On this Memorial Day, we pause to remember and honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our nation. We are grateful for their courage, service and dedication.

“The overall erosion in the president’s approval ratings is still the consequence of the accumulation of many policies, orders, actions and statements during his term. There is no one reason or single inflection point,” says Professor Grant Reeher. @supolisci.bsky.social

NEW: The Local News Research Hub, built by the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship's Local NExT Lab and @rebuildlocalnews.bsky.social, gives newsrooms, funders and policymakers searchable access to research on local news' impact and how to strengthen it. 🔗 buff.ly/O1BnuuB

Dan Zhang came to the Maxwell School as an international student with $500 and a teaching assistant scholarship. Today she's CFO of ClickUp—and she has revived the Maxwell Student Emergency Support Fund to help the next generation of students facing unexpected hardships.

“Where there are other friction points is whether or not Iran will dismantle its nuclear sites, and I think that's highly unlikely. So that's a maximalist position that the Trump administration has that Iran is unlikely to agree to,” says Professor Osamah Khalil.

The Maxwell School honored five alumni at its fifth annual Awards of Excellence in Washington, D.C.—recognizing careers in climate finance, diplomacy, food security, public administration and law. Congratulations to Emily Fredenberg, Susan T. Gooden, Jeff Eckel, George Farag and Roslyn Mazer.

Professor Richard Barton's research is featured in this NY Times article. He analyzed 14 metrics including economics, health and crime, and found that states with nonpartisan primaries had seen “statistically significant improvements” in nine of them—even when accounting for other factors.

“An opening chapter of an AI cold war is emerging,” Professor of Sociology Yingyi Ma wrote in a @brookings.edu piece ahead of the Trump-XI summit. @cprmaxwell.bsky.social

New in @science.org: Maxwell's Dustin Hill and @dalarsen.bsky.social show genetic diversity of COVID-19 in wastewater linked to infection levels, opening the door to estimating transmission rates from sequencing data. Findings apply to flu, measles, polio and more. 🔬

There is little reason for politicians to focus on the issue of climate change anymore, writes Professor @matthuber.bsky.social. “The candidates’ first task must be to regain credibility with working people by tackling their more immediate, material concerns,” he says.

“To have [Vance] speak out and say, in effect, the pope should mind his own business, and the pope should learn Catholic doctrine...these are kind of odd statements,” says Professor Margaret Susan Thompson. @supolisci.bsky.social

Katherine McDonald, professor of public health and associate vice president for research at @syracuseu.bsky.social has been honored with the Sesqui Award for Research from AAIDD. Her work promotes ethical research practices and the inclusion of people with disabilities as active partners. 🌍

We are SO proud of you, Maxwell School Class of 2026! 🎓🟠 Today's Graduate Convocation was full of joy, pride, and a whole lot of orange. The weekend's just getting started—more celebrations ahead tomorrow and Sunday! Full photo album available on Maxwell's Facebook page ➡️ https://bit.ly/4uIhrah

WATCH: Retired Vice Admiral and Professor Robert Murrett joins CBS News to discuss President Trump's pause in the operations to guide shipping vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Congratulations to @audieklotz.bsky.social, professor of political science, on being named a Distinguished Professor! The designation is one of Syracuse University’s highest honors. 🏆 @supolisci.bsky.social

“These large state drops in SNAP caseloads represent a fundamental restructuring of the food-assistance safety net. We should expect to see a surge in food insecurity and its related negative consequences at new levels,” says Prof. Colleen Heflin. @cprmaxwell.bsky.social

For #PSRW2026, meet Cole Bailey, a first-year Maxwell School student who built wheelchair ramps in high school, cowrote a book about volunteering, and is now using his Scholarship for Community Impact to think bigger about service. “Whatever you can do, you should do.” #PublicServiceRecognitionWeek

Ethan Coffel has received the Moynihan Award for Teaching and Research 🏆 “Dr. Coffel has distinguished himself as an exceptional and reflective educator…introducing innovative approaches to enhance student engagement,” says Peng Gao. He will speak at Maxwell’s Graduate Convocation on Friday, May 8.

“A lot of this debate was focused on the funding in recent months. I think it's going to go back now to what is actually happening and how people are reacting to that on the ground,” says Professor Grant Reeher. @supolisci.bsky.social

“I would have been surprised if they hadn’t developed because we’re in a society that is absolutely saturated with conspiracism,” says Professor Emeritus Michael Barkun. @supolisci.bsky.social

The 5th Annual CHRONOS undergrad research conference brought together history students from Syracuse, NYU, Columbia and RIT for a day of original scholarship.

University Professor Emeritus Sean O'Keefe ’78 M.P.A. has been appointed to the board of directors of the Nuclear Threat Initiative where he will help continue the mission of raising public awareness of nuclear and biological weapons proliferation.

Professor Margarita Estévez-Abe says that Tokyo's policy shift will cement existing ties and help Japan to forge new alliances, as concerns grow over Washington's commitment to its partners. @supolisci.bsky.social

“I see 988 as a promising and important part of the mental health support system, with real potential to expand its impact over time,” says mental health policy expert and associate professor Michiko Ueda-Ballmer. @cprmaxwell.bsky.social

What’s changed a year after sweeping tariff hikes? Minju Kim, Devashish Mitra and Ryan Monarch, moderated by Kristen Patel, explore impacts on consumers, supply chains and U.S. global standing. 📊

Maxwell faculty, students and alumni made a strong showing at the International Studies Association annual convention 🌍 From leading panels to presenting research, they helped shape key conversations in international affairs. @isanet.bsky.social

Jacob Bendix, professor emeritus of geography and the environment, calls the study a sobering reminder of climate change’s role in driving “increased fire potential across almost all of the fire-prone environments of North America.”

