News
“How to Teach Banned Books”: Morgan Meddings ’25 Wins Orlin Prize for Honors Thesis
When the latest national trend toward challenging children’s books in community and school libraries came to her small Western Pennsylvania town, Morgan Meddings ’25 was shocked and dismayed, but not intimidated. An honors student and inclusive elementary major, Meddings channeled her energy into developing a school curriculum designed to defend challenged books. This project was...Read More
Nick Piato G’22: Past, Present, and Future
In May 2025, Syracuse University School of Education said “farewell” to Nick Piato G’22 after three years as program coordinator for The SENSES Project, which seeks to increase sense of belonging for students through the use of music and podcast creation. SENSES is an initiative of the TRIO Student Support Services program, part of SOE’s...Read More
Innovative Student Group Designs Inclusive Clothing for Neurodivergent Community
Carolyn Fernandes ’25 remembers walking out of an interview for a design internship that she ended up not getting. She wondered if fidgeting with her nails—a common, repetitive expression of her nervous energy every day—was misconstrued as a sign of not paying attention and a reason for her not getting the position. Fernandes is part...Read More
Neal Powless G’08 Inducted Into American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame
You could say that lacrosse is in Neal Powless’s blood. Powless G’08, the University ombuds, is a school counseling master’s program alum and a member of the Onondaga Nation Eel Clan. He is the son, grandson, and brother of legendary lacrosse players. Powless picked up a lacrosse stick for the first time at age 2....Read More
Professor Sabrina Butler Addresses School Cell Phone Bans with Spectrum News
Some officials say New York’s phone ban good for students (Spectrum News | June 5, 2025) It’s a new law that will impact K-12 students across the Empire State – internet-enabled devices won’t be allowed in schools from bell to bell. School districts are required to have a new written policy posted on their website...Read More
Katie Ducett G’22, G’23: Past, Present, and Future
Holding a Ph.D. focusing on special education and teaching and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Disability Studies from Syracuse University School of Education, Katie Ducett G’22, G’23 is an assistant professor at SUNY-Cortland, a short drive south from Syracuse on Interstate 81. “The department I am a part of is called Foundations and Social...Read More
The Nation: Professor George Theoharis Asks “What’s Really at Stake in Mahmoud v. Taylor?”
My Kindergarten Class Taught Me What’s Really at Stake in Mahmoud v. Taylor (The Nation | June 2, 2025) Twenty-five years ago, I was teaching kindergarten in Wisconsin. It was time for the annual unit on families. As any good early childhood teacher knows, when you teach a family unit, you need picture books that...Read More
Professor Sabrina Butler Debates Benefits of Banning Cell Phones in Schools
The number of school districts considering banning cell phones during the school day is on the rise nationwide. At least eight states have banned smartphones in public school classrooms, while 28 states (including New York) have proposed a ban on student smartphone usage. Other states are exploring a variety of ways to limit cell phone...Read More
Maria Murray G’96, G’09 Named CNY “Exceptional Woman”
Maria Murray of The Reading League Earns State Honor (Syracuse Post-Standard | May 16, 2025) Maria Murray, president and CEO of The Reading League, has been named one of the 2025 Exceptional Women of Central New York, an annual award presented by New York State Assemblymember Pamela J. Hunter. Murray is among 10 women recognized...Read More
Lab THRIVE: Advancing Student Mental Health and Resilience
Lab THRIVE, short for The Health and Resilience Interdisciplinary collaboratiVE, is making significant strides in collegiate mental health research. Launched by an interdisciplinary Syracuse University team in 2023, the lab focuses on understanding the complex factors affecting college students’ adjustment to campus life, with an emphasis on both risk and protective factors that influence psychological...Read More
Professor George Theoharis Comments to Newsweek on SCOTUS Charter Schools Decision
Why Amy Coney Barrett May Have Sat Out Huge Supreme Court Case (Newsweek | May 22, 2025) U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett was the lone jurist on the High Court who did not participate in a ruling that blocked creation of the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the nation. The resulting 4-4...Read More
Five Music Education Alums Named Grammy Educator Award Quarter Finalists
From quarter notes to the quarter finals! Out of the 200 quarter finalists in the Grammy Foundation’s 2026 Music Educator Award, no less than five are Syracuse University graduates. In the running for 2026 are: Erin L. Althen ’03, G’04, Westhill (Syracuse, NY) High School (Legacy Applicant) Laura H. Del Rosso ’17, G’18, Lower Manhattan...Read More
A Toolkit and a Mindset: The Impact of Intelligence++
The Intelligence++ program is an innovative, interdisciplinary initiative among Syracuse University Libraries, the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education’s InclusiveU, which is housed in the School of Education, and the College of Visual and Performing Art’s School of Design. The program began as an interdisciplinary course (DES 400/600) that encourages students from across campus to...Read More
SOE Students Awarded for Scholarship and Service
The end of the academic year is a time to celebrate scholarly and personal achievements, and as 2024-2025 concludes, Syracuse University School of Education proudly salutes graduate and undergraduate students who represent the best the School has to offer. That includes, for the second year in a row, the undergraduate winner of the coveted David...Read More
Live Like Liam Foundation Establishes Endowed Scholarship for InclusiveU Program
Syracuse University is honored to announce a generous $100,000 endowed scholarship from the Live Like Liam Foundation in support of the School of Education’s InclusiveU. This meaningful gift will expand access to the University’s flagship program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The scholarship was established in loving memory of Liam Zoghby, a cherished...Read More
Judith Greenberg Seinfeld ’56, H’25 Receives Honorary Degree
Visionary philanthropist and innovative businessperson Judith Greenberg Seinfeld ’56, H’25 received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during Syracuse University’s 2025 Commencement exercises on May 11, at the JMA Wireless Dome. A leader in business and in service to others, Seinfeld has made extraordinary contributions to social causes, communities and the arts and has...Read More