CAARES Helps Launch New Training to Support Neurodivergent SUNY Students 

by

The Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, and Supports (CAARES) strives to create inclusive environments for neurodivergent people at Empire State University. Now, thanks to a new collaboration, the organization has an opportunity to expand its reach to students throughout the SUNY system.  

CAARES has partnered with Universal Design for Learning at SUNY and the SUNY Center for Professional Development on creating a system-wide training that will help faculty, staff, and student leaders better support neurodivergent individuals on their campuses. The asynchronous, online program—titled “Supporting Neurodiversity Across SUNY: Practical Strategies for Our Campus Communities”—will cover topics such as digital accessibility standards, legal frameworks, and supporting neurodivergent students in both classrooms and residence halls.

“The vision is to make a more inclusive SUNY—a SUNY that is better prepared to meet neurodivergent students where they are,” says Aley O’Mara, CAARES program associate and training coordinator. “Research has shown that while more Autistic students are going to college, there’s also still a pretty high drop-off rate for neurodivergent students, which definitely affects attrition across all institutions of higher education. If we can build experiences that are more intentional in meeting the needs and supporting the talents of neurodivergent students, that will be a benefit to students and workers as well.” 

The training, which also features work from experts at Buffalo State University, will be officially launched on April 30. To mark the occasion, SUNY is hosting a kick-off event from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. that day. Attendees can expect a keynote talk from Dave Thompson, visiting scholar and program manager at Vanderbilt University’s Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, and an expert panel featuring O’Mara and other speakers. The event will also include a demonstration of the training, which O’Mara says has been a few months in the making.  

“It is a practical training that is research-based and based in the lived experience of neurodivergent people like myself,” O’Mara adds. “Everybody who takes the training is really getting the best of both worlds. [It will] help everybody who’s in a position of leadership build their confidence, competence, and compassion in creating a student experience that everybody can benefit from.” 

Empire State University Students Inducted Into Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society 

by

Empire State University held an induction for the Alpha Sigma Lambda honor society on April 7, 2026. This ceremony marks the first time that graduate students have been inducted into SUNY Empire’s chapter of the honor society.  

Alpha Sigma Lambda is the oldest and largest national honor society for non-traditional students who meet exceptional academic standards and leadership requirements. During the ceremony, held virtually, 415 students were inducted into the Omega Tau chapter.

“I am so proud to be part of a university that believes — not just in words, but in actions — in the power of lifelong learning, and supporting and celebrating adult learners,” President Lisa Vollendorf said. “I am also so proud that you all have chosen to make Empire State University part of your academic journey.” 

Congratulations to the new Empire State University inductees! 

Five-Minute Feature: Kristina Papa, Academic Learning Coach and Opportunity Programs Academic Support Specialist

by

Get to know the Empire State University community through this rapid-fire interview series that bridges professional accomplishments and personal interests. What makes Empire State University exceptional? The unique people behind the work. Five minutes—starting now! 

What led you to your career path?

I come from a family of teachers. Both my parents were English teachers in their home country, and my aunt was studying to be an early education teacher at the same time we moved to the United States.

One of my earliest memories as a child was “playing school” at my aunt’s house while she was filming for her certification. She’d set up a classroom in her living room where she’d read me books and have me discuss a text and its important themes. I’d take what I’d learned and immediately want to read to my younger brother once I got home. 

On our walks to the park, my dad would “quiz” me on historical facts while my mom would recommend new books to read. They each modeled what a good teacher was and eventually lead me to study secondary English education.  They sparked a desire in me to to help students reach their own potential. I love helping others share different perspectives and ideas.

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Empire?

I really love that SUNY Empire has built such a supportive community, something that can be tough to do in an online environment. Although we are spread across many different locations, everyone still shows up for each other in any way that they can. I know I can truly depend on my coworkers if I need to. 

Working for the center for Academic Support and the Office of Opportunity Programs, I see firsthand how dedicated and genuinely kind everyone I work with is. I am lucky to be a part of departments that share the same goals and commitments to the population we serve.  

What’s one moment in your career you’re especially proud of?

