Maxwell School News and Commentary

Award winning broadcasters Van Jones and Bob Costas were among those who took part in a recent Los Angeles event celebrating the launch of the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship.

Associate Professor of History Mark Schmeller's article, titled "Public Opinion," was included in "Democracies in America: Keywords for the Nineteenth Century and Today" (Oxford University Press, 2023).

The Student Experience Division announced the selection of Lucio Maffei, a junior majoring in political philosophy as a Class of 2024 Senior Class Marshal. He will spend his senior year serving as one of the all-University representatives for his class and conclude his experience by leading the student procession during the 2024 Commencement ceremony.

Erin Hern, associate professor of political science, has written “Explaining Success in Africa: Things Don’t Always Fall Apart” (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2023). The book focuses on normalizing the success of countries and analyzing their progress amid adverse circumstances. 

Rosalyn Impink is the first recipient of the scholarship created by an alumnus who had a long career in public finance.

Chelsea Brown (citizenship and civic engagement), Dara Drake (policy studies), Maggie Sardino (citizenship and civic engagement) and Alesandra "Sasha" Temerte (economics) were among those named 2023 Syracuse University Scholars, the highest undergraduate honor the University bestows.

“The authors show that the effect of warming on home runs is less for indoor stadiums and night games, making a somewhat controlled experiment,” says Ethan Coffel, assistant professor of geography and the environment. “There may have been other changes to gameplay or equipment which could have also affected trends in home runs, but one might not expect those things to differ between indoor and outdoor stadiums or night versus day games.”

Alumni Bernard Rostker G’66, G’70, Sean Callahan G’98, L’98, Deniece Laurent-Mantey ’09 and Juan Carlos Izaguirre G’06, G’07 will be celebrated at the event on April 27 in Washington, D.C.

Discussing the AR-15's appeal on the right, Grant Reeher, professor of political science, tells Newsweek: "In large part, I think it's because this particular rifle has become such a public target for Democrats and liberals regarding gun regulation and control. ...The rifle has become a symbol of the debate over gun control, and the political right is more associated with gun ownership and rights."

"Constitutionalists, Despots, Whigs, and Revisionists: Tudor Parliamentary History in the 20th Century," written by Associate Professor of History Chris Kyle, was published in Parliamentary History.