Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Featured Stories
Rutgers: Graduate Students Turn a Storage Room Into a Place to Recharge
NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey, June 11 (TNSjou) -- Rutgers University issued the following news:
* * *
Graduate Students Turn a Storage Room Into a Place to Recharge
The converted space at Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology offers a scalable campus wellness model
By Carla Cantor
At Rutgers, a group of graduate students, faculty and staff set out to answer a simple question: What would a wellness space look like if students designed it themselves?
The project took shape in a small storage room near classrooms at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
... Show Full Article
NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey, June 11 (TNSjou) -- Rutgers University issued the following news:
* * *
Graduate Students Turn a Storage Room Into a Place to Recharge
The converted space at Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology offers a scalable campus wellness model
By Carla Cantor
At Rutgers, a group of graduate students, faculty and staff set out to answer a simple question: What would a wellness space look like if students designed it themselves?
The project took shape in a small storage room near classrooms at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychologyon Busch campus. Once filled with unwanted paperwork and outdated university swag, the room is furnished with a futon, beanbags, soft lighting, greenery-inspired decor, wellness resources and a whiteboard with handwritten messages students leave for one another.
Peggy Swarbrick, a research professor in the Applied Psychology Department at the school, set the transformation in motion after noticing students between classes standing in hallways, sitting outdoors when weather allowed or walking elsewhere on campus to find a place to decompress.
Swarbrick, the inaugural director of ScarletWell - an initiative dedicated to promoting the health and wellness of the Rutgers-New Brunswick community - said graduate students face distinct challenges that conventional campus resources don't always address.
"Many students come to class after work or a practicum placement or are managing coursework alongside family responsibilities," Swarbrick said. "They need a quiet, welcoming place where they can gather their thoughts and reboot."
The storage room across from her office offered a potential solution. Once Swarbrick cleared the clutter, she envisioned the small, windowless room as a restorative retreat shaped by the students who would use it.
For Students, by Students
Swarbrick approached master's degree students in search of volunteers for a design team to help determine what the room should become. Ritika Malhotra, who expects to complete the degree at Rutgers in December, joined the effort despite initial doubts about the space.
"When I first saw the room, I thought it was unbelievably small," said Malhotra, who hopes to pursue research in health psychology.
The challenge appealed to her, she said, because it aligned with her interest in how physical surroundings influence wellness.
Malhotra and fellow master's degree students Mariem Abid and Brianna Eng developed a student survey, partnering with research project assistant Tasha Bulgin, Swarbrick, and faculty member Sarah Weinsztok to form the team. Sixty-five GSAPP students responded, offering input on the room's atmosphere, seating, lighting, sensory features, wall displays and anticipated uses.
Their preferences gave the team a clear direction: Students wanted a calm, low-stimulation environment where they could rest and recalibrate between classes. Comfortable seating and soft lighting emerged as priorities, along with wellness resources, calming colors and nature-inspired artwork.
Guided by the survey findings and environmental psychology research, team members drafted individual design mockups, combining elements from each into a unified plan.
Creating a 15-by-9-foot wellness room without windows required creativity. Soft, warm lighting and artificial ivy offset the lack of natural light. A futon and beanbags offered flexible seating without overcrowding the area, giving students options for reading, resting or talking quietly.
Working with less than $1,000 in existing internal funds, the team concentrated its budget on comfortable furnishings and professional carpet cleaning. Painting the room proved too costly, leading Swarbrick to explore the possibility of a student-created mural with the Mason Gross School of the Arts.
Malhotra added a personal touch by handcrafting a clock for the room, assembling its circular face, numbers, and battery-powered mechanism herself.
"Everything in the design came from what students told us they wanted," Swarbrick said. "The room reflects their idea of what would help them feel comfortable, calm, and supported during a busy day."
The Room Serves as a Scalable Model
Completed in April 2025, the wellness room inspired a study published in January in the Journal of American College Health and co-authored by all six members of the project team. The paper describes their use of "co-production design," an approach that emphasizes shared decision-making and responsiveness to student voice.
