Maxwell School News and Commentary

The Huxley Invest Syracuse Scholarship was created by alum Ken Hedrick '76 M.P.A. via the University's innovative Invest Syracuse scholarship initiative. "The scholarship is really a door-opener for allowing me to do the things I want—such as study abroad—without restriction," says it's first recipient, Brielle Valenza, a double-major in political science and psychology with a minor in philosophy.

A $51,110 grant was awarded by the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York for the project, “Early Identification of Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults Living at Home.” The project is led by Maria T. Brown, assistant research professor at Falk College's School of Social Work. The goal of the project is to screen for cognitive decline as part of routine community health services currently offered to older adults.

We evaluated whether a targeted literacy campaign could increase parent/guardian awareness of the importance of reading and communicating with young children.

Maxwell X Lab, part of the Center for Policy Research at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, recently completed a series of projects designed to reduce overdue property tax bills in the City of Syracuse. So far, the initiative has helped the City to recoup more than $1.4 million in overdue property taxes, and hundreds of additional properties were prompted to get current on their bills, preventing more costly and troublesome outcomes for both the owner and the City alike.

"If there are going to be deals between the House of Representatives and the president, one of the main places will be in the budget, so the appropriations committee will have a big role," says Professor of Political Science Grant Reeher.

"The president looks at this [foreign tariffs] and says it's coming from foreigners," says Mary Lovely, professor of economics. "That's not technically correct. I mean, I go to Macy's and pay a sales tax. Macy's is the one that sends the check to the government, but that doesn't mean they're the ones that pay the tax. I am."

The Susan and H. Lewis Rapaport Endowed Scholarship will support undergraduate students who have demonstrated interest in studying history or political science. When complete, the Rapaport endowment will total $250,000. “As a member of the Maxwell Advisory Board, I’ve seen first-hand the remarkable undergraduate students who are attending Maxwell today,” Lewis Rapaport ’59 B.A. (AmSt) says.