor of public relations in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and Jason Davis, research professor in the Office of Research and Creativity in the Newhouse School, the session will focus on the critical skills of detection, attribution and characterization, empowering participants to identify and counter deceptive narratives.

The lecture is part of the Life Together: Seeking the Common Good in a Diverse Democracy��initiative, led by Gretchen Ritter, vice president of civic engagement and education. The initiative began with an inaugural community conversation in October and expanded this semester.

Regina Luttrell

This event is open to the University community and welcomes all who value informed citizenry and seek actionable strategies to promote a resilient, truth-centered democratic society.

“Part of being an engaged citizen is being well-informed on pertinent public issues. We want to help the members of our campus community to be engaged, thoughtful citizens by helping them to understand whether different sources of information are reliable and trustworthy or suspect and problematic,” says Ritter.

“In an era where trust in civil society is eroding and the shared civic sphere is under strain, this event underscores the importance of regaining public trust in news and information,” Davis says. “By fostering critical thinking and media literacy, attendees will discover how these tools are essential not only for navigating today’s complex information environment but also for safeguarding the principles of democracy.”

Jason Davis

“With disinformation everywhere, understanding its long-term impact is critical for protecting democracy, public trust, and informed decision-making,” says Luttrell. “My hope is that people walk away with a deeper understanding of how media manipulation and information ecosystems shape��our world and what they can do to assess, challenge and mitigate its harmful effects.”

Luttrell and Davis serve as co-directors of the Newhouse School’s . The lab serves as a multidisciplinary research center focusing on analytics, artificial intelligence, digital and emerging media as well as an active classroom, and shared lab environment for projects undertaken by faculty and students.

Reuters won the 2025 Toner Prize for national political reporting for comprehensive stories published as part of the news organization’s “Politics of Menace” special report during the presidential campaign.

NJ Advance Media earned the 2025 Toner Prize for local political reporting.

The winners of the annual    were announced March 6 by the  . The honors will be formally presented March 24 at the Toner Prizes Celebration in Washington, D.C.

Awarded annually by the Newhouse School, the Toner Prizes recognize the best political reporting of the past year. They are named after Robin Toner ’76, the first woman to hold the position of national political correspondent for The New York Times.

In addition to the winners, Politico took an honorable mention in the national political reporting category.

The judges were:

• Christina Bellantoni, journalism professor at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, columnist and former editor-in-chief at Roll Call.

• Ann Compton, Emmy Award-winning retired reporter for ABC News and the first woman to cover the White House for network television.

• Lucy Dalglish, professor and dean emeritus at the Phillip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, former executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press; attorney and former reporter and editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

• Beverly Kirk, director of Washington programs and professor of practice of broadcast and digital journalism at the Newhouse School, with more than two decades of experience in journalism working at national and local outlets.

• Rick Rodriguez, professor of the Southwest Borderlands Initiative at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, and former executive editor and senior vice president of The Sacramento Bee.

• Maralee Schwartz, retired political editor of The Washington Post and contributing editor at Columbia Journalism Review.

• Joseph B. Treaster, professor at the University of Miami School of Communication; prize-winning reporter who spent more than three decades as a reporter and foreign correspondent�� at The New York Times.

Toner Prize for Excellence in National Political Reporting��

Winner: Reuters

Reporters: Peter Eisler, Ned Parker, Aram Roston and Joseph Tanfani

Entry: “The Politics of Menace”

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J�ܻ岵���’ Comments��

“Breathtaking reporting … explains not just the actions, the impact, but also the grievances that empower.” _Schwartz

“Well-documented catalogue of threats, their impact, the growth of combative political forces and the ferocity of cultural clashes.” _Compton

Honorable Mention: Politico

Reporters: Jessie Blaeser, Kelsey Tamborrino, Benjamin Storrow, Zack Colman, David Ferris, Timothy Cama and Christine Mui

Entry: “Biden’s Billions”

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J�ܻ岵���’ Comments

“This is an important story that documents the success and failures of the Biden agenda.” _Dalglish

“Meticulous, dogged reporting inside every agency and delivered one well-written narrative after another. This is the kind of accountability and investigative work I like teaching my students.” _Bellantoni

“Politico looked almost step by step into an enormous plan.” _Treaster

Finalists

• ProPublica with Wisconsin Watch, Documented and The New York Times Magazine: “Investigating the Christian Right’s efforts to influence elections,” Andy Kroll, Ava Kofman, Phoebe Petrovic and Nick Surgey

• NBC News: ”The disinformation machine: How falsehoods shaped American politics,” Brandy Zadrozny

• The Boston Globe: “Vibe Check,” Emma Platoff, Sam Brodey and Jim Puzzanghera

• The Atlantic: “Inside the Trump Campaign,” Tim Alberta

Toner Prize for Excellence in Local Political Reporting

Winner: NJ Advance Media

Reporters: Spencer Kent and Riley Yates

Entry: “Project Extreme”

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J�ܻ岵���’ Comments

“The storytelling and reporting here was riveting and courageous …�� The writing was so clear I couldn’t stop reading.” _Rodriguez

“An excellent examination of the different forms of extremism, the people affected by it and the threat it presents to democracy.” _Kirk

Finalists

• The Texas Tribune, ProPublica and Votebeat:  “Noncitizen Voting,” Vianna Davila, Lexi Churchill, James Barragán and Natalia Contreras

• The Boston Globe: “State Secrets,” Laura Crimaldi, Samantha J. Gross, Emma Platoff and Matt Stout

• Chicago Tribune:  “Culture of Corruption,” Ray Long, Rick Pearson, Gregory Royal Pratt, Dan Petrella, Joe Mahr, Rick Kogan and Kori Rumore

• Santa Cruz Local:  “Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide,” Jesse Kathan, Nik Altenberg, Stephen Baxter, Jay Leedy, Tyler Maldonado, Jesse Greenspan, Samantha Lim, Jessica Zimmer, Fidel M. Soto, Corinne Kappeler and Kara Meyberg Guzman

• Houston Chronicle: “How Gov. Greg Abbott made the Texas border America’s problem,” Benjamin Wermund and Matt Zdun

• The Texas Tribune: “A Texas Supreme Court justice’s disregard for ethics rules,” Robert Downen

About the Toner Prizes

First presented in 2011, the Toner Prizes for Excellence in Political Reporting highlight and reinforce quality, fact-based political reporting—work that illuminates the electoral process, reveals the politics of policy and engages the public in democracy.

They are named after Robin Toner, who covered five presidential campaigns, scores of Congressional and gubernatorial races and most of the country’s major political figures during her nearly 25-year career at The New York Times. A 1976 graduate of ���ϲ�����, Toner earned a bachelor’s degree as a dual major in journalism from the Newhouse School and political science from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Toner died in 2008, leaving a husband and two young children. To honor her legacy, family and friends established the Toner Program in Political Reporting at the Newhouse School.

A delegation of 12 students from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs recently returned from Washington, D.C., where they participated in the International Model NATO under the guidance of Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs and director of the master of arts in international relations program.

Pictured from left to right are Col. Ben Schneller, Associate Professor Michael Williams, and students Joseph Reed, Casimir Wypyski, Angelica Molina, Austen Canal, Armita Hooman, Jake DeCarli, Megan Whipple, Caleb Mimms, Bella Biorac Haaja, Leah Harding, Ethan Engelhart. Not pictured is Ella Rozas.

The students represented Türkiye and Romania in the three-day simulation of the proceedings of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The events, held at Howard University, are augmented by pre-conference study sessions and briefings at embassies.

“Model NATO provides a unique opportunity for students to develop and refine a professional skillset,” says Williams. “It’s no easy task to work under pressure to advance a common NATO agenda against the disparate national interests of each state. But every year, the students come back with the same comments: ‘that was hard, but awesome.’ Watching them learn in real time, and helping them along the way, is immensely rewarding.”

Howard University has hosted Model NATO for the past 40 years, in collaboration with Converse University, Northeastern University and the embassies of NATO member states. This year, 23 universities participated, with students attending from Sweden, Belgium, Canada and the United Kingdom.

This was the third time the Maxwell School participated. The trip was sponsored by Maxwell’s public administration and international affairs department and the Moynihan Institute’s Center for European Studies.

Alongside Williams, Lt. Col. Ben Scheller advised the Model NATO team on military matters, as he previously commanded a NATO battalion with service members from nine allied nations. He is a visiting scholar through the U.S. Army War College, studying at ���ϲ�����’s Institute for Security, Policy and Law for a year. As part of his professional development through the Army, Scheller takes courses through Maxwell and the College of Law and will return to command this August.

The student participants included:

• Joseph Reed, Caleb Mimms, Jake DeCarli, Meghan Whipple and Ethan Engelhart, all of whom are pursuing master’s degrees in international relations.
• Casimir Wypyski, Austen Canal, Armita Hooman, Ela Rozas and Angelica Molina, all of whom are pursuing master’s degrees in public administration and international relations.
• Leah Harding and Isabella Biorac Haaja, who are pursuing master’s degrees in public diplomacy and global communications through Maxwell and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Hooman was honored with the “Superior Delegation in Committee” award for her work on the

Armita Hooman was honored with the “Superior Delegation in Committee” award for her work on the Partnerships and Cooperative Security Committee

Partnerships and Cooperative Security Committee.

A highlight of Harding’s experience was speaking with a diplomat at the Turkish embassy in Washington, D.C. Even with her background covering NATO as a journalistfor Al Jazeera, Harding says that Model NATO gave her a fresh perspective on being part of the decision-making process.

“International Model NATO is all about role-playing,” says Harding. “You have to understand how your country operates and make decisions based on its historical positions, all while responding to real-time scenarios. But it meant more than just knowing its policies—it required interacting with other member states as if I were actually a Turkish diplomat.”

Through this experience, Harding learned to balance diplomacy with national interest, recognizing that decisions for a nation go beyond just policies—they also involve considering its presence, alliances and priorities.

Story by Mikayla Melo

Five extraordinary Maxwell School alumni will be recognized, and the school’s commitment to engaged citizenship will be celebrated, at a March 27 event at ���ϲ�����’s new home in Washington, D.C.

Members of the community are invited to an upcoming event in Washington, D.C., that will honor five accomplished alumni whose careers and civic contributions exemplify a commitment to giving back and improving the lives of others.

The annual Awards of Excellence, to be held on Thursday, March 27, will also serve as an opportunity to reunite, celebrate the school’s enduring commitment to engaged citizenship and visit ���ϲ�����’s newest DC home.

It will be held at ���ϲ�����’s recently opened center in the heart of Dupont Circle. It houses the and serves as a home base for study away programs offered by the Maxwell School, the and the .

Established in 2022, the Awards of Excellence program celebrates the contributions of the school’s alumni and friends to their fields, communities and society through work that reflects the Maxwell School mission and values. Recognition categories include the Compass Award, 1924 Award, Bridge Award, Charles V. Willie Advocate Award and Spirit of Public Service Award. In the spring of 2024 the event was expanded to celebrate Maxwell’s centennial year.

“We are honored to welcome members of the Maxwell community to join us for an evening of celebration and reflection,” says Dean David M. Van Slyke. “Now in its fourth year, I look forward to this event each spring as it fills me with a sense of pride and hope. This year’s awardees work in and across the public and private sectors in a range of professions. Through their work and additional pursuits, they have demonstrated engaged citizenship, and a sustained commitment to leaving what they find greater, better and more beautiful. This public service ethos is central to our mission since the school’s founding in 1924.”

The five 2025 honorees are Margaret Abraham ’89 Ph.D. (Soc); Tom Bozzuto ’71 M.P.A.; Sahil Jain ’13 B.A. (IR); Ana Maria Menezes ’06 M.A. (PA); and Tiesha Peal ’99 B.A. (PSc).

Margaret Abraham

Abraham is the recipient of the 1924 Award, honoring graduates for their distinguished and sustained professional or civic leadership and achievement in the spirit of the Maxwell School mission. She is a professor of sociology and the Harry H. Wachtel Distinguished Teaching Professor for the Study of Nonviolent Social Change at Hofstra University, where she has served on the faculty for 35 years. Her leadership roles include serving as past president of the International Sociological Association and, at Hofstra, as senior vice provost for academic affairs, special advisor to the provost for diversity initiatives and director of the Women’s Studies Program.

An author, lecturer and advisor, Abraham bridges scholarship and social justice advocacy in the areas of ethnicity, gender, migration and domestic violence. She is the author of four books and two special volumes, including “Speaking the Unspeakable: Marital Violence Among South Asian Immigrants in the United States.” She has been quoted in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Newsday and India Today.

Tom Bozzuto

Bozzuto, chairman and co-founder of The Bozzuto Group, is the recipient of the Bridge Award which honors exemplary leadership across sectors while upholding the Maxwell School’s mission of making the world a better place. He has led an extraordinary career in real estate development and management, creating more than 62,000 homes and apartments and nurturing vibrant multifamily communities. A Baltimore community leader, he is a driving force-for-good in civic and charitable circles.

Before attending the Maxwell School, Bozzuto served as a combat correspondent for the 25th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army in Vietnam. Early in his career, he worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and spent 13 years as mid-Atlantic regional partner at Oxford Development Corp. His leadership roles have included serving as board chair of the Baltimore Community Foundation, the National Multifamily Housing Council, the Maryland Science Center, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where he received undergraduate and honorary degrees. He also served as a congressional appointee to the Millennial Housing Commission and twice as a gubernatorial appointee to the Maryland Housing Commission.

Sahil Jain

Jain is the recipient of this year’s Compass Award for his exceptional accomplishments as an early-career alumnus. A foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State, Jain has led an exemplary career in diverse roles across the U.S. government helping to advance peace and security around the world. From 2024-25, he was special assistant to the deputy secretary of state, focused on U.S. policy related to South and Central Asia. He served in the White House as a senior advisor at the National Security Council and as policy advisor in the Vice President’s Office of National Security Affairs.

A career diplomat, Jain was a political officer at U.S. Embassies in China from 2021-23 and India from 2018-20. He has contributed to key policy initiatives in the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs and at USAID. He also managed the foreign affairs portfolio for California Congressman Ami Bera as a legislative assistant.

Ana Maria Menezes

Menezes is the recipient of this year’s Spirit of Public Service Award, which recognizes contributions that have had a widespread global impact. For more than 35 years she has applied her vast knowledge in aquaculture and natural resource management to help eradicate food insecurity, improve nutrition and reduce poverty in some of the poorest regions of the world.

