Happy 2026, Maxwellians!

“The images that these cameras capture have a lot of information. Even when you anonymize them by throwing away metadata, you can figure out where the image was taken,” says Professor Johannes Himmelreich. “After all, you still see the street and everything around the car.” https://bit.ly/48NESH1

Professor Mark Brockway notes that the plaques may seem ridiculous and are certainly a ham-fisted approach to pushing a message. “But they really are a way to reaffirm the narrative that everything that’s wrong in the world is because of somebody else,” he says. @supolisci.bsky.social

“The point of the Maginot Line was not to stop the boche in their tracks, but to channel any future westward offensive away from the French industrial heartland and toward the Low Countries, particularly Belgium,” writes Professor @alanallport.bsky.social. https://bit.ly/4j3o562

“When insurance costs go up, politicians and local officials don’t want to be responsible,” says Professor Sarah Pralle. @supolisci.bsky.social

While the strikes on alleged drug boats have raised questions about the use of military force, Trump’s seizure of the tanker and other actions against sanctioned entities are consistent with past American policy, Professor Robert Murrett, retired vice admiral in the US Navy.

👋 Hey alumni! Got news? ✍️ Submit a Class Note to be included in the next issue of the Maxwell Perspective magazine: https://bit.ly/3KsG0qh

For Trump, it doesn't matter whether an immigrant obeys the law, or owns a business, or has been here for decades, says Professor Mark Brockway. “They are caught in the middle of Trump's fight against an invented evil enemy.” @supolisci.bsky.social

A lifetime of leadership and service. Dean Emeritus and University Professor John Palmer has received the Cramer Horizon Award, the Maxwell School’s highest honor, recognizing his enduring impact on students, faculty and public affairs education.

“The food system perspective is really important here. It's not just about how do they pay for labor costs and compete, but why do we have this system where so little of the money is going to farmers,” says Professor Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern. @cprmaxwell.bsky.social @sulernercenter.bsky.social

Maxwell alumni, who do you know who ever strives to embody Maxwell’s mission? 🏆Nominations are open for the 2026 Awards of Excellence. ➡️ Read more about the award categories and submit your nomination by Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. https://bit.ly/4j5sWUs

University Professor Emeritus Sean O’Keefe, who ran NASA from 2001 to 2004, thinks Isaacman has the right stuff, arguing it is a myth that NASA administrators “all come from some monolithic, similar background of science or technology or engineering.”

Maxwell’s Public Health Department, by the numbers: 🍊 125 undergraduates 🍊 27 graduate students 🍊 21 countries in which alumni live and work 🍊 43 U.S. states and territories in which alumni reside ➡️ Read more about what the department brings to our school: https://bit.ly/48yGiF5

Is AI supplementing care or replacing it? Among U.S. adults who use AI for mental health support, 28% now visit human mental health professionals less often. Learn more in this new @maxwellsu.bsky.social #SULerner data slice: surface.syr.edu/lerner/288/

“The U.S. still provides intelligence assistance, which is important, and has so far been willing to sell weapons to European countries to transfer to NATO,” says Professor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social. @supolisci.bsky.social

We had some fun designing the cover for the fall 2025 edition of Maxwell Perspective magazine, with a little help from Abe! 😉 The cover story highlights the Public Health Department, which joined Maxwell earlier this year. ➡️ Read more: https://bit.ly/48yGiF5

Rural communities are varied, says Prof. @smonnat.bsky.social, and getting the facts right about these communities matters “because public debates, policies and resources...often rely on these assumptions, and misunderstandings can leave real needs neglected.” @sulernercenter.bsky.social

University Professor and Dean Emeritus John Palmer and co-authors offer eight key principles to be considered when addressing Social Security reforms.

Professor Margarita Estévez-Abe thinks most of the items on Takaichi's budget will do little to accelerate growth. “I don't think Takaichi's budget, or anything she has stated so far, addresses any of the core underlying factors,” she say. @supolisci.bsky.social

NYS school districts’ retiree health care costs could triple by 2075 without policy changes. New @maxwellsu.bsky.social #CPR brief examines strategies to manage rising costs while balancing needs across generations. Learn more: surface.syr.edu/cpr/517/

Professor Gladys McCormick warns that military chiefs may not be supportive of opposition leader María Corina Machado as a replacement for Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro because they would be concerned she would come in an "exact retribution."

WATCH: “I think the big resistance that will probably come out of the Kremlin will have to do with some of what they always describe as the underlying conditions, which is security guarantees for Ukraine,” says Professor Robert Murrett.

‘Tis the season … for Posters! Students from CCE 302: Civic Engagement Research Seminar recently held their fall poster session. They presented research on everything from the cycle of economic inequity in the city of Syracuse to how young people are educated in war-torn countries.

Call for Applications: Early-career scholars in the Arab #MENA region are invited to attend the 2026 Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR), held at @maxwellsu.bsky.social. Deadline: Dec 14th. Apply now!

Maxwell MPH student Shelby Fenton ’25 BS (PH) is mapping workflows and improving newborn hearing screening follow-up as part of her Applied Practice Experience at SUNY Upstate University Hospital. Read more ⬇️

“Whether Costco is successful through its lawsuit in getting compensated for the tariffs that it has already paid on its imports really depends on the Supreme Court’s decision on whether the president has the legal authority to impose tariffs,” says Professor @devashishmitra.bsky.social.

