The iconic statue of the first president in Maxwell’s first-floor foyer is flanked by a new collection of portraits from Robert Shetterly’s “Americans Who Tell the Truth” series. It is part of the the school’s wide-ranging effort to make its physical space more representative of its diverse community.

For nearly a century, in the north entrance to the , a lone statue of President George Washington greeted all who entered the school. A former farmer, land surveyor, American Revolutionary War hero and first president who presided over the Constitutional Convention, his presence stood as an important reminder of the duties and responsibilities of Maxwell students as citizens.

Two years ago, other voices and individuals joined the first president in the building foyer with the installment of a collection of portraits from Robert Shetterly’s “Americans Who Tell the Truth” series, part of the Maxwell School’s wide-ranging effort to make its physical space more representative of its diverse community. Now in its second installment, the exhibition of portraits flanking the famous founder—titled “A Conversation with George Washington”— is designed to further contemplation and discussion around the topic of citizenship.

A portrait of Emma Tenayuca is among those included in the latest installation of Robert Shetterly’s series. At age 16, Tenayuca became a vocal advocate for Mexican American and other workers in her home state of Texas.

Some might be surprised to see contrasting figures like gold-medal Olympian and world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, who was stripped of his titles and sentenced to five years in prison for refusing to serve in the Vietnam War, amid his fight for civil rights for Black Americans. “We wanted to get viewers to want to learn more about how and why someone like Muhammad Ali has something to say about citizenship,” says historian , who spearheads the effort as the school’s associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion.

The surprise is intentional, but not intended to be confrontational. According to the artist’s website, “The portraits are the opposite of hot takes or quick opinions. They invite you to ponder a person, their words, the issues that inspire their life’s journey, work, activism and imagination. And then they welcome you into that vital conversation—across time and space—about what it means to be an American citizen.”

The update also includes portraits of famous and lesser-known activists working in the areas of disability rights, environmental sustainability, rural issues and voting rights, among others.

“The latest batch of portraits emerged out of ones the school considered from the first iteration of the collection,” says , who works alongside McCormick as the school’s strategic initiatives specialist for diversity, equity and inclusion. “We wanted to include folks who represented issues we felt were important to members of our community.”

“We also always have two portraits that put accountability on the table, in this case from the military for veterans and from an investigative journalist,” adds McCormick, referring to Paul Chappell and Ida Tarbell, respectively.

McCormick and Williams are in discussions with Maxwell colleagues to organize a series of events that relate to the new installation. On Oct. 8, Professor , director of the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration, led a workshop on Civic Skills for Civic Life that modeled the objectives of the conversation with Washington. In the spring they will host additional workshops guiding conversations around challenging topics like equity and responsibility.

In addition to , the second collection includes:

• 
  Diagnosed with ALS in 2016, Barkan shifted his activism from economic and labor reform to America’s health care system; he spent the last seven years of his life advocating for Medicare for all.
• 
  A prolific writer, Berry raises awareness of the destructive effects of large factory farming on rural communities, among other issues. A fifth generation Kentucky farmer, he cultivates his land with horses and organic methods of fertilization.
• 
  After leaving active duty, the former Army captain became focused on the idea that society should train individuals to wage peace like they train soldiers for war. He has authored six books and is founder of the Peace Literacy Institute.
• 
  As the first Black woman in Congress, “Fighting Shirley” introduced more than 50 pieces of legislation and fought for racial, gender and economic equality. She was the first Black woman to seek the Democratic nomination for president, winning 28 delegates despite being barred from televised debates.
• 
  A biologist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Kimmerer blends science and Indigenous wisdom to advocate for a deeper relationship to the land and legal recognition of��Rights of Nature. A Distinguished Teaching Professor at the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry, she works with the Haudenosaunee people of Central New York on land rights actions and restoration.
• 
  A chief strategist of the campaign for the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote, Paul employed “deeds not words,” like pickets and hunger strikes, to promote Federal reform. Subjected to arrests, beatings and forced feedings, she and other members of the National Women’s Party continued to fight until its passage.
• 
  Stanton helped organize the first U.S. women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, drafted the women’s bill of rights and championed women’s suffrage. She also worked to reform laws governing marriage and property, as well as education and religious issues.
• 
  Among many influential works, Tarbell’s 19-part series for McClure’s “The History of the Standard Oil Company,” an expose on how the business monopoly exploited the public, is known as one of the 20th century’s most important works of journalism.
• 
  Tenayuca became a vocal advocate for Mexican American and other workers in her home state of Texas at age 16. Blacklisted following the largest riot in San Antonio’s history, Tenayuca left the state, returning 20 years later as a teacher for migrants.

Michael O. Sawyer

While many have helped to shape the Maxwell School’s first 100 years, perhaps no one person embodies the spirit, mission and purpose of the school as thoroughly as beloved alumnus and professor Michael O. Sawyer.

Sawyer spent almost his entire educational career at Maxwell—as student, faculty member and administrator—earning three degrees and retiring in 1990 after 42 years on the faculty.

A torchbearer across generations, Sawyer studied with esteemed faculty like Marguerite J. Fisher, Spencer D. Parratt and Roy Price, before helping to establish and nurture some of the school’s signature traditions.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in social science, then master’s and doctoral degrees in political science while serving as an instructor in the social science Ph.D. program. Among his students was late Professor Emeritus Ralph Ketcham, whom Sawyer helped to pioneer the school’s interdisciplinary, team-taught approach to citizenship education.

“I’ve known Mike ever since I came here for graduate school in 1951,” Ketcham said of Sawyer upon his passing in 2002. “He was so serious and wise about the craft of teaching, I worked with him on many courses. Having him involved raised both the quality of the course and the number of students who wanted to take it; his student following was the greatest of anyone I know.”

Sawyer became an instructor at Maxwell in 1948 and was promoted through the ranks to professor. He touched thousands of undergraduate students through a required first-year course on citizenship and an upper-level course in constitutional law, which he taught until his retirement.

He served for a time as director of the program in public affairs and citizenship; and in the 1980s, he served as vice chancellor to Chancellor Melvin Eggers. In 1986, students voted him the Outstanding Professor of ���ϲ�����—the same year he received ���ϲ�����’s highest alumni honor, the George Arents Pioneer Medal.

“He was a teacher both in and out of the classroom and to students and colleagues alike,” says Dean Emeritus and University Professor John Palmer, who was dean of Maxwell at the time of Sawyer’s retirement in 1990. “Teaching was his enduring love, and in turn the primary source of the love and respect he has earned from all who have been fortunate to come into contact with him during his career here.”

Among the qualities that made him so popular were Sawyer’s intellect, caring and wit, which often accompanied some good-natured chiding.

“He had a jukebox in his office on the ground floor of Maxwell, and when students would come asking for an extension or give some excuse, he’d play ‘Cry Me a River,’” recalls friend and former student William “Bill” Brodsky ’65, L’68, H’24, an accomplished investment industries executive who chairs the Investment Committee of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation and who serves on the University’s Investment and Endowment Committee as a life trustee. “He believed that every person is special and should be heard,” says Brodsky. “He could always see the other side. Sometimes when I see what is going on in politics today, I wish I could say, ‘Michael, what do you think about this?’ He was always so optimistic.”

In 1988, Brodsky and his wife, Joan ’67, G’68, H’24, spearheaded the campaign to establish the Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics. The chair is currently held by Thomas Keck, professor of political science.

“It used to be that almost every time I gave a public talk in Central New York, someone from the audience would approach me afterwards and introduce themselves as a former student of Sawyer’s,” says Keck. “They would invariably tell me what a transformative and inspirational impact he had on them as young adults, and it’s that legacy that I try to live up to in my own teaching.”

Story by Jessica Smith

The will be held Friday, May 31, at 6 p.m. in the Smithsonian Institution’s It will mark the school’s 100^th anniversary as well as honor alumni and friends who have demonstrated a commitment to Maxwell’s ideals of engaged citizenship, including public service and a drive to make the world a better place for all.

Those who plan to attend are asked to by Friday, May 3. Those needing special accommodations or have questions should contact Maxwell100@syr.edu.

The event is the school’s third annual springtime celebration in Washington, D.C. In 2022 and 2023, members of the Maxwell community gathered at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, home to Maxwell’s Washington programs, for the Awards of Excellence. This year’s event will include the Awards of Excellence presentations and an expanded program to mark the school’s centennial.

This year’s Awards of Excellence honorees are B. Ben Baldanza ’84, Carlisha Williams Bradley G’09, Mary Margaret Graham G’78, Lia Miller ’99, G’03 and Jessica Sun G’09.

“In our centennial year, we are especially honored to pay tribute to these five alumni who have used their skills and influence to positively impact the lives of others and, as our guiding Athenian Oath says, ‘transmit this city’ better than they found it,” says Dean David M. Van Slyke. “The Awards of Excellence are an opportunity to share and celebrate Maxwell’s ideals in action and to inspire others.”

Bridge Award

B. Ben Baldanza ’84��

B. Ben Baldanza ’84

For exemplary leadership across sectors while upholding the Maxwell School’s mission of making the world a better place, Ben Baldanza is the inaugural Bridge Award recipient. An airline industry innovator and business leader, Baldanza pioneered the ultra-low-cost carrier sector in the Americas as chief executive officer and president of Spirit Airlines (2005-16). Today, he is a board member of JetBlue Airways and chairman of Six Flags Entertainment.

