'Cuse Conversations

As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, Maxwell School scholars are taking a fresh look at the big ideas that launched American democracy and why they still matter today.   This July 4 marks a milestone Independence Day: America’s Semiquincentennial, with celebrations nationwide reflecting on the country’s founding and its evolving democratic experiment. At Syracuse University, the Max...

The blood-brain barrier is a tightly locked network of cells that protects and defends the brain from harmful substances and pathogens that could cause damage. While this barrier serves to protect our brains, in the case of finding cures for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, the blood-brain barrier has been a big obstacle.  Enter research from Shikha Nangia , the Milton and Anne Stevenson endow...

Black holes are among the most studied, but least understood cosmic phenomena for astrophysicists. These objects derive their name from the fact that nothing, including light, can escape the grasp of their immense gravitational field.  College of Arts and Sciences physicist Eric Coughlin , who researches how stars are consumed by black holes, explains that black holes range in mass, with the small...

From building beds for children in need and making sandwiches for hungry neighbors to spreading holiday cheer through handwritten cards, hundreds of Syracuse University students give back to their community every year through their involvement with their Recognized Student Organizations . Now, it’s time to honor the passion of these student leaders through the Fall 2025 Student Organization Challe...

Over the past 25 years, the world has witnessed the birth of the World Wide Web, the explosion of social media and the transformation of phones from push-button landlines to pocket-sized computers. The impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to be the most transformative technological advancement yet, says Adam Peruta ’00, G’04 , associate professor of magazine, news and digital j...

David B. Falk College of Sport Dean Jeremy Jordan looks at the academics of sport through four lenses: business, human performance, technology and community well-being. Innovation and invention drive all of those areas in this first-of-its-kind college to focus on sport-related disciplines. With the official launch of the new Falk College of Sport, Syracuse University became the first leading rese...

In this moving “‘Cuse Conversation,” Newhouse School graduate Erika Mahoney ’12 discusses her powerful new podcast, "Senseless." Mahoney, a former television and radio news reporter, shares her journey through trauma, grief, resilience and recovery and reflects on her decision that led a seasoned journalist to open up about her own story after her father was killed in the 2021 mass shooting at a C...

There’s a new father-son sportscasting team on the national scene, one with a decidedly Orange background: Ian ’90 and Noah Eagle ’19. Ian finished his second year as the lead announcer for the NCAA men's basketball tournament and has crafted an award-winning career calling NFL and NBA games on a variety of national broadcast networks. He’s also the longtime Brooklyn Nets TV announcer for the...

Civil and environmental engineering professor Charles Driscoll⁠ has always been interested in ways to protect our environment and natural resources, so he set about studying the large-scale effects of pollutants on the natural environment, earning a civil engineering degree from the University of Maine and both a master’s degree and a Ph. D. in environmental engineering from Cornell University. Dr...

Community engagement. Reciprocal learning. Service to others through volunteering. Those were the principles behind the creation of the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service in 1994 under the direction of then-Syracuse University Chancellor Kenneth Shaw and his wife, Mary Ann, who also served as the associate of the Chancellor. For 30 years, the Shaw Center has proudly served as Sy...

The cutting-edge weight loss and diabetes research developed by medicinal chemist Robert Doyle has offered significant and consistent weight loss and glucose control to its recipients through peptide-based treatments. Doyle and his fellow collaborators reported that two new peptide compounds­­—GEP44 and KCEM1—considerably reduce body weight and normalize blood glucose levels without causing the ty...

Syracuse University is committed to removing barriers and creating opportunities so all undergraduates can study abroad or away before they graduate. More than 50% of students explore the world through a Syracuse Abroad center, according to Nicole Collins, director of strategic partnerships and outreach with Syracuse Abroad. With over 100 study abroad programs in 60 locations around the world , th...