Jennifer Karas Montez has begun her one-year term as president of the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science. As @iaphs.bsky.social works to strengthen population-health research nationwide, Montez will help guide new initiatives and support scholars across disciplines.

“The fact that during the shutdown, people lost access to SNAP when they didn't have to, as there was an actual contingency plan that would have kept SNAP funding going and the administration fought that, now has a big impact on young kids,” says Prof. @sgadarian.bsky.social. @supolisci.bsky.social

Classrooms with more girls have better mental health outcomes for both boys and girls. Learn more in this new @maxwellsu.bsky.social #SULerner #PopHealth brief: surface.syr.edu/lerner/286/.

“I think the fundamental problem remains, that Putin wants to subjugate and control Ukraine and Ukraine wants to stay independent and sovereign. ...So it's really hard to see a meaningful deal coming out of this,” says Professor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social @supolisci.bsky.social

Bernard Appiah, assistant professor of public health, has received the K. Everett M Rogers Award from the American Public Health Association for innovative work using drama and community engagement to improve global health communication. @sulernercenter.bsky.social

Today at 6:30pm! Join CPR Senior Research Associate @johncawley.bsky.social for a Maxwell DC Conversation Series session on "The Politics of Weight Loss Drugs." Learn more or register here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... @maxwellsu.bsky.social

“Optimism driven by political satisfaction does not necessarily track with objective indicators of well-being. There is little evidence that conditions in most rural communities are improving,” says Professor @smonnat.bsky.social. @sulernercenter.bsky.social @cprmaxwell.bsky.social

Professor Margarita Estevez-Abe reacts to Japan's $135-billion stimulus package: “We are already seeing the negative reactions from the market... Further depreciation of the yen will hit ordinary Japanese households with higher prices.” @supolisci.bsky.social

Elise Christopher ’25 BA (Anth) spent the summer and fall at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, supporting work that preserves and shares African American and diaspora histories. She says the experience inspired her future path in the museum field.

During his Council of Europe internship, Alejandro Parra ’24 BS PH/’25 MPH worked on public health policy and heard President Zelenskyy speak at a landmark tribunal on accountability for Russia’s invasion—an unforgettable moment. Read more: https://bit.ly/3LZ83hc

On Mongolia’s plan to move its capital from the overcrowded Ulaanbaatar to Kharkhorum, Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment, says: “Buildings on a blank slate, it's a lovely image, but it doesn't solve any of those bigger structural issues in a state.” https://bit.ly/4phJYQY

Associate professor of economics Ryan Monarch explains how import prices affect consumers. “Sometimes import prices will be something that is moving overall inflation numbers around.” https://www.marketplace.org/story/2025/11/17/government-import-export-data-can-show-impact-of-trumps-tariffs

With Trump and Mamdani set to meet, Grant Reeher, professor of political science, says: “Look for the outcome of that meeting to be something to the effect of, ‘I think I can work with (him) — but we will see how it goes and I’m hopeful'." https://bit.ly/49tH4Eg

Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology, said several factors could be behind the trend showing a drop in the number of Chinese students studying in the U.S., including the rise of “intra-Asia migration”. https://bit.ly/3McacpL

More than 20 Maxwell faculty, graduate students and staff attended @appam.bsky.social #2025APPAM in Seattle! 🍊

Catherine Faruolo ’23 MPH is using wastewater surveillance to detect pathogens before outbreaks occur. She was selected for the Applied Epidemiology Fellowship with the Washington State Department of Health in Seattle.

🌍 Virtual reality meets economic reality. Students in Andrew Jonelis’ Economics of Emerging Markets course use VR to explore daily life in emerging economies and see the forces shaping development. ➡️ Read more: https://bit.ly/43BeZat

Final day at #2025APPAM! CPR faculty and graduate students are presenting and discussing research on AI in government, administrative burdens in social programs, electric vehicle innovation, and sugar tax policy. Check out this morning's sessions 👇 @appam.bsky.social @maxwellsu.bsky.social

“This fellowship has shifted my perspective on a lot,” says Jamea Candy Johnson ’25 MPH. She joins Maxwell students Tommy DaSilva, Darla Hobbs and Sabrina Lussier as 2024–26 Lender Fellows researching redlining’s ongoing impact in Syracuse. ➡️ Read more: https://bit.ly/4oHVF3R

More from #2025APPAM! CPR faculty and graduate students are participating in sessions on policy topics including social support for older adults, food insecurity, and SNAP work requirements. Check out this afternoon's sessions 👇 @appam.bsky.social @maxwellsu.bsky.social

CPR is back at #2025APPAM for Day 2! Our faculty and grads are presenting and discussing research on nonprofit sector trends, safety net participation, hurricane evacuation policies, AI in the public sector, and tax policy. Explore this morning's sessions 👇 @appam.bsky.social @maxwellsu.bsky.social

Day 1 at #2025APPAM continues! CPR faculty and graduate students are chairing panels and presenting research on children's health, mental health policy, and education. Explore this afternoon's sessions 👇 @appam.bsky.social @maxwellsu.bsky.social

Maxwell faculty explored what happens when politics and policy merge into one “Big Beautiful Bill.” Leonard Burman, Colleen Heflin and Brynt Parmeter joined Chris Faricy for a deep dive into democracy in practice.

Next up at #2025APPAM! CPR affiliates are presenting research on 2Gen pilot programs, adaptive policymaking, and food insecurity. Check out these sessions happening today! @appam.bsky.social @maxwellsu.bsky.social