I have two. One moment I am very proud of is working as an adjunct professor at CUNY Queens College. This is where I received both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and where I gained my confidence as a teacher. Teaching at a high school level prior to adjuncting really helped me develop my own philosophy on the teacher I wanted to be, so going back and teaching college students was so exciting!  

Another moment that is very special to me was working with SUNY Empire’s CAARES team during my first year here. I worked closely with Noor and Lauren to develop professional training on neurodiversity and strategies for tutoring students with autism for my staff. I am someone that likes to push myself to try new things and grow in my career, and this seemed scary to me at first because this was the first time I’d ever led professional development sessions on my own. Having a place like SUNY Empire where I felt comfortable and supported meant a lot to me. This taught me so much about advocacy and the need for resources and support programs.

What’s one way you try to show kindness day-to-day?

When I am on site in our Manhattan location, I love to knock on my coworker’s office doors and say good morning. I always try and make it a point to have little conversations with staff whenever I can because connection is so important. I also try to be very optimistic and a listening ear to staff and students.

Name one movie you can quote way too well.

I was involved in the theater department at CUNY Queensborough (where I also eventually taught) and auditioned for a play using a monologue from Dirty Dancing. This is one of my favorite movies, and was one of my favorites growing up, because just like “Baby,” I love to stand up for people and support them in any way I can.

Empire State University Student and Professor Co-Publish Article 

by

For Empire State University student Amile Cominotti, the opportunity to work with Assistant Professor Cailyn Green on a scholarly article seemed like more than a stroke of luck: Given the subject matter, they say, it felt like fate.  

“When I sat down with Dr. Green for the first time and she told me about her plan to write about neurodivergence in the context of substance use and mental health treatment, it was a little mind-blowing… I have lived experience of both contexts. I am a neurodivergent person in long-term recovery,” says Cominotti, a community and human services major from Buffalo. “Landing in a project focused on making substance use services more accessible for neurodivergent people felt like pure serendipity—like something that had been waiting for me all along.” 

Cominotti first connected with Green during the fall 2025 semester, when they secured a position as the educator’s work-study student. Together, the pair researched and wrote “Letter to the Editor: How to create a safe clinical space for neurodivergent clients seeking substance use treatment.” The paper was recently published in Journal of Substance Use. 

“It was honestly thrilling,” Cominotti says, recalling the moment they learned their work had been accepted for publication. “I felt so proud.” 

The article focuses on ways clinicians can make tangible changes to the places where substance abuse clients are treated. A key takeaway? While these modifications are designed to enhance the experience of individuals who are neurodivergent—”an umbrella term for people whose minds work differently than the systems around them were built to accommodate,” Cominotti explains—they actually improve the clinical environment for everyone.   

“Many of the changes that make a space more accessible for neurodivergent people, like reduced noise, clearer signage, or more comfortable seating, are things that put anyone more at ease,” they say. 

The paper—just one in a series of articles Green and Cominotti have co-authored—yielded other lessons too. Cominotti says working on the project helped them refine their writing and research skills. (They credit Green, who they call “a genuinely patient mentor.”) The experience has also bolstered their faith in what they can achieve academically.  

“It showed me I could accomplish something I had always dreamed of, but never truly believed possible,” Cominotti says. “And perhaps most importantly, it has given me the confidence to dream a little bigger than I was before.” 

Behind the Scenes with the Bachelor of Business Administration

by

Attracting students from a range of backgrounds, Empire State University’s Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) helps students certify the knowledge they’ve gained through work experience, gain foundational skills that are applicable industry-wide, and specialize in their areas of interest to pursue their dream careers. Whether learners are looking for an entry point into further education, entrepreneurship, corporate careers, or to transition into higher-paying roles with a business degree, the BBA’s faculty provide the necessary knowledge and counsel each student on their unique journey.

Dongho Kim, department chair for business, international business, and marketing, Sue Epstein, department chair for management and human resource management, and Nazik Roufaiel, department chair for accounting, economic finance, management information systems (MIS), and academic coordinator for accounting, represent the program. Kim joined the university in 2010 and Epstein in 2011. Roufaiel initially came on board as a part-time consultant in 2000, transitioning into a full-time tenure-track associate professor and area coordinator in accounting and finance in 2006.

