Public Administration and International Affairs Department News, Media Commentary and Research

“Iran does have significant leverage due to geography and capability. At the same time, it is very much in Iran’s interest to keep the strait open, given how much of its economy depends on exports moving through it. Our military posture is important in creating leverage for a diplomatic solution that would allow free and open navigation,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

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

Offering an opportunity to honor those among us who dedicate themselves to uplifting others through careers in government and community service, the celebration is led by the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to build more effective government and strengthening American democracy. 

“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 Michiko Ueda-Ballmer, associate professor of public administration and international affairs.

Faculty and graduate students presented research, led panels and shaped the conversation at one of international studies’ premier gatherings.

ASPA recognizes Pathways to Positive Public Administration for its lasting contribution to the field.

Co-authored by Sarah Hamersma, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, the article was published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.

“It was a spectacular achievement, and one that really is another step in the long continuum of human exploration of not only here on Earth, but now well into space and moving further out,” says University Professor Emeritus Sean O'Keefe. 

“I think the next couple of days would be crucial to see what the [Iranian] response is,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. “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,” he says.

The school also remains highly ranked by U.S. News & World Report in 10 subspecialties, including the top ranking in Public Management and Leadership.

New York State Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy and Syracuse University Chief Digital Officer Jeff Rubin joined Dean David M. Van Slyke to discuss AI adoption, workforce impact and the future of digital transformation.

Leonard M. Lopoo, professor and chair of public administration and international affairs, has written Wanting Children: Family-Planning Policies and the Engineering of America’s Population (University of Chicago Press, 2026). The book traces how America’s first reproductive policies were shaped by eugenicists focused on limiting births among lower-income and minority populations. 

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. “After all these years of thinking it was nothing more than a dust bowl, we have come to realise it has a significant amount of helium 3,” he says.

Washington’s peace efforts are largely on hold while the White House is “totally distracted by Iran,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. The Kremlin has “never come off (its) maximalist demands” for a settlement, and it would take “overwhelming” Western military and financial support for Ukraine for Putin to back down.

Catherine Herrold, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, along with Khaldoun AbouAssi from American University, report that locally based supportive groups strengthen the civic skills that sustain free societies.

The article, co-authored by Saba Siddiki, professor of public administration and international affairs, and Maxwell Ph.D. students Brandon Charles and Nicholas Oesterling, was published in Policy Design and Practice.

For more than five decades, Bill Coplin challenged students, defied convention and built a program that has changed thousands of lives. Now retired, his legacy lives on—and a new fund helps it ensure it always will.

Gerome Banks, an online executive MPA student and federal program manager, will be recognized at ASPA’s annual conference in late March.

“You do have to look at the economic implications, not just in terms of what it's doing to energy markets, but also our allies—the Gulf states—the tremendous hit that they've taken just as a center of gravity, whether it's tourism, the airlines going through there and also for commerce,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. 

Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow at the Middle East Institute Daniel Benaim offered a sweeping analysis of America's relationship with the Gulf states.