Maxwell School News

In her new position, Rachael Silbar-Voorhees Orose ’09 M.P.A. will help Words Alive fulfill its mission to expand opportunities for reading among at-risk populations, while also expanding the community of supporters and volunteers involved with their programming.

"If you don't already have 35 years of covered earnings at the max level, then your benefit is going to be higher if you work longer," says University Professor and Dean Emeritus John Palmer.

According to Professor Allan Mazur, conspiracy theories are, by definition, resistant to evidence or data that might prove them false.

John Selman ’92 M.P.A. is currently vice president of national security programs for LMI, a management consulting nonprofit working to improve the business of government headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science, says that it’s still early to declare an official front-runner in the Democratic presidential primary.

The $100,000 grant will support Gary V. Engelhardt, a professor of economics and faculty associate with the Aging Studies Institute, in his research into the role of housing equity as an asset for retirement planning among older Americans. Engelhardt’s project is expected to provide insights into how the Social Security Administration will be able to supplement its existing resources given expected long-term funding shortfalls.

Shannon Monnat, the Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion, has received a grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for her project, which is designed to improve education for health care providers concerning Plans of Safe Care (POSC) for mothers with addiction and for babies who suffered opioid exposure prior to their birth. 

In this new position, Cristian Nuno ’17 M.P.A. will help develop better analytical protocols through Python and R statistical tools, and by increasing the efficiency of SQL queries. Previously, Nuno worked in education as a data science instructor for the Flatiron School in Seattle. 

A single piece of information rarely changes anyone’s opinion, "whether it’s true-or false," says Emily Thorson, assistant professor of political science, "That’s a good thing." The idea that a handful of unreliable outlets were going to substantially alter views or behaviors "is pretty far-fetched, given what we know about the stability of people’s political attitudes," she adds.

"'The Dow's off 1,000 points, oh my goodness, that's horrible.' But the Dow's [near] 30,000 points, so that's a 3% drop," says Donald Dutkowsky, professor emeritus of economics, adding that a 3% drop is not good, but not awful. "I would advise investors to take a deep breath. If you're in it for the long-term for like your pension, take a deep breath and stay the course."

Stephanie Pasquale ’94 B.A. (PSt)/’97 M.P.A. has been appointed as director of neighborhood engagement at the Allyn Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization working to improve the quality of life across Central New York. In this new position, Pasquale will be the Allyn Family Foundation’s liaison with the City of Syracuse, working closely with the Syracuse Housing Authority on large scale affordable housing projects.