The authors noted that campus support extends beyond counseling services and wellness workshops: Everyday spaces designed with care and shaped by student input can become a practical resource embedded in academic life.
They added that at a time of rising student mental health needs, the project offers a blueprint and a scalable model for individual academic departments: Campuses can repurpose existing spaces to promote well-being without extensive renovations or large budgets when students help guide the process.
The room has drawn interest elsewhere at Rutgers. Faculty and students from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences visited the space and adapted the team's survey as they develop a similar wellness room in a campus greenhouse.
Swarbrick said the room's accessibility is central to its purpose, remaining unlocked whenever the building is open, to give students a place to drop in from early morning into the evening. A QR code inside invites anonymous feedback on their experiences, with early requests including art supplies and snacks.
For Malhotra, some of the room's smallest details are among the most meaningful. She especially loves the brightly colored stones bearing positive words, which students can pick up and later pass along.
"Sometimes I would go into the room, look at the stones, and see one that said 'Dream,'" Malhotra said. "That word might resonate with me that day, so I would keep it for a while and then give it to someone else I hoped might benefit from it."
* * *
Original text here: https://www.rutgers.edu/news/graduate-students-turn-storage-room-place-recharge
HANYS Spotlights SUNY-Upstate's High-Risk Psychiatry Program
SYRACUSE, New York, June 11 -- The State University of New York Upstate Medical University campus issued the following news:
* * *
HANYS spotlights Upstate's High-Risk Psychiatry Program
The Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) is featuring Upstate's Psychiatry High-Risk Program in this month's member spotlight on the HANYS homepage.
"HANYS' Member Spotlights highlight programs focused on research and innovation, community health and wellness, quality and operational excellence, and access to care, to inspire replication by other healthcare providers statewide," said HANYS President
... Show Full Article
SYRACUSE, New York, June 11 -- The State University of New York Upstate Medical University campus issued the following news:
* * *
HANYS spotlights Upstate's High-Risk Psychiatry Program
The Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) is featuring Upstate's Psychiatry High-Risk Program in this month's member spotlight on the HANYS homepage.
"HANYS' Member Spotlights highlight programs focused on research and innovation, community health and wellness, quality and operational excellence, and access to care, to inspire replication by other healthcare providers statewide," said HANYS PresidentBea Grause, RN, JD. "Upstate Medical University's Psychiatry High-Risk Program is a perfect example of the impact our hospitals and health systems have on the communities they serve. We were honored to help raise awareness of this deeply important, lifesaving program."
The video features an interview with patient Sarah McVeen, who speaks about the personal toll of losing her best friend. She explains, "Having such a tremendous loss at 15 was so detrimental to my mental health. I think I was already struggling before that even happened, so when it did, it completely derailed my life."
McVeen sought treatment through Upstate's program, which uses a specialized treatment model focused on transformative healing rather than solely crisis intervention.
Also interviewed are the program's co-directors, Rebecca Shields, DO, and Robert Gregory, MD. Gregory launched the program at Upstate in 2017 using a form of treatment he developed called Dynamic Deconstructive Psychotherapy. The approach is designed to treat borderline personality disorder and other complex behavioral conditions, including chronic and severe depression, alcohol or drug dependence, self-harm, eating disorders, and recurrent suicide attempts.
The Psychiatry High-Risk Program has been designated a "best practice" in suicide prevention by the national Suicide Prevention Resource Center, and it received the American Psychiatric Association's 2023 Psychiatric Services Silver Award for innovative and effective care.
McVeen credits the program with transforming her life.
"My entire life has changed," she said. "I think [the program] genuinely saved my life. I've learned the tools and skills to stay on track and to know that a bad day does not have to become a bad week, a bad month, or a bad life. My entire perspective has changed."
* * *
Original text here: https://www.upstate.edu/news/articles/2026/2026-06-10-hanys.php
From speed to stability: how ageing changes the way we walk
BEDFORD PARK, Australia, June 11 -- Flinders University posted the following news:
* * *
From speed to stability: how ageing changes the way we walk
*
Reasons why our walking becomes slower and more tiring with age have been uncovered by new Australian research -with findings showing the body increasingly sacrifices efficiency to stay upright.