What do you teach?
Kim: I normally teach Business Statistics, Introduction to Business, Business Ethics, and International Business.

Epstein: I primarily teach Leadership—both a 15-week and an 8-week version of that course. I’ve also taught Women in Management.

Roufaiel: I regularly teach courses in accounting, finance, and design. Recently, my primary focus has been on the courses Federal Income Tax I: Individual Income Tax, Federal Income Tax II: Business Income Tax, and Principles of Fraud Examination & Financial Forensics. In addition to my teaching, I am actively engaged as a practitioner in accounting and taxation consulting.

How is the Bachelor of Business Administration designed for students who are already working in business-related industries?

Kim: That was the purpose of developing this degree program. We developed the Bachelor of Business Administration degree for students coming from business industries. They have a lot of knowledge in business, but they haven’t transferred that knowledge into academic areas.

The Bachelor of Science requires 60 credit hours for liberal arts and sciences. However, the BBA only requires 30 credit hours in that area. People coming in from business industries apply individualized credit for prior learning (iCPL) and get many of the non-liberal arts and sciences credit hours through their work experience.

Epstein: Throughout our courses, students have a lot of opportunities to use their real-world experiences and apply theory in the course assignments and discussions. That’s a way in which the program and our courses are really designed for that kind of student. In the BBA, there are lots of opportunities for our students to get a real breadth of industry-related knowledge either through iCPL or by taking the courses and seeing in real time the range of information that they can use in the world—which they may not have had before.

Taking a class is an opportunity for them to learn something and put it into practice in their workplace. There’s a great range of information that students get across business topics.

Roufaiel: Regarding international students, of which we have a good volume that join online from different countries, they focus more on specialized content. Having a BBA with less focus on liberal arts—half the usual credit hours—allows this kind of student to transfer more credit into our program, which expands content, including all managerial functions of business. The program is focused on the professional careers of its students.

The program covers a wide range of disciplines. How do you help students build bridges between different areas?

Kim: The BBA degree incorporates business management, economics, accounting, and finance courses. It covers every single aspect of business, including marketing and human resource management. This is a true business degree, which covers all areas of the discipline.

Epstein: Kim set me up perfectly to add that there is a course delivered through the human resource management department, which is the capstone in the program that students take in their final semester. That’s when they bring together all that knowledge and they have a chance to fully see how it fits together and is complementary.

Roufaiel: The degree covers all functions of business. It has a variety of courses related to marketing, management, human resources, accounting, economics, business law, and covers quantitative analysis through business analytics and statistics. At the upper levels, students will be able to combine all these disciplines that any basic business administrator will need to use.

What does “meeting students where they are” look like for you in the day-to-day?

Roufaiel: SUNY Empire is student-oriented, it really focuses on what they are interested in and what they need, not just now but in the future—how students are prepared to carry out their goals and objectives.

Close communication with their faculty and mentor brings them closer to their target. For example, if a student says they’re an adult with overwhelming responsibility, I say, “Guess what? I’m an adult, a mother, I’m married, I have family obligations, and I am also a practitioner. Let’s talk about time management and what to do.” Because the majority of us pass through all that, we feel for our students and we believe in them and the sacrifices they are making.

Epstein: When we think of ourselves as faculty members, we’re teaching and mentoring. Similar to what Nazik said, it’s about making students feel comfortable where they are, feel accepted, feel like we see the value in their past experiences—whether professional or educational—and that we also believe in their future.

That might mean discussing the transfer credit they’re bringing in, sharing different paths that they can move forward with or what degrees they can pursue. It might mean, in a classroom setting, understanding where they are with learning the material and showing them ways to enhance their learning, or better showcase it.

Kim: The College of Business reflects the mission of SUNY Empire; we’re being flexible with all our degrees. If there’s a student with no college credits, we have a degree program for them. Or, a student with non-business credits—we have a degree for them. We have everything we need to be flexible and accommodate anybody, at any level, and any place, today, tomorrow, and in the future. We continue to improve our degree programs and offerings.

What is the most rewarding part of your work?