Food. Games. Laughter. 🌍 Maxwell’s Culture and Conversation Tables bring students together to practice language, learn about cultural traditions and find community. ➡️ Read more: https://bit.ly/48M8cNw

More than 1 in 3 US adults use AI tools weekly for mental health support. A study by Michiko Ueda-Ballmer found nearly 30% of those who had previously seen a therapist reported fewer visits after starting to use AI for the same purpose. @maxwellsu.bsky.social mental.jmir.org/2026/1/e88196/

Tina Nabatchi receives a national honor 📘 She earned the 2026 SPAR Best Book Award from the American Society for Public Administration for a co-edited book on positive public administration and trust in government.

“Drug seizure data measure interdiction activity, not actual trafficking volume,” says Professor Dessa Bergen-Cico. “As drug policy researchers have noted, no one knows how much goes uncaught, and changes in seizure data are insufficient to make definitive claims about policy outcomes.”

"I think [Trump] is losing even some of his [Catholic] supporters, or they are moderating their support," says Professor Margaret Susan Thompson, noting that Trump's comments have been so harsh and controversial that even conservative-leaning Catholics are speaking out. @supolisci.bsky.social

“This is really an outstanding accomplishment that they have really already gone through and made the farthest distance we've ever traveled with humans in a spacecraft,” says Sean O'Keefe, University Professor Emeritus and former NASA administrator.

“I think the next couple of days would be crucial to see what the [Iranian] response is. It’s going to be a pretty dicey operation, I think it can be carried out, but the next couple of days are critical in terms of how it’s carried forward,” says Professor Robert Murrett. https://bit.ly/4eoCqK7

“Iran has suffered serious damage from US and Israeli airstrikes. .. However, the government and the armed forces remain in power and enjoy, arguably, greater popularity than before the war, due to nationalist opposition to the attacks,” says Professor Osamah Khalil.

From Maxwell to the music industry’s top ranks. 🎓🎶 Jacqueline Saturn ’90, president of Virgin Music Group North America, returns to campus for commencement weekend and convocation. @suartsciences.bsky.social

Maxwell’s public safety internship places students inside courts, sheriff’s offices & DA’s offices—turning classroom theory into real-world understanding. Now expanding thanks to donor support. #Maxwell #SyracuseUniversity #PublicSafety

“If we look at oil markets today, the dollar is still far and away the dominant currency that's used. But there has been some erosion and most of that erosion has taken place with countries that have been sanctioned by the US,” says Professor @danielmcdowell.bsky.social. @supolisci.bsky.social

Adults with #ADHD reported worse #COVID19 experiences than adults without ADHD. Learn more in this study by Nastassia Vaitsiakhovich, CPR Director @smonnat.bsky.social, CPR Research Affiliate Andrew London, and Scott Landes. @maxwellsu.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Unintended home births (i.e., those without planning or medical support) carry high risk of adverse outcomes. Rates of unintended home births are 6–8% among White women but 33–61% among Black women, depending on region and metro status. @maxwellsu.bsky.social #SULerner surface.syr.edu/lerner/295/

Maxwell is #1 again! 🏆 Top-ranked in public affairs by U.S. News, with excellence across 10 subspecialty areas. A proud moment for a community dedicated to public service. #BestGradSchools ➡️ Read more: https://bit.ly/3PT3uXO

Review of Professor @alanallport.bsky.social's “Advance Britannia": “It is a splendid example of how to do a fully rounded work on a people at total war, of how to use a vast mix of sources, and to keep the story going,” writes Paul Kennedy for the Wall Street Journal.

An article led by CPR Senior Research Associate Badi Baltagi titled, "Two Special Spatial Weight Matrices and Their Effects on Estimation and Testing in Spatial Regressions" was published in Economics Letters! @maxwellsu.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

“Never disappear.” 🌎 Chie Sakakibara’s work with Indigenous communities is reshaping climate research—grounded in trust, resilience and collaboration.

“An easy way to show that you are waving the Saudi flag in an appropriate way and in a way that supports the country and its investments and its interests is by doing that in D.C. in particular,” says Professor Natalie Koch.

Early Bird Registration for PMRC 2026 ends tomorrow. Join us June 4 to 6 in Washington, DC, with workshops on June 3. Thanks to our premier partners KAPSARC School of Public Policy and @maxwellsu.bsky.social Register: https://american-spa.swoogo.com/pmrc2026/register

“The question is not whether AI will transform public life—it’s whether institutions are ready to lead it thoughtfully,” said Dean David Van Slyke during a talk with Jeannette Moy and Jeff Rubin to examine AI’s impact on government, education and more.

The One Big Beautiful Bill will deepen the farm crisis, not solve it. Learn more in this new @maxwellsu.bsky.social #CPRMaxwell policy brief #OBBB #OBBBA #farmcrisis: surface.syr.edu/cpr/529/

Former NASA administrator and University Professor Emeritus Sean O'Keefe says the nations that land on the Moon will have the advantage of exploring and developing the resources that are there.