Baldanza, who earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and policy studies from the Maxwell School and College of Arts and Sciences, generously gives his time as a Maxwell School Advisory Board member. Through their philanthropy, he and his spouse, Marcia ’86 (Education), support the Maxwell School’s mission to inspire and educate public service-minded leaders. The Baldanza Endowment for Undergraduate Excellence funds undergraduate research and an annual awards ceremony. The Baldanza Fund for Excellence in Education Policy in Practice, administered by Maxwell and the School of Education, tests methods for increasing diversity among teachers.

Prior to Spirit Airlines, Baldanza was a senior vice president at US Airways and chief operating officer of Grupo Taca. He also worked for Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and American Airlines. He is host of the podcast “Airline Confidential” and adjunct professor of economics at George Mason University.

Charles V. Willie Advocate Award

Carlisha Williams Bradley G’09��

Carlisha Williams Bradley G’09

The Charles V. Willie Advocate Award recognizes alumni whose contributions advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in their organizations or communities is reflective of Maxwell’s commitment to DEIA, social justice and engaged citizenship. This year’s recipient is Carlisha Williams Bradley, whose dedication to education equity and inclusive leadership development has made an impact at the local, state and international levels.

Bradley, who earned a master’s of public administration degree, is the founder and executive director of Women Empowering Nations, an international nonprofit that provides exposure, development and mentorship for girls of color to accelerate their path to social impact executive leadership. Its programs have created opportunities for more than 9,000 girls in more than 23 countries. Since 2020, Bradley has also provided comprehensive leadership and career coaching for women of color through her consultancy, Amplify for Women.

Bradley was the youngest and first Black woman to serve on the Oklahoma State Board of Education (2019–23) and was executive director of the youth focused nonprofit ImpactTulsa from 2018-22. She is author of the children’s book “Hey, Beautiful Girl!” (2024).

Bradley has earned numerous awards including the 2021 Dan Allen Social Justice Award, 2020 Tulsan of the Year and 2020 City Year Champion of Student Success.

Spirit of Public Service Award

Mary Margaret Graham G’78��

Mary Margaret Graham G’78

For contributions that have had a widespread impact and reflect the ideals of the Maxwell School, Mary Margaret Graham is the recipient of this year’s Spirit of Public Service Award. Graham, who earned a master’s degree in social science, is a senior intelligence professional with more than 30 years of experience including as the first U.S. deputy director of national intelligence for collection from 2005-08. In this role, which was created by Congress to improve coordination among intelligence and law enforcement in the wake of 9/11, Graham was responsible for conceptualizing and managing an enterprise approach to collection across 16 intelligence community agencies.

Prior to this, Graham held numerous leadership assignments in her 29 years with the Central Intelligence Agency, including associate deputy director for operations for counterintelligence, chief of the Directorate of Operations’ National Resources Division from 1999–2001, and deputy chief of the Directorate of Operations’ Europe Division from 1998–99.

She has earned several prestigious medals including the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal and the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service—all in 2008, as well as the Intelligence Medal of Merit in 2005, the Donovan Award in 2001, and the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement in 1996.

1924 Award

Lia Miller ’99 G’03��

Lia Miller ’99, G’03

This year’s 1924 Award, honoring graduates for their distinguished and sustained professional or civic leadership and achievement in the spirit of the Maxwell School mission, is awarded to Lia Miller. Miller is a career foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State currently serving as senior advisor for Women, Peace and Security at the U.S. Naval War College.

In her 20 years as a foreign service officer, Miller has worked extensively across the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America, focused on communications, humanitarian relief, democratic reform, DEI and other foreign policy priorities. As a public affairs officer in Armenia from 2019–22, she led efforts to counter Russian disinformation and messaging campaigns about USG-sponsored humanitarian and COVID-19 assistance. As a cultural affairs officer in Bolivia from 2016–18, she directed all public diplomacy programs related to entrepreneurship, English language promotion and youth outreach.

Miller is dedicated to empowering women, promoting peace and fostering cross-cultural understanding. She volunteers as a Diplomatic Council member with Black Professionals in International Affairs. Her writing is published in Essence, Ebony, Huffington Post, Parents, Business Insider and many other top publications.

Miller earned a bachelor’s degree in from the College of Arts and Sciences and Falk College and a master’s of public administration/master’s degree in international relations from Maxwell.

Compass Award

Jessica Sun G’09��

Jessica Sun G’09

Jessica Sun applies her expansive knowledge of housing programs, budgeting and policy analysis to the grand challenge of improving housing affordability and ending homelessness in the United States. For her exceptional accomplishments as an early-career alumna of the Maxwell School, Sun is the recipient of this year’s Compass Award.

After graduating from the Maxwell School with a master’s of public administration degree, Sun served as a program examiner at the Office of Management and Budget’s Housing Branch, where she shaped funding decisions, regulations and policies across an array of housing and community development programs. Since 2021 she has served as a professional staff member with the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and is the lead for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual budget.

Sun is steadfastly committed to serving those most in need and making federal spending more efficient, effective and responsive to emerging issues, such as the unprecedented spikes in rent and homelessness in the aftermath of COVID-19. In the area of disaster recovery, she has shaped policies to promote climate resilience, managed nearly $70 billion in supplemental funding for Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery, and led the development of a bill to permanently authorize the program.

Jay Golden

A climate-smart commodity is an agricultural commodity that is produced using farming, ranching or forestry practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon. As project partner, ���ϲ����� will lead one of the four primary focus areas. Over the next five years, ���ϲ����� researchers will develop and expand existing markets and develop new markets for climate-smart commodities produced in New York State—benefiting the environment, farmers and manufacturing sectors alike.

“Both governments and industry around the world are rapidly committing to a net-zero carbon economy, and in order to meet these grand challenges, the industries of today will need to find low carbon and green-tech alternatives for which biobased feedstocks and products will play a critical role,” says Jay Golden, Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability and Finance in ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School and director of the Dynamic Sustainability Lab, who is the project’s principal investigator from ���ϲ�����.

The interdisciplinary team from ���ϲ�����, working in collaboration with Cornell University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, New York State agencies and additional public and private partners, includes faculty and student researchers from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, School of Information Studies, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and�� Whitman School of Management. In addition, the team will work in partnership with ���ϲ����� Libraries’ Blackstone LaunchPad to develop a pipeline of new green tech and climate-smart innovators with a focus on developing new climate-smart businesses in underserved communities.

Faculty from ���ϲ����� include:

• Principal Investigator: Jay Golden, Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability and Finance in ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School and director of the Dynamic Sustainability Lab
• Investigators:
  • Carmen Carrión-Flores, research assistant professor,��; senior research associate, Center for Policy Research
  • Peter Wilcoxen, Ajello Professor in Energy and Environmental Policy; professor of public administration and international affairs; director, Center for Environmental Policy and Administration
  • Lee McKnight, associate professor, School of Information Studies
  • Todd Moss, chair, Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises and
    associate professor of entrepreneurship, Whitman School
  • Jason Davis, research professor, Newhouse School; co-director, Real Chemistry Emerging Insights Lab
  • Regina Luttrell, associate dean for research and creative activity; co-director, Real Chemistry Emerging Insights Lab; associate professor of public relations, Newhouse School
  • Erika Schneider, assistant professor of public relations, Newhouse School

“Our ���ϲ����� team will be at the global forefront of this effort by providing public and private decision makers the ability to track and verify low and zero carbon feedstocks through the value chain; to develop important incentives and polices to support market demand; and to model the environmental, climate and economic/jobs benefit to New York and America,” Golden says. “The anticipated climate-smart commodities will serve as a platform for a new generation of low-carbon chemicals, fuels and energy sources, as well as building and construction materials and a vast array of consumer products to support the transition to a net-zero carbon economy.”

Liz Cheney

The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs welcomes Congresswoman Liz Cheney to campus on Monday, Oct. 3, for a conversation with ���ϲ����� faculty, staff and students. As Wyoming’s sole member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Cheney sits on the House Armed Services Committee and serves as the vice chair for the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.

This is a ticketed event for the ���ϲ����� community: faculty, staff and students. To register for this event, fill out the .

Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART) will be provided. Contact Bethany Walawender, bdwalawe@syr.edu or 315.443.3461, in the Maxwell dean’s office for more information or additional accommodations. A link to the livestream will be available closer to the event on the .

Press must register in advance to attend in person. Please contact Ellen Mbuqe at ejmbuqe@syr.edu��to register for a press pass.

Congresswoman Cheney was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016 as Wyoming’s lone representative, running on a platform of restoring America’s strength and power in the world, and pursuing conservative solutions to create jobs, cut taxes and regulation, and expand America’s energy, mining and agriculture industries.

Currently, Cheney sits on the House Armed Services Committee and serves as the vice chair for the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. From 2019 to 2021, Cheney served as the chair of the House Republican Conference, the third-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives.

Prior to her election to Congress, Cheney served at the State Department as a deputy assistant secretary of state and principal deputy assistant secretary of state for the Middle East. She also practiced law at White & Case and at the International Finance Corporation.

A specialist in national security and foreign policy, she was also a Fox News analyst, and is the co-author—along with her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney—of “Exceptional: Why the World Needs a Powerful America.” She is a member of the International Board of Advisors at the University of Wyoming. Liz and her husband Phil Perry have five children and live in Wilson, Wyoming.

Mike Tirico ’88

Tirico, who earned a B.A. in political science from A&S | Maxwell and a B.S. in broadcast journalism from the Newhouse School in 1988, is host and play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports Group. At NBC he covers an array of high-profile sporting events including “Sunday Night Football,” the Summer and Winter Olympics (which he hosted), select golf telecasts and other major events.