Epstein: When students feel that they have been successful. Whether they feel that way because they’ve completed a semester and their GPA is great, or they’re completing a degree they didn’t think they were going to have the opportunity to do, or they’re in a course and see how theory impacts their professional and personal development. You see that they change, and it’s a feeling of success for them, which I think is great.

Roufaiel: When they come to me and say “I made it. I never thought I was going to make it. I’m the first one in my family to have a college degree,” or “Guess what? I am continuing with a graduate program,” which has happened a lot recently.

Their feeling of achievement and success—that is our satisfaction regardless of the amount of time we spend with our students to support them in reaching their goals. That’s the ultimate success.

Kim: For me, it’s the students who had doubts pursuing higher education and then continuing. When I see them continuing, it makes me so happy.

What are some real-world outcomes a student could pursue with this degree?

Roufaiel: The business administration program prepares students for a career in all managerial and business functions—whatever a student’s particular interests are can lead to a more specialized focus, but they can be a generalist as well.

Epstein: Because the curriculum is so broad, it gives students a lot of different entry points into the business world because they have familiarity with a lot of topics. There are lots of places within an organization where they will have enough information to enter conversations or apply for certain jobs.

Once there, because they had that breadth of information, it gives them the ability to make connections between the work being done in department A and department B. They’ll understand that broader, bigger picture.

Kim: The program equips students with all the foundational knowledge in business, which means they can jump right into the industry or pursue an MBA degree.

What would you want prospective students to know about what this program can do for them?

Kim: They can apply the knowledge and business skills gained here to their career or educational objectives going forward.

Epstein: Adding to that, if they’re a transfer student, the degree program is transfer-friendly—especially if they’re coming in with an associate degree in business, because of the range of offerings. Some of the courses are likely to have been completed at their prior institution.

Roufaiel: It prepares them to be a business manager, to be a marketing executive, human resource specialist, financial analyst, sales manager, or entrepreneur. They will know all the functions that are needed to carry out their entrepreneurship. They can go on to graduate school and hone leadership skills. They can develop their own business, or choose which career or industry they would like to pursue work in.

Five-Minute Feature: Griffin Fuetsch, Office Assistant 2 for the Office of Opportunity Programs

by

Get to know the Empire State University community through this rapid-fire interview series that bridges professional accomplishments and personal interests. What makes Empire State University exceptional? The unique people behind the work. Five minutes—starting now! 

What led you to your career path?

When I started college in 2020, I struggled to find a route that really clicked for me. I am someone who can find enjoyment in most things, but it was important to find a path I was genuinely passionate about. When the pandemic ended, I was extra motivated to gain a wide variety of experiences in pursuit of that goal. It wasn’t until my final year of college, when I began working in my school’s accessibility and accommodations office, that I knew what I wanted to do post‑grad. This job solidified my understanding of the importance of access in higher education. My positive interactions with students had a tangible impact, so I knew it was something I had to pursue as a career.

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Empire?

The community here is undoubtedly my favorite part of SUNY Empire. In my five months of working at the university, I have only met friendly, genuine, and “willing to help” people. I spend each day laughing with colleagues, hearing stories from students, and learning from faculty. I was shocked to learn how much connection can be cultivated in an online environment.

What’s one moment in your career you’re especially proud of?

I feel especially proud during our in-person Black Male Initiative events at 4 Park Avenue. Because our school is mostly online, the enthusiasm for these events is very high, and it’s incredibly rewarding to experience that energy in person.

What’s one small thing that always improves your day?

I am so fortunate to have a commute that energizes me. Each morning, I get to Citi Bike through my neighborhood and up to Midtown. It’s nice to listen to music and enjoy the sun before turning my brain on for the day. However, when it’s cold and rainy, that’s another story…

What song do you never skip when it comes on?

Lights — Ellie Goulding

Laughing Matters: Professor Sabrina Fuchs-Abrams on Funny Women Inciting Change

by

This excerpt is taken from “A Deep Dive With Sabrina Fuchs-Abrams.” Read the full story.