The study, led by Flinders University and the University of Canberra, reveals that as we age, the body adopts a "safety-first" walking style that prioritises stability at the cost of speed and energy efficiency, which helps explain why older adults
... Show Full Article
BEDFORD PARK, Australia, June 11 -- Flinders University posted the following news:
* * *
From speed to stability: how ageing changes the way we walk
*
Reasons why our walking becomes slower and more tiring with age have been uncovered by new Australian research -with findings showing the body increasingly sacrifices efficiency to stay upright.
The study, led by Flinders University and the University of Canberra, reveals that as we age, the body adopts a "safety-first" walking style that prioritises stability at the cost of speed and energy efficiency, which helps explain why older adultstire more easily and face a higher risk of falls.
Analysing movement data from 107 healthy adults aged 26 to 86, researchers identified subtle but important changes in how the ankle and surrounding muscles control each step.
Lead author and expert in sport and exercise technology, Dr Cody Lindsay, says the ankle plays a critical role in both balance and forward motion.
"As we get older, the body starts to favour stability over efficiency," says Dr Lindsay, from the Flinders Caring Futures Institute.
"That helps keep us upright, but it also makes walking more of an effort."
The study found older adults increasingly activate opposing muscles around the ankle at the same time - a pattern known as co-contraction - which stiffens the joint and improves balance when the foot hits the ground.
However, Dr Lindsay says this comes at a cost.
"Stiffening the joint makes walking safer, but it also means the muscles are working harder without generating as much forward movement," he says.
The research also showed older adults produce less push-off power with each step, resulting in shorter strides and slower walking speeds.
Co-author Associate Professor Maarten Immin k says this reflects a broader shift in how the body controls movement.
"The nervous system adopts a safety-first approach, compensating for age-related changes by favouring stability over performance," says Associate Professor Immink, Lead of the Active Lives Research Program within the Caring Futures Institute at Flinders University.
"These changes can also increase fatigue and make walking longer distances more challenging, while reducing the ability to recover from trips or slips - a key factor in falls among older adults.
"Even gradual changes can affect confidence and independence, and people may notice they tire more quickly or feel less steady, especially on uneven ground."
Importantly, the findings point to new approaches for maintaining mobility with age.
Rather than focus solely on strength, researchers say exercise programs should also target balance, coordination and identify how muscles work together through each step.
"For older Australians, simple actions can make a difference, including regular physical activity, balance exercises such as tai chi, lower-leg strengthening and activities that challenge coordination," says Dr Lindsay, from Flinders' College of Health and Enablement.
"Staying active is one of the most important things people can do, and small, consistent exercises can help you stay confident, mobile and independent for longer."
The researchers hope the findings will inform better prevention and rehabilitation strategies to reduce falls and support healthy ageing.
The paper, ' Ageing alters ankle mechanics and muscle co-contraction patterns across the gait cycle', by Cody Lindsay, Ceridwen R. Radcliffe and Maarten A. Immink, was published in Gait & Posture journal. DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2026.110202
***
Original text here: https://news.flinders.edu.au/blog/2026/06/11/from-speed-to-stability-how-ageing-changes-the-way-we-walk/
Four Accomplished Alumni Join SBU's Board of Trustees
ST. BONAVENTURE, New York, June 11 -- St. Bonaventure University issued the following news release:
* * *
Four accomplished alumni join SBU's Board of Trustees
St. Bonaventure University has added four distinguished alumni to its Board of Trustees following approval at the board's May 15 meeting on campus.
The new trustees bring deep experience in healthcare, finance and energy, investment banking, technology, governance, military and logistics operations, and alumni service at a time when St. Bonaventure is advancing a long-term strategic plan focused on enrollment, endowment growth, academic
... Show Full Article
ST. BONAVENTURE, New York, June 11 -- St. Bonaventure University issued the following news release:
* * *
Four accomplished alumni join SBU's Board of Trustees
St. Bonaventure University has added four distinguished alumni to its Board of Trustees following approval at the board's May 15 meeting on campus.