Tirico joined NBC after 25 years as one of the signature voices on ESPN/ESPN Radio and ABC Sports, including assignments for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” the NBA, college basketball, golf, tennis and other major events. He previously hosted the nationally syndicated “Mike Tirico Show” on ESPN Radio, launched in 2007 from the studios of WAER-FM—the same public radio station at ���ϲ����� where Tirico began his broadcasting career. In 2010, Tirico was named Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA), an award voted on by his industry peers.

“To be a successful broadcaster on the global stage is a form of diplomacy. It requires the ability to connect with diverse people while navigating potentially sensitive issues across cultures and values, and political and economic systems,” says David M. Van Slyke, the Maxwell School’s dean. “Mike’s dexterity in addressing challenging issues like human rights and structural racism, and health and economic disparities while never losing sight of his audience is what makes him stand apart in his profession and as an alumnus of Maxwell and the College of Arts and Sciences.”

Tirico was elected to the ���ϲ����� Board of Trustees in 2016, where he serves on the Advancement and External Affairs Committee, and Enrollment and the Student Experience Committee; the National Campaign Council Executive Committee; the Subcommittee for Marketing and Communications; and the Free Speech Trustee Advisory Group.

He and his wife, Deborah Gibaratz Tirico ’89 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), have established the Mike Tirico Scholarship Endowment and supported other initiatives in the Maxwell, Newhouse and Whitman Schools, WAER public media organization, and ���ϲ����� Athletics.

For his service and commitment to the University, Tirico received the George Arents Award (2005) and the University’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award (1996).

���ϲ����� will take place May 12–15. will be held Friday, May 13, at 10 a.m. in Hendricks Chapel. The College of Arts and Sciences | Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Undergraduate Convocation Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 14, at 8:30 a.m. in the stadium. will be held on Saturday, May 14, at 2 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel.

“We are delighted to receive this NIA grant, as it recognizes CAPS as one of the leading research centers on the demography and economics of aging in the country,” says Jennifer Karas Montez, who serves as director of the center and principal investigator for the grant. Montez, a sociologist, is Gerald B. Cramer Faculty Scholar in Aging Studies in the Maxwell School and a faculty associate in ���ϲ�����’s Aging Studies Institute (ASI). “The cross-site consortium provides exciting opportunities for new collaborations that can improve the health and independence of older adults.”

The CAPS consortium includes ���ϲ�����, Cornell University and the University at Albany. In addition to Montez, the CAPS cross-site leadership team includes, also at ���ϲ�����, Janet Wilmoth, sociologist and director of ASI, and Douglas Wolf, demographer and Gerald B. Cramer Professor of Aging Studies. The leadership team is completed by Kelly Musick, demographer and chair of policy analysis and management in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell, and Benjamin Shaw, associate dean for research in the School of Public Health at UAlbany.

The overarching goal of CAPS is to improve the health, well-being and independence of older adults by addressing issues facing middle-age and older adults and the families that care for them. In its first year, the center will bring together 39 scholars from across the three sites whose research focuses on the demography and economics of aging, organized by the themes of health and well-being and family and intergenerational supports. It will fund innovative pilot projects and will offer a colloquia series, visiting scholars program, grant mentoring program, state-of-the-art methods training and a research incubator to foster collaborations among CAPS affiliates.

This is the third time that CAPS has received funding from the NIA. Previous grants were awarded in 1994-99 and 2009-14 when CAPS was single institution center at ���ϲ�����.

For more information, visit the .

Mark Jacobson

As assistant dean for Washington programs, Jacobson will oversee year-round academic programs for Maxwell’s D.C. headquarters at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the No. 1-ranked think tank in the United States (University of Pennsylvania Go To Global Think Tank Index) where Maxwell serves approximately 200 undergraduate, graduate and midcareer executive students each year.

In this role, Jacobson will work with main campus leaders to recruit instructors, assess and strengthen curriculum, and promote the Washington programs to future students and other stakeholders. He will direct faculty and staff and work with them to supervise undergraduate and graduate internships (with as many as 60 organizations in the nation’s capital each year), mentor students, provide career networking guidance, lead professional development workshops for students and alumni, teach an undergraduate seminar and other coursework supporting programmatic needs and initiatives, and build partnerships that expand opportunities for students and alumni.

Prior to this appointment, Jacobson was the John J. McCloy Professor of American Institutions and International Diplomacy at Amherst College, with research interests that include propaganda and political warfare during the Cold War and the intersection of military service and identity communities in the United States. He has taught previously at Georgetown University, George Washington University and The Ohio State University. He is a nonresident senior fellow at Salve Regina University’s Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy and a former fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. And he is a frequent writer and source for the popular media on the military and international affairs.

“We are thrilled that Mark Jacobson will lead our Washington programs,” says David M. Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School. “His experience as a scholar, instructor, policy practitioner and veteran offer the background and training to work with students and faculty and build partnerships with a range of public, nonprofit and private organizations. His expertise can further strengthen our connections to CSIS, grow the strength and visibility of our academic programs and deepen the school’s relationships with the D.C. community.”

Jacobson brings to his new assignment more than 20 years of experience in the public sector. He was recently a senior advisor to the secretary of defense and special assistant to the secretary of the Navy, and previously served in Afghanistan as the deputy NATO representative and director of international affairs at the International Security Assistance Force. Earlier in his career, Jacobson filled multiple roles at the Pentagon and, on Capitol Hill, worked for Sen. Carl Levin (D-Michigan) on the staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he participated in the inquiry into the treatment and interrogation of detainees in U.S. custody. He has served recently as a senior policy advisor at Kasowitz Benson Torres, where he advised clients on complex and politically sensitive issues they face.

Jacobson is a veteran of both the Army and Navy reserves and his service includes mobilizations to Bosnia and Afghanistan. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan, King’s College (University of London) and The Ohio State University (from which he earned a Ph.D. in military history).

“I’m humbled to join the Maxwell School, an institution that has an incredible reputation for educating and training current and future leaders to deal with the complex challenges our nation faces today,” Jacobson says. “I look forward to building upon the success of the programs in Washington, D.C.”

David M. Van Slyke

As the first academic scholar appointed to the Defense Business Board, Maxwell Dean David M. Van Slyke joins a select group of business executives appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Defense to help make the department stronger and more efficient.

From February-May 2020, Van Slyke was also part of a four-person task force engaged in a comprehensive study of the management structure of the Department of Defense. Their independent assessment of the effectiveness of the Chief Management Office position��and recommendations��can be viewed on the��.

Congratulations, Dean Van Slyke, on this prestigious appointment. First, please tell us: what is the Defense Business Board (DBB) and who are its members?

The DBB was created in 2001 to provide an outside, independent perspective on business management practices to the U.S. Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense.

Traditionally, all of the people on the board have been CEOs. All or many have had varied experiences in the private sector—from budgeting, finance and investment banking, to construction and real estate, to supply chain management, to aviation and aerospace. None are paid for their service.

As dean of both a policy school and a college of social science, I’m similarly in charge of an operation of considerable size and complexity, managing people, resources and budgets. My research is in public sector contracting and public-private partnerships, with applications to defense policy but not exclusively. So, when it comes to our nation’s military and defense policy positions, I’m not anchored to a particular type of thinking or tied to a specific agenda. I come to the table asking, “Help me understand the original assumptions here. What was the policy goal for this interaction or intervention?”

As you mentioned, your expertise is not primarily as a specialist in defense policy but rather management and policy implementation, so what inspires your volunteer service on the DBB—on top of your very busy job as dean and professor?

I’m inspired to serve the public good like so many Maxwell deans before me. And, I’m inspired by the opportunity to improve my research and teaching like all Maxwell professors.

With an annual budget of $741 billion, the Department of Defense is the single largest federal agency. Most people don’t realize its scale, scope and complexity. Supporting our military is one of the biggest global supply chain and logistics management systems in the world. The department’s different activities have to do with everything from providing health care, to a commissary system that is larger than most national grocery chains, to operating one of the largest information security networks in the world.

However, global threats and challenges have changed so significantly that securing our interests at home and abroad will require sustained business process transformation. You can just imagine the challenge of moving an agency this big and complex, with locations all over the world. As a researcher and professor at the intersection of business-government policy, I can think of no place for me to have a broader impact within our federal government.

How do you see this work benefiting your students?

Within the Department of Defense alone, there are 64,000 military personnel, 201,000 civilians and 637,000 private contractors. Let that sink in for a minute. Then add in the 1.3 million active duty uniformed military and 800,000 reserve forces service members and you have the largest military in the world.

As a professor of public administration, my goal is to educate and prepare public service leaders of the future who can manage people, programs, budgets and data under conditions of uncertainty, complexity, and risk. My goal, and the goal of all those in and with a commitment to public service, is to develop the specialized skills and knowledge to help government run better and achieve its missions more effectively. Increasingly that means knowing how to partner effectively with the private sector.

But you can’t just run government like a business. Workforce incentives are different. Funding considerations are different. Measures of success are different. So, having the opportunity to study, deliberate and formulate best business practices for running the largest government agency in the world with a group of talented CEOs and committed public servants will also advance my own thinking and the expertise I bring to my students in the classroom. And, it will be an opportunity to share with the Department of Defense the incredible faculty, staff, and alumni experts that are part of the Maxwell School. Our mission is strengthening citizenship and public affairs, and we have a great deal that we can contribute to the public good.

For 25 years, since U.S. News began ranking graduate public affairs programs in 1995, Maxwell has held the No. 1 spot in every survey except one. This is the 10th time the survey has been conducted. According to Maxwell Dean David M. Van Slyke, this consistency is a testament to the school’s commitment to providing the very best undergraduate and graduate education in public affairs and to preparing service-minded professionals and informed citizens to address the challenges of a complex world.

