Maxwell School News and Commentary
Colleen Heflin - Studying Hunger in America
Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, is a leading authority on food insecurity, which, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), negatively impacts more than 47 million Americans.
See related: Food Security, Nutrition, United States
Offen Quoted in Politico Article on Trump’s Obsession With Maps
It’s a political tactic that has lasted as long as maps have, according to Karl Offen, professor of geography and the environment. “Maps and politics have been wedded from day one,” Offen says. “To name is to claim.”
See related: Federal, Foreign Policy, International Affairs, Maps, United States
Guido Pezzarossi Awarded the 2025 Montonna Fund
The fund was created in 1997 with a gift from the honoree’s daughter and Maxwell alumna, the late Mary Lou Williams.
See related: Awards & Honors, Giving
Buzard Discusses Her Research on Parental Involvement With The Atlantic
Research by Kristy Buzard, associate professor of economics, confirms the idea that people tend to assume mothers are the default parent, even when they explicitly ask not to be. Part of the reason, Buzard posits, is “this underlying belief that moms are more available and are going to be more responsive.”
See related: Child & Elder Care, Gender and Sex, United States
Taylor Speaks With CBS News, El País, KTVU and Kyiv Post About Trump, Ukraine and Russia
“Putin isn’t interested in a ceasefire or an agreement, but rather in victory, understood as the subjugation of Ukraine,” says Brian Taylor, professor of political science. “The Russian president has faced zero consequences for stalling Trump over the past four months, and from what Trump has said about the conversation, that hasn’t changed one bit.”
See related: Conflict, Europe, Federal, Foreign Policy, Global Governance, International Affairs, Russia, Ukraine, United States
Sultana Article on Building Democracy in Bangladesh Published in LA Progressive
“In a region where democratic backsliding has often been normalized, Bangladesh is attempting a rare and ambitious path forward. But reforms – no matter how visionary – face real resistance from entrenched interests and are fraught with obstacles, both internal and external, that threaten to derail Bangladesh’s progress,” writes Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment.
See related: Conflict, Government, International Affairs, South Asia
Bhan Talks to Morning Wave in Bhusan and the WOZ About Rising Tensions Between India and Pakistan
“I don't think either the Indian or Pakistani governments actually want a war,” says Mona Bhan, Ford-Maxwell Professor of South Asian Studies. “But neither of them wants to appear weak under any circumstances.”
See related: Conflict, Government, India, International Affairs, South Asia
Reeher Discusses Trumps ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ on LiveNOW from FOX
“There's going to be an enormous amount of pressure on the Republicans to stay together on this. More than anything else that any Republican who's serving in Congress right now will face, because this is going to be Donald Trump's signature domestic bill,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.
See related: Congress, Economic Policy, Environment, Food Security, Political Parties, United States
Timur Hammond’s ‘Placing Islam’ Receives Journal’s Honorable Mention
The 2025 International Journal of Islamic Architecture lauded the book for its “evocative storytelling.”
See related: Awards & Honors, Middle East & North Africa, Religion
Khalil Speaks With Clarín About Trump’s Meeting With the President of Syria
The meeting between Trump and al-Sharaa “represents a remarkable shift in U.S. policy toward al-Qaeda and its affiliates. More than 23 years after the 9/11 attacks and the declaration of the Global War on Terror, the United States is developing relations with a former leader of the organization who now declares himself a moderate,” says Osamah Khalil, professor of history.