SUNY Empire Spotlight: August 2025
The latest news on research efforts, awards, grants, and media appearances from Empire State University faculty, staff, and leadership.
Alan Belasen, professor, published “With the Game on the (Betting) Line: NBA Referee Performance in the Last Two Minutes,” coauthored by Ari Belasen and Alex Olbrecht, in the Journal of Sports Economics.
Pam Doran, digital accessibility coordinator and multimedia technology coordinator, has been appointed student ambassador at SUNY Empire for Hispanic Educational Technology Services (HETS).
Cailyn Green, assistant professor of Addiction Studies, published a free, peer-reviewed social justice textbook, “Social Justice & Advocacy in Human Services.”
Rodlyn Hines, assistant professor, published “Gendered Dynamics of Transnational Living: A Narrative Inquiry of Ghanaian Couples” in the African Journal of Gender and Woman’s Studies on August 13.
Raul Manzano, visiting assistant professor, held an art residency teaching older adults to draw in conjunction with SU-CASA and the New York City Department for the Aging, among other agencies.
Shannon Pritting, executive director for the Office of Graduate Studies & Scholarly Supports, Alena Rodick, director of Learning Design and Solutions, and Jennifer Collins, open educational resources and scholarly communications librarian published an article, “Using Teamwork and Collaboration to Design Better Affordable Learning Experiences,” in the Journal of Continuing Higher Education.
Ian Reifowitz, SUNY distinguished professor, published a new book, “Riling Up the Base: Examining Trump’s Use of Stereotypes through an Interdisciplinary Lens,” coauthored with Dr. Anastacia Kurylo. He also appeared on Rochester ARC TV News program, the Political Pulse, on August 26.
Nan Travers, director of the Center for Leadership in Credentialing Learning, was cited as “the fairy godmother of all credentialing” in Inside Higher Ed’s podcast, “Voices of Student Success: Encouraging Innovation in Credit for Prior Learning,” about the challenges and opportunities in expanding credit for prior learning assessment at Utah Valley University on August 7.
Melissa Wells, associate professor and director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, published “Effectiveness of Federal Education Funding on Rural Schools: A Quantitative Study” in the journal Educational Futures in June. On July 22, she presented “Enhancing Faculty Integration: The Role of Structured Onboarding, Peer Mentorship, and Belonging” at UPCEA‘s 2025 Summit for Online Leadership and Administration (SOLAR) in Portland, Oregon. She also published “Supporting students with disabilities: discrepancies in educational outcomes and the need for comprehensive postsecondary support” in the open access journal Discover Education on August 20.