The new trustees bring deep experience in healthcare, finance and energy, investment banking, technology, governance, military and logistics operations, and alumni service at a time when St. Bonaventure is advancing a long-term strategic plan focused on enrollment, endowment growth, academicstrength, student success, and mission-centered innovation.
D. Scott McGurl, a 1992 St. Bonaventure graduate from St. Petersburg Beach, Florida, is managing partner and global head of healthcare industry at Grant Thornton Advisors LLC, where he leads a national practice of 1,800 professionals serving health systems, payers and healthcare technology clients. In his role, he advises C-suite and board-level executives on transformation strategy, artificial intelligence and operational performance.
McGurl brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across healthcare, consulting and enterprise transformation. Before joining Grant Thornton, he held senior leadership roles at Ernst & Young and Siemens AG, overseeing multimillion-dollar business units, global consulting practices and large-scale growth initiatives. His experience includes strategy development, operational transformation and workforce development across international markets.
In addition to his corporate leadership, McGurl has extensive governance experience. He served on the Minnesota Zoo Board of Trustees from 2017 to 2022, chairing its Composition and Recruitment Committee and serving on finance and governance committees. He also serves on Clemson University's Powers College of Business Advisory Board, where he has helped shape curriculum and institutional strategy.
Carolyn Nice, a 2006 St. Bonaventure graduate from Sanford, North Carolina, serves as chief of strategic readiness at Fort Bragg, where she coordinates cross-functional operations supporting complex military missions. She provides strategic counsel to senior leadership while overseeing long-term planning, stakeholder coordination and operational readiness initiatives.
Nice has more than two decades of leadership experience spanning military, federal and private-sector logistics operations. She previously served as military moves program manager for U-Haul International, helping oversee Department of Defense military relocation contracts, and founded Red Hulk Logistics LLC, a federal-aligned logistics firm specializing in defense contracting and operational support.
A lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, Nice has held senior leadership assignments in Washington, D.C., the Pentagon and military commands around the world. Her military honors include two Bronze Stars and four Meritorious Service Medals. She earned a master's degree in supply chain management from Georgetown University in 2024.
Theresa Z. Bone, CPA, a 1985 graduate of St. Bonaventure from Pittsburgh, is an independent energy consultant specializing in finance, accounting, tax planning and corporate governance for investment, research and energy organizations. She previously served in executive finance leadership positions with EQT Corporation and its affiliated entities, including vice president of finance and chief accounting officer roles overseeing accounting, risk management, investor relations and board reporting.
During her tenure at EQT, Bone helped lead major public offerings and capital transactions that raised more than $6 billion in investor capital. She also directed Sarbanes-Oxley compliance initiatives, led cross-functional financial operations and implemented enhanced systems and governance practices across the organization. Earlier in her career, she spent more than a decade with Ernst & Young LLP as a senior manager in assurance and advisory services.
Bone is active in nonprofit and civic leadership, serving on the boards of Magee-Women's Research Institute and the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Pennsylvania. A certified public accountant, she has received numerous honors, including the Pittsburgh Business Times Businesswoman First Award and the Pennsylvania Leadership Excellence Award.
Sean P. Lynch, a 2006 graduate of St. Bonaventure from Los Gatos, California, is a managing director in technology investment banking at UBS in Menlo Park, California. He joined UBS in 2024 after more than 11 years with Barclays Capital, where he focused on technology, media and telecommunications sectors.
While a student at St. Bonaventure, Lynch co-founded BonaResponds in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, launching what would become one of the university's signature service organizations. He remains actively involved with BonaResponds at the board level and also serves on the university's Students In Money Management (SIMM) Advisory Board.
In 2024, Lynch established the Sean Peter Lynch '06 Annual Business School Scholarship to support high-achieving students with financial need and continues to support the university through recurring gifts to BonaResponds and the School of Business Building Endowment.
