100th Anniversary of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to congratulate Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs on its 100th anniversary.

One Hundred Years. A remarkable milestone. A remarkable legacy. A remarkable school.

The Maxwell School is the oldest school of its kind in America and was once again ranked the No. 1 school for public affairs in 2024 by U.S. News & World Report.

Success and excellence is the norm for the Maxwell School: It has held the No. 1 spot every year save one since these rankings began more than 30 years ago.

Founded in 1924, thanks to the investment and vision of Syracuse University alumnus and entrepreneur George H. Maxwell, the Maxwell School is dedicated to supporting impactful research and preparing students to become leaders who seek evidence-based solutions, encourage civil discourse, and commit to leaving the world better than they found it.

You can get a sense of what the Maxwell School stands for by pondering the words of the Athenian Oath, which is inscribed on its foyer wall. It encourages us to ever strive to ``transmit this city not only not less, but greater, better and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us.''

And the Maxwell School does live up to those ideals.

The school's more than 38,500 graduates are living and working across the globe, helping to inform public policy, including key legislation that has come before us here, helping to forge compromise amid divide, bringing aid to those in need and defending democracy.

Its alumni include foreign ambassadors, legislators, journalists, economists, and numerous familiar names such as former Congresswoman and HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, and former Detroit Mayor Dave Bing.

The school is home to 15 interdisciplinary research centers and institutes focused on pressing societal issues. One especially dear to me is named for the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan; the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs serves as a critical hub for collaboration, research, and examination of complex global issues.

The Maxwell School offers a rich mix of undergraduate, graduate professional, and scholarly M.A. and Ph.D. programs across the social sciences.

Though it is based in Syracuse, it has a strong presence here in the Nation's Capital, offering programs and internship opportunities and world class instruction through a partnership with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Thanks to a unique relationship with the Council of Europe and Syracuse University's five study abroad centers, the Maxwell School also offers students and scholars increasing opportunities for global engagement.

The Maxwell School's work supports the foundations and institutions of democracy itself, here and across the globe. This is vital at this time in our world's history.

I congratulate Syracuse University, the Maxwell School, Chancellor Kent Syverud, Maxwell Dean David Van Slyke, and the school's faculty, students, staff, and alumni for everything they do to leave the world better than they found it.

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