As senior fisheries officer with the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, Menezes works with member nations to increase aquaculture production using best practices that are both sustainable and profitable. She leaves a legacy of capacity development and good governance frameworks for government officers, financial institutions and farmers. Previously, Menezes was national officer for the UN Environment Programme and she served as national director of planning and research for the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and aquaculture researcher at the Instituto Nacional de Investigação Pesqueira in her native country of Mozambique.

Tiesha Peal

Peal, an attorney with 20 years of experience helping to ensure equal treatment for all under the law, is the recipient of the Charles V. Willie Advocate Award.

Peal previously worked as the assistant district attorney in the Bronx County District Attorney Office, handling litigation and conducting investigations into criminal activity ranging from contraband to gang assaults. She also represented New York City employees in housing court as an attorney for District Council 37 Union and was a staff attorney with Essex-Newark Legal Services, which provides free legal assistance to very low-income residents. She is a founding member of the Maxwell School’s Alumni Affinity Group and a frequent mentor to current students and alumni.

Responsive to the MLBPA’s desire to expand opportunities for career growth to its thousands of players, the new cross-campus collaboration taps into the expertise of several of the University’s schools and colleges, including the new , the , the and the .

“My fellow deans and I are excited to partner with the Major League Baseball Players Association to provide the ���ϲ����� experience to those interested in pursuing our vast academic offerings,” says Falk College Dean Jeremy Jordan, whose initial discussions with the MLBPA inspired the creation of this new initiative. “This partnership reflects our collectively held value that higher education should be achievable for everyone, regardless of the demands of their profession or personal circumstances. For athletes and professionals with unpredictable schedules, our online programs offer the perfect balance of flexibility, robust academic support and real-world applicability—all without compromising their careers.”

“The Major League Baseball Players Association is thrilled to partner with ���ϲ����� to provide our members with exceptional educational opportunities,” says Chris Singleton, MLBPA special assistant for player resource programs and a former major league outfielder. “This collaboration underscores our commitment to supporting players both on and off the field, ensuring they have access to world-class academic resources that empower their personal and professional growth.”

The MLBPA represents the 1,200 players on major league 40-man rosters, as well as approximately 5,500 minor league players. This new partnership creates opportunities for these players to pursue several noteworthy objectives, including the following:

• Skill Development and Post-Career Readiness: The partnership will align market-relevant curricula and programming with players’ post-career aspirations and needs, ensuring they acquire meaningful skills and knowledge.
• Research and Innovation: The MLBPA and ���ϲ����� will collaborate on research projects that inform progressive and advanced programming for professional athletes. These efforts may lead to the development of new technologies, products or processes, benefiting the MLBPA and other professional athletic organizations.
• Practical Experience: The partnership will provide ���ϲ����� students with opportunities for internships, co-op programs and hands-on projects with the MLBPA. This practical experience will enhance learning, make students more competitive and serve as a potential pipeline for talent to the MLBPA and other professional athlete associations.
• Networking Opportunities: Players will gain access to professional mentors associated with ���ϲ����� in sports, broadcasting and business, to aid them in post-playing career development and job opportunities.

Dedicated admission specialists and academic advisors will tailor academic pathways in support of the unique needs of each participant. These educational opportunities will be accessible through a number of formats, including online, on campus and at ���ϲ�����’s sites in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. The University will also offer an online academic English program to prepare non-native English speakers for success in their non-credit programs, courses and workshops.

Visit the ���ϲ����� website to learn more about this innovative partnership.

Eight graduate students will be honored with the Graduate Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work at an annual hosted by the Graduate School on Wednesday, March 5. The event will also include brief presentations from the awardees about their research or creative work. The campus community is invited and encouraged to attend.

This year’s honorees, selected by members of the Graduate Faculty Council from a pool of nearly 60 applicants from across the University, are:

• Caroline Charles, English, : “Black Family Photography in ���ϲ�����: Assembling a Community Collection with Family Photo-Sharing”
• Bramsh Khan, social science, : “Gendered Politics of Infrastructure Violence in Balochistan, Pakistan”
• Natalie Petryk, bioengineering, : “Biodegradable and Bioactive Polyurethane Foams to Improve Traumatic Wound Healing”
• Frank Sicong Chen, computer and information science and engineering, Engineering and Computer Science: “Enhancing Security and Health Monitoring on Wearable Devices through Multi-Modal Continuous Monitoring”
• Lily Holloway, creative writing, Arts and Sciences: “Always I Am Wanting and Wanting: A Literary Reading”
• Benjamin Valen, social psychology, Arts and Sciences: “Health Disparities Among Transgender, Nonbinary and Cisgender Undergraduate Students”
• Jersey Cosantino, cultural foundations of education, : “Resisting Pathologizing Discourses: (Re)claiming Mad, Neurodivergent and Trans* Narration via a Mad Trans* Studies Oral History Method(ology)”
• Yasmine Tiana Goring, television, radio and film, : “222 Macon Street”

“The depth and breadth of our graduate students’ portfolios are truly impressive,” says , dean of the Graduate School. “We are proud to honor them, and look forward to hearing more about their work during their presentations at the awards ceremony.”

The awards recognize overall academic excellence and outstanding research and creative activities by master’s and doctoral students. Honorees receive a certificate of recognition and a $500 award.

Student who earned honorable mention were:

• Azadeh Ghanizadeh, composition and cultural rhetoric, Arts and Sciences
• Pardha Sourya Nayani, electrical and computer engineering, Engineering and Computer Science
• Tevvon Hines, film,
• Elina Ruiqi Sun, social psychology, Maxwell School
• Tosin Alabi, business administration,

The will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. in 312 Lyman Hall. A reception will follow. For more information, contact Holly Johnson at hjohns02@syr.edu.

Among the winning team awards:

• $1,500 to Olutosin Alabi G’25 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of Diabetech;
• $1,500 to Anthony H. Smith Jr. G’25 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications), Bryson Carter G’25 (Newhouse School), Asha Breedlove G’25 (Newhouse School) and Stacey Collier G’25 (Newhouse School), founders of HBeatzCU;
• $1,000 to Sydney Moore G’25 (Whitman School), founder of Thrive Insights;
• $1,000 to Lindy Truitt ’25 (College of Visual and Performing Arts) and Anjaneya Padwal G’25 (School of Information Studies), founders of Safe Sip;
• $500 to Tony Goncalves ’27 (College of Engineering and Computer Science) and Armani Isonguyo ’24 (Engineering and Computer Science), founders of GymIn;
• $500 to Jasmine Mayers ’26 (Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs), founder of Pressed;
• $500 to Elizabeth Paulin ’24 (College of Arts and Sciences), founder of Paulin Capital;
• $500 to Swathi Jacob G’25 (Whitman School); and
• $250 to Maven Kavan ’28 (Visual and Performing Arts).

A group photo of the 2025 Afropreneurship Celebration and Business Competition award winners

More than 50% of students explore the world through a center, says Nicole Collins, director of strategic partnerships and outreach with ���ϲ����� Abroad. With over , there’s a unique opportunity for every student.

Nicole Collins

While the spring has traditionally been when the majority of students study abroad, Collins says there’s been a in recent years. Among the reasons why Collins says students should consider studying abroad in the fall:

• More likely to get into the program and secure the housing type you want.
• More scholarships and grants available, including $2,000 per student grants for Central Europe and Santiago, Chile.
• Special fall-only programs and events, including Oktoberfest and Christmas markets.
• Experiment with locations that aren’t easy to visit later in life.
• Unique cultural opportunities for food lovers who study in Florence, Italy, including truffle hunting, chestnut harvests and festivals, olive oil harvesting and tasting, grape harvesting, and more.
• Easier for parents and family members to visit.

“Our students are realizing the amazing opportunities available in the fall,” Collins says. “We have great need-based and merit-based scholarship opportunities available for students in the fall, plus there’s less demand.”

On this episode of the , Collins and Sophia Moore ’25, who enjoyed a life-changing ���ϲ����� Abroad experience in the Fall 2023 semester, discuss the many benefits of studying abroad in the fall. A transcript [PDF]��is also available

Thinking of studying abroad in the fall? The is March 15.

The below Q&A spotlights how, through their semesters abroad, students Moore and Anna Meehan ’26 underwent transformative experiences by immersing themselves in a new country.

Sophia Moore ’25

Sophia Moore visited the historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu.

Academic majors:��Television, radio and film (); sociology ().

Semester Abroad: Fall 2023 at the in Santiago, Chile.

Why was Santiago the destination for you? I figured that I would have an opportunity at some point in my life to be able to travel to Europe, but to travel to South America, that was a rare opportunity. And I really wanted the chance to immerse myself in a culture that I was completely unfamiliar with in a country that I was completely unfamiliar with, with the safety net of doing it through ���ϲ����� Abroad.

Sophia Moore

What role did your host family play to help you get acclimated? My host family encouraged me to go out and do everything that Santiago had to offer. Every day, my host mom would check in and offer up a couple of places to check out. She was always pushing me to get out of the house and go explore the city because it’s important to take advantage of every moment. I wouldn’t have had access to that kind of cultural ambassadorship to Chile if I wasn’t living with a host family.

How close did you become with your peers in the Santiago program? We lived something so life-changing together, experienced so much culture and were exposed to this lifestyle that’s so different from the U.S. In five months, we all became very close, and that’s something that just is a bond for life.

What did you learn about yourself from your time studying abroad? Studying abroad somewhere where the language spoken is not my first language was a real challenge. Every day, I would wake up and push myself to just do a little bit more, speak in Spanish a little longer, think a little harder and get myself a little more comfortable with the language and with the space. But as time went on, just coaxing myself into doing a little bit more showed me that I have a level of resilience that I wasn’t aware of before I went abroad.

Anna Meehan ’26

Anna Meehan poses at Piłsudski Square (Plac Piłsudskiego) in Warsaw, Poland.

Academic majors:��International relations (); Russian language, literature and culture, and music history and cultures ().

Semester Abroad: Fall 2023 through the program (based in Wroclaw, Poland). Meehan visited Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany.

Why was Central Europe and Poland the destination for you? My aunt studied abroad in Poland when she was about my age, and after hearing her stories, it just made sense that I study abroad here too. This program covered World War II history. The Holocaust and Judaic studies. The Soviet Union. My research is on the political culture in former Soviet countries, so this was a really good opportunity to go live in and get a great educational experience studying something relevant to my degrees.

Anna Meehan

How did you acclimate and adjust to life in your new home? I remember getting off the bus after flying into Wroclaw and feeling calm and comfortable. Part of that is because I spent so much time in my childhood and at ���ϲ����� reading about and studying Poland, and I knew one day I would get there. When I did, it just felt right. I had a revelation while I was studying abroad and now my plan is to go back to Poland for the long-term after college.

How close did you become with your peers in the Central Europe program? If you go through the experiences of visiting those three concentration camps like we did, it’s inevitable that you will grow close to these people. Sure, at first we were all shy and getting to know each other, but within the first two weeks, I saw people who didn’t know each other at all before the program supporting each other and helping everyone go through and process these really difficult concepts and emotions from the difficult places we visited. We still keep in touch, and we all got back together for a reunion this fall that was really special.

How did your semester abroad complement your academic goals and aspirations? I wanted to dedicate my studies to understanding the politics and history of Eastern Europe so I could learn more about my field of international relations and Russian language, literature and culture. I thought going to Poland would be a good way to see Eastern Europe in a more modern sense. But when I got there, I saw so many non-governmental organizations who used culture as the basis for healing the tensions of the refugees from Ukraine who have crossed the borders, and how art and music can really play a central role in that process. This drove me to eventually declare my music history and cultures major.

I also ended up going to an entire week of cultural festivals in support of Belarusians who had to flee Belarus and relocated to Poland. I went to plays, gatherings and concerts and left feeling like I understand my mission from a different perspective. I still want to promote how art, music and culture promote healing, but now it’s on a much more personal level.

On Jan. 7, wildfires erupted in the greater Los Angeles area. Two fires in particular—the Palisades fire and the Eaton fire—burned for more than three weeks, destroying thousands of homes and causing billions of dollars in damages.

Newhouse Los Angeles Program Director Robin Howard and students Emily Schultz, Eli Katz and Jarod Struminger at a donation center

The nearly 70 ���ϲ����� students in Los Angeles were safe throughout the situation. “We were quite far from both of the fires, so we were fortunate in terms of both where the center is and where the students were living,” says Anna Proulx, visual and performing arts program director for the Dick Clark Los Angeles Program.

Although it was an unsettling time, the students were amazed and moved by how local communities came together to support each other—and they wanted to be a part of that. Students and staff were soon working alongside community members in the wildfire recovery efforts.

Lending a Helping Hand

Donation centers began popping up around the community, collecting clothing, diapers and baby items, pet supplies, furniture and other things that families would need to reestablish a home. Proulx and Newhouse LA Program Director Robin Howard had already discussed ways students could help, especially since community engagement and volunteering is an important part of the LA experience for students.

Student Tommy Tyree assists at a donation center

“We’ve always, since the beginning, made community engagement a requirement of the program,” says Howard. “Students have to give back to the city, and they choose what they want to do. In the past, they’ve read to kids, cleaned up beaches and put boxes together for military families. It’s in the DNA of what we do here. It was not a far reach to mobilize and help these families.”

Proulx took a group of students to work at a donation center. The amount of donations was overwhelming, so the first step was to help organize the donations into categories and then develop a cohesive distribution system.

Howard then took a group to a follow-up event where families came to choose items they needed. Students acted as personal shoppers, helping to carry and organize the items. Beyond offering physical help, they provided emotional support, too—a reassuring smile for those impacted by the tragic fires. Students also volunteered at another donation event on Jan. 20, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Reflecting on the Experience

Emily Bosco, a junior television, radio and film major from Verona, New Jersey, says the fires made the first few days of her LA semester a little concerning. “Coming from the East Coast, I had never experienced wildfires before and did not really have any knowledge of how fast they spread,” she says.

Students Emily Bosco and Isabella Giacoppo ready to lend a helping hand

“I volunteered because I wanted to be able to give back to the community in which I am living for the next few months,” Bosco says. “While I was fortunate enough to not be impacted, I knew that many people in the area were, and I wanted to help out in any way that I could.”