Professor Sabrina Fuchs-Abrams has expertly triangulated women’s studies, humor studies, and literary studies to examine how women challenged the status quo in the 19th and 20th centuries—and has shared that expertise with Empire State University’s MA in Liberal Studies program for the past 20 years. The New Jersey native has serious New York expertise; much of her research focuses on New York intellectuals and literature, including her published book, “New York Women of Wit in the Twentieth Century.” Ahead, Fuchs-Abrams shares some of her literary and women’s studies acumen in honor of Women’s History Month.

When the video call connects, the rectangle enclosing a black-and-white-clad Fuchs-Abrams floods with brightness. The room is stark white, made even more luminous by the large windows on either side of the professor.

Was there a particular book, writer, or teacher that sparked your love of literature?

Fuchs-Abrams: My parents were both English professors, which was part of it. In high school, I remember writing my senior thesis on the figure of the American girl in the works of Henry James. That was probably my first deep research experience—again, looking at female figures, even though it was a male writer.

I’ve always been interested in strong female figures—intellectual women in predominantly male-dominated areas. I think that oftentimes, women who stood out in predominantly male contexts often had to mask their intellect, because it was perceived as threatening. One of the ways to do that was through humor, and that shaped part of my interest in women’s humor later.

What drew you to a career in academia, and what brought you to Empire State University?

Fuchs-Abrams: As I mentioned, both my parents were academics, and it seemed like a great life. Every seven years, my father would go on sabbatical, and we would live in a different country. It seemed like a wonderful opportunity to learn and share your learning with others.

I did my graduate work at Columbia and taught an American Studies course for adult learners who were returning students. I found that to be incredibly rewarding. I found that the adult learners who had chosen to return there, not going on a conventional trajectory, were so highly motivated and accomplished. 

What does your research focus on?

Fuchs-Abrams: Currently, I work on women’s humor, which stands at the intersection of women’s studies, literary study, urban studies, and humor studies. I’m particularly interested in 20th century American women writers and women intellectuals and the way they used humor as an indirect form of social protest.

What first interested you about this topic?

Fuchs-Abrams: My first book, which was an elaboration of my dissertation, was on Mary McCarthy. She is one of the foremost female intellectuals among a predominantly male group of New York intellectuals in the 1930s and 40s. She was part of the “Partisan Review” crowd of that period, and she was a satirist. From my interest in her, I became interested in women’s humor more generally.

Perfect segue—what can you share about your most recent publication, “New York Women of Wit of the 20th Century”?

Fuchs-Abrams: I’m interested in looking at how women writers use humor as a masked form of social critique. Some of the early humorists like Marietta Holly, or Sara Willis Parton, also known as Fanny Fern, and Frances Miriam Whitcher, dealt with domestic subjects, but they were able to say things that would have been prohibited without the mask of humor.

Moving into the 20th century with the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, and with prohibition and the rise of the new woman, I’m particularly interested in this interwar period where women were able to voice their critique a little more overtly.

How did humor and satire allow them to challenge traditional spaces? Can you share an example?

Fuchs-Abrams: There’s a short story by Dorothy Parker called “The Waltz.” There’s a female figure who is highly intellectual—really, a stand-in for Parker herself—but she has to wait to be asked to dance because that’s the social protocol. And there’s this buffoon, awkward male figure who’s stepping on her toes when dancing. The story is told in a double voice, so you hear what she says to him, being obsequious the way appropriate feminine behavior would be. And then, you hear the underlying monologue that she has. With satire, it’s using exaggeration and ridicule to expose the absurdities of certain social customs or prominent figures.

Satire is particularly suited to women and other marginalized populations in that it’s often directed by outsiders—those excluded by race, gender, ethnicity, religion—against those in positions of power in the hope of reforming society or at least exposing its moral weakness.

What is the most surprising thing that you encountered in your research?

Fuchs-Abrams: It’s surprising to me how the focus has really shifted to stand-up comedy, media studies and other forms of humor, and away from literary humor. You could say pioneering women of wit set the stage for later, more contemporary comedians, some of whom do talk about Dorothy Parker, or Edna St. Vincent Millay.

