Maxwell School News and Commentary

Professor of Political Science Grant Reeher likens the 2020 Democratic primary to the 2016 GOP primary when several rivals of then-candidate Donald Trump kept their campaigns alive for as long as possible in hopes of stopping the eventual nominee's rise.

"It solidifes their majority, and puts in place this idea that New York is just blue, full stop," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. "And it seems like it's going to be really tough for Republicans to make a real run at the governor's seat, given what we've seen in recent elections." 

"The fact that this in the end became such a strict party line vote, I think it’s going to reinforce the divisions that already exist," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

Jenn Jackson writer about the #NotAgainSU movement, discussing her experience with racism on the Syracuse University campus. "These events force us to confront the thin line between our beliefs and our practices," 

Shana Gadarian, associated professor of political science, Joined WAER's Syracuse Speaks show to discuss the importance of local elections and voter engagement, amid historically low turnout rates in local elections. Central New Yorkers face issues that decide key policy like tax rates, education policy, and district lines this year.

“He [incumbent Ryan McMahon] is keen on making his own mark and I think he’s in a very good position to do so,” said Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. “I don’t think there’s a big reason to send him packing.”

"New York is all over the place,’" says John Yinger, Trustee Professor of Economics and Public Administration and International Affairs. "It has one of the craziest [property assessment] systems in the country."

Beginning this fall, for the first time ever, students planning to major in the social sciences applied and were admitted directly to the Maxwell School. Prior to this, students applied to A&S, and they became a Maxwell student only if they declared a Maxwell major, usually sometime around the end of their sophomore year.

"Initially created to give children a break from the dirty smokestacks of NYC, the Fresh Air Fund now emphasizes giving children from underserved communities a break from drugs, violence, or gangs," writes University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer.