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Professor Melissa Luke, Doctoral Student Kahyen Shin Receive ACA Awards

A faculty member and a doctoral student in Syracuse University School of Education’s Counseling and Human Services program have received prestigious national awards from the American Counseling Association. Both awards will be presented during the 2025 ACA Conference and Expo in Orlando, FL. Professor Melissa Luke will be recognized with the Thomas Hohenshil National Publication […]

School of Education Spring 2025 Ganders Lecture to Address Educational Equity

The spring 2025 edition of the Syracuse University School of Eduction’s Ganders Lecture series welcomes community-engaged scholar Keisha Green to discuss “Working Towards Racial Justice and Educational Equity Through Youth Engaged, Justice-Oriented Literacy and Learning.” The lecture takes place on March 6, 2025,, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Bird Library’s Peter Graham Scholarly Commons […]

Authority to Diminish? Professor George Theoharis Discusses Education Department Upheaval with Newsweek

DOE Collapse Would Leave Millions of Teachers Without Funding (Newsweek | Feb. 4, 2025)  President Donald Trump’s proposal to dismantle the Department of Education has sparked debate over potential consequences for teachers, students, and education funding. While some conservatives have long criticized the agency as an overreach of federal power, some educators warn that eliminating it could disrupt public schooling and […]

The Daily Orange: Educators React to Elimination of DEI Programs

(The Daily Orange | Feb. 25, 2025) In the weeks following a flurry of executive orders dismantling diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs, public school districts across the United States have begun to implement President Donald Trump’s new policies by cutting DEIA language from material and curriculum. These changes have disproportionate negative impacts in redlined […]

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InclusiveU Talks About Sex, Consent, Healthy Relationships, and More

Many high school students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are excluded from schools’ sex education curriculum. Receiving little to no guidance on healthy relationships, consent, self-pleasure, and how to report unwanted contact or abuse, these students mature and develop common intimate feelings, but often without advice or direction. For Syracuse University School of Education’s […]

Five Questions for Aileen Gallagher ’99, G’20

Holding a Syracuse University School of Education master’s degree in Higher/Postsecondary Education, Aileen Gallagher ’99, G’20 was appointed Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in August 2024. “The HED program prepared me so well for this leadership role,” says Gallagher. “I have a stronger understanding of the higher […]

School of Education freshman class 2024 group photo

School of Education Launches Mentoring Program to Help Students Explore Careers In and Beyond the Classroom

Syracuse University School of Education will celebrate Alumni Week 2025 in February by launching EdMentor Connect, a pilot student-alumni mentoring program designed to pair current undergraduate students with alumni in order to foster professional growth, enhance career readiness, and provide students with insight into their future professions. The program’s launch begins with two online alumni […]

Jordan Shelby West G’16, G’18 Receives ACPA Diamond Award

Higher education administrator Jordan Shelby West G’16, G’18 will be recognized as an American College Personnel Association 2025 Diamond Honoree at ACPA’s 2025 Conference in Long Beach, CA, in February. ACPA’s Diamond Honoree program recognizes individuals making significant contributions to higher education. Those inducted since the program’s inception in 1999 have distinguished themselves as teachers, […]

Central Current Features “This Woman’s Work” CFAC Exhibit

CFAC’s latest exhibit ‘This Woman’s Work’ explores the legacies of prominent Black women in CNY (Central Current | Jan. 30, 2025) When Cheeki Williams reflects on her own story, she remembers one phrase: “Planted, not buried.” Those three self-affirming words gave her past a renewed purpose and outlook for her future. Williams, a Syracuse-based multidisciplinary […]

James Duah-Agyeman G’99 Is a 2025 Unsung Hero

Syracuse University School of Education alumnus James Duah-Agyeman G’99 is one of five recipients of the 2025 Unsung Hero Award, the 40th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Planning Committee has announced. The award is given to community members, students, faculty, and staff who have made a positive impact on the lives of […]

Voice actor Tom Kenny surrounded by his cartoon characters

Voice of SpongeBob SquarePants Tom Kenny to Visit Syracuse University

Syracuse native Tom Kenny, voice of SpongeBob SquarePants among other popular cartoon characters, is visiting Syracuse University to meet with students on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Kenny will discuss what it takes to build a creative career and his journey in the film, animation, and music industries. He will meet with students participating in the […]