“We are grateful to receive the recognition of our peers, at the same time we recognize with deep appreciation the excellence and hard work of our colleagues and friends at institutions around the country,” says Van Slyke. “Collectively our work has never been more important as public-service oriented professionals around the world are mobilizing in response to the coronavirus pandemic. They are a powerful example of the essential role that public service plays, on the front lines and behind-the-scenes, in times of crisis and in times of calm.”

Among specialty areas, Maxwell remains No. 1 in Public Management and Leadership and No. 2 in the areas of Nonprofit Management and Public Finance and Budgeting. The school also ranks highly in six other specialties, including International Global Policy and Administration (No. 4), Public Policy Analysis (No. 7), Local Government Management (No. 7), Environmental Policy and Management (No. 8), Urban Policy (No. 10) and Social Policy (No. 14).

The U.S. News 2021 rankings of public affairs programs, completed in early 2020, are based solely on peer assessment surveys sent to deans, directors and department chairs representing 276 master’s programs in public affairs and administration. Two surveys were sent to each school. The response rate was 62 percent. Respondents were asked to rate the academic quality of the master’s programs on a scale of one (marginal) to five (outstanding). The MPA programs at ���ϲ����� and Indiana University-Bloomington each earned an average rating of 4.4 out of 5.

This annual report from the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Lauder Institute examines the role policy institutes play in governments and civil societies. More than 8,000 think tanks around the world were evaluated across a range of categories.

“Congratulations to our colleagues at CSIS on this well-deserved recognition, for outstanding scholarship that deepens our understanding of the world, and impactful outreach that helps shape more effective policies,” says David M. Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School. “We are proud partners in our shared mission to educate, inform and cultivate leaders.”

CSIS also was named the defense and national security center of excellence for 2016-18, topped the rankings for best use of social media and networks for the third year in a row, and was ranked number two for regional studies, global health policy and best external relations/public engagement program.

“We are honored to once again be considered one of the premier think tanks in the world,” said CSIS President and CEO John J. Hamre. “It is a recognition of the valuable and innovative work our scholars produce.”

Since 2013, the non-partisan think tank has welcomed Maxwell’s undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff to its headquarters in the nation’s capital, where students can work toward earning their degrees while immersing in the world of international affairs and policymaking. In addition to its state-of-the art classrooms and multimedia facilities, CSIS hosts more than 500 public events annually featuring world leaders and top minds in international affairs, including foreign cabinet ministers, heads of state, civil society representatives, journalists and business executives.

In 2018, the partners launched the executive master of international relations in D.C., offered entirely onsite at CSIS. The highly flexible, part-time program offers an unparalleled opportunity for mid-career professionals to leverage the combined expertise and networks of the No. 1-ranked school for public affairs (US News & World Report)��and the No. 1-ranked think tank in the country.

For more information about Maxwell’s partnership with CSIS and its degree offerings for international relations professionals, browse their .

SNAP is the largest food assistance program in the country, providing $61 billion in nutrition support to more than 40 million Americans and 20 million households. While the program is known to reduce food insecurity, comparatively little evidence provided a clear link between the program and health outcomes. Analyzing restricted access data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) for the years 1997-2009, linked to data for 1999-2011 from the National Death Index (NDI), the study authors demonstrate a decline in the risk of premature death from all causes among participants by one to two percentage points.

Study author Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs at the Maxwell School and senior research associate in the Center for Policy Research.

“A major challenge in demonstrating the positive health impact of SNAP is that the same criteria that make a household eligible for participation—such as low income—are associated with poor health outcomes on average,” says study author Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs at the Maxwell School and senior research associate in its Center for Policy Research. “By looking at the incidence of premature death, we are able to help fill an important gap in the scientific literature to help policy makers weigh the benefits and costs of food nutrition programs on population health and associated impacts.”

Of particular policy salience, according to the authors, is the well-documented rise in “deaths of despair,” or middle-age mortality from alcohol poisoning, opioid overdose and suicide, as well as an overall decrease in life expectancy starting in 2014. This study is the first to demonstrate a specific link between participation in SNAP and a reduction of .8 percent in risk of death from these causes among adults aged 40-64.

“Our results further demonstrate the benefits of SNAP for the American people, and policies to restrict access to the program could have serious health consequences from higher food insecurity to premature death,” states James P. Ziliak of the University of Kentucky, one of the study’s co-authors.

“” is published in the Nov. 2019 issue of Health Affairs. The study author is Colleen Heflin, senior research associate at the and professor of public administration and international affairs at the Maxwell School. Co-authors are James P. Ziliak and Samuel Ingram from the University of Kentucky. Data from the University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research’s National Welfare Database and the Economic Research Service’s SNAP Policy Database provided state-by-year economic policy data for this study.

In many ways, the Maxwell School Class of 2023 will finish their studies at ���ϲ����� nearly indistinguishable from previous classes. As graduates of both the Maxwell School and the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), they will have earned their social science degree—with a shared spirit of public service and the knowledge, skills and confidence to make positive contributions in their communities around the world. It will be the same as it has been for nearly a century for tens of thousands of social science graduates of ���ϲ�����.

However, the students arriving this week begin their academic journey as no others before them have—as first-year Maxwell students. Beginning this fall, for the first time ever, students planning to major in the social sciences applied and were admitted directly to the Maxwell School. Prior to this, students applied to A&S, and they became a Maxwell student only if they declared a Maxwell major, usually sometime around the end of their sophomore year.

The Maxwell School’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Carol Faulkner explains, “We wanted to change how we engage with prospective undergraduates around the social sciences at ���ϲ�����. The new application process enables us to tell our story more powerfully and to articulate more clearly the benefits of a liberal arts education delivered jointly by A&S and Maxwell.”

One year into the effort, the impact has been dramatic. According to Dennis Nicholson, assistant dean of admissions for ���ϲ�����, the “intentional leveraging” of the Maxwell brand with undergraduates plus related enhancements helped lead an increase in the quality and quantity of social science students accepting admission to ���ϲ�����, with the number of deposits increasing 20 percent to 383 and average SAT scores increasing 12 points over last year at this time.

“The Maxwell School’s strong reputation for disciplinary and interdisciplinary scholarship that is domestic, global, and public affairs and policy oriented continues to contribute to our ranking as the #1 school for graduate education in public affairs in the country,” adds Dean David M. Van Slyke. “We’re gratified that the Chancellor and the University’s Trustees encouraged Maxwell to launch an effort to better explain what this means to potential undergraduates and to find meaningful ways to welcome and support them as Maxwell students from the very beginning of their academic journey. Dean Ruhlandt’s support and collaboration has contributed to this transition being successful.”

These recruitment, enrollment and admissions changes are matched by additional improvements within the undergraduate student experience. Enrolled students now benefit from a new assistant dean of student success who reports to the deans of both A&S and the Maxwell School, as well as a revamped Office of Undergraduate Academic and Career Advising. These resources complement departmental faculty and staff who mentor students.

In addition, ���ϲ����� has invested $1 million in the new Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (The SOURCE) housed within the Bird Library, which provides a new source of funding and support for undergraduate scholarship. The Celebration of Undergraduate Scholarship, an annual Maxwell tradition, showcases the work of undergraduates across departments with a poster session, awards ceremony for best posters and papers, and a reception.

New study spaces especially for undergraduate students have been created, in part, to welcome this influx of Maxwell admits; and the Maxwell/Eggers complex is now accessible 24 hours a day with additional access to study spaces in the Eggers Café and the Academic Village.

“We’re all excited to welcome these promising young students to Maxwell,” adds Faulkner. “It’s going to be much more clear that undergraduates are a central part of Maxwell, and Maxwell is a central part of ���ϲ����� for undergraduates.”

“The Autonomous Systems Policy Institute will leverage the policy leadership expertise of ���ϲ�����’s top-ranked Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. In concert with experts from across all of ���ϲ�����’s schools and colleges, the institute will address an urgent societal need while providing opportunities for research and student experiences that cross disciplines,” says Syverud.

ASPI’s approach to researching the societal impacts of autonomous systems is novel in two important ways: its true interdisciplinarity—across the social sciences, natural sciences and humanities, as well as the professional schools such as engineering, law, communications and business—and its broad definition of autonomous systems.

“Cities, social systems, laws, economies, nations and ecosystems won’t adjust to new autonomous technologies one at a time. Instead, they will have to find ways to accommodate multiple autonomous systems—developing at different speeds and regulated in different ways—concurrently,” says Jamie Winders, professor of geography in the Maxwell School, who will direct the new institute. “The Autonomous Systems Policy Institute uses this complex mix as its starting point. We can’t effectively understand complicated issues by studying transformative developments in isolation. We can only offer effective solutions when we consider the complexity of those issues.”

Among other themes, the new institute will address questions like: What and whose values should be baked into the artificial intelligence systems driving autonomous systems? Where should drone “highways” go, and what are the implications of such highways? In a world of autonomous vehicles, what should the legal definition of driver be? How can urban, suburban and rural communities plan for the period of “cohabitation” of autonomous and piloted vehicles? What new social divides will the adoption of autonomous systems create, and what old ones might it help solve?

The symposium brings together a wide range of scholars, policymakers and industry professionals to deliberate three questions that will provide valuable insight to help inform the institute’s initial priorities: What are the most exciting, the most challenging and the most pressing issues facing the public in the design, governance and impacts of autonomous systems?

According to symposium keynote speaker Travis Mason ’06, vice president and head of regulatory and certification, Urban Air Mobility, Airbus, “The technology of autonomous systems has advanced far beyond the existing policy and legal frameworks at almost every level of government. Yet, the field of academic research into the policy implications is only just beginning to emerge.”