I know it’s Women’s History Month, and part of the feminist project is to revive lesser-known female authors and figures, which is part of what I do in my book. You do get figures like Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, Ali Wong, Hannah Gadsby—a lot of these feminist comedians do hark back to this use of humor as a way of partly sublimating and partly indirectly voicing social critique.

How do you fuel your literary curiosity?

Fuchs-Abrams: Working with students is really inspiring. Many of the classes I teach are based on my research, so I teach courses on women and humor, literature of New York… So working with graduate and undergraduate students, when you use the word curiosity, their questions and interests are not always directly aligned with some of the questions I would have thought to ask. It pushes me in other directions and interdisciplinary ways of thinking.

Being at SUNY Empire, there’s no doubt that I’ve become more interdisciplinary in my research and interests because of the nature of the teaching that we do. Here, particularly in the MALS program, learning is more expansive, and that has really fueled my curiosity.

Empire State University Announces Partnership with National Institute of Public Safety 

by

SUNY Empire has co-created a direct pathway with the National Institute of Public Safety (National IPS), allowing professional security officers to gain access to credentialed higher education. Through this partnership, every student and graduate of National IPS programs receives exclusive benefits toward degree completion at Empire State University. In addition, eligible coursework with National IPS may qualify for college credit through SUNY Empire’s individualized Credit for Prior Learning (iCPL) process—allowing students to translate real-world training and professional experience into meaningful academic advancement. 

National IPS is a licensed, nationwide provider of state-approved security guard training and public safety education programs. Specializing in online, hybrid, and in-person instruction, National IPS delivers comprehensive training solutions that meet state licensing requirements, guard card certification standards, continuing education, and career advancement needs across the United States. 

For more information, please contact Recruitment Officer George Strothmann, at george.strothmann@sunyempire.edu. 

For questions about National IPS offerings, please reach out to contact@nationalips.com. 

A Deep Dive with Sabrina Fuchs-Abrams, Professor of English and Author

by

Professor Sabrina Fuchs-Abrams has expertly triangulated women’s studies, humor studies, and literary studies to examine how women challenged the status quo in the 19th and 20th centuries—and has shared that expertise with Empire State University’s MA in Liberal Studies program for the past 20 years. The New Jersey native has serious New York expertise; much of her research focuses on New York intellectuals and literature, including her published book, “New York Women of Wit in the Twentieth Century.” Ahead, Fuchs-Abrams shares some of her literary and women’s studies acumen in honor of Women’s History Month.

When the video call connects, the rectangle enclosing a black-and-white-clad Fuchs-Abrams floods with brightness. The room is stark white, made even more luminous by the large windows on either side of the professor. A couple pieces of furniture are visible: two white sofas and a wooden dining table.

Was there a particular book, writer, or teacher that sparked your love of literature?

Fuchs-Abrams: My parents were both English professors, which was part of it. In high school, I remember writing my senior thesis on the figure of the American girl in the works of Henry James. That was probably my first deep research experience—again, looking at female figures, even though it was a male writer.

I’ve always been interested in strong female figures—intellectual women in predominantly male-dominated areas. I think that oftentimes, women who stood out in predominantly male contexts often had to mask their intellect, because it was perceived as threatening. One of the ways to do that was through humor, and that shaped part of my interest in women’s humor later.

In college, I worked with Sacvan Bercovitch, who was one of the founders of New Historicism. I was very interested in the American tradition, starting with Puritanism, and then looking at 19th century figures who were all a presence at that time, like Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville… I would say that experience steeped me in the American tradition.

I became interested in American studies, in the history and literature of America, and when I went on do to graduate work at Columbia, I moved more towards New York writers and tradition.

What drew you to a career in academia, and what brought you to Empire State University?

Fuchs-Abrams: As I mentioned, both my parents were academics, and it seemed like a great life. Every seven years, my father would go on sabbatical, and we would live in a different country. We lived in Paris, Vienna, Berlin… It seemed like a wonderful opportunity to learn and share your learning with others. That was part of it, as well as having an ability to write and being interested in teaching.

