Maxwell School News

It takes a dynamic mix of government policy and nonprofit gusto make sure that adequate housing is available to all.

As in all cities, issues of race tend to get magnified in Syracuse, where populations and politics are concentrated. One secret to political equality is identifying leaders who not only speak for their constituencies but are given the means of change.

At a time when revenues are shrinking and taxpayers are screaming for lower taxes and maintained services, the City of Syracuse and Onondaga County are searching for new efficiencies through consolidation.

The attempt to bring housing and business back into Syracuse is staffed by a new generation of city administrators and developers who, together, think this time around they have the answer.

A think tank’s interest in domestic terrorism drove two MPA research projects, each showing how, on American soil, Islamist extremism is only part of the picture.

In a major NSF study, Maxwell geographers help rural Guyanese assess the true worth of the land on which they depend.

Maxwell’s new research center was founded by Syracuse University alumnus, ad man, and later-life fitness enthusiast Sid Lerner, who views good health as a product of good policy, enhanced with good PR.

At a time when citizens are perhaps more aware of economic issues than ever, Syracuse University is establishing an endowed faculty chair at Maxwell to nurture an interdisciplinary understanding of economic forces in public affairs. The chair honors former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker.

After four years of bringing young, English-speaking professionals from the Middle East and North Africa to the U.S. through the Leaders for Democracy Fellowship program, the State Department decided to expand the highly successful LDF program by offering a similar program based in one of its target countries. The Maxwell School was asked to develop this new program, in Arabic, to serve emerging leaders who may not be fluent in English or may not be able to travel to the United States. The natural location for the Arabic LDF program was the American University of Beirut (AUB), already a Maxwell partner in student exchanges

The study of gerontology at Syracuse — including research done in Maxwell’s Center for Policy Research — has gotten a boost with a new Aging Studies Institute and a named professorship. Already prominent, SU’s gerontological programs are poised for growth and greater recognition.