A review of offerings by major U.S. colleges and universities found fewer than 40 programs, centers or initiatives doing regular work in this area, mostly focused on transportation and aerial vehicles, and many from an applied standpoint. Few, or none, are focused on the full landscape of autonomous systems and the broader societal implications in the way that this new institute will be.

“In establishing this new interdisciplinary institute, we are making every effort to ensure that we not only leverage ���ϲ�����’s strengths in ways that will truly maximize their impact on the public good, but also match them to the most pressing challenges and the greatest unmet needs,” says Winders. “We see this as an opportunity and a responsibility to create an unparalleled experience for our faculty and students to immerse in cutting-edge research and to help shape the policy, legal and ethical frameworks guiding the proliferation of autonomous systems.”

With initial support from JPMorgan Chase & Co., ���ϲ�����’s and the are collaborating to introduce a new and innovative program for veterans and military family members who aspire to public office or another form of a political career.

The “Veterans in Politics” (VIP) initiative is designed to act on the opportunity associated with the affinity for civic engagement and public service demonstrated by those who have served the cause of the nation’s defense. Despite gains in the 2018 election cycle from a recent historic low, veteran representation in Congress has declined from more than 75 percent in the 1960s to 19.1 percent today.

“The IVMF and the Maxwell School are uniquely equipped to design and deliver this specialized program,” says David M. Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School. “The IVMF’s deep involvement, understanding and engagement with the veteran and military-connected community, coupled with the Maxwell School’s standing as the nation’s�� No. 1 ranked school of public affairs, positions us to empower those who have served our nation in uniform with preparation, expertise and confidence so that they can extend their commitment to public service in the form of a political career at the local, state or federal level.”

The VIP program will enroll its inaugural class in late 2019. The program will feature both online coursework and a one-week intensive residency. VIP curriculum will cover election law; party politics and public policy; creating, managing and leading campaign teams; campaign finance; understanding voters; message development; mobilizing volunteer teams; responding to citizen issues; and conflict management, among others topics.

“Veterans are a natural fit for public office. They comprise more than one-third of the federal work force and have been shown to be more likely to vote, contact public officials, volunteer, give to charity, and work with neighbors to fix problems in their community,” says Nick Armstrong, IVMF senior director of research and policy and Maxwell School alumnus. “Most importantly, veterans tend to demonstrate more bipartisan behavior than their peers. Their military service primes them for the responsibilities that come with public office, yet programs to support such a career are few and far between.”

The VIP program aligns with ���ϲ�����’s commitment to be the “best place for veterans” and the military-connected community. Consistently ranked among the top 10 best universities for veterans, ���ϲ����� was most recently ranked by Military Times the No. 1 private school for veterans and the No. 4 school overall in 2018. The University is one of only 15 Pat Tillman Foundation University Partners. Now in its second year as a partner institution, ���ϲ����� was selected for its innovative veteran services, strong culture of support for military veterans and spouses, and its rigorous academic programs.

The Maxwell School is home to the nation’s No. 1-ranked school for graduate education in public affairs (U.S. News & World Report), offering graduate professional degrees in public administration and international affairs. It is also ���ϲ�����’s home for innovative teaching and research across nine social science disciplines (anthropology, citizenship and civic engagement, economics, geography, history, international relations, policy studies, political science and sociology).

The University is furthering its commitment to the veteran and military-connected population with construction of the (NVRC), a first-of-its-kind, multi-use facility dedicated to advancing academic research, programming and community-connected innovation serving the social, economic and wellness concerns of the nation’s veterans and families. The NVRC is scheduled to open in spring 2020.

The VIP program marks another collaboration between the University and JPMorgan Chase in support of the military community. JPMorgan Chase co-founded the IVMF at ���ϲ����� and is a major funder of Onward to Opportunity, a career preparation and employment training program, available online and operating on 18 military installation communities across the country. To date, the IVMF has served more than 125,000 veterans and members of the military community, an impact made possible thanks to JPMorgan Chase’s commitment to the military community and as the institute’s largest corporate contributor.

JPMorgan Chase’s dedication to the military community is widely recognized and practiced in the firm’s operations. Since 2011, more than 14,000 veterans have joined the employee ranks of JPMorgan Chase, and the firm has developed several supportive programs including the Veteran Jobs Mission—previously the 100,000 Jobs Mission—a coalition founded in 2011 with the goal of hiring 100,000 veterans. Now over 200 members strong, the coalition has collectively hired more than 500,000 veterans with a commitment to hiring one million.

“IVMF is a valued partner in JPMorgan Chase’s mission to support veterans in fulfilling their potential in their post-military careers,” says Mark Elliott, head of military and veterans affairs at JPMorgan Chase. “Veterans and their families are an incredibly valuable asset to the public service sector, and we’re proud to support the ‘Veterans in Politics’ program to help develop the next generation of political leaders.”

To request more information about the VIP program, visit

About the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at ���ϲ�����

is the first interdisciplinary national institute in higher education focused on the social, economic, education and policy issues impacting veterans and their families. Through its professional staff and experts, the IVMF delivers leading programs in career, vocational and entrepreneurship education and training, while also conducting actionable research, policy analysis and program evaluations. The IVMF also supports communities through collective impact efforts that enhance delivery and access to services and care. The institute, supported by a distinguished advisory board, along with public and private partners, is committed to advancing the lives of those who have served in America’s armed forces and their families. For more information, visit ��and follow the IVMF on��,����and .

About the Maxwell School

��is ���ϲ�����’s home for innovative, interdisciplinary teaching and research in the social sciences, public policy, public administration and international relations. It is consistently ranked among America’s top graduate schools of public affairs (U.S. News & World Report), offering highly regarded professional degrees alongside advanced scholarly degrees in the social sciences; it is also home to ���ϲ�����’s undergraduate programs across the social sciences.

Maxwell scholars conduct wide-ranging research through��, each focused on a topical area within public affairs, such as governance, social and economic policy, conflict and collaboration, public wellness, aging, energy and environment, national security and regional studies. For more information, visit��.

About ���ϲ�����

���ϲ����� is a private, international research university with distinctive academics, diversely unique offerings, and an undeniable spirit. Located in the geographic��, with a global footprint and��, ���ϲ����� offers a quintessential college experience, as well as innovative online learning environments. The scope of ���ϲ����� is a testament to its strengths. At ���ϲ�����, we offer a choice of more than 200 majors and 100 minors offered through 13 schools and colleges and 18 online degree programs. We have more than 15,000 undergraduates and 7,500 graduate students, more than a quarter of a million alumni in 160 countries, and a student population from all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. For more information, visit��.

“This is an exciting time to be part of the Maxwell School and ���ϲ�����,” says Dean David M. Van Slyke. “As a student-centered college of social science and public affairs within a top-tier R1 research university, the school is uniquely positioned to examine and prepare graduates to manage across the spectrum of contemporary and emerging policy issues.”

Among specialty areas, Maxwell remains #1 in public management and leadership, and #2 in the areas of nonprofit management as well as public finance and budgeting. The school also ranked highly in nine other specialties, including excellence in information and technology management (#4), international global policy and administration (#6), public policy analysis (#7) and environmental policy and management (#8), among others.

“The Maxwell School was established nearly a century ago for the express purpose of elevating the professional practice of public administration and empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills to make a difference in their communities and in the world,” says Robert Bifulco, associate dean and chair of (PAIA). “We strive continuously to move the discipline forward by reinvesting in our strengths—that is, our teaching and research excellence across the social sciences and public administration, and opportunities for students and faculty to engage in interdisciplinary discovery across policy areas through Maxwell’s .”

New Initiatives

In January, the Maxwell School announced a new campus-wide initiative to support teaching and interdisciplinary research of . The initiative will leverage ���ϲ�����’s breadth of expertise at the intersection of technology and policymaking, drawing from the fields of public administration, social science, public health, the humanities, law, engineering, business, data science and communications.

“This initiative will give students incredible exposure to, and expertise in, the field and allow faculty to reach across disciplinary lines to conduct much-needed research into the policy implications of our increasing reliance on autonomous technologies,” says Chair and Professor of Geography Jamie Winders, who is leading the effort. On May 6, the school will host the Autonomous Systems Policy Initiative Symposium to convene University faculty and outside experts on autonomous systems to shape and structure the effort.

Earlier this year, Maxwell area of study for master of public administration (M.P.A.) degree candidates, and added an internship option for all M.P.A. candidates. “Maxwell alumni already enjoy meaningful careers in data science and data analysis at institutions like the World Bank, the Government Accountability Office, the NYS Department of Education, in private companies, and in academic research settings,” says Bifulco. “Codifying this as an area of study will allow us to deepen and expand our strong relationships with employers in this area and ensure that Maxwell remains at the leading edge of this rapidly evolving field.”

The school also launched a “fast-track” B.A./M.A.I.R. program, through which any undergraduate at ���ϲ����� may apply, in their junior year, to prepare for direct matriculation into Maxwell’s highly ranked master’s program in international relations. Students in this four-plus-one program, after completing their bachelor’s degree, immediately begin work on an M.A., which they receive after one full year of graduate study, decreasing the usual timeframe by a full semester.

Also for undergraduates, Maxwell added an integrated learning major in environment, sustainability and policy, a new interdisciplinary double major program for students looking to complement their base major in the social or natural sciences, or one of the professional schools.

About the Rankings

The U.S. News 2020 rankings of public affairs programs, completed in 2019, are based solely on a survey of deans, directors and department chairs representing 285 master’s programs in public affairs and administration. Two surveys were sent to each school. The response rate was 52 percent. Respondents were asked to rate the academic quality of the master’s programs on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding). The M.P.A. programs at ���ϲ����� and the University of Indiana Bloomington each earned an average rating of 4.4 out of 5.