“They Teach Me a Lot About Myself”: How Students Influence the Teachers Who Influence Them

For Professor George Theoharis, teaching is more than a job; it’s a reflection of his students’ influence. “They represent who I am as a teacher,” says the Syracuse University School of Education inclusive education and educational leadership teacher. “They mirror my behavior, attitude, and approach.” The University is filled with teachers like Theoharis who foster […]

Bailey Tlachac G’23: Past, Present, and Future

A 2023 graduate of Syracuse University school of Education’s Higher/Postsecondary Education master’s degree program, Bailey Tlachac (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin) currently is a multicultural advisor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. After graduating SOE, Tlachac was Program Coordinator for Syracuse University’s Native Student Program. “Today, I work with underrepresented populations on campus through one-on-one advising […]

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Lessons Learned: How an Education Degree Can Forge a Path to a Federal Career

The School of Education’s Selected Studies in Education (SSE) major allows undergraduates to explore careers beyond the classroom. Its five focus areas—in technology and media, schooling and diversity, physical activity, post-secondary and human services, or pre-teaching—prepare students for any career with a learning, training, service, or advocacy component, including coaching, counseling, higher education, instructional design, […]

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Counseling Doctoral Students Receive Grant to Research Experiences of Chinese Adoptees

Sarah Litt (Principal Investigator) and Xihe Tian (Co-PI)— doctoral students in Syracuse University School of Education’s Counseling and Counselor Education program—have received an Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW) 2025 research grant. This ASGW award builds on scholarship funded by a 2024 SOE Graduate Student Research and Creative Grant. “The ASGW Research Committee reviewed […]

A League of Her Own: Maria Murray G’96, G’09 Recognized Among the 50 Fastest-Growing Alumni Entrepreneurs of 2024

While having a School of Education alumna among the ’CUSE50 Alumni Entrepreneur Award winners is rare, the recognition is fitting for Maria Murray G’96, G’09 for her work developing and growing The Reading League (TRL). “Winning the Cuse50 Entrepreneur Award is a testament to Maria’s impactful work and entrepreneurial spirit,” says Professor Bong Gee Jang, […]

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Applications Open for Intelligence++ Ventures Funding Initiative

Syracuse University Libraries is now accepting applications for the 2025 round of Intelligence++ Ventures funding. Grants of $5,000 are available to undergraduate or graduate students to commercialize innovative products, services, and technologies for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The Intelligence++ program at Syracuse University is an interdisciplinary initiative that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship to enhance the […]

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Callie Kniffin ’23: Past, Present, and Future

Callie Kniffin graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University School of Education’s Selected Studies in Education undergraduate program in 2023, with a minor in Spanish. Currently, she is taking a Higher/Postsecondary Education master’s degree, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Intercollegiate Athletic Advising and Support through SOE. She is also a graduate assistant for […]

Professor Jing Lei Presents on AI in Education Across China

Professor Jing Lei, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Education and an expert on instructional design and information and communication technology, traveled across China during November 2024 to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on teaching and teacher development, a topic of her recent research. From November 1 to 6, Lei […]

Chorosynthesis Singers

Professor Wendy Moy Receives American Prize in Choral Performance

Professor Wendy Moy, Assistant Professor of Music Education in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the School of Education at Syracuse University, has received the 2024 American Prize in Choral Performance. She shares the prize with Jeremiah Selvey and the Chorosynthesis Singers, the professional chamber ensemble that Moy and Selvey co-direct. The American […]

School of Education Women Leaders Named to WiL Cohort 4 Experience

Nine Syracuse University School of Education community members have been named to Syracuse University’s Women in Leadership (WiL) Diane Lyden Murphy Cohort 4 Experience, an immersive learning experience uniquely designed to advance women leaders in higher education. The cohort engages women in faculty and administrative positions, with three cohorts and nearly 75 participants named since […]

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Unbreakable Bond Fuels Brothers Luke ’26 and Mark Radel ’28

When do children learn empathy? How do they know that someone is in pain or having a bad day? From an early age, Mark Radel ’28 always demonstrated compassion for his peers. As a precocious 9-year-old, Mark would rush onto the basketball court (accompanied by the coaches) whenever someone got hurt to check in and […]

Mary Hillebrand stands in front of the camel exhibit

Science Beyond the Lab: Master’s Program Helps Mary Hillebrand G’23 Find Her Calling