In her volunteer work, Bosco managed a bag station, where she helped organize and sort handbags, purses, backpacks and tote bags. She also worked as a personal shopper.

“I will carry this experience forward with me,” Bosco says. “It felt really good to be able to help people who were in need and help to make their day a little bit easier when they were already going through so much. I will always try to volunteer to help others in need in the future.”

Isabella Giacoppo, a junior television, radio and film major from Long Island, New York, volunteered to better understand the situation and learn how she could assist those impacted.

“I wanted to help because people lost everything, so it was the least I could do,” she says. “I’ll carry this experience forward with me by being more grateful for the things I have. As I have seen through this experience, everything can be lost in an instant.”

Howard and Proulx say the recovery from the fires will stretch well into the future, and they will continue to look for ways for students in the LA program to be involved. They are proud of how the students succeeded in their academic studies and internships while simultaneously showing care and concern for their adopted community.

“A few of the students have mentioned it brought them together as a community. I think it will be a defining experience for this semester for them. Obviously, it’s been a defining experience for us as a city,” Proulx says. “Los Angeles has a beautiful, wonderful community and this has highlighted that for sure. The students have seen and felt that.”

Howard agrees, noting how students saw a need and were inspired to support their new community. “It’s really a tribute to our students, their resilience and their kindness,” Howard says.

The 2024 One Show Young Ones student competition had thousands of entries from over 50 countries. Newhouse students picked up a Silver Cube Award, a Portfolio Award, two Merit Awards and 14 Shortlist Awards, earning the Newhouse School among U.S. undergraduate programs.

All of these award-winning campaigns were created in portfolio courses taught by professors of practice and in the advertising creative track at the Newhouse School.

“The students that won these 18 awards demonstrated fresh thinking and came up with original ideas that simply blew me away,” says White.

Brooke Hirsch One of Five Winners of a Cube Award in the New Artificial Intelligence Category

Brooke Hirsch ’24 was one of only five students to win an ADC Cube Award in the newly introduced artificial intelligence category of the One Show Young Ones ADC competition. Hirsch won the Silver Cube for her digital idea ““; silver is the highest award given in this category. Her idea, created for The New York Times, combats misinformation by using AI to detect and notify people of false AI content in real-time. The idea is simple yet groundbreaking: use AI to fight AI.

Hirsch was also named the in North America in the 2024 One Show Young Ones ADC competition. In addition to winning the Silver ADC Cube in the AI category, she won a Merit Award in the ADC Advertising Integrated category for “.” Read more about Hirsch’s award-winning “AI vs. AI” idea.

Ryan Garret Conner’s Portfolio One of Nine Awarded in Advertising Category

Ryan Garrett Conner won a Portfolio award for work that included his print campaign “Once is Enough” for Tums.

Ryan Garret Conner ’23 was one of just nine global winners in the advertising category of the One Show Young Ones Portfolio competition. Conner’s portfolio, which included a series of impactful campaigns, earned recognition across multiple categories. His “Once is Enough” campaign for Tums uses a striking visual approach to communicate the core message: “Only taste it once.”

Another one of Conner’s featured campaigns was his digital AI idea for Volvo called “” (OTL). Conner addressed a pressing real-world problem: many women walking home alone at night can be put in dangerous situations. The OTL app, a collaboration with copywriter Mackenzie Murphy ’23, would use generative AI to create personalized fake calls to provide women with a sense of security in potentially dangerous situations.

Conner’s other featured campaign, “” for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), creatively addresses animal extinction by tying the loss of Instagram followers to endangered species statistics.

Hirsch earned a Shortlist Award in the Portfolio competition as well.

Quincy Whipple and Ella Fiegner’s Dove Campaign Won a Merit Award

Quincy Whipple and Ella Fiegner won a Merit Award in the One Show Young Ones Brief category for their integrated campaign “Skin Stories” for Dove.

Quincy Whipple ’24 and Ella Fiegner ’24 won a Merit Award for their integrated campaign “” for Dove. This campaign highlights the stories behind wrinkles on a woman’s face, showing wrinkles are something to be proud of rather than something to be ashamed of.

Dove would sponsor female celebrities attending the Met Gala. Before the Met Gala, they would be on Vogue’s “Get Ready With Me” video series, where stars put on makeup for the red carpet. The twist? The celebrities apply no makeup and instead focus only on applying skincare products. The campaign extends to a digital movement with celebrities posting bare-faced selfies under the hashtag #MySkinStories.

The campaign would also include an art gallery in the Met displaying large photographs of real women and the stories behind their wrinkles.

Newhouse Creative Ad Student Work Won Shortlist Awards

Newhouse students also won 14 Shortlist Awards for a range of creative campaigns. Some of the highlights include the following:

“Ease of Assembly” Campaign

Ikea print campaign “Ease of Assembly“

Avery Schildhaus ’24 created the “Ease of Assembly” print campaign for Ikea, with catchy headlines that capture the brand’s DIY instructions.

“You Can’t Beat a Search Dog” Campaign

National Disaster Search Dog Foundation print campaign “You Can’t Beat a Search Dog”

Katelyn Hughes ’24 and Lang Delapa ’24 created the “You Can’t Beat a Search Dog” campaign for the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, highlighting the skills of search dogs.

“Whiff of Terror” Campaign

Listerine Strips print campaign “Whiff of Terror”

Lara Molinari ’24 and Marlana Bianchi ’24 created the “Whiff of Terror” campaign for Listerine. The campaign was inspired by the idea that certain foods cause bad breath and can be a monster in social situations.

Newhouse Creative Advertising Students Won 10 Shortlist Awards

• Meiling Xiong ’24, art director, and Maggie Mellon ’24, copywriter, won a Shortlist Award in the Integrated category for their integrated campaign for Duolingo titled “.”

• Remi Tsunoda ’24, art director, and Avery Schildhaus won a Shortlist Award in the Experiential category for their experiential campaign for Velveeta titled “.”

• Remi Tsunoda and Avery Schildhaus won a Shortlist Award in the Integrated category for their integrated campaign for Velveeta titled “.”

• Ryan Garret Conner and Mackenzie Murphy’s print ad campaign for WWF, titled “,” won a Shortlist Award in the Advertising Out of Home & Print category.

• Jack Wojtowicz ’24, art director, and Mikaela Kraker ’24, copywriter, won a Shortlist Award in the Advertising Integrated category for their integrated campaign for Duolingo titled “.”

• Ryan Garret Conner and Mackenzie Murphy’s integrated ad campaign for Volvo, titled “,” won a Shortlist Award in the Design for Good: Interactive category.

• Olivia Valcourt ’25, art director, won a Shortlist Award in the Design for Good: Advertising category for her print ad campaign for the Trevor Project titled “4X More Likely.”

• Ava Schefren ’24, art director, and Alex Lund ’24, copywriter, won a Shortlist Award in the Advertising Integrated category for their integrated campaign for Duolingo titled “.”

• Livvy Doe ’24, art director, and Emily Saad ’24, copywriter, won a Shortlist Award in the Advertising: Art Direction category for their print ad campaign for Tile titled “Creepy Crawlings.”

• Ella Fiegener and Quincy Whipple won a Shortlist Award in the Design for Good: Advertising category for their integrated campaign for Dove titled “.”

Pictured from left to right: JaSheika James, Stacy Ike, JaNeika James and Ta’Rhonda Jones on the set of “Empire.”

JaNeika James G’05 and her twin sister, JaSheika, grew up watching television and “fell in love with TV” and the possibilities it could mean for them.

JaNeika James

Today, the two are accomplished TV writers and producers of several shows, including JaNeika’s role as supervising producer on FOX’s groundbreaking hit show, “Empire,” among others.

“Our story is an example of how dreams can be manifested. A lot of people think that you have to know every single step to get to where you want to be,” JaNeika says. “The truth is, if you’re clear and have a vision for what it is that you want to do with your life, all you have to do is declare it.”

On Feb. 7, JaNeika will bring her message to young scholars as the keynote speaker at the . The ceremony, which is open to the entire University community, honors from the previous year who have successfully transitioned to their second year on campus. Those who would like to attend are encouraged to .

“Allowed Us to Dream”

As youngsters, the James twins lived on an Air Force base in Wiesbaden, Germany, where their mother was stationed. Access to television was limited, and the offerings available were predominantly in German.

Thankfully for the sisters, their grandparents in the U.S. mailed them VHS tapes of popular U.S. TV shows like “A Different World,” “The Cosby Show,” “Cheers,” “The Golden Girls” and “Empty Nest.”

Watching television became “a source of comfort” for the sisters, and JaNeika says it provided hours of entertainment and it “allowed us to dream of what was possible for ourselves,” says JaNeika, who earned a master’s degree in television, radio and film from the .

It was an unlikely way to start their lifelong love affair with television, but today, JaNeika and JaSheika are accomplished TV writers. JaNeika was supervising producer on FOX’s groundbreaking hit show, “Empire,” co-executive producer on Netflix’s limited series, “True Story” and HBO Max’s reboot of “Gossip Girl,” and an executive producer on Peacock’s hit show, “Bel-Air.”

JaNeika and JaSheika co-authored a book, “Living Double,” describing their experiences working in the ultra-competitive TV industry in Hollywood. It outlines how, no matter the obstacles, the sisters were determined to turn their dreams into reality.

Pictured on the set of “Bel-Air” are (from left to right): JaNeika James (writer and executive producer), Jabari Banks (who plays Will Smith) and JaSheika James (writer and executive producer).

James sat down with SU News to discuss ���ϲ�����’s impact on her life, her successful career, the importance of giving back to current students and her message for the WellsLink students during their Transitions Ceremony.

What impact has ���ϲ����� has had on your life and your career?

The Newhouse School instills in those who decide to work in media an understanding of the importance of the media and how it shapes our world and culture. Knowing the responsibility we hold—not just as storytellers in Hollywood, but also those who deliver information through journalistic integrity.

There is a huge responsibility that comes with putting content out into the world for all to see and hear. That responsibility was embedded in me at ���ϲ�����. It’s had an incredible impact on my career.

What show had the greatest influence on you?��

“Living Single.” The stars were Queen Latifah, Erika Alexander, Kim Fields and Kim Coles. When that show first aired, it was the first time I saw a show with Black women of all different shapes and sizes, who were best friends living their best lives as single, independent women. “Living Single” allowed me and my twin sister to see a future version of ourselves, and what was possible for our careers.

When did you realize you had made it as a producer?

That first time I was on set for “Empire.” I was flown out to Chicago to produce my first episode of television. I had been a fan of the show since season one and became a writer during season two. To go from being a fan of the show to walking into the studios and seeing where all the scenes were filmed was pretty incredible for me as a huge television fan.

One of the best feelings I’ve had as a writer is seeing actors I know and love—from Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson to Demi Moore, Forrest Whitaker and Alfre Woodard, among others— say words that literally came from my head. To witness them bring my words to life is when it started to settle in that I was actually living my dream.

JaNeika James poses with the cast of “Bel-Air.”

How can your success inspire future generations?

Representation is extremely important. If it wasn’t for representation, I personally would not be in this business. I was truly inspired by “Living Single,” but what really stood out was when I read an article about Yvette Lee Bowser being the first African American woman to create and run her own TV show. That planted this idea in my head that I could one day be an African American woman who created and ran her own TV show.�� It’s been a goal of mine and my sister’s to be a source of inspiration and an example that anything is possible when you put your mind to it.

Why is it important to give back to our students through the Our Time Has Come Scholarship Program?

I hope I’ve had an impact in helping students who didn’t think going to school was a possibility for them. I know what it’s like to want to go to college but not know if it’s something you can afford. I know what it feels like to have financial burdens when you’re deeply in pursuit of a dream. By supporting , I hope to help students feel free to pursue their dreams without being distracted by financial responsibilities.

What’s your message for WellsLink students during their transitions ceremony?

A lot of people have been disillusioned into thinking we are powerless through our circumstances. What I learned as an artist, writer, producer and African American woman is that there is a lot of power that we hold within that we, unfortunately, have been made to believe is not there. I really want to encourage and remind them of the power they hold to essentially move mountains—in their own lives and in the lives of everyone they encounter.

WellsLink Leadership Program Class of 2027

This year’s ceremony will honor the following students:

• Kaitlyn Arzu (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications)
• Mouctar Barry (Martin J. Whitman School of Management)
• Angelie Serrano Báez (College of Arts and Sciences)
• Umar Bilgrammi (Arts and Sciences)
• Nashaly Bonilla (School of Architecture)
• Sydney Brockington (Arts and Sciences)
• Frances Brown (Whitman School)
• Samantha Chavez (Newhouse School)
• Karrington Clay (Arts and Sciences)
• Eliora Enriquez (College of Visual and Performing Arts)
• Matthew Esquivel (College of Engineering and Computer Science)
• Kiara Reyes Estevez (Whitman School)
• Khalil Foreman (Whitman School)
• Edward Garcia (School of Information Studies)
• Ryann Gholston (Information Studies)
• Samayee Gupte (Arts and Sciences)
• Lindsay Hiraoka (Engineering and Computer Science)
• Monica-Lillie Jacobs (Information Studies)
• AJ (Angie) Jaramillo (Visual and Performing Arts)
• Hayden Jones (Arts and Sciences)
• Amy Kim (Information Studies)
• John Lasso (Whitman School)
• Bryant Lin (Engineering and Computer Science)
• Valarie Lin (Arts and Sciences)
• Kelly Lopez (School of Architecture)
• Nehru Madan (Newhouse School)
• Emely Marte (Visual and Performing Arts)
• Rosmery Martinez (Whitman School)
• Ariana Mithu (Visual and Performing Arts)
• Sophie Navarrete (David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics)
• Dylan Okamoto (Whitman School)
• Kaylin Pagan (Arts and Sciences)
• Jiya Patel (Whitman School)
• Nayeli Perez (Information Studies)
• Simeon Sheldon (Falk College)
• Paris Smith (Arts and Sciences)
• Aramata Trawalley (Engineering and Computer Science)
• Jasmine Trenchfield (Newhouse School)
• Orezimena Ubogu (Arts and Sciences)
• Alexandra Vassel (Visual and Performing Arts)
• Aaron Wang (Whitman School)
• Yuki Zhang (Whitman School)

Molly Egan, left, and Marlana Bianchi beam with excitement as they hold their 2024 Cannes Future Lions Grand Prix trophies, moments after being announced as the winners. (Photo courtesy of Mel White)

“���ϲ����� Creatives Win Future Lions Grand Prix with Spotify Sign Language Project,” read the Ad Age headline on June 19, 2024—a prestigious recognition for the S.I. Newhouse School in one of the top trade publications in creative advertising.

