Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy

In an effort to address poverty in the Capital Region, more than a dozen University at Albany students awarded $10,000 to the South End Children's Cafe through the Student Philanthropy Fund.

"This gift will directly support our ability to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner, and enrichment programming and field trips, to our children this summer. What makes this contribution especially meaningful is that it comes from college students who are learning about philanthropy and the power of giving back," said South End Children's Cafe Executive Director Tracie Killar.

Read more here: https://www.albany.edu/rockefeller/news/2026-students-donate-10000-south-end-childrens-cafe

Researchers and students at the University at Albany’s Center for Technology in Government (CTG UAlbany) are helping the Capital District Transportation Authority keep track of bus shelter conditions using mobile sensors and artificial intelligence.

“Artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities for governments and public organizations to improve services and respond to community needs,” said J. Ramon Gil-Garcia, director of CTG UAlbany and professor in UAlbany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy.

Learn more here:

CTG UAlbany, CDTA Explore AI Tools for Bus Shelter Maintenance Researchers and students at CTG UAlbany are helping CDTA address that challenge using mobile sensors and artificial intelligence. Through an ongoing partnership, CTG UAlbany has adapted its Community Asset Tracker platform to identify maintenance conditions at bus shelters using AI-enabled camera se...

Congratulations to Rockefeller alum Christopher L. Augostini, who has been elected the 22nd president of Emory University!

“We’re proud to count an engaged alum among the leaders who are shaping the future of higher education,” said Julie Novkov, dean of Rockefeller College. “It speaks volumes about the lasting impact of a Rockefeller education.”

Rockefeller Alum Named President of Emory University Christopher L. Augostini, a Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy alum, has been elected the 22nd president of Emory University.

How much influence do teacher unions still wield in today’s K–12 education landscape?

This new Thomas B. Fordham Institute report, co-authored by Rockefeller's Melissa Arnold Lyon, delves into that question:

A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026 Researchers use the latest publicly available data and a fresh survey of K–12 stakeholders in all 50 states to provide a comprehensive update to Fordham’s 2012 rankings of state teacher union strength.

Rockefeller College Associate Professor Ashley Fox lent her perspective in this Times Union article on vaccine hesitancy.

"The low MMR rates for young children in some communities "is a combination of some people being hesitant or even vaccine refusers,” said Fox, who specializes in global health policy at UAlbany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. But surveys show that makes up at most about 15% of parents, she said.

“The other portion is people who don’t have access to healthcare,” she said, adding, “I think it’s going to continue to be an uphill battle.”

Read the article here:

As hesitancy grows, parts of the Capital Region, Hudson Valley see low MMR vaccine rates among youngest children eligible for the shot As vaccine hesitancy grows, parts of the Capital Region and Hudson Valley saw some of the lowest first-dose measles vaccine rates in the state.