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

Colleen Heflin Examines Impact of Changes to Virginia’s Child Care Subsidy Program

The Maxwell professor and fellow researchers are supported by the University of Wisconsin and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

January 15, 2026

Williams Speaks With Newsweek About Trump’s Intention to Acquire Greenland

“Denmark cannot legally sell Greenland to the United States. The Greenlanders would need a vote on what they wanted to do, and they have expressed no desire to join the US in any form of state or territory,” says Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs.

January 12, 2026

Heflin Discusses Food Insecurity on WCNY’S ‘CONNECT NY’

“I think it's important to note that while poverty is a really significant risk factor for food insecurity, there are more people that live above the poverty line, actually, who are food insecure. It is the working poor. It's people that actually earn too much to potentially qualify for SNAP,” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs. 

January 9, 2026

Strengthening Snap’s Ability to Address Old Age Food Insecurity

Colleen Heflin, Madonna Harrington Meyer,

The article, published in Contexts, was co-authored by Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, and University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer. 

January 5, 2026

Himmelreich Talks to Central Current About Flock Safety Keeping Syracuse Drivers’ ‘Anonymized’ Data

“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 Johannes Himmelreich, associate professor of public administration and international affairs. “After all, you still see the street and everything around the car. So, I doubt that the anonymization is robust.” 

December 30, 2025

Murrett Discusses Trump's Order to Blockade Sanctioned Venezuela Oil Tankers With AP News, CBS News

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, says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

December 22, 2025

O’Keefe and Lambright Weigh In on Trump’s Pick to Lead NASA in The Observer and Scientific American

“The job is a leadership role, where your task is to motivate people from wide-ranging, different disciplines to come together to define the problem as the same and then go about trying to solve it through multiple avenues. Everything I’ve heard about him certainly suggests that he’s got a lot of talent and capability to make him the ideal person,” says University Professor Emeritus Sean O'Keefe.

December 16, 2025

Is AI Replacing Human Mental Health Professionals?

Michiko Ueda
An increasing number of Americans are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for mental health support. A new survey of U.S. adults found that nearly 35% use AI tools more than once a week to manage mental health concerns. The findings raise important questions about whether AI is supplementing or replacing traditional mental health care.
December 16, 2025

See related: United States

Can Schools Sustain the Rising Cost of Retiree Health Care?

Robert Bifulco and Iuliia Shybalkina
New York State school districts face mounting budget pressures from retiree health care benefits. Without policy changes, these costs could grow from 4.5 percent of district revenues today to over 13 percent by 2075, creating significant budget pressures for districts. 
December 10, 2025

See related: United States

Murrett Speaks With CBS News About Russia's Position on the Peace Proposal With Ukraine

“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, but some way precluding them from joining the NATO alliance, and also some ambiguous language regarding their joing the European Union,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.
December 8, 2025

Public Health: A Vital Addition to Maxwell

The department’s transition from Falk College fuels collaboration across disciplines, strengthens research centers, and establishes a hub for population and public health sciences.

December 5, 2025

Jiahuan Lu Weighs In on Challenges facing US-Based Charities in WalletHub Article

“As government—especially federal—support recedes, competition for philanthropic dollars and other revenue sources is likely to intensify significantly,” says Jiahuan Lu, associate professor of public administration and international affairs.

November 26, 2025

Maxwell Experts Unpack the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’

A recent State of Democracy lecture offered varying perspectives from Maxwell faculty members Brynt Parmeter, Leonard Burman and Colleen Heflin in a discussion led by Chris Faricy, director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

November 13, 2025

Celebrating Hometown Heroes

From graduate school classmates to leaders in veteran advocacy, Tom Caruso and Josh Keefe are recognized for their dedication to veterans and their lasting impact on Syracuse University.

November 11, 2025

Heflin Discusses SNAP Funding With ABC News, Newsweek, PolitiFact and USA Today

“The stress that families are facing throughout the country is tremendous, not knowing how they’re going to feed their families,” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

November 4, 2025

Understanding Factors Associated with 911 and 988 Use in Mental Health Crises

Michiko Ueda, Colleen M. Heflin, Yanhong Liu, Qingyi Yu, Seethalakshmi Ramanathan

Co-authored by Public Administration and International Affairs professors Michiko Ueda-Ballmer and Colleen Heflin, the study was published in Community Mental Health Journal.

November 3, 2025

Suicide Deaths Among Informal Caregivers in an Aging Society

Michiko Ueda-Ballmer

The study, authored by Michiko Ueda-Ballmer, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, was published in Public Health.

November 3, 2025

Murrett Talks to CBS News About Trump’s Order to Resume US Nuclear Weapons Testing

“There's no question there would be some value to having to have some testing of our weapons, especially some of the new developments we've had recently. But it's how you do that and how extensive the testing is something that's open to question,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

November 3, 2025

Why Aren’t More People Calling 988 for Mental Health Crises?

Michiko Ueda, Colleen M. Heflin, Yanhong Liu, Qingyi Yu, and Seethalakshmi Ramanathan
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched in 2022 is a free, confidential alternative, yet awareness remains low and misconceptions persist. This brief summarizes findings from a study that surveyed nearly 1,900 U.S. adults and found that only 22% knew about 988. Even more striking: nearly 9 in 10 people had concerns about using it, and many of those concerns are based on misconceptions.
October 29, 2025

See related: United States

Heflin Speaks With Newsweek About the Impact of Delayed SNAP Benefits

“22.4 million households across America will be disrupted if the benefits are not disbursed on time. And the total impact of the delay in SNAP benefits will ripple throughout the local economy,” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

October 23, 2025

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