Earlier that day, Molly Egan and Marlana Bianchi won the Cannes Future Lions Grand Prix for their artificial intelligence idea for Spotify, created in their Portfolio III course in the Newhouse School, taught by Professor .

“Winning the Grand Prix in the Cannes Future Lions competition is the most significant award the advertising department at Newhouse has ever received,” says , professor and chair of the Newhouse advertising department. “We couldn’t be prouder of Marlana and Molly’s huge accomplishment, along with their professor, Mel White.”

“We are dedicated to being the best undergraduate advertising program in the country and world, and this is clear evidence we are well on our way,” Russell says.

, dean of the Newhouse School, says, “What wonderful news! I’m excited for our students and very grateful for the talented faculty that helped guide them toward this achievement.”

Egan and Bianchi’s Portfolio III instructor, White, guided them through the creation of “Break the Sound Barrier,” and her support was crucial to their success. She helped them refine the concept from 10 initial ideas they presented in class and sharpen its final execution.

In class, before providing her students with the competition brief, White taught them how to create innovative campaigns using emerging technologies. In particular, she teaches them to utilize deepfake technology in positive ways to create impactful ideas that connect brands with their audiences.

The Innovative AI Idea Chosen by Spotify: “Break the Sound Barrier”

Marlana Bianchi (from left), Tye M. Comer, Chloe Wix, Molly Egan and Gemma Redgrave gather on stage after Bianchi and Egan received their Grand Prix trophies. (Photo courtesy of AKQA)

Egan and Bianchi addressed the competition brief from Spotify, which asked students how Spotify could spread positivity using technology to bring listeners closer to the creators and communities they love. The brief encouraged entries to use new technology and uplift underrepresented communities.

While brainstorming how to answer the brief, they realized music streaming platforms lacked features for the deaf community, making them less inclusive.

To solve this problem, they created an idea that adds deaf sign language performers like Justina Miles to all songs on Spotify, spearheading a music revolution.

They applied deepfake technology to scale deaf performances into all the 300-plus different sign languages for each song on the platform. This idea makes music streaming fully accessible to the deaf community, and it will only be available on Spotify.

Musicians would also have a choice to opt into “.” When a musician opts in, Spotify will generate them signing with deepfake technology. This will let musicians perform in all the world’s sign languages for the first time, bringing deaf fans closer to their favorite artists than ever before.

In��the first article of this two-part series, Egan and Bianchi share the inspiration behind their digital AI idea for Spotify.

“There’s terrific craft to this execution. The name [‘Break the Sound Barrier’] is provocative. The writing in the case, sharp. And you tied it to culture in a way that lets Spotify know: the time to do this is now,” says Avi Steinbach ’14, creative director and writer at Ogilvy. Steinbach is an alumnus of Newhouse’s creative advertising program and is also a first-time Cannes Lions Grand Prix winner this year for “,” for which he was involved in every aspect of its creation.

Spotify Chose “Break the Sound Barrier” to Win Future Lions Grand Prix

“The idea that this feature could bring [the deaf community] closer to the artists that they love meets the brief perfectly,” says Tye M. Comer, creative director of Spotify advertising. “Also, the use of deepfake technology—genius. Because I don’t know about the rest of you, but everything that I’ve heard about deepfake technology absolutely terrifies me, right?”

“To take that and to turn it on its head to create something that puts positivity in the world was just wonderful. And that’s the whole point of Future Lions,” Comer said.

Spotify chose the Grand Prix winner based on which idea they want to explore producing. They will collaborate with Egan and Bianchi to find ways to bring “” to life on their platform.

And the Winner Is…��

Marlana Bianchi and Molly Egan (top row, left) hold their Grand Prix trophies with the three other Future Lions winning teams from schools in England, Italy and Germany. (Photo courtesy of AKQA)

On the morning of the ceremony, Egan and Bianchi eagerly joined the three other winning teams to await the announcement of the Grand Prix winner on Spotify Beach at Cannes Lions.

Gemma Redgrave, global marketing director at advertising agency AKQA, presented the award with Comer and Chloe Wix, global director of product marketing at Spotify. Redgrave has overseen Future Lions since 2019, advocating for student creativity.

Until that moment, Egan and Bianchi had been sworn to secrecy about their status as Cannes Future Lions winners. With anticipation building, the defining moment of their Cannes experience arrived.

“The Grand Prix goes to… ‘Break the Sound Barrier.’”

“We ran onto the stage, floating on cloud nine. In that moment, our dreams came true,” Egan says.

Story by Molly Egan, a senior in the Newhouse School

Kevin Adonis Browne

The program is designed to facilitate cross-institutional networking and collaboration among academic leaders while building leadership capacity at participating ACC institutions.

���ϲ����� members included in the 2025 cohort are:

• , associate professor of writing studies, rhetoric and composition and chair of the Humanities Council,

  Brad Horn

• , professor of practice in public relations and associate dean for strategic initiatives,
• , teaching professor, executive director of clinical education and executive director of the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic,

  Elizabeth Kubala

• , assistant dean for undergraduate programs,
• , assistant provost for arts and community programming, Office of Strategic Initiatives,

  Lindsay Quilty

Miranda Staats Traudt

The program will kick off with a virtual event on Feb. 7, followed by three on-site sessions at Wake Forest University (March 26-28), the University of Miami (June 23-25) and Georgia Institute of Technology (Oct. 20-22).

The sessions will focus on leadership topics and trends in higher education while promoting leadership growth, awareness and effectiveness.

Participating faculty members from all member institutions have received foundational leadership training and served at least one year in a relevant leadership role.

On Jan. 29, we bid farewell to the Year of the Dragon and usher in the Year of the Snake, which, according to the Chinese Zodiac, represents harvest, spirituality and good fortune. Lunar New Year celebrations last up to 15 days and include such various customs as gathering with family, preparing traditional foods, artistic performances and the gifting of red envelopes to pass on good fortune and blessings to the younger generations.

Students enjoy the 2024 Orange After Dark/Center for International Services Celebration

For international students on campus looking for a taste of home or for anyone who simply wants to celebrate a new beginning based on the lunar calendar, check out the following selection of Lunar New Year events being held on campus.

Tuesday, Jan. 28—Asian American Journalists Association Celebration

The will hold a Lunar New Year Celebration in Newhouse 1 Room 303 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. There will be fun activities, delicious food and an amazing night planned for all!

Wednesday, Jan. 29: Food Services Pop-Up

Campus Dining centers will host pop-up events in all dining centers at dinnertime, with a build-your-own stir fry station featuring noodles, rice and extra toppings; dumplings and spring rolls.

Wednesday, Jan. 29: Newhouse International Students Association Tabling Event

The will host a tabling event in food.com, located on the second floor of Newhouse 3, from noon to 1 pm. Stop by to get your lucky red envelope and Asian treats to celebrate the Year of the Snake.

Friday, Jan. 31: School of Architecture Lunar New Year Celebration

A will be held in Slocum Hall from 5 to 7:30 p.m., organized by international students in the and Dean Michael Speaks.��Students can engage in a wide range of activities, such as knot tying, calligraphy, fortune scratch-offs, Chinese horoscopes and a photo booth. There will also be musical and vocal performances and a dancing dragon. Food, chocolate coins and traditional candies, and tea with Dean Speaks will be served.��A series of short faculty presentations on East Asian culture and architecture will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 31: Orange After Dark/Center for International Services Lunar New Year Celebration

��The campus community is invited to celebrate the Lunar New Year with Orange After Dark and the from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. in 304 ABC Schine Student Center.��There will be a light Chinese buffet and activities, including making a Chinese lucky knot, creating PaperCut, origami, Wish Tree, chopstick bean relay race and calligraphy. Tickets can be obtained through the .

Friday, Feb. 7: Chinese United Student Association and Chinese Student and Scholars Association Chinese New Year Party

The and the will host a Chinese New Year Party at 6 p.m. in the Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium. There will be programs relating to Chinese culture, dance, martial arts and music.

Share Your Lunar New Year Photos With Us!

However you decide to celebrate—whether at the events mentioned above or elsewhere—send your photos to SU News! Email��newsphoto@syr.edu��and we’ll share a selection of Lunar New Year pictures in the weeks to come.

Weijia Jiang

CBS News and Stations is partnering with the to explore the growing challenges of navigating misinformation and disinformation.

Two days of programming that focus on questions about how to discern truth from falsehood begin Jan. 30, when journalists will take part in the “An Eye on Misinformation and Disinformation.” Among those scheduled to attend are CBS News’ senior White House correspondent����G’06, congressional correspondent����’98, reporter����’15 and CBS News Confirmed executive editor��.

Scott MacFarlane

The and workshop mark the start of a new partnership with CBS News and Stations that will provide more distinctive opportunities for Newhouse students to engage with alumni and learn from leaders in the field. Plans include collaborative content creation with the network and student engagement with CBS News and Stations journalists in New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities.

Ali Bauman

“We are thrilled to work with Newhouse’s talented students and faculty, leveraging this relationship to foster meaningful discussions and prepare future journalists to navigate the complexities of reporting locally, nationally and globally,” says Laurie Orlando, SVP of Talent Strategy and Development, CBS News and Stations.

The collaboration highlights Newhouse’s enduring commitment to excellence in journalism education as the school��, says Newhouse Dean .

“This is a tremendous opportunity for Newhouse students to learn from some of the best reporters, editors and producers in the country, starting with our timely and intensive discussions about maintaining journalistic integrity while combatting disinformation,” Lodato says.��“On behalf of ���ϲ�����, let me express our deep gratitude to the CBS News and Stations team for sharing their time and insights about these critical topics.”

Rhona Tarrant

, senior associate dean at Newhouse, and��, a research professor, will work alongside the CBS News team during the masterclass to help students navigate the tools and techniques available to analyze misinformation and disinformation. The session will include interactive case studies, analysis of real-world examples and a hands-on interactive session where participants learn and apply practical techniques to combat misinformation and disinformation.

The 25 Newhouse students participating in the masterclass have been selected from an application process, which was open to Newhouse juniors, seniors or graduate students. As part of the visit to Newhouse, members of the CBS News and Stations team will also review student reels.

The 40th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Planning Committee is proud to announce the 2025 Unsung Hero Award winners: Andrea-Rose Oates ’26, James K. Duah-Agyeman G’99, Student Coalition on Race and Equity (SCORE), Laurence Segal and Jamie Jackson (posthumously).

The Unsung Hero Award is given to community members, students, faculty and staff who have made a positive impact on the lives of others but are not widely recognized for their contributions. The awards were created to honor Dr. King’s vision of creating positive change in a troubled world.

The award winners will be recognized at the 40th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Sunday, Jan. 26, featuring keynote speaker Sarah Willie-LeBreton, president of Smith College. Tickets for the celebration are available��.

The Unsung Heroes are:

Andrea-Rose Oates ’26 (���ϲ����� student)

Oates, a public relations major in the and policy studies major in the and , has dedicated her life to community service, leadership and social justice. She is the president and founder of “Girlz Rize,” a nonprofit initiative focused on fighting for girls’ education opportunities.

Through her work last summer with NBCUniversal, Oates amplified underrepresented voices by highlighting community challenges and successes. Her summer internships with Comcast and Hilco Redevelopment Partners demonstrated her ability to translate corporate resources into meaningful community outreach.

Oates’ leadership roles at ���ϲ����� have included serving as president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Iota Upsilon chapter; co-secretary for the Black Student Union; events chair for the Women in Communications Club; a member of the Newhouse Student Representative Committee and an account associate for Hill Communications. She is dedicated to fostering inclusive, collaborative spaces that inspire academic and social growth and sustainable, generational change.

“Andrea-Rose doesn’t merely identify problems; she acts, empowering others to take part in solutions,” says nominator Diya Gupta. “Her actions reflect Dr. King’s enduring call to serve others and create a world where equity and justice prevail.”

James Duah-Agyeman G’99 (���ϲ����� Faculty/Staff)

Duah-Agyeman, former director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs and special advisor to the Men of Color Initiative, has a 38-year record of achievement at ���ϲ�����—as a graduate student, teacher, academic counselor, administrator and leader.

“There are many who talk the talk of service, inclusion and integrity, but in the context of engagement with the world, Dr. D has walked the walk again and again,” says nominator Barry L. Wells. “In the process, he has set a powerful example for students, faculty, staff, and community members in how one person can make a significant difference in the development and expansion of a community that values service and inclusion.”

Duah-Agyeman most recently led Multicultural Affairs in developing programs to advance inclusion on the SU campus by creating best-in-class programs like the WellsLink Leadership Program; Dimensions, a peer mentoring program for women of color; and the Men of Color Initiative. He was instrumental in piloting and introducing the Conversations About Race and Ethnicity (C.A.R.E.) intergroup dialogue programs on campus. He also advocated for inclusion through his community work with Interfaith Works of Central New York and the Ghana Society of CNY.

Student Coalition on Race and Equity (SCORE) (Youth Community Organization)

��The Student Coalition on Race and Equity (SCORE) was launched in 2020, after the murder of George Floyd. SCORE harnesses the talent and leadership skills of high school students across Onondaga County to combat oppression and foster equity. It empowers youth, known as SCORE leaders, to educate adults on topics related to race and equity, sharing insights from their unique perspectives as young people.

After completing five weeks of training in equity-based topics and being equipped with the skills necessary to facilitate interactive workshops, SCORE Leaders take on the role of educators, leading workshop sessions for community stakeholders each August. SCORE has provided workshops on implicit bias and Black history to almost 3,000 community members.

“SCORE is a powerful program that not only centers and draws from the creativity and expertise of youth, but it also engages youth in meaningfully powerful professional experience,” says nominator Jenny Dombroske. “Our community is fortunate to have this access to the insights of youth and the opportunity to learn some of the hardest lessons from them, so that we may contribute to the future that they want for themselves.”

Laurence Segal (Community Member)

Segal quietly fights every single day for cancer patients, the homeless, the downtrodden and people the rest of society cast aside, says his brother and nominator, Andrew Segal.

