In the News

This Finovate blog article highlights the upcoming keynote speakers for the 2026 FinovateFall event—Finovate's fintech showcase running from September 9 through 11. CUNY SPS Academic Director Dr. Arthur O'Connor is included in this lineup of keynote speakers. On Friday, September 11, Dr. O'Connor, who heads the BS in Information Science and the MS programs in Data Science and Generative AI at CUNY SPS, will discuss what happens as AI's role in financial institutions increases. He will also explore the need for appropriate oversight of its operations.

In this "Good Housekeeping" piece, CUNY SPS Psychology programs faculty member Dr. Lauren Mahoney offers expert testimony on the impact of today's declining fertility on the older generation who traditionally would have been grandparents by now. “Adult children today are making reproductive decisions within very different cultural, economic, environmental, and personal contexts than previous generations,” claims Dr. Mahoney. She further explains that women who would see grandparenting as their "next chapter" may struggle “with feelings that are difficult to name, particularly when peers are sharing stories and photographs of grandchildren while they are quietly confronting an entirely different reality.”

This CUNY SPS blog listicle recaps the top tips from a roundtable discussion in which CUNY SPS Communication and Media alums offered advice on preparing for and applying to graduate school. Organized and moderated by Communication and Media faculty member Dr. Sarah Jacobs, the panel featured alums Milan Fredricks ('19), Lisa Sheridan ('20), and Tony Maldonado ('23), as well as Dr. Elizabeth Macaulay, the director of the MA in Liberal Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Dr. Lauren Mahoney, a CUNY SPS Psychology programs faculty member, is frequently quoted in this article by "Parade" about the subtle distinctions between oversharing in personal relationships versus being vulnerable. Dr. Mahoney points out that when a person is vulnerable, they are saying "in essence, ‘I want to allow you to know something true about me.’” However, 'floodlighting'— a more pronounced form of oversharing—impedes closeness. “Floodlighting refers to using an intense level of personal disclosure in a way that can overwhelm another person or test a relationship,” says Dr. Mahoney. “I think the metaphor captures something psychologically important because disclosure can create intensity without creating intimacy.”

In this op-ed by CUNY SPS Dean Braverman written for the online publication University Business, Dr. Braverman shares suggestions for how higher education institutions can attract, support, and retain adult learners. She also highlights the advantages of online learning for adult students who, unlike most traditional students, often manage multiple responsibilities in addition to their coursework.