"St. Bonaventure is fortunate to welcome four alumni whose professional accomplishments, leadership experience and deep affection for this university will strengthen the work of our Board of Trustees," said Dr. Jeff Gingerich, president of St. Bonaventure. "Scott, Carolyn, Theresa and Sean each bring expertise that aligns closely with our institutional priorities, and each understands the distinctive value of a Bonaventure education."
Trustees also elected a slate of officers to serve in key leadership positions and guide their work in support of the university's long-term success.
Luke H. Brown, '89, is the new board chair, stepping into the role after serving as a vice chair this past year.
Brown is the associate director for Supervisory Policy for a regulatory agency. He brings more than 30 years of leadership and professional experience in the financial services industry, with expertise in financial institution supervision, enterprise risk management, national public policy formulation, strategic communications, and legal and government affairs.
Brown graduated from St. Bonaventure with bachelor's degrees in Social Science and Philosophy Pre-Law. While a student at St. Bonaventure, he served as student body president. Brown received his law degree from The George Washington University in 1992.
"For me, as for so many others, St. Bonaventure is a special place -- it's home," said Brown. "I'm excited to work alongside my fellow board members to continue our proud Bona history and rich Franciscan tradition, while supporting President Gingerich's leadership in further strengthening the university and advancing its unique and important mission."
In addition to Brown's election as chair, trustees elected four talented board members to serve in key officer roles. Fr. Larry Ford, O.F.M., Kristan McMahon, '97, and Mark Murphy, '91, were elected as vice chairs, and Susanna Stitt, '99, will serve as board secretary. Ford and Stitt are returning officers.
"Mark and Kristan are great additions to Fr. Larry and Susanna on our board officer team and I look forward to working with all of them and taking full advantage of their talents and insights," Brown said.
The board also recognized several outgoing trustees at its May 14 dinner, including Michael Hickey, '84, who served as board chair for the last four years and was named trustee emeritus in recognition of his service. Also honored were Mike Anderson, '77; Joe Davis, '79, outgoing vice chair; Pikai Chiang, '84; and Fr. Linh Hoang, O.F.M., Ph.D.
"I am grateful to Mike Hickey for his generous, strategic leadership as board chair, and I look forward to working closely with Luke and the full board as we continue to advance the university's mission and future," Gingerich said.
Brown's leadership will focus on supporting the president and the university's strategic priorities, with particular emphasis on mission, excellence, student success, innovation, long-term financial strength, shared governance, and enhanced alumni engagement.
* * *
About the University: The nation's first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).
* * *
Original text here: https://www.sbu.edu/news/news-items/2026/06/10/four-accomplished-alumni-join-sbu's-board-of-trustees
Doctoral Student Advances Research on Mental Health Needs of Children With Incarcerated Parents
BOWIE, Maryland, June 11 -- Bowie State University issued the following news release:
* * *
Doctoral Student Advances Research on Mental Health Needs of Children With Incarcerated Parents
*
Dr. Avon Hart-Johnson is leveraging more than 15 years of research and applied experience to examine the needs of children with incarcerated parents and expand culturally responsive approaches in mental health counseling.
Although she already holds a doctorate in human services with a specialization in counseling, she wanted to deepen her research and add more diversity to the field of mental health counseling
... Show Full Article
BOWIE, Maryland, June 11 -- Bowie State University issued the following news release:
* * *
Doctoral Student Advances Research on Mental Health Needs of Children With Incarcerated Parents
*
Dr. Avon Hart-Johnson is leveraging more than 15 years of research and applied experience to examine the needs of children with incarcerated parents and expand culturally responsive approaches in mental health counseling.
Although she already holds a doctorate in human services with a specialization in counseling, she wanted to deepen her research and add more diversity to the field of mental health counselingand advocacy. Today, Hart-Johnson is enrolled as doctoral student in the inaugural cohort of Bowie State's Counselor Education and Supervision program.
Hart-Johnson's work centers on the intersection of research, practice and community engagement. Alongside her academic studies, she co-founded D.C. Project Connect (DCPC), a nonprofit that delivers psychoeducational services to underserved families affected by incarceration. Through this work, she continues to apply and refine research-based strategies in real-world settings.
Her doctoral studies are expanding the scope of her research.