Yilin Hou

The Maxwell School’s Yilin Hou, professor of public administration and international affairs and senior research associate at the Center for Policy Research, has won a prestigious economic policy research award from the of China. The paper, “Real Property Tax: Ability to Pay, Distribution of Tax Burden, and Redistribution Effects,” is co-authored with Hou’s former doctoral student Ping Zhang, associate professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.

The eponymous bi-annual award was established in memory of an influential economist in China, Shan Pu, Ph.D., who was educated in the U.S. (B.A. from Michigan, 1943; Ph.D. from Harvard, 1949). Every two years, the Pu Shan Foundation selects publications from all over the world in English and Chinese academic journals and other outlets on research related to the Chinese economy by Chinese scholars.��The award selection committee is composed of the most accomplished economists, who hold key academic positions in the top research institutions in China.

An awards ceremony will be held in Shanghai in November 2019; Professor Hou will attend and make a speech on China’s public finance system and adopting the real property tax.

In this paper, Hou and his co-author construct an ability-to-pay (ATP) index and then examine the ATP of local property taxes in China. In tax administration, no tax can be levied without a practicable measure of ATP. Using survey data from the China Family Panel Studies, they compare the ATP of different household groups by their housing type, with/without housing loans, social-economic status and other indicators. Their analyses show huge variation among different families in their ability-to-pay the property tax and indicate that some relief policies may be necessary to help the disadvantaged groups. Their findings provide direct support for Hou’s design of the real property tax for China, which was published in China as a book.

The paper was published in Economic Research (2016, issue 12), the highest-ranking economics journal in the Chinese language. Hou chose to publish this paper in a Chinese journal in order to influence China’s tax reform and economic policy. Winning this award through three stages of very competitive selection is strong recognition of his research achievement and its impact in China.

Hou’s field of expertise is public finance. His research interests are fiscal policy, public budgeting and intergovernmental fiscal relations as related to the core of development and governance. Much of his research focuses on the smooth operation of government finance across the boom-bust cycles of the economy.��He is currently the principal investigator on the ’CUSE-grant funded study “Improving Local Property Tax Administration in New York State,” with Co-Principal Investigators John Yinger, Michael Wasylenko and Minch Lewis.

So far, the initiative has helped the city to recoup more than $1.4 million in overdue property taxes, and hundreds of additional properties were prompted to get current on their bills—preventing more costly and troublesome outcomes for both the owner and the city alike. Furthermore, the project has established a costless change to city tax collection processes that has the potential to produce benefits for years to come.

At a Nov. 13 news conference at the Maxwell School, ���ϲ����� Mayor Ben Walsh discussed the positive outcomes of the work done by the Maxwell X Lab. He is flanked by Len Lopoo (left), Maxwell X Lab co-founder and director, and Joe Boskovski M.P.A.’14, the lab’s co-founder and managing director.

“Tax delinquency that can lead to home foreclosure creates a bleaker outlook for everyone involved—resident families, the neighborhood and the city,” says Professor Leonard Lopoo, director of the Center for Policy Research, co-founder of X Lab and an expert on child and family policy. “For example, we know from the research literature that having a stable home and neighborhood is incredibly important for child development, particularly among low-income children. Frequent moves that might include new home environments and different schools make learning more difficult.”

With funding from the Allyn Family Foundation and in-kind support from Maxwell’s Center for Policy Research, X Lab and the city teamed up to develop an effective outreach strategy to communicate to owners who had fallen behind how potentially serious their situation was and to convey how easy it was to resolve it.

“This partnership with X Lab helps both the city and our residents. It’s the kind of positive outcomes that occur when you aren’t afraid to innovate and try something new,” says ���ϲ����� Mayor Ben Walsh. “By using evidence and data to improve government services, processes and initiatives, we are helping to balance the budget while at the same time improving the health and well-being of our citizens.”

Working with First Deputy Commissioner of Finance Martha Maywalt, the X Lab team developed an array of message options designed to spur owners to take steps toward getting current on their tax bills. “It should be clear in a few seconds what someone’s asking you to do; otherwise, you’re going to give up,” says Joseph Boskovski M.P.A.’14, X Lab co-founder and managing director, of the redesigned notifications.

The team then conducted randomized controlled trials to evaluate the different messages and communications techniques to determine whether—and which—messages did a better job of improving outcomes. In total, courtesy letters were sent to 3,844 owners who were either delinquent on tax bills before 2017-18 and/or late on their current tax bills. An additional 1,922 owners were in the control group and were not sent courtesy letters in order to allow the researchers to compare outcomes.

“Too often, we find that governments and agencies design systems based on the way they think people will respond. We partner with public institutions and nonprofit organizations to test and build evidence for policies and programs based on the way they actually respond—and this improves outcomes for both sides,” says Boskovski. “For example, we know that some people do not respond to government communications because they are not receiving the message—it may be lost among the ‘junk’ mail—or it is too difficult to comply with the process.”

These tests provided concrete evidence about which changes are most effective while helping the city recoup at least $1.47 million in overdue property taxes. These changes will continue to benefit the city as outreach continues not only to property owners who did not receive courtesy letters this year but also to people who fall behind in future years. What’s more, a previous project for the city that focused on owners who had already entered the foreclosure process prompted nearly $100,000 in payments and helped to keep those families in their homes.

“While the dollars matter, what matters more in our view is the trend that they represent—property owners empowered with information and taking appropriate action to protect their properties, secure their investments and strengthen their neighborhoods,” says Meg O’Connell, executive director of the Allyn Family Foundation, which helped fund the initiative. “And since all of the insights developed for the project will remain with the city, the opportunity for this trend to continue is open-ended.”

Tina Nabatchi

Tina Nabatchi, a leading scholar on citizen participation, collaborative governance and conflict resolution, and on challenges in public administration, has been named the inaugural Joseph A. Strasser Endowed Professor in Public Administration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

The Strasser Professorship, created earlier this year by a generous $3 million gift from alumnus Joseph Strasser ’53 (History)/G’58 (M.P.A.), is the first named and endowed professorship specifically focused on public administration at the Maxwell School. It reinforces Maxwell’s primacy in the field, across federal, state and local levels.

“I firmly believe that going into the public service and working in the public interest is one of the most noble career choices a person can make,” says Nabatchi, an associate professor of public administration and international affairs. “Without government and public administrators, we do not function as a society. Indeed, government only works when its public administrators advance it through their everyday service.”

Nabatchi, who joined the Maxwell School in 2007, has been involved with large-scale efforts to engage citizens in public policy. She worked with the Obama White House to assist with the implementation and evaluation of the public participation commitments in the Open Government National Action Plans. She assisted the World Bank in the design and development of a massive open online course (MOOC) about citizen engagement, which has been delivered to tens of thousands of participants around the world.

She has extensive scholarly involvement in Participedia, an online repository of democratic participation innovations around the world, and her federally funded research on deliberation and patient engagement in health care settings won the 2016 Research Project of the Year and the 2016 International Research Project of the Year Awards from the International Association for Public Participation. She also serves as co-director of the Collaborative Government Initiative at Maxwell’s Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration, where she is a faculty research associate.

Before joining the Maxwell School, Nabatchi was the research coordinator for the Indiana Conflict Resolution Institute at Indiana University-Bloomington, where she also received a PhD. In this capacity, she provided consultations about, and evaluations of, alternative dispute resolution in several U.S. federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, the U.S. Postal Service, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution.

Nabatchi’s work is widely published and frequently cited, and she is in demand as a speaker at conferences in the United States and internationally. She has written several award-winning articles, including “Addressing the Citizenship and Democratic Deficits: Exploring the Potential of Deliberative Democracy for Public Administration,” which won the 2010 Best Article Award from��American Review of Public Administration; “Evaluating the Productivity of Collaborative Governance Regimes: A Performance Matrix,” which won the 2015 best article award from��Public Performance and Management Review; and “The New Governance: Practices and Processes for Stakeholder and Citizen Participation in the Work of Government,” which was recognized as one of the 75 most influential articles in the history of��Public Administration Review.

She is lead editor of “Democracy in Motion: Evaluating the Practice and Impact of Deliberative Civic Engagement” (Oxford University Press, 2012) and co-author of “Public Participation for 21st Century Democracy” with Matt Leighninger (Jossey-Bass, 2015) and “Collaborative Governance Regimes��with Kirk Emerson” (Georgetown University Press, 2015), which won the 2017 Sharon M. Pickett Award from the Association for Conflict Resolution.

Nabatchi has been recognized for her exceptional work in the classroom with the Maxwell School’s Daniel Patrick Moynihan Award for Teaching and Research in 2013 and with the Birkhead-Burkhead Teaching Excellence Award and Professorship in both 2012 and 2018. She was also named as an inaugural Tenth Decade Scholar in 2015.

The creation of the Strasser Professorship builds on a legacy of support for the Maxwell School by Joseph Strasser, a lifelong public servant who served as budget officer for both Savannah, Georgia, and later, Jacksonville, Florida. Strasser has donated more than $6-million to the Maxwell School, previously funding upgrades and renovations to Maxwell’s multi-use public events room, naming the school’s central atrium, and establishing the Strasser Endowed Scholarship Fund that supports top Maxwell graduate students.

“Tina Nabatchi is the ideal inaugural recipient of the Strasser Professorship,” says Maxwell Dean David Van Slyke. “As a top-ranked teacher and scholar, Tina exhibits boundless enthusiasm for strong and effective public management, governance and leadership. Her role in preparing future executives in the field perfectly aligns with Joe Strasser’s remarkable career as a public servant. We are delighted to honor Joe’s legacy as a public manager and as a philanthropist with this important appointment.”