Laurence has been known to stop his car and help stranded motorists, using his own AAA card to help them. Through his organization, , he has returned millions of bottles and cans for cancer patients and research and pulled millions of pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House of CNY. He hosts multiple every month that impact thousands of people, and he constantly strives to make the world a better place.

This summer, Segal cleaned up trash on city streets and passed out hot meals, cold drinks, sanitizers, masks and first aid kits to people experiencing homelessness. He has spent countless hours with cancer patients holding their hands while they go through chemotherapy, radiation and long hospital stays.

“He makes a difference constantly, but just chooses to keep it silent,” Andrew Segal says. “He is the gem of our family, and a gem in CNY.”

Jamie Jackson (Special Posthumous Recognition)

Jackson, a longtime employee with ���ϲ�����’s Parking and Transportation Services, was in a unique position to connect with almost every person on campus for over 20 years. He was assigned to the Quad lot outside Hendricks Chapel, where he offered assistance to campus visitors and befriended many members of the campus community. Jackson passed away unexpectedly in September 2024.

He was a graduate of Onondaga Community College and a U.S. Navy and U.S. Army veteran. In his obituary, he was remembered as a “wonderful son, beloved husband, fantastic father, a devoted veteran, terrific brother, great friend, kind uncle, good outdoorsman, strong record keeper and avid sports fan.”

Dara Harper, communications director at Hendricks Chapel, got to know Jackson well.

“In my opinion, Jamie’s role on campus was utterly unsung. He, a veteran, a dad, a confidante, a judge, a quiet and constant friend, touched every person on campus,” she says. “To tell you that he was the parking attendant limits his story to a singular piece of who he was. And for many of us, he is still just right outside.”

Jackson’s loss is felt every day on the University campus. “Jamie embodied the kindness, fortitude and patience that we all should strive for in this world,” says Harper. “He was a GOOD man, which is just the simplest way of saying that he was a hero.”

The liberal arts offerings through the (A&S) and the have always equipped students with the critical and creative thinking skills needed throughout their lifetimes.

Today, thanks to an important revision of the foundational (LAC), the two schools will offer a reimagined, robust and contemporary curriculum that will prepare students for adaptability and success in a constantly evolving world. The new LAC, slated to be implemented in the Fall 2025 semester, will apply only to those students matriculating beginning in the fall of 2025.

The College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School will offer a reimagined, robust and contemporary curriculum that will prepare students for adaptability and success in a constantly evolving world.

Executive Director of Esports Joey Gawrysiak addresses the crowd during the grand opening of the Gaming and Esports Center on campus. (Photo by Tiancheng Tang ’26)

Continuing to innovate as a leading higher education institution for and gaming in the United States, ���ϲ����� has officially opened its new, state-of-the-art Gaming and Esports Center—an exciting arena for competitors and those new to the action to take part in this ever-growing, evolving sports field. The community gaming space elevates the esports offerings at the University in support of student engagement opportunities and first-of-its-kind academic programming.

Pictured from left to right are Chancellor Kent Syverud, Braeden Cheverie-Leonard ’26, Gabriel Goodwin ’28, and Brianna Nechifor ’26.

“This new best-in-class esports center is an important milestone in a project that is still underway to make us the best university for esports and gaming,” said ���ϲ����� Chancellor and President , during its opening celebration Friday. “No other university of our stature is investing in esports like we are. This gives ���ϲ����� a unique opportunity to level up while others aren’t even in the game.”

The 5,800-square-foot center inside the Schine Student Center is the second recreational gaming and esports facility on campus. The esports gaming room at the Barnes Center at The Arch has attracted more than 100,000 visits by students since opening in 2019.

The new facility will allow even more students the opportunity to try their hand at esports and gaming while strengthening the University’s commitment to leading the way in esports through the creation of a space that sets the University apart from its peer institutions.

Joey Gawrysiak

The Gaming and Esports Center offers something for every member of the University community, says , executive director of esports, including the first-of-its-kind esports communications and management degree program, offered jointly by the����and the��.

The center will house the University’s competitive esports varsity teams and feature a long, elevated stage with 10 computers where teams square off in competition. Each computer has a camera attached to the top for live streaming, and there are two long, video boards running in front of and behind the stage, perfect for displaying match stats, graphics and video replays to the crowd of spectators seated in front of the stage.

The facility is also meant for gamers of all levels and interests. There are 24 high-end personal computers and assorted console gaming on systems like Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox, along with virtual and augmented reality offerings, two racing simulators, classic arcade games and tabletop gaming.

“We’re setting a new standard for what esports and gaming can be, and ���ϲ����� is embracing the impact esports and gaming can have at an institution of higher education,” Gawrysiak says. “This space shows that we’re innovative and that we have an eye on the future of gaming and esports. We’re using esports and gaming as an educational opportunity, and this facility is a showcase of all things gaming for all members of our campus community.”

A member of the University community tries out one of the racing simulators housed in the new Gaming and Esports Center. (Photo by Cathleen O’Hare)

The University and global esports and gaming organization have collaborated on a multi-year partnership designed to enhance student engagement opportunities and support the University’s esports degree program. Along with an opportunity to participate in an intensive, three-week study abroad program in South Korea, the partnership will bring Gen.G’s Campus Takeover conference and program to ���ϲ����� to celebrate the University’s Gaming and Esports Center.

The center also features a production area—where students can receive real-world experiences live streaming varsity and club esports competitions—and a space for student broadcasters to provide play-by-play and color commentary from the matches.

Will Delgado ’26 has been involved with esports since his first year on campus, first as a broadcaster and then as a content creator for the esports program’s social media channels. Delgado shot, edited and produced the esports promotional video that was shown during Friday’s grand opening.

Will Delgado

“This space is going to have a huge impact on the campus community. It will help educate and inform our students on the potential career opportunities presented by esports,” says Delgado, who is studying both supply chain management in the and television, radio and film in the .

“By getting involved with esports, students can walk away with career skills and experiences that will serve them well in this industry.�� I should know, as I want to merge my passions for gaming, esports and content creation into an esports career when I graduate,” says Delgado, who is a resident advisor for an esports-centric Living Learning Community in Haven Hall.

During the ceremony, ���ϲ�����’s Counter Strike 2 varsity team, which claimed a national championship from the National Association of Collegiate Esports, was honored with a trophy presentation that will proudly be displayed in the center. It’s the first of what Gawrysiak hopes is many trophies to come.

Later this summer, the University is launching construction on a competitive esports arena inside the Marley Building. The third esports venue on campus will provide real-world, professional experiences to esports student-athletes and to members of the esports academic degree program.

The Gaming and Esports Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week and is located immediately next to the campus bookstore. All games and experiences are free to play for members of the University community.

Members of the University community watch a competition featuring members of the ���ϲ����� esports team. (Photo by Cathleen O’Hare)

Serving as Universitywide faculty representatives, committee members advise the Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer and work to ensure consistent promotion and tenure processes and promote high academic standards. Members, who must be tenured full professors, serve two-year, staggered terms and are not eligible to serve consecutive terms.

Newly elected committee members are:

• , William Safire Professor of Modern Letters and University Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
• , director, electrical engineering and computer science graduate program, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• , Marjorie Cantor Professor of Aging Studies, Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
• , associate dean for academic affairs, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
• , Albert & Betty Hill Endowed Professor, Martin J. Whitman School of Management
• , Iris Magidson Endowed Professor of Design Leadership and director, School of Design, College of Visual and Performing Arts

Promotion and tenure cases that meet the criteria for review—for example, those that have substantial disagreement between layers of recommendation or a strong probability of a negative determination—are taken up by committee members. They offer an advisory vote to the provost but do not issue a formal report or consider appeals.

The committee is convened by Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Jamie Winders. Provost Lois Agnew is chair of the committee, and Vice President for Research Duncan Brown serves in an ex-officio capacity.

Josh Fine

The inaugural class of IDJC fellows for the Spring 2025 semester includes investigative reporter and producer Josh Fine and former U.S. Public Delegate to the United Nations Andrew Weinstein.

“We are thrilled to announce this new program and to have Josh Fine and Andrew Weinstein as our inaugural fellows,” says Margaret Talev, Kramer Director of the IDJC and professor of practice of magazine, news and digital journalism in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. “This fellows program is designed to give thought leaders in the fields of journalism and public affairs an opportunity to delve more deeply into subjects that matter to all of us.”

The program provides workspace for fellows at IDJC headquarters in Washington, D.C., as well as access to University scholars and resources, and a stipend for their travel and projects. The fellows will convene events or pursue projects while developing nonpartisan thought leadership in issue areas that align with the IDJC’s mission to explore the challenges to—and connections between—democratic governance and journalism.

Fine, whose award-winning sports journalism has examined the International Olympic Committee, FIFA and the NFL, plans to use his time as a fellow to explore better ways to fund investigative sports journalism, with a focus on the challenges that go beyond the scoreboard and directly impact communities, including the public financing of stadiums, the health impact of certain high school programs and the profit behind youth sports.

“I’m delighted to be one of IDJC’s inaugural fellows,” says Fine. “As the journalism industry changes, it’s critical that accountability-based sports journalism endures. I’m grateful to have the support of ���ϲ����� to explore new ways to sustain this crucial work.”

Andrew Weinstein

Weinstein, who in addition to his role as public delegate, previously served on the board of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and as a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities during the Obama administration, will work to develop nonpartisan public dialogues and workshops aimed at addressing the rise in antisemitism, religion-based hatred and intolerance, and bridging divides between the American Jewish and Palestinian communities.

“I look forward to expanding on my work at the United Nations and am proud to do so in affiliation with such a prestigious academic institution. It’s an honor to help launch the Visiting Fellows program at the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship,” says Weinstein.

The launch of the IDJC Visiting Fellows program is made possible by a gift from Gary Greenberg ’72. For information on how to support or engage with the visiting fellows program, please email democracy@syr.edu.

The inaugural event, “Life Together: A Community Conversation for Election Season and Beyond,” was held on campus on Oct. 22. Hundreds of University community members, including students, staff and faculty representing diverse backgrounds and perspectives, engaged in facilitated dialogue on important issues related to democracy, civic engagement, economic opportunity and the political climate. The event featured a moderated discussion among experts, followed by small group conversations led by trained facilitators who also were members of the campus community.

University community members engage in conversation during the October 2024 Life Together event (Photo by Chuck Wainwright)

The Life Together initiative is led by Gretchen Ritter, vice president for civic engagement and education; Margaret Talev, Kramer Director of the ; and Tina Nabatchi, director of the Maxwell School’s (PARCC).

This next phase of the Life Together initiative includes several events planned for the Spring 2025 semester:

• Life Together Leadership Fellows: Ritter, in collaboration with PARCC, will lead a four-part training session for students, faculty and staff interested in developing the civic skills needed to promote democratic engagement in a diverse community. There will be four, two-hour required training sessions that focus on active listening, critical reasoning, inclusive advocacy and advancing the common good. for the Life Together Leadership Fellows program and are due by Jan. 31.
• “Civic Stories” Digital Storytelling Project: The project will collect and share personal and community-driven stories in the form of short video and audio recordings and reflective writing. “Civic Stories” aims to deepen our understanding and practice of civic engagement by humanizing complex issues, promoting empathy and connection, amplifying voices from marginalized communities, challenging assumptions and stereotypes, encouraging reflective dialogue, highlighting shared goals and collective action, and building civic identity and agency.
• Life Together Online Community Conversations Modules: Building on the fall’s facilitated community conversation, and in collaboration with PARCC and the College of Professional Studies, online modules will be developed that can be used to facilitate community conversations for members of the ���ϲ����� community who are not in residence in ���ϲ�����. The modules can also be used by instructors in various settings, such as part of the First Year Seminar curriculum for non-residential first-year students.
• Life Together Lecture Series: The series will bring speakers to campus who will deepen campus conversation and understanding around the initiative’s four critical civic engagement skills. Four colloquiums are expected to be offered in the spring.

��Further details on how the University community can participate will be shared early in the spring semester.

Audra Weiss

When Weiss was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, she became a passionate advocate for early cancer detection and diagnosis, and holistic care. Weiss died Dec. 31, 2024, at the age of 57. Her husband Jim Weiss ’87 and their two children, Ethan and Emily, were at her side. “Audra was a quiet yet powerful force who walked through life exuding grace, strength and class,” .

Audra Weiss graduated from the , while her husband graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the . Jim Weiss founded Real Chemistry in 2001.

In 2012, a gift from Audra and Jim Weiss established the at the Newhouse School. The Weiss Center’s goal is to ensure students are immersed and educated in the digital world as they prepare for careers across the communications industries.

Nine years later, the Weisses for the ribbon-cutting ceremony of a new, state-of-the-art classroom established by a gift from Real Chemistry. The Emerging Insights Lab is a social media command center that serves as a central hub for the interfacing of digital media monitored and studied by students and faculty.

“Audra Weiss’ support meant so much to ���ϲ�����. She will always be remembered at Newhouse for her dedication to helping our students succeed, collaborating with Jim on mentorships, career advice, classroom visits or the many other ways they gave back big and small,” said Newhouse Dean Mark Lodato. “We mourn her passing and extend our deepest condolences to Jim, Ethan, Emily and the rest of the Weiss family.”

Born and raised on Long Island in Coram, New York, Audra Weiss worked in healthcare communications after graduating from Whitman. She connected with Jim through a mutual friend—they worked in the same field and shared a love for ���ϲ�����, though they never met while at school. They were married for nearly 25 years.

“She knew from the get-go that she’d happily trade in her stellar professional career for a lifelong role of motherhood.  She welcomed Ethan and Emily into the world and devoted herself to her calling,” her family said.

“Audra’s intellect and brilliance shined in the backdrop of Jim’s entrepreneurial quest to build a leading global communications firm,” the family said.  “As an advisor and confidant, Audra made her mark on the business that would become Real Chemistry. To her, success was a vehicle to do good—giving back through the ‘Weiss Family Office.’”

After being diagnosed with cancer, Weiss became a staunch advocate for the care of those living with cancer. She shared her wisdom about her cancer journey and connected with the Dempsey Center, joining the board of the organization founded by actor Patrick Dempsey. The Dempsey Center provides personalized and comprehensive cancer care at no cost.

