News

Celebrating its 10th year, the highly competitive Program PRIDE (Psychology Research Initiative for Diversity Enhancement) program brings together Syracuse University undergraduates from underrepresented groups and invites them to develop an original independent psychology summer research project over the course of seven weeks.

The program is sponsored by the Department of Psychology and the Neuroscience Program.

The five 2017 scholars presented their work to fellow students and psychology faculty during the annual PRIDE symposium this past June.

View the full article at SU News.

College of Law Dean Craig Boise announced the addition of Nick Wallace as assistant dean for enrollment management. In this role, Wallace will be responsible for the strategic planning, leadership and implementation of the College’s J.D. enrollment and financial aid initiatives. Read more about Nick Wallace at SU News.

According to the National Center for Women in Technology’s 2016 analysis, only 26 percent of professional computing occupations in the United States are held by women. This statistic is shocking in the current age of educational equality, but is on a steady rise thanks to organizations devoted to bringing technology to females across the country. One national program, Girls Who Code, is dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology once and for all. Read the SU News article.

The fullCIRCLE Mentoring Program in the Office of Multicultural Affairs welcomes its sixth cohort of mentees and peer mentors at the start of the 2017-18 academic year. It is now recruiting faculty and staff mentors to provide consistent support to sophomore, junior and senior peer mentors and to serve as positive role models. Faculty and staff who are interested in serving as mentors are encouraged to apply now. The deadline is July 26. Read more.

The Office of Program Development has announced the appointment of Adrian Prieto as its director of development. The appointment, which took effect Monday, June 26, establishes a dedicated gift officer within the office to cultivate and increase giving among the University’s diverse alumni community.

In this capacity, Prieto will work to secure major gifts from black and Latino alumni and increase overall giving among diverse alumni generally. He will also work on corporate partnerships for the Coming Back Together reunion and the endowed scholarship fund, and on fundraisers and donor events.

Prieto comes to Syracuse from Cornell University, where he established a strong record of success in a range of fund-raising and relationship-building roles with increasing levels of responsibility. He most recently served as assistant director for external relations for Cornell’s College of Business and assistant director for corporate relations for the School of Hotel Administration. In those capacities, he took a lead role in corporate fund-raising in all areas of real estate at Cornell, managed two advisory boards, managed multiple company and corporate relationships, and generated fund support for large-scale events.

Read the full article at SU News.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $4 million grant to Syracuse University to lead an effort to develop and implement strategies for augmenting the number of underrepresented minority students pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs of study and careers.

The five-year grant, which runs through 2022, was awarded as part of the NSF’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program to support the continued work of the Upstate New York LSAMP alliance. Led by Syracuse University, the alliance will use the funding to further expand on its efforts to improve recruitment, academic success and persistence of traditionally underrepresented minority students in STEM majors; strengthen the pipeline from community college to four-year study; and develop best practices for better supporting and retaining underrepresented students in STEM fields of study. In addition to Syracuse, the Upstate alliance includes Onondaga Community College, which will serve as co-lead for the project; Clarkson University; Cornell University; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Rochester Institute of Technology; and Monroe Community College.

Read more at SU News.

Five notable alumni will be awarded Chancellor’s Citations during the Coming Back Together (CBT) African American and Latino alumni reunion this fall. Organized by the Office of Program Development, CBT will be held Sept. 14-17.

The five citation winners will be honored Saturday, Sept. 16, at the CBT dinner gala at the Syracuse Marriott Downtown (formerly the Hotel Syracuse).

During the special presentation, the honorees will each receive a citation from Chancellor Kent Syverud and a commemorative plate created by David MacDonald, emeritus professor of studio arts.

“This event honors outstanding members of Syracuse University’s alumni community,” Chancellor Syverud says. “These five alumni are exceptional professionals who are inspiring to the next generation. They are wonderful representations of the Orange spirit and commitment to giving back.”

Awarded to African American and Latino alumni during CBT, the Chancellor’s Citation serves to recognize the significant civic or career achievements by the selected winners. Since 1983, the ceremony has been a signature event presented at the triennial Coming Back Together reunion.

“This year, our Chancellor’s Citation winners are exceptional,” says Rachel Vassel, assistant vice president, Office of Program Development. “They are not only accomplished leaders in their fields, but also generous University donors. We are grateful for their willingness to pay it forward to benefit the next generation.”

Read about the honorees at SU News.

The National Association of Black Journalists has released its list of finalists for its 2017 Salute to Excellence Awards, with three Newhouse students and student-produced NCC News making the cut. See the full list at SU News.