"I'm shifting from a traditional Eurocentric framework to an Afrocentric, social justice-centered approach that prioritizes culturally grounded perspectives in counseling theory and practice. Faculty mentors, including Dr. Otis Williams, Dr. Mark Bolden, Dr. Brittany Williams-Grant and Dr. Janelle Cox, have guided my work through Afrocentric and social justice frameworks."
Her coursework emphasizes decolonized research methodologies and critical analysis of multicultural issues that affect communities of color. Through this lens, Hart-Johnson is investigating overlapping factors -including intersectionality, sexual orientation, bodily autonomy, environmental conditions and limited access to resources -that shape mental health outcomes.
This research-driven approach has sharpened her focus on how counselors and educators can better serve marginalized populations. Rather than examining these issues in isolation, Hart-Johnson explores how systemic barriers intersect to influence both access to care and quality of support.
"With a background in human services, I now focus on service delivery while examining my professional identity as a counselor, educator, researcher and practitioner. This program has helped me elevate my work by embedding it within communities that need support, while preparing me to develop future leaders and coach women of color as they grow in their professional identity."
Hart-Johnson's work reflects a broader shift from service delivery to research-informed practice and leadership. By integrating her nonprofit work with doctoral research, Hart-Johnson is building a model that connects academic inquiry with community impact.
Bowie State's Counselor Education and Supervision program prepares doctoral students to work in schools, colleges, rehabilitation centers and mental health clinics. The program emphasizes how poverty, racism and discriminatory practices affect clients, equipping graduates to provide equitable, high-quality counseling to marginalized communities.
***
Original text here: https://bowiestate.edu/about/news/2026/doctoral-student-advances-research-on-mental-health-needs-of-children-with-incarcerated-parents.php
Chancellor's Professor Steven Rogelberg receives Governor's Medallion Award for Volunteer Service
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, June 11 -- The University of North Carolina Charlotte campus issued the following news release:
* * *
Chancellor's Professor Steven Rogelberg receives Governor's Medallion Award for Volunteer Service
Steven G. Rogelberg, chancellor's professor at UNC Charlotte, was honored with the 2026 North Carolina Governor's Medallion Award for Volunteer Service during a ceremony hosted by VolunteerNC on May 11 in Raleigh. The Medallion Award is the state's highest recognition for volunteerism, presented annually to a select group of individuals whose service has made a transformative
... Show Full Article
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, June 11 -- The University of North Carolina Charlotte campus issued the following news release:
* * *
Chancellor's Professor Steven Rogelberg receives Governor's Medallion Award for Volunteer Service
Steven G. Rogelberg, chancellor's professor at UNC Charlotte, was honored with the 2026 North Carolina Governor's Medallion Award for Volunteer Service during a ceremony hosted by VolunteerNC on May 11 in Raleigh. The Medallion Award is the state's highest recognition for volunteerism, presented annually to a select group of individuals whose service has made a transformativeimpact on their communities.
Rogelberg was nominated through Mecklenburg County's award process, coordinated by the United Way of Greater Charlotte. Rogelberg's leadership roles with several initiatives were part of his nomination.
The Care Conference is grounded in the belief that supporting those who dedicate their careers to helping others is essential to building a resilient community. Each year, the event brings together front-line care providers who work directly with individuals and families facing housing instability, unemployment and other economic challenges. These professionals, serving in organizations such as Roof Above, Goodwill and Crisis Assistance Ministry, shoulder significant emotional and logistical burdens as they guide vulnerable residents toward stability.
The 2026 Care Conference was held in January and welcomed 156 direct care providers from 24 Charlotte-area organizations, offering them a space for connection, renewal and professional growth. By equipping care providers with tools, insights, and community support, the conference strengthens the broader network of agencies working to improve economic mobility and well-being across the region.
In 2025, Rogelberg launched the CARE Institute of Leadership, a coaching initiative for first-line leaders selected from Charlotte-area organizations serving the unhoused or working to prevent homelessness. Eight leaders are selected to receive full scholarships for six months of leadership development.