The Weiss family said it would continue to advocate for early cancer detection and diagnosis, as well as advocating for treating cancer “holistically, not just with pharmaceuticals but with wraparound care that makes the journey a much better experience for patients and their families.”

Services will be held Jan. 8 in San Francisco, California. The family said donations in Weiss’ memory can be made to the , , and the . Read Audra Weiss’ .

This year, out of 14 student winners nationwide, four are advertising majors. And two of them are from the .

Tori Aragi ’24 and Jordan Leveille ’24, art directors in the Newhouse creative advertising program, won for five advertising campaigns they created in Portfolio 1, the first course for at Newhouse. One campaign by Aragi came from Portfolio III, the final course in the creative advertising track. Aragi and Leveille’s first-ever advertising campaigns were shown in the March/April 2024 print edition of Communication Arts.

“The fun of Portfolio I is that many students come in with no experience,” says , a professor of practice and Aragi and Leveille’s instructor in Portfolio I. “They tell me they’ve never created an advertising campaign before, and I tell them, ‘The work created in this course often goes on to win creative advertising student awards.’ Time and time again, this proves to be true. In my Portfolio I course, I don’t just teach students how to create ad campaigns; I teach them how to create compelling campaigns that are memorable.”

The Award-Winning Campaigns

“Too Tired to Function” for Raycon Wireless Earbuds

Tori Aragi’s campaign with a print ad for Raycon Wireless Earbuds.

Aragi’s “Too Tired to Function” campaign for Raycon Wireless Earbuds includes three print ads and was developed in her Portfolio I course. It is one of her three campaigns featured in this year’s print edition of Communication Arts. This campaign highlights Raycon’s superior battery life by showing Apple AirPods “falling asleep” during inconvenient travel times and uses visual solution advertising to tell this story, altering visuals to communicate the concept of the ad campaign.

“This was my first-ever advertising campaign,” Aragi says. “Professor White taught me how to blend visuals and copy to create this compelling story.”

“Hydroscape” for Hydro Flask

Jordan Leveille’s campaign featured print ads for Hydro Flask.

Leveille’s “Hydroscape” campaign for Hydro Flask, created in Portfolio I, similarly uses a visual solution approach, transforming Hydro Flask bottles into frigid, icy landscapes to represent how well the product keeps liquids cold. This concept visually links Hydro Flasks to glaciers, a recognizable symbol of cold water.

“This is a clever way of visually showing how the water bottle keeps water cold for a very long time,” White says. “Jordan is strikingly adept at using visual solution advertising.”

“Bad Hair Day” for Aveeno

Jordan Leveille’s campaign featured print ads for Aveeno.

Leveille’s “Bad Hair Day” campaign for Aveeno, created in Portfolio I, takes a playful approach with its visual solution. It depicts the torment of dealing with untreated, damaged hair by transforming the hair into a monstrosity. This campaign shows how Aveeno’s Oat Milk Hair Treatment can “tame” unruly hair, thus positioning the product as the solution to achieving hydrated, healthy locks.

“Fries Over Friends” for McDonald’s

Tori Aragi’s campaign featured print ads for McDonald’s.

Aragi’s second featured campaign, “Fries Over Feelings,” created in Portfolio I, captures the universal sting of someone swiping your McDonald’s fries. Aragi turned this everyday betrayal into a memorable ad series, blending serious undertones with exaggerated humor. Her long-form ads amplify the drama of the stolen fries by incorporating clever comedic twists.

“Professor White’s guidance on copy-based advertising was crucial in developing this idea and its comedic touch,” says Aragi.

“I’m Thirsty” for charity: water

For charity: water, a nonprofit dedicated to providing clean drinking water where many do not have access to it, Leveille came up with the idea in Portfolio I to create drinking water cans with no tab on them, making the water inside completely inaccessible. These cans would be placed in vending machines that appear to dispense free cans of water.

The can’s design is meant to give consumers a glimpse of what it’s like for people who lack access to clean drinking water, aiming to generate empathy for the 370 million individuals facing this challenge daily.��The cans lack tabs, so people cannot access the water. This design gives consumers a glimpse into experiencing first-hand, even if it’s just for a few seconds, what it’s like to have no access to clean drinking water.

Each can reads, “By making this can of water impossible to open, we have restricted your access to clean drinking water. Now you can relate to the 10% of our population who lack access to clean water daily. It shouldn’t be this difficult for anyone to quench their thirst.”

Jordan Leveille’s experiential idea for charity: water brings awareness to the fact that one in 10 people globally do not have access to clean water.

This campaign is notable for its innovative use of experiential advertising, creating a powerful and original experience for the consumer.

“The charity: water campaign tangibly recreates water inaccessibility through a completely sealed and visually identifiable can, allowing consumers to experience an issue that many typically don’t in their daily lives,” White says.

“Just Let It Go” for eBay

Aragi’s third campaign, “Just Let It Go” for eBay, was created in Portfolio III. Collaborating with copywriter Kayla Beck ’24, Aragi targeted Generation Z in the United Kingdom with this cheeky campaign.

Tori Aragi’s campaign featuring outdoor posters for eBay.

Through their research, Aragi and Beck said they found that Gen Z struggles to let go of preloved items, even when they have outgrown them. From there, the creative advertising students created a campaign that gives people the snarky shove they need to realize it is finally time to let go.

“Professor White always stressed the importance of simple ideas and cohesive campaigns, which helped me to create this project,” Aragi says.

2024 marks the sixth consecutive year Newhouse creative advertising students have won Communication Arts Students Showcase Awards.

Molly Egan (left) and Marlana Bianchi won the Grand Prix for their Spotify AI idea, “Break the Sound Barrier.” (Photo courtesy of AKQA)

This is part one of a two-part series documenting the first time Newhouse creative advertising students won the Cannes Future Lions Grand Prix.

In June 2024, Newhouse School creative advertising students Molly Egan ’25 and Marlana Bianchi ’24 walked across the stage to claim the most prestigious student award in the world: the Cannes Future Lions Grand Prix, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France.

The Cannes Lions Awards are so prestigious, they are considered the Oscars of the advertising industry. And this year, ���ϲ����� made history as the first U.S. undergraduate university to win a Cannes Future Lions Grand Prix. In 2018, ���ϲ����� became the first U.S. undergraduate university to ever win a Cannes Future Lions award.

This year’s competition saw entries from 245 schools across 59 countries—three times the number of entries from the previous year.

Each year, the competition releases a brief for students to answer. The brief for the 2024 competition was for Spotify. Egan and Bianchi earned the award through their compelling entry, “,” designed to make music streaming inclusive for the deaf community.

“�ĘBreak the Sound Barrier’ is phenomenal, bravo. My favorite ideas make me deeply jealous that I didn’t think of them. And they make me ask: ‘How has this not been done yet?’ Because it’s so good,” says Avi Steinbach ’14, creative director/writer at Ogilvy and alumnus of the Newhouse creative advertising program.

Steinbach also won his first Cannes Lions Grand Prix this year in the Social and Influencer Category for the “” campaign. He was involved in every aspect of its creation—from the initial concept and pitching CeraVe to the script, social concepts and Super Bowl spot.

The Inspiration Behind the AI Idea��

Egan and Bianchi said their goal was to make music streaming inclusive for the deaf community.

“Sometimes the best ideas are your first ideas,” says Bianchi. “For me, they often come late at night when I’m exhausted and falling asleep at my desk. This idea started like that, and then Molly and I built on it to create something truly unique.”

Egan said their inspiration began with what she called the unforgettable halftime show at the 2023 Super Bowl.

“Rihanna headlined, but she wasn’t the only performer to leave a lasting impression,” she says. “At that time, Marlana was studying abroad in Florence, Italy, and I was in my college house without ESPN, so we both ended up watching the show on YouTube. From our separate corners of the world, we were mesmerized. Rihanna was split screen with Justina Miles. Miles, a deaf sign language performer, didn’t just translate Riri’s music—she embodied it.”

With electrifying energy, Miles created a whole new dimension to the performance. She brought every lyric and note to life, performing each word while dancing to Rihanna’s beats. Her hands told the story, and her body caught the rhythm so precisely that it felt like she was channeling the core of Rihanna’s music, Egan said.

“Marlana and I couldn’t stop replaying her performance, captivated by how she brought the music to life for both deaf and hearing fans,” Egan added.

Little did they know, this was the first time a deaf sign language performer like Miles was invited to join the Super Bowl halftime show. This major move for music inclusivity is what inspired Egan and Bianchi’s award-winning idea.

Another source of inspiration was MasterCard’s “True Name” campaign, which was shared during their Portfolio III course taught by , professor of practice in advertising. The campaign inspired them to think about how ideas can move the needle on inclusivity. “True Name” lets transgender and nonbinary people display their chosen name on their banking cards, regardless of the name on their identification or birth certificate.

The Grand Prix-Winning Idea for Spotify

“Break the Sound Barrier” is a digital idea for Spotify that aims to make music streaming more inclusive to the deaf community by integrating deaf sign language performances into the platform, ensuring that music streaming is accessible to all users, regardless of their hearing ability.

By partnering with deaf performers like Miles and using deepfake technology, “Break the Sound Barrier” can scale deaf performances into over 300 sign languages for each song on the platform. This approach ensures that Spotify will be accessible to the deaf community.

The next part of their idea lets musicians choose to opt into “.” If a musician opts in, Spotify will generate them signing with deepfake technology. This will let musicians perform in all the world’s sign languages for the first time, bringing deaf fans closer to their favorite artists than ever before.

‘‘‘Break the Sound Barrier’ is just so simple. Real problem. Real solution. While so many agencies are trying to find ways to use deepfake and AI, this idea uses it to address a real issue. This idea also starts on the app, but I could see it extending in a number of ways [like real-life concerts]—another good sign of a huge idea,” says Steinbach.

To read the full story, visit .

Story by , senior in the Newhouse School

Joey Gawrysiak, executive director of the esports degree program (left) and Arnold Hur, CEO of Gen.G (Photo courtesy of Gen.G)

���ϲ����� and global esports and gaming organization are collaborating on a multi-year partnership designed to enhance student engagement opportunities and support the University’s first-of-its-kind esports communications and management bachelor’s program.

The partnership will feature participation in the , which offers students the opportunity to take part in an intensive, three-week program to study in South Korea. The partnership will also bring Gen.G’s Campus Takeover conference and program to ���ϲ����� to celebrate the University’s soon-to-be-completed esports hub in the center of campus at the Schine Student Center. Campus Takeover events draw students, faculty, professional leaders and other stakeholders from around the world to discuss key issues and emerging trends in the esports and gaming industries.

���ϲ����� is the first��major university in the country to offer an esports bachelor’s program. The degree is offered jointly by the Newhouse School of Public Communications and��.

“As a leader in esports education, it is essential for ���ϲ����� to deliver to the right mix of academic excellence and hands-on experiences to our students,” says Joey Gawrysiak, executive director of the . “Given Gen.G’s outstanding track record of delivering educational programming that resonates with students, we look forward to building this important partnership in a growing field.”

The Gen.G Practicum Abroad program will offer ���ϲ����� students an expansive hands-on learning experience in the heart of the esports industry in South Korea. The program led by Gen.G professionals includes custom esports programming, mentorship by industry professionals, special lectures, industry “lunch-and-learns” and professional networking, all while immersing students in Korean culture and its history in esports. Students will visit competitive organizations and gaming publisher studios.

Students will also take part in Gen.G’s award-winning Campus Takeover event, which will be hosted for the first time on the ���ϲ����� campus in��fall 2025. The free-to-enter conference will focus on supporting the esports ecosystem in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, promoting academic, broadcast and competitive excellence through informative panels and seminars featuring industry professionals. The Campus Takeover at ���ϲ����� will also be the first to feature an innovative business case study competition.

“���ϲ����� and Gen.G believe education plays a critical role in the future development of esports and gaming globally, so we’re committed to delivering hands-on experiences for the students who seek a rewarding career in our industry,” says Arnold Hur, CEO of Gen.G. Hur and Yugina Yan, the company’s assistant director of operations for education will serve as development advisors to the ���ϲ�����’s esports program.

Last spring, Gen.G hosted industry lectures for students in the Department of Sport Management in Falk College and a marketing lecture exclusively for ���ϲ����� esports students during the League of Legends World Championships in Berlin.

Gen.G’s commitment to education is celebrating its fifth year with its Gen.G Foundation, a $1 million pledge over the next 10 years to advance the importance of education in the esports and gaming industry. The foundation awards scholarships to more than 40 students across the United States. Gen.G also operates the Gen.G Global Academy, the world’s first fully integrated academic esports program in Korea.

About Gen.G

United under #TigerNation, Gen.G’s core mission is to help fans and athletes use the power of gaming and esports to get ahead in and beyond the competition. With an emphasis on education, DEI initiatives, and innovative partnerships, Gen.G is a commercial and thought leader, building a global, inclusive and cross-cultural future for gaming. Its unique portfolio of teams includes the Seoul Dynasty (Overwatch League), League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), the Gen.G & Gen.G Black VALORANT teams, the PUBG Gen.G team, and the NBA2K’s Gen.G Tigers (the first non-NBA owned team in the NBA 2K League). Gen.G has also been a major proponent in seamlessly bringing in non-endemic brand partners to the world of gaming and esports, including 1Password, Burberry, Crocs, King’s Hawaiian, McDonald’s, Mobil1, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, and more. Gen.G also operates the Gen.G Global Academy, the world’s first fully-integrated academic esports program in Korea. Gen.G’s teams, content creators and corporate staff work out of their offices in Los Angeles, Seoul and Shanghai. For more information, visit GenG.gg or follow on Twitter @GenG.

Ghael Fobes ’22, an alumnus of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, has been named a 2025 Marshall Scholar.

The Marshall Scholarship program was created by an Act of British Parliament in 1953 as a living memorial to former U.S. Secretary of State Gen. George C. Marshall and American assistance provided following World War II. The scholarship allows up to three years of fully funded graduate study in any academic topic at any university in the United Kingdom. Fobes is one of 36 students selected from around the country and is ���ϲ�����’s seventh Marshall Scholar.

“Marshall Scholars continue to represent the very best of American society, dedicating their time and effort to address some of the great challenges of our time, from cyber security and artificial intelligence to advancing our knowledge of the universe,” says Dame Karen Pierce, British ambassador to the U.S. “The Marshall Scholarship remains an integral part of the U.K.-U.S. relationship, established through British gratitude to General Marshall at the end of WWII. We are delighted to welcome such a diverse and talented group of students to the U.K. next year as they continue their studies at some of the U.K.’s top academic institutions.”