As an undergraduate student, Mary Hillebrand G’23 ran into a problem that threatened to derail her career plans. But thanks to the M.S. in science education (grades 7-12) program at Syracuse University’s School of Education (SOE), she transformed it into a life-changing opportunity. Hillebrand’s issue arose while she pursued her undergraduate degree in environmental education […]

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Doug Garfield G’77: Past, Present, and Future

Doug Garfield G’77 earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Toronto and his doctorate in exercise physiology from Syracuse University’s School of Education. After teaching and researching exercise physiology and then 10 years designing and marketing exercise equipment, he taught decision-making, statistics, and nonprofit management to M.B.A. students for […]

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Taishoff Center’s National Conference on Inclusive Higher Education Brings Record Number of Attendees to North Carolina

Across October 29-30, the Lawrence B. Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education—part of the Syracuse University School of Education’s Center on Disability and Inclusion—held the State of the Art (SOTA) Conference on Inclusive Postsecondary Education and Individuals with Intellectual Disability in Chapel Hill, NC. SOTA is a national conference chaired by Taishoff Center Executive Director […]

A $2.5M Challenge to Build Futures for People With Disabilities

How do you inspire people to open their hearts and provide the support to raise the hefty sum of $2.5 million? Just ask retired U.S. Navy Capt. Robert “Rob” P. Taishoff ’86 who sees opportunities where others see obstacles, and who is determined to change the way the world views intellectual disability. With the recent […]

Doctoral Candidate Jersey Cosantino Receives NWSA Trans/Gender Award

Syracuse University School of Education doctoral candidate Jersey Cosantino G’23 has been awarded the 2024 Trans/Gender Variant Caucus Award from the National Women’s Studies Association. They will accept their award at November’s NWSA Annual Conference in Detroit, MI. “This prestigious award is a testament to Jersey’s scholarship and dedication to trans and mad studies,” says […]

Professor Yanhong Liu Receives ACES Outstanding Mentor Award

Yanhong Liu, Associate Professor of Counseling and Counselor Education, has received the 2024 Locke-Paisley Outstanding Mentoring Award from the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES). Liu joined the Syracuse University School of Education in 2018, having previously served as an assistant professor of Counselor Education at the University of Toledo, where she was also […]

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“It’s a Hard Call”: Professor Sabrina Butler Discusses Process Addictions, Smartphones, and School Bans

Across the United States, school administrators, parents, and students—as well as public health officials, attorneys, and teachers unions—are debating whether or not to limit or even ban the use of smartphones and similar devices in schools “from the first to the last bell.” It’s a thorny issue, raising questions of students’ and parents’ rights, school […]

School of Education Alumni Win ’CUSE50 Alumni Entrepreneur Awards

Among the distinguished honorees of 2024 ’CUSE50 Alumni Entrepreneur Awards are literacy expert Maria Murray G’96, G’09 and disability services entrepreneur John Torrens G’93, two Syracuse University School of Education alumni whose career journeys exemplify the spirit of the awards. The annual ’Cuse50 awards celebrate the success of Orange business leaders across the globe. The […]

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Renee Keane ’08, G’09, P’26: Past, Present, and Future

School of Education Ambassador Renee Keane ’08, G’09, P’26 earned her B.A. in 2008 from the College of Arts and Sciences and her M.S. in English Education from the School of Education in 2009. Licensed as an English Language Arts (Grades 7-12) and Special Education (Grades 7-12) teacher, Keane has worked at Marcellus (NY) High […]

“Very Much Needed”: Indigenous Educators Discuss School of Education’s New Indigenous Teacher Preparation Fund

“Zero,” answers middle school teacher Aaron Dorsey G’03, G’17, to the question: “As a student, how many Indigenous teachers have you had?” “Absolutely zero.” Over his entire educational career—kindergarten to master’s degree—he says there was almost no one of color standing at the helm. “In all of that time, maybe one or two of the […]

School of Education Mourns Walter N. Dodge ’61, G’68, P’87, P’88

Walter N. Dodge ’61, G’68, P’87, P’88 passed away on Oct. 2, 2024. He was 87 years old. Dodge received his M.S. in Physical Education from Syracuse University School of Education in 1968, and coached gymnastics at Jamesville-DeWitt (NY) High School and Syracuse University. Born in Watertown, NY, in 1936, Dodge lived in Philadelphia during […]