George Wolohojian can still picture the scene: dozens of students in the master of public administration program, gathered in the Maxwell Hall auditorium for their first day of classes, and James D. Carroll at the podium in a blue seersucker suit and his signature bow tie.

It was 1973 and Wolohojian was among the 120 new students—a diverse group from across the U.S. and several countries. “Our experiences ranged from recent college graduates, like myself, to those at midcareer,” he recalled. “Our aspirations varied widely as well, across all aspects of local, state, federal government, and the world of business and consulting.”

Carroll, chair of the Department of Public Administration, set the tone that first day for how the following year would go. “His happy and upbeat manner was filled with enthusiasm for our public service education,” said Wolohojian, who earned an M.P.A. in 1974 followed by a Ph.D. in public administration in 1979.  “Jim’s office door was always open, and he was at the ready with advice and guidance on course and career planning. During his lectures, it was obvious that he deeply respected the rule of law and the importance of justice in public administration and administrative procedure.”

Carroll died Aug. 18, 2026, in Washington, D.C. He was 91.

A graduate of Cornell University, Carroll earned two degrees from Syracuse: a J.D. from the College of Law in 1960 and a Ph.D. in political science from Maxwell in 1967. He remained at Maxwell until 1985, and many M.P.A. alumni from those years still remember him as a demanding, generous teacher. Carroll and his wife, Sara, opened their home to graduate students, hosting picnics and gatherings that Wolohojian said quietly taught a generation of public administration students the value of building relationships. “What we didn’t realize,” he said, “was that he was training us in the important skill of networking.”

Before Syracuse, Carroll was a budget analyst in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and director of the Government Research Division of the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress. After Maxwell, he directed the Advanced Study Program at the Brookings Institution, held faculty appointments at Ohio State University and University College Cork in Ireland, taught part time at Georgetown University from 1980 to 2005 (he was later named professor emeritus there) and was a professor at Florida International University from 1990 to 2017. He consulted for the World Bank and for governments in Indonesia, China, Chile, Jamaica and Panama, along with dozens of U.S. federal, state and local agencies.

Carroll’s scholarship focused on constitutional governance and the legal foundations of public administration. He co-authored Constitutional Competence for Public Managers: Cases and Commentary (2000) with his son, Jonathan D. Carroll, and longtime collaborator David H. Rosenbloom. He was a member of the National Academy of Public Administration, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Cosmos Club, and his doctoral studies were supported by a fellowship from the Russell Sage Foundation.

“He not only seemed to know everybody, but he had such good relationships with so many people,” said Beth Walter Honadle ’76 M.P.A./’77 M.A. (Econ)/’79 Ph.D. (PA). “And, if you were job hunting or needed a subject matter expert, Jim would flip through his contacts and help make you the connection you needed.”

Wolohojian’s class held a special place in its heart for Carroll: for its 50th reunion in 2024, classmates invited him as an honored guest, and when illness kept him away, they sent a gift and a letter expressing their admiration for his leadership and commitment to his students.

“He was a great intellectual with the touch of the common man,” said Michael Lewan ’74 M.P.A. “He was a gifted teacher and an inspiration to generations of students.”

Terry Hartle ’74 M.P.A. called Carroll “a lifelong friend and mentor” to countless Maxwell alumni.

Carroll and his wife were close friends of fellow faculty member Walter Broadnax and his wife, Angel. The friendship lasted well beyond Carroll’s years at Maxwell: when Broadnax retired from the school in 2013, Carroll wrote in tribute that his colleague’s “unique combination of study and experience and his ability to share it with others” reflected the finest of the Maxwell tradition, words that applied just as well to Carroll himself.

In addition to his wife of 66 years, Carroll is survived by sons Matthew and Jonathan as well as nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He was predeceased by sons Mark and James Jr.

Sara, Jonathan and James Jr. are Maxwell graduates, making the Carrolls a multigenerational Maxwell family.