“I��am so honored to be the inaugural Strasser Professor of Public Administration. Joe Strasser’s dedication to public service is inspiring, and I��hope to uphold his legacy and ideals in my research, teaching, and service efforts at the Maxwell School,” says Nabatchi. “Now more than ever, we need a cadre of well-trained, dedicated and engaged public servants who can engage in higher-order reasoning and on-the-ground action to advance democracy and governance in the United States and around the world.”

The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences has awarded a five-year, $10 million grant to establish the first national research center to study how different approaches to school choice, such as voucher programs and charter schools, can better serve disadvantaged students.

Amy Ellen Schwartz

The National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH) will be housed at Tulane University and led by scholars from around the country, including Douglas Harris of Tulane; Joshua Cowen and Katharine Strunk of Michigan State University; Julie Marsh of the University of Southern California; and from ���ϲ�����, Amy Ellen Schwartz, who is the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Chair of Public Affairs and senior researcher at the Center for Policy Research in the Maxwell School.

“REACH brings together organizations that represent a range of perspectives on school choice but share the belief that objective, rigorous evidence is important for evaluating programs and making policy decisions,” says Schwartz, an economist whose teaching and research at the Maxwell School focus on the intersection of economics, education, health and public policy. “This excellent team offers an exciting opportunity to make real progress in reducing achievement gaps for disadvantaged students by identifying ways to increase access to high-quality education.”

Harris, professor of economics and Schleider Foundation Chair in Public Education at Tulane, explains, “We designed REACH to answer one big question: How can we improve policy and implementation to make school choice deliver on its promise of raising outcomes and increasing opportunities for disadvantaged students?”

Most states have charter school systems, and more than half have voucher or tuition tax-credit policies that allow students to use public funds to attend private schools. School choice programs have delivered some notable successes in cities like Boston, New York and New Orleans, but have not succeeded everywhere, says Cowen, an associate professor of education policy at Michigan State.

“Policymakers need a better understanding of which choice systems work, who they help—and why they’re effective,” Cowen says.

The center is funded exclusively by the Institute of Education Sciences. REACH also includes researchers and policy experts from: the Brookings Institution; Florida State University; Johns Hopkins University; Montclair State University; RAND Corp.; Temple University; University of California-Irvine; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; University of North Carolina; and University of Texas.

Researchers will focus on how school choice is working for minority, low-income, English-language learner and special education students, as well as other disadvantaged students. REACH will track student outcomes and other metrics in essentially every school and every state.

Researchers say five key policy areas—transportation, communication strategies, enrollment systems, oversight and teacher supply—are most likely to drive the success of choice policies. Investigators will study these policies in depth in Denver, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Oregon, New Orleans, New York City and Washington, D.C.

“One strength of REACH is that we will use a wide range of methods to deepen our understandings of how choice schools affect students,” says Strunk, a professor and the Clifford E. Erickson Distinguished Chair in education at Michigan State.

“This approach will help us gain insight into not only policy design but also implementation,” says Marsh, an associate professor of education at the University of Southern California.

The center will receive input from a National Policy Advisory Board representing public, private, charter and virtual schools across the country. Members include the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Council for Exceptional Children, the National Association of Public Charter Schools, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, the National Association of Independent Schools, the National School Boards Association, Great Schools, Public Impact and The Shanker Institute.

Jennifer Karas Montez

A sociologist and demographer, Karas Montez examines the large and growing inequalities in adult mortality across education levels and geographic areas within the United States. “Our life expectancy is increasingly being shaped by where we live in the U.S.,” explains Karas Montez. “For example, in 1980, life expectancy in Mississippi and New York differed by just 1.6 years. Over the next three decades, that difference exploded to 5.5 years.”

At Maxwell, Karas Montez uses large data sets from the National Center for Health Statistics to formulate and answer a variety of compelling questions related to population health. For example: Why is the life expectancy of low-educated white women in the United States declining? Why do adults in some U.S. states develop health problems nearly two decades before adults in other states? How has the changing policy environment of states contributed to these patterns?

According to Karas Montez, in the 1950s and ’60s there were not many differences between states in their social, economic and health policies. “But by the 1970s and ’80s, states began taking very different approaches to things like Medicaid generosity, and whether they offer a state earned-income tax credit, and how aggressively they raised cigarette taxes,” she says. The Carnegie Fellowship will allow Karas Montez to accelerate her research documenting how state policies have changed across the U.S.—the result of deregulation, federal devolution and state pre-emption laws—and how residents’ well-being may have been affected.

“We at the Maxwell School are enormously proud of Jennifer’s accomplishments, and we are equally grateful to the Carnegie Corporation of New York for their unparalleled support of social science research toward the public good,” says David M. Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School.

Read the complete 2018 Andrew Carnegie Fellows , and explore Karas Montez’s recent related to health disparities and policies across U.S. states.

About ���ϲ�����

���ϲ����� is a private, international research university with distinctive academics, diversely unique offerings and an��undeniable spirit. Located in the geographic��, with a global footprint, and��, ���ϲ����� offers a quintessential college experience. The scope of ���ϲ����� is a testament to its strengths: a pioneering history dating back to 1870; a choice of more than 200 majors and 100 minors offered through 13 schools and colleges; nearly 15,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students; more than a quarter of a million alumni in 160 countries; and a student population from all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. For more information, please visit��.

Francine D’Amico

In addition to teaching undergraduate courses on international law and organizations, global governance, and Latin America and the Caribbean, D’Amico currently serves as director of undergraduate studies in international relations. She directs academic advising for all undergraduate majors/minors and serves as the faculty advisor for the International Relations Learning Community, the Model United Nations Club and Team, Sigma Iota Rho Honor Society and the SU-UNICEF and OXFAM@SU student organizations. She serves on the University Senate and the LGBT Committee as well as the Academic Committee and the Standards Committee for the College of Arts and Sciences. She was co-chair of the Chancellor’s Work Group on Diversity and Inclusion 2015-2016 and is now a member of the University Council on Diversity and Inclusion.

D’Amico was named Faculty Advisor of the Year for 2010-2011 by both��the College of Arts and Sciences and Sigma Iota Rho National Honor Society for International Studies. The Maxwell-MUN Team she advises was named Outstanding Delegation (top honors) at the National Model United Nations Conference in New York: spring 2016, spring 2015, spring 2014, spring 2012; Washington, D.C.: fall 2014.

Carol Faulkner, associate dean for academic affairs, praises Professor D’Amico’s contributions to the student experience in the Maxwell School: “Francine D’Amico communicates her passion for international relations in everything she does. She is an exceptional teacher and mentor to our students.”

D’Amico’s research focuses on issues relating to gender and international relations and the experiences of women in non-gender traditional occupations. Her recent publications include chapters on “LGBTQ and (Dis)United Nations: Sexual and Gender Minorities, International Law, and UN Politics,” in “Sexualities in World Politics: How LGBTQ Claims Shape International Relations”; “Critical Feminism: Gender-at-Work in Waging War,” in “Making Sense of International Relations Theory 2E (Iraq)”; and The Women of Abu Ghraib,” in “One of the Guys”: Women as Aggressors and Torturers.

D’Amico earned a B.A. from William Smith College and a Ph.D. from Cornell University.

About ���ϲ�����

Founded��in 1870, ���ϲ����� is a private international research university��dedicated to advancing knowledge and fostering student success through teaching��excellence,��rigorous scholarship and interdisciplinary research. Comprising 11��academic schools and colleges, the University has a long legacy of excellence��in the liberal arts, sciences and��professional disciplines that prepares��students for the complex challenges and emerging opportunities of a rapidly��changing world. Students enjoy the resources of a 270-acre main��campus and��extended campus venues in major national metropolitan hubs and across three��continents. ���ϲ�����’s student body is among the most diverse for an��institution of its��kind across multiple dimensions, and students typically represent��all 50 states and more than 100 countries. ���ϲ����� also has a long legacy of��supporting veterans and is home to��the nationally recognized Institute for��Veterans and Military Families, the first university-based institute in the��U.S. focused on addressing the unique needs of veterans and their��families.

The Maxwell School

“The Maxwell School is the premier school for citizenship and public administration. This gift will enable the school to build on that rich history and its legacy of creating global thought leaders,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “I am very thankful to our two alumni for providing support that will further the Maxwell School’s vision for its students as engaged citizens.”

The bequest furthers the school’s ability to nurture students as they learn and develop into informed world citizens and decision makers. In addition to establishing an undergraduate scholarship fund and a graduate fellowship, the bequest is expected to grow large enough to support the endowment of a named chair in citizenship at the Maxwell School.

“Our ability to attract exceptional students and faculty, as well as to reinforce the importance of citizenship education, are directly strengthened by the support we receive from our loyal family of alumni and friends,” says David M. Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School. “We are very grateful for the financial support from two graduates who have exhibited lifelong dedication to education and public service. This extraordinary commitment will impact Maxwell and ���ϲ����� for generations to come.”

As a key theme of the University’s Academic Strategic Plan, enhancing the student experience is a critical focus for the Maxwell School. The University is committed to providing an excellent and distinctive education that prepares students for academic, personal and professional success in a diverse, interconnected world. Students learn to think deeply and analytically, listening with a critical ear and acting with integrity.

Earlier this year, the Maxwell School received the top ranking once again by U.S. News & World Report’s survey of graduate schools in public affairs, a distinction the school has earned every year since the rankings were established.

