SUNY Empire Spotlight: October 2025

The latest news on research efforts, awards, grants, and media appearances from Empire State University faculty, staff, and leadership.    

Alan Belasen, professor, published “Clutch Leadership: Harnessing the Qualities of a Gamechanger,” with Routledge.

Luis Camacho, assistant professor andacademic coordinator of the Spanish BBA, was interviewed by Telemundo 47 about Hispanic entrepreneurship in New York and the Spanish BBA program.

Empire State University’s Spanish BBA Program was featured on Univision with an interview by SUNY Chancellor John B. King on October 18.

Gloria Kramer, assistant professor and TESOL coordinator, published “It’s Raining Fish,” a children’s book, a culturally responsive resource for educators and families focused on teaching compassion and kindness.

Mindy Kronenberg, visiting assistant professor, was featured in a poetry anthology about books and censorship, published by Moonstone Arts Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She will participate in a virtual reading on October 5.

Joseph Lawless, adjunctprofessor, was featured in WalletHub’s piece about Unsecured Credit Cards for Bad Credit.

Ian Reifowitz, SUNY distinguished professor, appeared on The New Republic’s “The Daily Blast” podcast to provide insights into recent topics surrounding President Trump including crime and the military, as well as his early life in Queens. He was interviewed on Anthony Scaramucci’s podcast, “Open Book,” regarding his recently published book, “Riling up the Base.”  

Noor Syed, assistant professor anddirector of CAARES, has been named a trustee at Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies.

Liv Thygesen, bilingual disability specialist, was selected for and attended the SVA Leadership Conference in Washington D.C.

Melissa Wells, assistant professor, appeared on the EdUp Experience podcast to discuss online learning, AI practices, and more.

Huiting Qi, assistant professor, was selected for “Examining the Usability and Efficacy of GenAI Tools,” a project sponsored by the SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grants (IITG) program.The project looksacross six SUNY campuses to explore how pro versions of ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude can be used to design meaningful learning experiences, and to examine their impact on teaching and learning outcomes.