Also in 2025, Rogelberg founded Kindness Cart, a student-run program for middle school students. The program is mentored by Rogelberg but is entirely student-run, offering students in food deserts free healthy food. Students pay with acts of kindness they can perform at home, school or in the community, instead of money. Students participate in reflections to learn how kindness can be its own reward.
Rogelberg's leadership in these efforts reflects a career deeply rooted in service, outreach, and organizational effectiveness. A professor of Organizational Science, Management, and Psychology, he is the founding director of UNC Charlotte's Organizational Science program and a leading scholar with more than 200 publications on team effectiveness, leadership, employee well-being, and workplace dynamics. He has secured more than $2.5 million in external funding, including support from the National Science Foundation.
His professional honors include the 2023 Raymond A. Katzell Award for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the Humboldt Award, the Charlotte Distinguished Research Award (formerly the First Citizens Bank Scholar Award), and the inaugural Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Humanitarian Award. He is a Fellow of both SIOP and the Association for Psychological Science and has served in numerous leadership roles, including immediate past president of SIOP.
Rogelberg's research has been featured across major media outlets, including CBS Mornings, NPR, the Wall Street Journal and the BBC. In 2022, he was invited to testify before the U.S. Congress on improving workplace effectiveness in challenging environments.
Beyond academia, Rogelberg has founded and directed multiple consulting and outreach initiatives focused on nonprofit effectiveness. His efforts through the years have supported nearly 10,000 nonprofit organizations.
"Our communities are under real strain -rising poverty, food deserts, insufficient public transit, underfunded schools and a deepening shortage of affordable housing. These challenges can feel insurmountable," said Rogelberg. "No single person can solve them. But together, through small and meaningful acts, we can move the needle."
The Governor's Medallion Award highlights Rogelberg's enduring commitment to strengthening organizations, supporting care providers and advancing community well-being across North Carolina.
Written by: Jenn Conway
***
Original text here: https://inside.charlotte.edu/2026/06/10/chancellors-professor-steven-rogelberg-receives-governors-medallion-award-for-volunteer-service/
Can't Pay Attention - Binghamton Sociologist Explores the Structural Forces Behind Brain Rot
BINGHAMTON, New York, June 11 (TNSjou) -- Binghamton University issued the following news:
* * *
Can't pay attention? Binghamton sociologist explores the structural forces behind brain rot
By prioritizing engagement, digital platforms are making it more difficult to focus, read and even engage in democracy
By Jennifer Micale
Hera Hyeonseo Lee lost the ability to read books -- an unthinkable affliction for a graduate student in sociology.
Habituated to the constant video scroll of social media, her eyes could no longer follow the procession of paragraphs, focusing attention long enough to
... Show Full Article
BINGHAMTON, New York, June 11 (TNSjou) -- Binghamton University issued the following news:
* * *
Can't pay attention? Binghamton sociologist explores the structural forces behind brain rot
By prioritizing engagement, digital platforms are making it more difficult to focus, read and even engage in democracy
By Jennifer Micale
Hera Hyeonseo Lee lost the ability to read books -- an unthinkable affliction for a graduate student in sociology.
Habituated to the constant video scroll of social media, her eyes could no longer follow the procession of paragraphs, focusing attention long enough toextract meaning from the words. She considered it a willpower issue and consulted her professors and the University's counseling center, but nothing seemed to help.
Lee was suffering from "brain rot," as a result of her excessive YouTube use. And she is far from alone.
"I did a deep dive into what these platforms are actually doing and why they are designed this way," said the Binghamton University doctoral student, also a research associate at the AI Now Institute. "It's not good for kids or democracy."
She recently published her findings in New Media & Society (SAGE), one of the top-ranked international journals in media and communication studies. "Brain rot: Cognitive decomposition as a structural externality of attention assetization" examines how the condition is a structural consequence of the way tech platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube monetize human attention to sustain their value on the stock market.
Oxford's 2024 Word of the Year, "brain rot," refers to the loss of intelligence or critical thinking skills due to the overconsumption of specific types of content, most often in the digital sphere. One popular example is called "Italian brainrot": a series of short videos featuring nonsensical AI-generated characters with Italian-sounding names. It's a form of the pervasive low-quality, digitally generated media known colloquially as "AI slop."
