Alumni News

Tammy Berendzen '94 BA (PSt/PSc) was named one of The New Mexican’s 10 Who Made a Difference for 2018. Berendzen, president of the Santa Fe Skating Club, has been the central figure in helping solidify the skating club — and growing the sport — among both the young and old in a high-desert town.

Maxwell alumnus Joseph Strasser ’53 B.A. (History)/’58 M.P.A., one of the Ssool’s most significant donors of all time, received the prestigious 2018 Arents Award, Syracuse University’s highest alumni honor. When accepting the award, Strasser spoke about his time in Germany and his philanthropic commitment to education and the welfare of animals.

The Susan and H. Lewis Rapaport Endowed Scholarship will support undergraduate students who have demonstrated interest in studying history or political science. When complete, the Rapaport endowment will total $250,000. “As a member of the Maxwell Advisory Board, I’ve seen first-hand the remarkable undergraduate students who are attending Maxwell today,” Lewis Rapaport ’59 B.A. (AmSt) says. 

A gift commitment from alumna Jill Weitzen MacDonald ’74 M.P.A. has established the Weitzen Foreign Policy Scholars Fund. The fund will support students who have demonstrated interest in foreign policy and international affairs, with preference to those who plan to pursue careers at the U.S. Department of State.

"Amway made the DeVos family wealthy while offering few, if any, tangible gains for its distributor force. If past is prologue, the president’s base may want to brace itself," writes current Ph.D. student Davor Mondom ’12 B.A. (Econ/Hist)/’15 M.A. (Hist)/’16 M.Phil. (Hist) 

SparkCharge founder and CEO Josh Aviv ’14 B.A. (Econ) will compete against competitors for a shot at one of 43North’s eight cash awards, which include a $1 million grand prize and seven awards of $500,000. SparkCharge developed a portable, ultrafast charging unit for electric vehicles that fits in the trunk of a car and charges at level 3 speed, giving users one mile every 60 seconds.

"I believe very strongly in the Federal Reserve’s mission and in the important role we play in helping to create strong, stable economic conditions in all corners of the country that allow individuals and businesses to prosper," says Mary C. Daly '94 Ph.D. (Econ).

This summer, Maxwell convened Minnowbrook at 50, an anniversary conference on the same hallowed ground. For most who attended, the times seemed no less volatile, and deciding how public administrators and scholars meet an era’s challenges proved anything but simple.

The fellowship is made possible by generous gifts to the Astrid Merget Fund honoring two-time alumna and former associate dean of the Maxwell School Astrid Merget ’68 M.P.A./’73 Ph.D. (SSc).

“I am pleased to have long known Woods Bowman, an important figure to me as a young faculty member when I was just beginning to teach public administration many years ago,” said David M. Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School. “This generous support for the next generation of graduate students in public administration and doctoral students in economics at Maxwell is a fitting memorial to Woods and one that we are honored to have received.”

“We believe in the importance of quality local government...hence the key role Maxwell continues to play in educating local government leaders,” Margaret Beemer Bringewatt ’68 B.A. (PSc)/ ’72 M.P.A. says. Her and her husband Paul Bringewatt are supporting this stance through a new gift annuity fund for Maxwell graduate students.