I did my graduate work at Columbia, and part of the teaching I did there was in the School for General Studies. I taught an American Studies course for adult learners, who were returning students, and I found that to be incredibly rewarding. I found that the adult learners who had chosen to return there, not going on a conventional trajectory, were so highly motivated and accomplished.

In many ways, since it was New York City, you would get dancers who had 20-year careers, musicians, artists, all sorts of people returning. Maybe that opened my mind to SUNY Empire, with its mission of working with nontraditional learners.

How do you approach teaching literature and writing at the master’s level, and what do you find most gratifying about that?

Fuchs-Abrams: The MA in Liberal Studies program is somewhat unique and an amazing opportunity, both as a professor and for students, for creative individuals to go in-depth in an area of interest. I would also say the interdisciplinarity of SUNY Empire is very appealing to me, and of course the liberal studies program.

What does your research focus on?

Fuchs-Abrams: Currently, I work on women’s humor, which stands at the intersection of women’s studies, literary study, urban studies, and humor studies. I’m particularly interested in 20th century American women writers and women intellectuals and the way they used humor as an indirect form of social protest.

What first interested you about this topic?

Fuchs-Abrams: My first book, which was an elaboration of my dissertation, was on Mary McCarthy. She is one of the foremost female intellectuals among a predominantly male group of New York intellectuals in the 1930s and 40s. She was part of the “Partisan Review” crowd of that period, and she was a satirist. From my interest in her, I became interested in women’s humor more generally. She’s one of the figures that I deal with in my most recent book.

Perfect segue—what can you share about your most recent publication, “New York Women of Wit of the 20th Century”?

Fuchs-Abrams: I’m interested in looking at how women writers use humor as a masked form of social critique, because oftentimes, women were constrained by historical conceptions of appropriate gender behavior, right? The Victorian ideal of the submissive, subordinate woman.

Some of the early humorists like Marietta Holly, or Sara Willis Parton, also known as Fanny Fern, and Frances Miriam Whitcher, dealt with domestic subjects, but they were able to say things that would have been prohibited without the mask of humor.

Moving into the 20th century with the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, and with prohibition and the rise of the new woman, I’m particularly interested in this interwar period where women were able to voice their critique a little more overtly. They were able to assume a more independent role. A lot of these figures were centered around New York, which was particularly interesting to me as well.

Like Jessie Redmon Fauset, who was part of the Harlem Renaissance. She had a salon along with her sister that helped foster some of the writers of the Harlem Renaissance, like Langston Hughes and Dawn Powell, who was part of the Lafayette Circle in Greenwich Village. This was a more urban and urbane, sophisticated form of humor. It moved away from the domestic satire of some of the earlier figures towards a more modern sensibility.

How did humor and satire allow them to challenge traditional spaces? Can you share an example?

Fuchs-Abrams: There’s a short story by Dorothy Parker called “The Waltz.” There’s a female figure who is highly intellectual—really, a stand-in for Parker herself—but she has to wait to be asked to dance because that’s the social protocol. And there’s this buffoon, awkward male figure who’s stepping on her toes when dancing. The story is told in a double voice, so you hear what she says to him, being obsequious the way appropriate feminine behavior would be. And then, you hear the underlying monologue that she has. All sorts of witticisms, making references to Shakespeare, literary figures, historical figures, and talking about how he’s sort of ridiculous. With satire, it’s using exaggeration and ridicule to expose the absurdities of certain social customs or prominent figures.

Satire is particularly suited to women and other marginalized populations in that it’s often directed by outsiders—those excluded by race, gender, ethnicity, religion—against those in positions of power in the hope of reforming society or at least exposing its moral weakness. While traditional humor might be seen as “punching down” in keeping with the superiority theory of humor—the ridiculing of marginalized populations by those in positions of power—women’s humor, and humor by other marginalized communities, is often “punching up” in the interest of social change.

Women’s humor also often engages in double-voiced irony, meaning to say one thing and mean another, and the incongruity theory of humor, which is based on the subversion of expectations. This verbal form of humor allows women and those in subordinate positions to mask their social critique through the indirection and socially acceptable form of irony and satire. 

What is the most surprising thing that you encountered in your research?