But even short-form videos with informational content can degrade our attention, Lee pointed out. Ultimately, brains are plastic and adapt to their environments. If 15-second bursts of attention are consistently rewarded, then we begin losing our capacity to focus.
The sheer volume of content being consumed plays a major role. In class, Lee asks undergraduates how many hours they spend every day on their smartphones. The average? Around eight hours.
"If you're scrolling for eight hours, you're training your eyes," she reflected. "It's designed to shape us in a certain way. It's a socio-structural problem."
The capitalism connection
Trained in Binghamton's macro-historical sociology tradition, Lee analyzes the long-term structural transformations and social dynamics of global capitalism. Drawing on SEC filings and earnings transcripts from Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon, Lee's research examines how the architecture of corporate finance can drive systemic cognitive shifts. Brain rot, in essence, is a consequence of a system that treats attention as a resource to be monetized.
In the quest for profit, capitalism faces a variety of limitations, from available land to property rights and financing. To overcome these limits, companies need to create new markets and avenues of resource exploitation. Sometimes these markets collapse, as seen with the subprime mortgage situation in 2008. That year marked the development of a new profit model: engagement, which monetizes the capture of human attention.
Engagement metrics drive advertising revenue and stock prices, which incentivize companies to formulate new ways to keep us scrolling. At the same time, our media use plays a role in shaping our brain function through the principle of neuroplasticity. In 2017, the CEO of Netflix admitted a striking truth: The company's main competitor wasn't another streaming service, but sleep.
Doomscrolling on your phone is also feeding the development of generative AI. This year alone, approximately $700 billion in advertising revenue from user engagement is being invested in AI infrastructure. In turn, AI tools are being used to make social media platforms even more engaging, creating a self-reinforcing cycle, Lee said.
Algorithms reward emotional reactions rather than thoughtfulness, which can drive frequent users into extremist takes and black-and-white thinking, regardless of the content itself. Case in point: Facebook, which began to promote posts that garnered intense negative responses, designated by an angry face. This algorithmic decision was disclosed by whistleblower Frances Haugen in 2021, through internal documents known as the Facebook Files.
"It intentionally shows this content more to users because it can easily increase the post's metrics," Lee explained. "The more people are exposed to this content, the more it becomes their perception of the world."
By promoting quick reactivity rather than thoughtfulness, social media not only erodes the goals of higher education, but democracy itself, potentially priming users for shallow, binary thought processes more aligned with authoritarianism.
"Democracy requires deep critical thinking to understand how others think, what my position is, and their position is, and how we can meet in the middle," Lee explained.
What can we do?
Just as factories once produced environmental costs borne by the surrounding community, social media platforms may be producing cognitive costs that individuals are left to manage on their own. Knowing this, consumers can decide to put their smartphones down and implement screen restrictions, Lee said.
As a systemic problem, however, brain rot also requires larger-scale solutions, such as government regulation. Some countries are beginning to do just that; Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia have enacted a social media ban for children under the age of 16, and Brazil also enacted restrictions for minors.
To get her own attention back, Lee swapped out her smartphone for a flip phone. If she watches YouTube, it's on a laptop. When she teaches, she bans smartphones and laptops in class -- and explains why, sharing her own story.
"I feel the students can focus better; they're more engaged. They're present and talking with me and their friends," she said. "Otherwise, they would be looking at their phones."
While individual steps matter, Lee argues they aren't enough on their own. Her research recommends that engagement metrics be subject to mandatory disclosure and regulatory caps, much like how we regulate risk-taking in finance, so that platforms can't endlessly intensify the competition for our attention.
"I don't want people to blame themselves; I've been there, and that can make the situation worse," she said. "When we can see the structure and the system, the big picture, we can separate ourselves from it."
* * *
Original text here: https://www.binghamton.edu/news/story/6315/cant-pay-attention-binghamton-sociologist-explores-the-structural-forces-behind-brain-rot