Fobes plans to pursue two master’s degrees—in data and artificial intelligence (AI) ethics and in future governance—at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He began producing for NBC News as an intern in college and is currently an associate White House producer for NBC News in Washington, D.C. In his position, he has a firsthand perspective on the role that AI is playing in journalism today.

“I think the effects right now are pretty wide-ranging and pose some great opportunities and challenges,” Fobes says. “For example, we’ve been using artificial intelligence tools at NBC News to make transcription more efficient and effective. We also use them to help verify the provenance of social media content. As for challenges, I think anybody using social media has seen a flood in content created with generative AI. That presents significant obstacles to journalists’ ability to quickly determine the veracity��of content.”

Building upon his Marshall experience, Fobes hopes to return to NBC News ready to lead an innovation office embedded in the network’s newsgathering operation. “My goal is to develop ethical workflows that enhance our ability to gather and present news, focusing specifically on expanding efforts to combat digital misinformation,” he says.

As an undergraduate, Fobes majored in broadcast and digital journalism in the Newhouse School and minored in political science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences. He was a ���ϲ����� Scholar and Commencement class speaker in 2022, and says he continues to carry his ���ϲ����� experience with him.

“My coursework and the faculty at Newhouse and Maxwell deepened my technical knowledge of broadcasting, sharpened my storytelling skills, and broadened my understanding of domestic and international politics,” he says.��“While a lot��of the learning behind my broadcast degree allowed me to hone my use of a camera, what was truly enriching was learning from Professor Les Rose about the subtleties��of interviewing and story development. It is not just about what catches someone’s eye, but is also about finding ways of introducing your audience to new people, places and perspectives.”

Fobes says his academic experience prepared him for working at NBC News. “It gives me a great foundation for approaching my Marshall Scholarship proposal for developing ethical newsgathering workflows with AI,” he says.

“I am especially grateful to ���ϲ����� for its focus on preparing students with professional development and networking opportunities, and for its satellite campuses in New York City and Washington, D.C,” he says. “Specifically, I’m thankful for Professor Cheryl Brody Franklin’s mentorship through the Newhouse NYC program and Professor Charlotte Grimes, who led the Robin Toner Program in Political Reporting, which I was a part of for four years. They opened the door that allowed me to intern at NBC News throughout my time at SU.”

Fobes��also worked for the Daily Orange. He led the newspaper’s audio department, expanding its footprint as the founder, editor and host of “The Daily Orange” podcast.��“I am grateful to the Daily Orange for giving me the creative space and resources to launch our weekly podcast. Leading the podcast taught me how to pitch and integrate new technologies into the operations of a storied newspaper,” he says.

Fobes worked with the University’s Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) on his Marshall application.

“Ghael’s extraordinary record of service and leadership in his field—and his preparation for and commitment to graduate study in artificial intelligence ethics—made him an outstanding candidate for the Marshall Scholarship,” says Jolynn Parker, director of the CFSA.��“We are thrilled this award will help him achieve his goals.”

Fobes is grateful to Parker and CFSA. “I would not have known about, pursued or completed the application, much less gotten the award, without Jolynn’s encouragement and guidance,” he says. “I am also grateful for the professors who took the time to conduct mock interviews with me.”

Students interested in applying for national scholarships that require University endorsement, such as the Marshall Scholarship, should complete an “intent to apply” form with Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising by the end of June 2025 and plan to work with��.

The report finds President Joe Biden’s and Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaigns together outspent now President-elect Donald Trump on Facebook and Instagram by about 6-to-1 ($140 million to $24 million) between Sept. 1, 2023, and the Nov. 5, 2024, election. Meta owns the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram.����

The fourth quarterly report from ���ϲ�����’s  (IDJC) also identifies more than $6 million in negative ads from groups backed by Elon Musk that accept unlimited sums from anonymous donors, a source of financing known as “dark money.” The ads, which undercut Harris, aired during the closing weeks of the campaign.����

The world’s richest man, Musk is CEO of Tesla and owns social media platform X. He has emerged as a close advisor to Trump.����

• The report looks at spending on Meta Platforms related to Musk-backed Progress 2028, Building America’s Future PAC, Future Coalition and FC PACs, Duty to America, Fair��Election Fund, RBG PAC and America PAC.��

• In addition to messaging about the economy and illegal immigration, the ads aim to erode support for Democrats among Black Americans who smoke menthol cigarettes;, and send conflicting, targeted messages about the Israel-Hamas war. For instance, in Michigan, ads played up Harris’ support for Israel to erode Arab and Muslim voters’ support for the vice president; while in Pennsylvania, ads emphasized Harris’ sympathy for Palestinians to turn off Jewish voters.��

��The ElectionGraph report provides a powerful—though only partial—measure of the volume of election-related messaging on social media, whether ads originated from the candidates’ own campaigns or the vast web of outside groups that range from truthful and transparent, to murky and conspiracy-minded, and everything in between.����

This is the final installment in a yearlong research project that seeks to identify misinformation trends in the U.S. presidential election. The project is supported by a grant and the use of analytics software from , the world’s leading graph database and analytics company.��

The ElectionGraph team’s efforts include pinpointing origins of messages and tracing misinformation by collecting and algorithmically classifying ads run on Facebook and Instagram. ElectionGraph also has developed a publicly accessible dashboard to explore its findings.��

“In the closing days of the election, shady groups with unclear motives ran duplicitous ads meant to manipulate the public’s understanding of candidate Harris’ policies,” says Jennifer Stromer-Galley, a professor in the School of Information Studies at ���ϲ����� and ElectionGraph’s lead researcher. “The fragmented information environment combined with weak regulation around campaign finance and disclosures on digital ads leaves the public vulnerable to actors who will say anything to try and win elections.”��

While Meta allows approved organizations to access ad data, such data is not required to be made available—and is not similarly trackable—on TikTok, Google, YouTube or Snapchat. The findings nevertheless provide a framework to visualize the fire hose of information and misinformation targeting voters from groups with a jumble of motives, ties and trustworthiness ahead of the 2024 election.��

Graph databases have emerged as a formidable ally in unmasking coordinated misinformation campaigns this election cycle, says Jim Webber, chief scientist at Neo4j. ��

“Using Neo4j, IDJC ElectionGraph researchers have illuminated vast networks of accounts acting in unison to amplify false narratives, even when those accounts tried to maintain a veneer of independence,” Webber says. “They were able to quickly see the forest through the trees and map out an intricate structure of this problematic content, which had the potential to deceive voters.”��

The Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship is a joint University initiative of the  and the .��

“Election ads on social media in the closing weeks of the campaign can be particularly influential, but also difficult in terms of voters’ ability to see whose money and influence is behind them, given lag times in reporting requirements,”says IDJC Kramer Director , a journalist and professor of practice at the Newhouse School.  ��

On this “‘Cuse Conversation,” Kathrine Switzer discusses making history as the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, why she’s never stopped advocating for the inclusion of women in sports and what it means to be a proud alumna.

Instead of wallowing in what could have potentially been the lowest moment of her life, Kathrine Switzer ’68, G’72, H’18 used the adversity she overcame during her historic run at the Boston Marathon as fuel to inspire women around the world.

Switzer, who in 1967 became the first woman to officially run and finish the Boston Marathon when she entered as K.V. Switzer using bib number 261, contended not only with the grueling course and frigid race conditions, but also a physical challenge from race director Jock Semple. Around mile four, Semple leapt out of the photographers’ press truck and headed straight for Switzer and her contingent of runners from ���ϲ�����.

Kathrine Switzer (wearing bib number 261) is harassed by Boston Marathon race director Jock Semple (in black) while she is running in the marathon. Switzer’s boyfriend at the time, Tom Miller (wearing bib number 390), delivers a block to Semple that frees up Switzer to continue running. (Photo courtesy of the Boston Herald)

As Semple tried to rip Switzer’s bib off the front and back of her grey ���ϲ����� track sweatshirt, Switzer was frightened. Her coach, Arnie Briggs, the University’s mailman and a veteran runner at the Boston Marathon, tried to convince Semple that Switzer belonged in the race, to no avail. Only after Switzer’s boyfriend, Tom Miller, a member of the Orange football and track and field teams, blocked Semple, was Switzer free to continue chasing down her pursuit of history.

In that moment, Switzer followed Briggs’ advice to run like hell, driven to prove Semple and the other doubters wrong by finishing the race. She hasn’t stopped running with a purpose since.

Kathrine Switzer

“As I was running, I realized that if these women had the opportunity, just the opportunity, that’s all they needed. And by the time I finished the race I said, ‘I’m going to prove myself, play by their rules and then change those rules,’” says Switzer, an emeritus member of the of Sport and Human Dynamics’ .

“From the worst things can come the best things and that’s what I tell students whenever I speak to classes. If something is wrong, there’s an opportunity to change it, and we can then reverse it. When you’re training for a marathon, you’re out there for hours by yourself. I loved to use that time to take on a problem and solve it,” says Switzer, who earned bachelor’s degrees in journalism from the and English from the , and a master’s degree in public relations from the Newhouse School.

After her triumph in Boston, Switzer would complete more than 40 marathons, including winning the New York City Marathon in 1974, and she was instrumental in getting the women’s marathon included in the Summer Olympics. Switzer’s global nonprofit, (an homage to her Boston race bib), has helped thousands of women discover their potential through the creation of local running clubs, educational programs, communication platforms and social running events.

On this “’Cuse Conversation,” Switzer discusses making history as the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, why she’s never stopped advocating for the inclusion of women in sports and what it means to be a proud alumna whose running career was launched as a student on campus.

Check out�� featuring Switzer. A transcript [PDF]��is also available.

How did you use the Boston Marathon experience to create more running opportunities for women?

Kathrine Switzer finishes the Boston Marathon in 1975 doing her personal best: 2:51.37. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson)

I was raised by parents who said you know right from wrong, so always go for what’s right. I knew it was going to be time-consuming, but I knew it was important to both correct the error the establishment had made, but more than that, I wanted women to know how great you can feel when you’re running. When I was running, I felt empowered. I felt like I could overcome anything. Running is naturally empowering, it’s a super endorphin high, and I wanted women to experience that.

One of the issues I wanted to solve was getting the women’s marathon into the Summer Olympics. It came down to opportunities and I wanted to create these opportunities, so [once I was working for Avon Cosmetics] I created the Avon International Running Circuit, a series of races around the world that are for women only, where we could make every woman feel welcome and treat her like a hero.

Eventually, we had 400 races in 27 countries for over a million women around the world. We had the participation, we had the sponsorships, we had the media coverage and we had the international representation. In 1981, by a vote of nine to one, women’s marathon was voted into the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. That was an incredible feeling.

What has running given you?

Running has given me just about everything. It’s given me my religion, my husband, travel opportunities, my health and wellness, but the biggest thing it has given me is this��perspective on myself, this empowerment and belief in myself that I can do whatever I set out to accomplish.

What kind of impact has 261 Fearless had in empowering and lifting up other women through running?

We’ve already proved that, regardless of your age, your ability or your background, if you get out there and put one foot in front of the other, you’re going to become empowered. If you want to lift a woman up, show her how to run.

We need to do it at the grassroots level and invite women around the world to have a jog or a walk with one of our more than 500 trained coaches. We’re working village by village, city by city, country by country to spread the word on the life-changing benefits of running, and we’ve worked with nearly 7,000 women in 14 countries and five continents so far. 261 was perfect for this mission. It became a number that means being fearless in the face of adversity. People have told me that 261 Fearless has changed their lives and that they’re taking courage from what I did.

Note: This conversation was edited for brevity and clarity.

Kathrine Switzer speaks to students in Falk College Professor Lindsey Darvin’s Sport Management “Race, Gender and Diversity in Sport Organizations” class. (Photo by Cathleen O’Hare)

As misinformation surges online, Hirsch became increasingly concerned with how AI has made the creation and spread of fake news easier than ever. Her innovative solution? Use the same technology driving misinformation to combat it.

Hirsch wondered, “what better way to protect people from false AI content than using AI to detect it?” This thought sparked her idea, which she cleverly titled “AI vs. AI.” Her two-minute����shows how this idea would work.

Creative advertising student Brooke Hirsch ’24 is one of 10 worldwide winners of the Clio Award for Student Innovation for her idea “AI vs. AI.”

This past May, 10 student ideas from around the world won a 2024 Clio Award for Student Innovation. Hirsch’s idea was one of them. Winning a Clio as a student or a professional in the industry is one of advertising’s highest honors, and Hirsch earned this distinction while a student in the�� in the Newhouse School.

“Brooke Hirsch created an innovative AI idea that would help move the needle on protecting people from believing deceptive AI content,” says , creative advertising professor of practice at Newhouse. “This student work was created after I gave a presentation in my Portfolio III course on how to effectively use emerging technologies for brands. Our creative advertising students learn how to create original ideas utilizing emerging technologies to solve problems, all so that they are prepared to work as copywriters or art directors in the advertising industry. Brooke nailed it. This idea is excellent.”

The Story Behind Her Win: How Did Hirsch Create “AI vs. AI?”

After her presentation on emerging technologies, White tasked her Portfolio III students with this brief: Create a digital idea using new technology for a global brand that solves a problem.

When brainstorming problems to solve, Hirsch recalled recent news coverage about how the deceptive use of AI is tricking people into believing that fake news is real. Coverage of AI’s problematic usage led Hirsch to pick AI-generated misinformation as the problem to address.

“I’m deeply concerned about the impact of AI,” Hirsch says. “That’s when I started thinking—what if we could turn AI against itself? I know that AI has the potential to be a powerful tool for social good. This led me to explore how we could harness it to combat the problem it’s created. That’s how the idea for ‘AI vs. AI’ was born.”

Hirsch’s NYT ad campaign calls out deceptive AI journalism and shows “AI vs. AI” as a revolutionary tool that detects and notifies people of AI-generated misinformation.

Hirsch chose The New York Times (NYT) as her brand because of its demonstrated commitment to safeguarding the truth. As Hirsch developed her idea, White helped her think about how each component of the digital idea would appear in the NYT app, asking “How will this feature work?” and “What’s the user experience from start to finish?” White also guided Hirsch to decide on the creative name of her idea.

