The 2025-26 Remembrance Scholars are looking back and acting forward in a wide variety of ways to raise awareness about the impact of the Pan Am 103 bombing on Dec. 21, 1988, over Lockerbie, Scotland.

During their scholarship year, scholars are engaged in a broad range of “Act Forward” projects, including making a documentary on the impact of the bombing; recording podcasts that tell the stories of people affected by the tragedy; a participatory art project; developing a high school curriculum on media literacy; working with local senior citizens to chronicle their memories; developing a panel discussion on political violence and exploring the experiences of previous Remembrance Scholars.

“The 2025-26 Remembrance Scholars are embracing the program’s motto of “Look Back, Act Forward” through meaningful and innovative contributions to our community,” says Jolynn Parker, director of experiential learning and engagement.

Members of the University community will have an opportunity to learn more about the projects during the Act Forward Symposium on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. in the Allyn Innovation Center, located on the first floor of Link Hall. The event is one of several planned during this year’s Remembrance Week, the University’s annual commemoration of the tragedy.

This year marks the 37th anniversary of the bombing, which claimed the lives of 270 people, including 35 students returning from a semester of study abroad in London and Florence through the University’s Division of International Programs Abroad (now Syracuse Abroad). The Remembrance Scholars have planned events and activities to look back and educate on the ways they are acting forward.

The scholars will be joined by the 2025-26 Lockerbie Scholars on campus during the week. This year’s Lockerbie Scholars are 10 students from Lockerbie Academy who were chosen through a competitive process. During their time on campus, the Lockerbie Scholars, accompanied by Lockerbie Academy Head Teacher Brian Asher and Deputy Head Teacher Kerry Currie (a 1996-97 Lockerbie Scholar), will represent the 11 Lockerbie residents who died in the bombing and 2002-03 Lockerbie Scholar Andrew McClune, who died during his scholarship year in Syracuse.

Remembrance Week will be held Sunday, Oct. 19, through Saturday, Oct. 25. All activities are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. For more information, visit remembrance.syr.edu.

Those who require accommodations to fully participate in these events should contact Tamara Hamilton at 315.443.4282 or tnhami01@syr.edu. The week’s schedule is as follows:

 All Week 

• Empty Seats Display, Kenneth A. Shaw Quadrangle: The Empty Seats Display is a visual representation of the Syracuse University students lost aboard Pan Am Flight 103. The exhibition is meant to serve as a reminder of how a loss in the past can inspire positive actions in the present. This year’s Remembrance Scholars and Lockerbie Scholars will sit in solidarity in the chairs for 35 minutes on Wednesday, Oct. 22, beginning at 2 p.m.
• Pen-and-ink drawings of the Syracuse University study abroad student victims will be on display in Hendricks Chapel.
• Blue and white flags, one for each of the 270 Pan Am 103 victims, will be on display in the area between the Newhouse School of Public Communications and Schine Student Center. Also, the Hall of Languages, Hendricks Chapel and the JMA Wireless Dome will be lit in blue in honor of Remembrance Week.

Sunday, Oct. 19

• Remembrance and Resilience, Hendricks Chapel, 4 p.m.: Setnor School of Music students will unite to honor the victims of violence and terrorism, including those who perished in the Pan Am 103 bombing. The concert is part of the Malmgren Concert Series and will be livestreamed on the chapel’s YouTube channel.
• Candlelight Vigil, Hendricks Chapel steps, 5:30 p.m.: The Remembrance Scholars will remember the 270 victims of Pan Am 103. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be available for this event.

Wednesday, Oct. 22

• “Sitting in Solidarity,” Kenneth A. Shaw Quadrangle, 2 p.m.: The Remembrance and Lockerbie scholars will sit in the empty chairs on the Quad for 35 minutes.
• Film Screening, Huntington Beard Crouse Hall, Kittredge Auditorium, 7 p.m.: The British Broadcasting Corporation documentary “Return to Lockerbie With Lorraine Kelly” will be presented, followed by a question-and-answer session.

Thursday, Oct. 23

• Act Forward Symposium, Allyn Innovation Center, first floor of Link Hall, 6 p.m.: The Remembrance Scholars will present posters that share their plans to “act forward” through outreach, research, education and creative projects designed to benefit the community.
• Lockerbie Scholars Presentation, 160 Link Hall, 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 24

• Rose-Laying Ceremony, Place of Remembrance, 2:03 p.m.: American Sign Language interpretation will be available for this event. The Rose-Laying Ceremony and Remembrance Convocation will be livestreamed.
• Remembrance Scholar Convocation, Hendricks Chapel, 3 p.m.: ​This annual convocation will honor the 2025-26 Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars. ASL interpretation and CART will be available. A reception in the Allyn Innovation Center, located on the first floor of Link Hall, will immediately follow.