With the arrival of the new year, many people view this as the ideal time to figure out the changes they'd like to see and make in themselves as part of a new year, new you mentality. But as we all know, keeping those resolutions and achieving change is not easy work. It takes commitment, patience and dedication. It can be easy to fail if we make huge, sweeping goals for the new year instead of fo...

Instead of wallowing in what could have potentially been the lowest moment of her life, Kathrine Switzer ’68, G’72, H’18 used the adversity from her historic run at the Boston Marathon as fuel to inspire women around the world to get into running. After her triumph in Boston, Switzer would go on to complete more than 40 marathons, including winning the New York City Marathon in 1974. Switzer playe...

Syracuse University has a long, proud history of serving our veterans and military-connected students that dates back to World War I and the post-World War II era when thousands of veterans embarked on their journey to a college degree through the G.I. Bill. One of the central organizations on campus that helps the University accomplish this mission is the  Office of Veteran and Military Affairs  ...

Misinformation and disinformation are prevalent everywhere you look these days, especially on the internet and social media. What's more troubling, our brains are struggling to process and understand what we're seeing and whether an image, a video clip or a story is real or synthetic. Thankfully, on this 'Cuse Conversation, two esteemed Syracuse University faculty members will discuss Artificial I...

For many adolescent students with developmental disabilities, the pursuit of higher education is filled with roadblocks and can be a daunting task for both aspiring students and their families. But thanks to InclusiveU, an initiative from the  Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education , students of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities are empowered to come to campus and e...

The Fran Brown era got off to a fantastic start when the Syracuse University football team defeated Ohio University 38-22 Saturday afternoon before a raucous crowd inside the JMA Wireless Dome. Since his hiring, Brown has been focusing on once again turning the Orange into national championship contenders. But this job is about more than football for Brown, who uses the life lessons the sport teac...

When the Goon Squad formed in 1944, its original purpose was to reinforce Syracuse University’s campuswide policy requiring all new students to wear beanie caps during their first semester on campus. Sue Weber ’68 fondly recalls wearing her beanie when she arrived in the fall of 1964, and her beanie and the straw Goon Squad hat she received when she joined as a sophomore are among her most preciou...

Each summer, the College of Professional Studies at Syracuse University hosts the Fulbright pre-academic program⁠ , which prepares international Fulbright students to embark on their graduate degrees and research opportunities. This year, 44 students from 20 countries around the world will spend four weeks on campus discovering American culture, learning about life as a graduate student in the U.S...

When the Summer Olympics begin later this month in Paris, France, one of Syracuse University’s best-known alums will be front and center. In many ways, it’s a role veteran sportscaster Mike Tirico ’88 knew he wanted at an early age. On this Olympic-themed episode of the "'Cuse Conversations" podcast, Tirico talks about getting ready for the games, his sleep schedule while in Paris (i...

Beginning in the fall, Syracuse University’s electronic sports, or esports, academic degree program will welcome admitted students to campus for classes. This past academic year served as “Year Zero” for the esports degree program, which employs a holistic, experiential learning-based approach that will prepare students for career success in various industries, leveraging the largest collection of...

Attending college was not on Leondra Tyler’s ’24 mind when persistent bullying and harassment forced her to drop out of high school in the tenth grade. The same was true for Omnia Shedid L’24, who grew up chasing chickens and running through her grandparents’ corn fields on a small, rural village in Banha, Egypt. Yet when Syracuse University holds its 2024 Commencement exercises Sunday morning, bo...

What does it mean for Syracuse University to invent and demonstrate cutting-edge sustainability initiatives? It means reducing the University's environmental impact in a responsible manner by identifying, promoting, and implementing practices that will meet our current needs without compromising the needs of future generations. And it includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions through wisely m...

When more than 5,500 international students begin their Syracuse University journeys, they face different challenges from their domestic counterparts. Besides leaving behind their families, their friends and everything they’ve ever known, for many international students, the first time they step foot on campus is often the day they arrive to embark on their Syracuse journeys. That was the case for...