“Professor White’s superpower is knowing when an idea is good,” Hirsch says. “The sentence to pit AI against AI was somewhere in one of my write-ups. It was just something that I wrote, and she was like, ‘that should be the name. That should be everywhere.’ It was just a sentence that I threw out there. For that to be the crux of the idea, I needed her to tell me that.”

As Hirsch worked on the idea, her Portfolio III mentor Carl Peterson gave her helpful feedback. In Portfolio III, White uses her industry connections to pair each student team with a creative director from a top ad agency to receive additional feedback on their work. Peterson, an award-winning creative director at Mischief—named Ad Age’s #1 Global Ad Agency of the Year and Creative Agency of the Year— introduced Hirsch to Droga5’s “The Truth is Hard” campaign, helping Hirsch to capture the Times’s voice in her “AI vs. AI” case video.

“The hardest part was making the case study video script because it’s all about getting the language right, Hirsch said. “Each brand has a specific voice, and The New York Times has a very specific voice. They’re witty but not goofy. It was a great experience to learn how to write for a brand as big as this one.”

How Does “AI vs. AI” Protect the Truth?

“The New York Times has always believed that the truth comes before anything,” Hirsch’s case study video starts. “But how do you find the truth when you can’t tell between what’s real and what’s fake?”

To fight in the war against AI, “AI vs. AI” would create a revolutionary AI tool that detects and notifies people of AI-created misinformation on their phones and computers, in real-time.

“AI vs. AI” would scan images for signs of AI creation or manipulation, articles for signs of AI writing that is deceptive and videos for deepfakes and AI voices that misportray people or information.

To get the word out, Hirsch created ads to get Americans to question the “news” they see. These ads would read “How do you know that AI didn’t write this article? Now you can find out. Spot AI using AI. Free with a NYT subscription.”

Banner ads would be placed on YouTube, where deepfakes circulate. These ads would read “There’s no way to tell what you’re watching is a deepfake. Until now. Spot AI using AI. Download the NYT app.”

Hirsch’s student idea “AI vs. AI” is about the preservation of human truth.

The case study video concludes: “In order to protect ourselves, we need to protect the truth. Because human truth is everything.”

Why Does This Matter?

In a world where people use their phones to rapidly access information, they rely on their social feeds for their news. The danger of AI-driven misinformation is that it is increasingly convincing and difficult to spot, making it a huge threat to those relying on social media for their information.

Hirsch’s idea protects people from this AI-driven misinformation by turning AI against itself, creating a tool that finds AI-generated misinformation. This tool is more important than ever, as it provides a vital method to safeguard our democracy from AI-driven deception.

Crucially, “AI vs. AI” does not infringe on the right to free speech. Instead, it helps people effectively dodge AI-driven misinformation by teaming up with a trusted source: The New York Times.

How the Creative Advertising Program Helps Students Succeed

Hirsch credited Newhouse’s creative advertising program for pushing students like her to achieve such extraordinary feats.

“The program pushes students to be creative and encourages them to stretch an idea as far as possible, with just the weight of the idea,” she says. “This program pushes you to start with a huge idea, and Professor White won’t let you go any further without one. I think that’s what makes the program create so many amazing creatives. I watched my classmates develop campaigns that you would imagine a huge agency to do, or are even better than what huge agencies do, because all the work stems from the power of an idea. This program demands you be creative with what you already know and what you can do.”

This story was written by Molly Egan.

Elizabeth Paulin

Student teams pitched their respective social impact ventures for a chance to win a total of $15,000 in prizes, supported by generous donations from Libraries’ donors. This year’s winners are:

• 1^st Place: $6,000 awarded to Elizabeth Paulin ’24 () of Paulin Capital.
• 2^nd place: $4,500 awarded to Jordan Pierre ’23, G’24 (), founder of Voice.
• 3^rd place: $3,000 awarded to Olutosin Alabi G’25 (), founder of Diabetech.
• Runner-Ups: $500 each awarded to Ava Lubkemann ’27 (), founder of ReVamped; Alie Savane ’25 (Arts and Sciences), founder of Beta Kola; and Dylan Bardsley ’26 (Whitman School) and Mark Leaf ’27 (Engineering and Computer Science), founders of Clarity.

These seniors have been involved as students taking the course in their first year of college, then as peer leaders for (FYS) for three subsequent years. The one-credit, 15-week required course engages students in��conversations, activities and assignments about making the transition to life on campus. It not only serves as an introductory course to ���ϲ�����, but also actively builds community, connects students to faculty/staff and each other, and encourages a positive transition to a new environment. Within that setting, students explore the topics of belonging, interdependence, wellness, development of identity, socialization, discrimination, bias and stereotypes.

First Year Seminar students Amya Jenkins, left, and Luis Gomez at an information table representing the program at Bird Library’s Welcome Fest. (Photo by Jimmy Luckman)

Since the program began in 2021, more than 500 faculty, staff and students have participated in FYS in various roles. They’ve served as����(faculty, staff and graduate students) or��as ��(undergraduate students). Lead instructors partner with peer leaders to guide seminar discussions for class sections. With some 4,000-plus new students in first-year classes, and with sections capped at 19 students to create an intimate, seminar atmosphere, 225 students were needed to fill the peer leader role in 2024.

Peer leaders are the embodiment of FYS and they are the connectors that are integral to the program, say , FYS director, and Jimmy Luckman, associate director. Peer leaders work in conjunction with lead instructors to guide discussions that are anchored around increasing students’ sense of belonging on campus.

“The program isn’t advanced only by faculty and staff; peer leaders are a big part of the FYS experience. They are connectors for FYS participants and they’re conduits who facilitate discussions on many issues while sharing the kinds of University resources that are available. They connect students where students want to be connected. Through discussions, they can transform the classroom experience, providing a space for sometimes difficult conversations, and that’s been a very strong thing,” Luckman says.

The past four years have been a time of growth for the program, as the previous FYS leaders, Schantz and her team have built “a great foundation,” she says. “Now, we are looking ahead and seeing how to enrich the peer leader experience.”

In addition to monthly leadership development meetings for peer leaders, Luckman says the team is considering creating a peer leader development model and potentially expanding leadership opportunities for the students. ��They are also conducting focus groups to obtain feedback on the peer leader role and may form a peer leader alumni group. They also hired a coordinator to supervise peer leaders and manage the myriad details of hiring and tracking a 200-plus student workforce.

In addition to working with First Year Seminar classes, peer leaders commit time to community service projects, such as a “Blessings in a Backpack” food initiative to help local school children.

While hundreds of peer leaders are needed each year, Luckman says it has not been difficult to recruit for those roles because students love working with fellow students and they understand the value community-building work adds to their background and experience. Many also recognize the role as a chance to develop leadership skills and want to take advantage of that, Luckman says.

The team asked for peer leader feedback to continue to enhance the position and the co-facilitation model the course follows. Schantz says the responses showed the importance of the lead instructor and peer leader in creating a positive atmosphere in the course. Another factor that influenced peer leaders returning to their roles in subsequent years is the respectful environment that peer leaders form with their students.

Four students who took FYS their first year on campus and then stayed on as peer leaders for the next three years are set to graduate this spring. They shared with SU News their reasons for deciding to remain in those roles and what the program has meant to them since their earliest days at the University.

Mariana Godinez-Andraca

Mariana Godinez-Andraca, a dual public relations/psychology major in the and the , is an international student from Mexico City. She likes that FYS embraces “uncomfortable” conversations, such as discussions about cultural awareness, microaggressions and learning to have empathy for others, she says.

“What I value most is that FYS embraces these conversations wholeheartedly, creating a space where students can open up, challenge their beliefs and grow into more empathetic individuals.” She says she has appreciated “sharing my experiences and cultural background…in a space where we actively listen to each other and where everyone’s stories and perspectives enrich our understanding, broadening my own cultural awareness while giving me a meaningful platform to share my journey. I hope I leave an impression that encourages others to embrace diversity and engage more thoughtfully with the world around them.”

Aaron Hong

Aaron Hong, a finance and accounting major in the , credits FYS for helping him overcome difficulty returning to in-person classes after almost two years of virtual learning during COVID. Coming from a mostly white community in Charlotte, North Carolina, Hong says he appreciated the focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. “As a person of Asian heritage, those conversations are very important to me. This experience gave me a different lens on diversity. Having the opportunity to have those conversations and to share those experiences is pretty important.”

Adira Ramirez

Adira Ramirez, a library studies and information management and technology student in the , says participating in FYS for four years has helped her become skilled in how to talk to people in different ways, confidently address a public audience and “better understand people and explain to them who I am in a more cohesive way.”

She says learning about the concept of intersectionality—where everyone has multiple layers of identity that comprise who they are—”has taken me by storm. It’s our lens. It teaches who your audience is, how we learn things, how we view the world and how the world views us.”

N​ehilah Grand-Pierre, a broadcast and digital journalism major in the Newhouse School, finds the give-and-take between FYS participants and peer leaders invigorating and gratifying.

Nehilah Grand-Pierre

When FYS participants were offered the opportunity to ask peer leaders any question about any topic, she says one participant asked how to discover one’s self-worth while in college. “I said the best way is to not define your self-worth through other people. I told how studying abroad in London forced me to stop defining myself by the activities and relationships I had on main campus, and instead define myself by my reactions to all the new things I was experiencing. I said what happens to you doesn’t define you, but how you react to those situations does. I recognized that as a senior, I had so much experience to pull from, and I saw how real experiences helped drive discussions.”

Applications for peer leader positions are now being accepted for the 2025 sessions, says Luckman. Interested students who want to become a peer leader can apply by early December through the Handshake website. More information is available by emailing�� firstyear@syr.edu��or contacting the program office at 315.443.9035.

Anthony Adornato, an associate professor of (BDJ) in the , has been named a Fulbright Specialist to train journalists in Kosovo on best practices for reporting across platforms.

Anthony Adornato

The BDJ department chair, will travel to the southeast European country in the summer of 2025 for the nearly three-week Fulbright Specialist assignment. Adornato will train staff at Radio Television of Kosovo on new trends in media and communication.

�ճ�� , which is part of the larger Fulbright Program, was established in 2001 by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It is designed to (two to six weeks) for faculty and professionals from the United States.

Previously, Adornato was named a Fulbright Scholar in 2020 and spent a semester teaching and conducting research at universities in Milan. Adornato explored the impact of mobile and social media on journalism and journalism education in Italy.

Applications for students interested in studying abroad during the Fall 2025 semester open on Nov. 15 at 9 a.m. EST. (Photo by Ross Oscar Knight)

It’s almost time to apply for fall 2025 study abroad programs. Learn more about what students can expect during a fall semester abroad.

Exclusive Fall-Only Programs

The fall semester provides unique study abroad opportunities for students in various academic disciplines and degree plans. Programs like Exploring Central Europe, Engineering in Strasbourg and Spanish Immersion in Santiago are specifically designed for the fall semester. Filled with immersive learning experiences, built-in program travel and unique courses, the fall is an ideal time to explore opportunities abroad.

The fall semester provides unique study abroad opportunities for students in a variety of different academic disciplines and degree plans.

Around the globe, many ���ϲ����� Abroad programs fit into unique degree paths. Drama majors and computer science students can enhance their skills in ��through program tracks that align with their major.

Second- or third-year students on a pre-health track or studying biology, biochemistry or chemistry are encouraged to explore , with a range of STEM-based courses and extracurricular activities. Second-year engineering students can set their sights on a semester abroad in ��while taking classes at INSA, a top-rated engineering university in France.

, embarking on its tenth year as a ���ϲ����� study abroad program, is exclusively offered in the fall. Based in Wroclaw, Poland, students join a traveling learning community based in the heart of Central Europe and travel to Prague, Berlin and other nearby cities throughout the semester. Students act as action researchers and investigate sites tied to World War II, the Holocaust and Soviet totalitarian rule, studying politics, international relations, history, human rights and atrocity studies.

In the fall, the offers a full Spanish immersion semester with courses in Spanish taken at local Chilean universities. With an optional pre-semester program in Buenos Aires, Argentina, students can experience the vibrant Argentine political culture before beginning the semester in Santiago. Buenos Aries offers breathtaking views of Patagonia, Chilean coastlines and urban cities, and an opportunity to explore the rich Latin American culture.

The Benefits of Fall Study Abroad

The fall semester is an opportune time to take advantage of study abroad opportunities. Due to more flexibility with fall programs, students are more likely to be accepted into their preferred program and housing arrangement, and there are numerous available specifically for fall programs, including Fall-Only Supplemental Aid up to 10%.

Studying abroad in Europe in the fall also offers students the chance to experience once-in-a-lifetime events like the Christmas/Holiday markets in Strasbourg and Poland, local festivals, political events and more.

The Student Perspective

Sophia Moore ‘25 says the fall semester she spent studying abroad at the Santiago Center was “life-changing” and filled with new friendships, cultures and connections.

Sophia Moore ’25, who is studying television, radio and film in the while minoring in Spanish, spent the Fall 2023 semester in Santiago, Chile. Interested in improving her Spanish and learning about Chilean culture, Moore entered the semester with an open mind and was eager to learn more about Latin American culture while absorbing the Spanish language around her.

From embarking on the program’s iconic Signature Seminar in Buenos Aires to meeting new friends and classmates, Moore’s semester abroad got off to a good start. “Buenos Aires, Santiago, and all the other locations I visited while abroad were some of the most stunning, culturally rich places I’ve ever visited, and that in itself was enough to excite me for the semester,” Moore says.

While studying at local universities, friendships were formed in culturally enriching courses. With travel to Patagonia, Cusco, Peru and Montevideo, Moore’s semester was filled with new cities, new friendships, new cultures and new connections. “My semester in Santiago was life-changing. The city itself is modern, clean and well-connected. I look back fondly on my mornings spent commuting to school and feeling like a local,” Moore says.

Preparing to Study Abroad

Fall 2025 program applications open on Friday, Nov. 15 at 9 a.m. EST and can be found on the . The application deadline for most programs is March 15, 2025, and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. All students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as some programs have limited space. For specific deadlines, students should refer to each program’s application page.

For more information about fall programs, students can with an international program advisor or make a general advising appointment to explore multiple options. Advising appointments take place virtually or at the ���ϲ����� Abroad satellite office, located on the lower level of Bird Library in room 002.