Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Health & Society
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Health & Society

Maxwell School Alumni Establish Multimillion Dollar Bequest to Fund Citizenship Education

Wednesday, November 16, 2016, By Jessica Smith
Share
Students

The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs has announced that two alumni, who wish to remain anonymous, have committed a multimillion-dollar gift through their estate plans. This generous gift will ultimately support citizenship education and is currently valued at $2.5 million. The value of the bequest is expected to grow over the donors’ lifetimes.

The Maxwell School

The Maxwell School

“The Maxwell School is the premier school for citizenship and public administration. This gift will enable the school to build on that rich history and its legacy of creating global thought leaders,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “I am very thankful to our two alumni for providing support that will further the Maxwell School’s vision for its students as engaged citizens.”

The bequest furthers the school’s ability to nurture students as they learn and develop into informed world citizens and decision makers. In addition to establishing an undergraduate scholarship fund and a graduate fellowship, the bequest is expected to grow large enough to support the endowment of a named chair in citizenship at the Maxwell School.

“Our ability to attract exceptional students and faculty, as well as to reinforce the importance of citizenship education, are directly strengthened by the support we receive from our loyal family of alumni and friends,” says David M. Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School. “We are very grateful for the financial support from two graduates who have exhibited lifelong dedication to education and public service. This extraordinary commitment will impact Maxwell and Syracuse University for generations to come.”

As a key theme of the University’s Academic Strategic Plan, enhancing the student experience is a critical focus for the Maxwell School. The University is committed to providing an excellent and distinctive education that prepares students for academic, personal and professional success in a diverse, interconnected world. Students learn to think deeply and analytically, listening with a critical ear and acting with integrity.

Earlier this year, the Maxwell School received the top ranking once again by U.S. News & World Report’s survey of graduate schools in public affairs, a distinction the school has earned every year since the rankings were established.

To make a gift to the Maxwell School or to discuss options for planned giving, please contact Assistant Dean for Advancement Linda Birnbaum at 315.443.1053 or lsbirnba@maxwell.syr.edu.

  • Author

Jessica Smith

  • Recent
  • Student Veteran Anthony Ruscitto Honored as a Tillman Scholar
    Friday, July 18, 2025, By John Boccacino
  • Bandier Students Explore Latin America’s Music Industry
    Thursday, July 17, 2025, By Keith Kobland
  • Architecture Students’ Project Selected for Royal Academy Exhibition
    Thursday, July 17, 2025, By Julie Sharkey
  • NSF I-Corps Semiconductor and Microelectronics Free Virtual Course Being Offered
    Wednesday, July 16, 2025, By Cristina Hatem
  • Jianshun ‘Jensen’ Zhang Named Interim Department Chair of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
    Wednesday, July 16, 2025, By Emma Ertinger

More In Health & Society

4 Maxwell Professors Named O’Hanley Faculty Scholars

The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs announced the appointment of four new O’Hanley Faculty Scholars: Brian Brege, Sarah Hamersma, Yüksel Sezgin and Ying Shi. Selected in recognition of their exceptional teaching, scholarly achievements and service to the institution,…

The Racket About Padel: Newhouse Students Partner With Global Media Firm to Track Rise of Sport

Why all the racket about Padel? Students and faculty in the Newhouse School of Public Communications collaborated with a global communications consulting firm to release a report about the emerging sport’s rapid rise in popularity. The report, “Celebrities, Community, Content,…

Fact or Fiction? The ADHD Info Dilemma

TikTok is one of the fastest-growing and most popular social media platforms in the world—especially among college-age individuals. In the United States alone, there are over 136 million TikTok users aged 18 and older, with approximately 45 million falling within…

Lab THRIVE: Advancing Student Mental Health and Resilience

Lab THRIVE, short for The Health and Resilience Interdisciplinary collaboratiVE, is making significant strides in collegiate mental health research. Launched by an interdisciplinary Syracuse University team in 2023, the lab focuses on understanding the complex factors affecting college students’ adjustment…

Timur Hammond’s ‘Placing Islam’ Receives Journal’s Honorable Mention

A book authored by Timur Hammond, associate professor of geography and the environment in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, received an honorable mention in the 2025 International Journal of Islamic Architecture (IJIA) Book Award competition. The awards…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.