Maxwell School News and Commentary

The dean of the Maxwell School has appointed Francine D’Amico to the position of teaching professor in the International Relations Program. The promotion recognizes D’Amico’s accomplishments in teaching, advising, service, and curricular and co-curricular development since joining the Maxwell School in 2000.

A graduate student in Pan African studies has been named a recipient of the George J. Mitchell Scholarship for graduate study in Ireland. He is one of 12 U.S. students selected from more than 300 applications for the award. With the award, he will study intercultural theology at Trinity College, Dublin. 

Giovanna Saccoccio is a senior majoring in international relations and in public relations. Last spring, she earned a prestigious Critical Language Scholarship that allowed her to study Turkish intensively through an immersive experience abroad in Azerbaijan this past summer.

A Syracuse University/Maxwell team participating in the National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference earlier this month was named a “Distinguished Delegation” for its portrayal of the Republic of Finland/Suomi. To prepare for their simulation of global diplomacy, the SU/Maxwell team members studied the history, economy, politics, geography, culture, and foreign policy of Finland/Suomi, the structure and practice of the UN system, and the conference rules of procedure.

The Maxwell School has appointed new chairs for the departments of anthropology, economics, history, international relations (undergraduate), political science and sociology, as well as an interim chair of social science. 

Ana Monzon, a graduate student in public relations and international relations, Jade Rhoads, a junior majoring in geography and Russian language and literature, and Giovanna Saccoccio, a junior majoring in public relations and international relations all received the U.S. Department of State's Critical Language Scholarship to study Bahasa Indonesian, Russian, and Turkish, respectively.

Prior to his current role with FEMA, from 2013-2017, Heighberger was deputy staff director for the House Homeland Security Committee. He has also held other roles at FEMA; during the George W. Bush Administration he served as deputy director for legislative affairs, and later as advisor to former administrator David Paulison and deputy administrator Harvey Johnson.