Syracuse Sun

The Tenth Decade Project, established a decade ago in anticipation of the Maxwell School’s 100th anniversary in 2024, has been instrumental in funding faculty-led research across various disciplines. Supported by contributions from numerous donors, including a significant donation from long-time Maxwell benefactors Gerry and Daphna Cramer, the project has facilitated studies on citizenship-related issues ranging from labor policy to climate change.

Among the supported projects is "Challenges to Sovereignty, Order and Conflict: Multidisciplinary Working Group," directed by political science professor Ryan Griffiths. This initiative, backed by a $25,000 grant, focused on topics such as crime syndicates and cyber terrorism. The project concluded with a workshop on rebel governance at Syracuse University’s Minnowbrook Conference Center in June 2022. The outcomes included a special issue for the journal International Politics featuring articles by Griffiths and graduate students Heidi Stallman, Falak Nur Hadi, and Mansour AlMuaili.

Another notable project is "Race, Risks and Responses: Mapping Black Americans’ Responses to Group Threat," led by political science professor Jenn Jackson. With a $20,000 grant aimed at addressing systemic racial inequality, Jackson's research involved interviews with young Black Americans to explore their experiences with threats like policing. This work culminated in Jackson’s manuscript “Policing Blackness: The Political Stakes of Racial Trauma,” which is under publisher review.

"Citizenship Across Borders: An International Conference," spearheaded by history professor Carol Faulkner and University of Strasbourg professor Samim Akgönül, addressed global refugee crises and immigration backlash. Funded by a $16,000 grant, the conference held in Strasbourg in fall 2022 featured discussions on naturalization law and immigration challenges between Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Participants included Maxwell faculty members Seth Jolly (political science), Azra Hromadžić (anthropology), Amy Lutz (sociology), and Chris Kyle (history).

Lastly, Scott Landes' two-year project titled "The Impact of State Laws and Policies on the Developmental Disability Mortality Disadvantage" received a $33,420 grant. The initiative aimed to create a comprehensive database on intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) mortality patterns. Collaborators included Janet Wilmoth from Maxwell's sociology department and Katherine McDonald from Falk College. Their findings highlighted race-ethnic disparities in IDD mortality rates among adults. A report released last year by the Population Reference Bureau emphasized how COVID-19 posed significant risks to progress made in extending life expectancy for U.S. adults with IDD.