Fuchs-Abrams: It’s surprising to me how the focus has really shifted to stand-up comedy, media studies, and other forms of humor, and away from literary humor. Maybe surprise isn’t the right word, but it’s a little unexpected to me. You could say pioneering women of wit set the stage for later, more contemporary comedians, some of whom do talk about Dorothy Parker, or Edna St. Vincent Millay.

I know it’s Women’s History Month, and part of the feminist project is to revive lesser-known female authors and figures, which is part of what I do in my book. You do get figures like Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, Ali Wong, Hannah Gadsby—a lot of these feminist comedians do hark back to this use of humor as a way of partly sublimating and partly indirectly voicing social critique.

What are some of your favorite women-made pieces of media?

Fuchs-Abrams: Allegra Goodman is a Jewish-American novelist and short story writer who is very interested in family dynamics and psychology. The book I want to mention of hers is “Isola,” a historical fiction book which is a sort of female Robinson Crusoe set in medieval French times. There is also a book by Kirsten Lange, which is “Pleasure, Play, and Politics: A History of Humor in U.S. Feminism.”

I recently watched a show that was recommended to me and is based on a book, “Lessons in Chemistry.” The common theme here—it’s about a female scientist, a chemist in the 1950s in a male-dominated field. Through cooking, she ends up using her skills as a chemist and making a name for herself.

I admire Cher as a pioneering female singer and strong feminist figure. She was also known for her wit: when told by her mother that she should settle down and marry a rich man, she famously replied, ‘Mom, I am a rich man!’”

How do you fuel your literary curiosity?

Fuchs-Abrams: Working with students is really inspiring. Many of the classes I teach are based on my research, so I teach courses on women and humor, literature of New York… So working with graduate and undergraduate students, when you use the word curiosity, their questions and interests are not always directly aligned with some of the questions I would have thought to ask. It pushes me in other directions and interdisciplinary ways of thinking.

Being at SUNY Empire, there’s no doubt that I’ve become more interdisciplinary in my research and interests because of the nature of the teaching that we do. Here, particularly in the MALS program, learning is more expansive, and that has really fueled my curiosity.

Five-Minute Feature: Tiffany Williams, Administrative Assistant 2 for the Office of Communications 

by

Get to know the Empire State University community through this rapid-fire interview series that bridges professional accomplishments and personal interests. What makes Empire State University exceptional? The unique people behind the work. Five minutes—starting now! 

What led you to your career path? 

I actually answered an ad on my college’s student union bulletin board for a temp position that was supposed to last just the summer. The Office of Student Accounts turned out to be such a welcoming place that I ended up staying. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to work in many offices and departments as I’ve grown in my career. While it wasn’t the career path I originally imagined, I found that I really enjoy this kind of work and that it suits my personality. It also plays to my strengths in organization, communication, and problem-solving, and I particularly enjoy supporting the team and keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes, without needing to be out front. 

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Empire? 

The people are definitely what make this place what it is. From the students we celebrate at commencement to the staff, faculty, and administrators who support them along the way, the human side of this institution is my favorite thing about SUNY Empire. 

What’s one moment in your career that you’re especially proud of? 

Last year, I was one of two people selected for the Excellence in Support Services award from the Empire State University Foundation, which I’m very proud of. But my proudest moments often come from completing a project or task, whether big or small. There’s a real sense of accomplishment in seeing something through and knowing you helped bring it across the finish line. 

March is Women’s History Month, and International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8. Who is one well-known woman (historical or contemporary) that you’d like to chat with, and why? 

I’d choose Ruth Bader Ginsburg because of her lifelong commitment to fairness and the steady, thoughtful way she worked to expand equality under the law. I relate to that drive for fairness in my role as a union representative, advocating for colleagues and helping ensure everyone is treated equitably. I’d love to hear about the experiences that shaped her perspective and what kept her motivated throughout her career. 

What is your “comfort” TV show or movie that you watch over and over? 

I rarely turn the TV on these days, but my favorite childhood movie was “The Wizard of Oz.” I could watch it over and over. There’s something about the adventure, the journey, and finding your “tribe” along the way—and realizing you already have what you need to make it through—that really stuck with me from a young age.