To make a gift to the Maxwell School or to discuss options for planned giving, please contact Assistant Dean for Advancement Linda Birnbaum at 315.443.1053 or lsbirnba@maxwell.syr.edu.

Michael Nutter

So, too, does Michael Nutter, former mayor of Philadelphia and one of the most respected and celebrated large-city mayors in recent American history. Nutter will speak Friday, Oct. 14, at 4 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium on “The Athenian Oath and Leadership in America.” In this talk, Nutter will describe how the Oath has guided him through his sometimes challenging roles in public affairs.

Nutter’s eight years as mayor of Philadelphia concluded in January. During his two terms, Nutter reduced murder rates to their lowest point since the 1960s, grew the city’s population for the first time in 57 years and guided the city through the worst economic challenges in recent history. He is now a professor of urban policy at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.

His talk will be given as part of the Tanner Lecture Series on Ethics, Citizenship, and Public Responsibility, endowed by W. Lynn Tanner ’75 PhD (PAIA), founder, CEO, and chairman of TEC Canada.

This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP at , where you also will find a live stream of this event.

The staff of the Lerner Center is currently, from left to right, Leah Moser, assistant program director; Lerner Fellow Katie Wood; Roberto Martinez, coordinator of the Healthy Neighborhood project; Lerner Chair Cynthia Morrow; Faculty Director Tom Dennison; and Rebecca Bostwick, program director.

The anniversary also brings an opportunity to set new goals for the future, according to Tom Dennison, faculty director of the Lerner Center.�� “It’s part of completing a new strategic plan, to fine tune and build upon the success of these first five years,” says Dennison, who also serves as advisor for the Maxwell School’s certificate program in health services management and policy.

The Lerner Center was created in mid-2011 with a generous founding gift from Sid Lerner ’53 and his wife, Helaine. Sid Lerner is a former advertising and marketing executive who developed, in later life, a strong interest in how uninformed eating and lifestyle habits contribute to chronic disease. Employing the lessons of his advertising career, he is committed to combining sound research on public health policy with modern publicity and promotion efforts to encourage better wellness practices by individuals and communities. “I think prevention is the only way out of the health crisis,” he said when creating the Lerner Center.

As long ago as 2003, Lerner pioneered the Meatless Mondays and Healthy Mondays campaigns. The subsequent establishment of the Lerner Center powerfully combines public health research with his ultimate goal: using creative marketing to spread the science behind healthy living.

The center’s first move was public health needs assessment, conducted in forums with ���ϲ�����-area health professionals, business leaders and other stakeholders and community members. Growing out of that assessment, the Lerner Center has embarked upon an already long list of collaborative projects:

• walking routes—17 in Onondaga County, and more launching this summer in Madison County. Monday Miles are one-mile trails that provide residents with safe and accessible walking options. Trails have been developed in partnership with the City of ���ϲ�����, Onondaga County, city parks, local hospitals and the Madison County Rural Health Council.
• A collaboration with ���ϲ�����’s Near Westside Project, Nojaim Brothers Supermarket and St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center that is bringing healthy grocery options to the Near Westside. The project is supported by a $250,000 grant from the New York State Health Foundation and employs the NuVal nutritional rating system to help customers prioritize purchases.
• A project, funded by the NYS Health Foundation, to support Onondaga County’s efforts to reduce perinatal substance use.
• A small collection of initiatives, conducted with the Onondaga County Health Department and state-funded, to promote a culture of health in schools.
• Collaborative efforts to improve the built environment in the Near Westside, to increase safety and thereby positive activity in the neighborhood. With Skiddy Park as the focal point, this project includes a renovated box soccer court, a renovated field house and collaborative planning with local teens to make the park inviting again.

These projects run alongside the Healthy Monday ���ϲ����� program, which provides free fruit, wellness-related classes, walking routes, education programs, meatless-menu counseling and a host of other programs to the SU campus and, increasingly, around town. It is all promoted with social-media campaigns and other methods of outreach and education.

The center staff and faculty have grown since its inception. Professional staff includes Rebecca Bostwick (program director), Leah Moser (assistant program director) and Roberto Martinez (program coordinator). Cynthia Morrow,�� former health commissioner of Onondaga County, joined the center in 2015 as the inaugural Lerner Chair.

The Lerner Center also plays an important role in the education of future healthcare and health policy professionals. The center employs four graduate students every year as Lerner Fellows; four M.P.A. and master’s of public health students work with the center, conducting research and helping implement the outreach program.

According to David M. Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School, the Lerner Center promises to have “global impact”—linked, as it is, with Maxwell’s national and internationally focused research, teaching and executive education training. “We’re enormously proud of all that the Lerner Center has accomplished in its first five years,” he says. “We embrace their ambitious goals and will work with them to serve a shared commitment to improving health and well-being for all peoples, in ���ϲ����� and around the world.”

For his part, donor Sid Lerner is elated by the center’s progress to date. “Our hearty congratulations to Tom and Rebecca and their super ���ϲ����� startup teams in getting the center up and running so well these first five years,” he says. “Here’s to the next five years of great, ���ϲ�����-inspired public health promotion!”

Robert A. McDonald

Attendees at the event, which was organized by the (IVMF), included students of the ’s MPA and Executive MPA programs, African students participating in the six-week Mandela Washington Fellowship program, faculty, staff and other members of the school community.

In his remarks, McDonald stressed the importance of developing a personal set of leadership beliefs, before describing his own eight leadership beliefs and how his approach is moving the Veterans Administration away from being a rules-based organization. “We should be focused on the mission—taking care of veterans—focused on these values, and not be rules-based but principals-based.”

McDonald’s advice ranged from his views on the qualities of good leaders—including knowing one’s own purpose and aligning with an organization that shares that purpose, putting the good of the organization over individual ambitions and taking personal responsibility—to practical strategies for encouraging the best from others.

“Everybody wants to succeed, nobody wants to fail,” he said. “Purposefully plan your day to try to catch people succeeding … and turn those small tasks, and small measures of success, into bigger tasks and even greater successes.”

McDonald also discussed both the values and challenges of leading a diverse organization. “Diverse groups of people are more innovative than homogenous groups,” he said. “Innovation is the way you improve lives.”

But, he added, “If you are running a diverse organization, the Golden Rule is not good enough …. If I’m running a diverse organization, and I treat everyone the way I want to be treated, I’m treating everybody like a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant from Gary, Indiana.… If you are running a global organization of people around the world, you need a Platinum Rule: Treat other people the way they want to be treated.”

McDonald was introduced by J. Michael Haynie, executive director of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, and Vice Chancellor of ���ϲ����� responsible for veteran and military affairs, who said, “There is no better example of selfless commitment to service and citizenship than what Bob is trying to do for veterans.”

In addition, this year, the members of the team received accolades for their skills in research and writing. Delegates Brad White and Yiyu Sun won “Best Position Paper” in the World Health Organization simulation, and Lili Dalton and Virginia Giannini won “Best Position Paper” in the Security Council-B scenario.

Dalton, a three-year member and assistant head of the delegation, was impressed by the team’s perseverance this year, noting, “We have received delegation-wide recognition in the past, but the two position paper awards have been a long-term goal of the team.”

The New York City conference, sponsored by the National Collegiate Conference Association and the United Nations Association of the U.S., provides students the opportunity to employ critical skills in international relations. Over 5,000 students, more than half from outside the United States, attend the conference each spring to discuss current global issues. Delegates come prepared to solve three pressing issues relevant to 21 simulated UN committees.

Kyra Murphy, a graduate student in public administration and international affairs and graduate assistant for the delegation, credits Model UN with rounding out her degrees. “Today, as I get ready to graduate from Maxwell, I can confidently attribute my oral presentation and public speaking skills, my knowledge in diplomacy and international etiquette, and my comfort in new situations to the time that I have spent with Model UN.”

Dalton adds, “through Model UN I have gained skills in negotiation, public speaking, and professional writing that will help me in my future career.”

The next MUN conference takes place in Washington, D.C., during the fall semester, from November 11-13. Students studying international relations are encouraged to apply. For more information, visit

James Steinberg

“We are very proud to remain so well regarded among our colleagues and peers,” says Dean James B. Steinberg. “It is a tribute to the dedication of our outstanding faculty, staff, alumni and students.”

At the core of Maxwell’s stellar reputation in public affairs is its master of public administration (M.P.A.) degree program, created more than 90 years ago as the nation’s first such professional program. Maxwell is the only graduate school whose professional programs in public administration and international affairs (PAIA) are integrated with social science departments.

“This connection to the broader interdisciplinary social sciences provides critical analytical training necessary for tackling complex problems across organizations, society, and the world,” says David Van Slyke, associate dean and chair of the PAIA department. “As a result of this rigorous blending of theory, policy and practice, our graduates emerge well positioned for success across disciplines and our alumni are recognized as top leaders in their fields.”

The U.S. News public affairs program rankings are based on a survey of deans, directors and department chairs representing 272 master of public affairs and pubic administration programs nationwide. Respondents were asked to rate the academic quality of the master’s programs. This year, the Maxwell School shares the number one ranking with Indiana University-Bloomington.

Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State (1997-2001), will deliver the next Tanner Lecture on Ethics, Citizenship and Public Responsibility at the Hendricks Chapel. Albright, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Obama in 2012, will discuss her 40-year career in international affairs as well as current threats and challenges in U.S. foreign policy. She will be joined in conversation by James B. Steinberg, dean of the Maxwell School and former Deputy U.S. Secretary of State (2009-2011).

The event will take place on Tuesday, April 5, at 3 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel.��The lecture is free and open to the public; RSVP is strongly recommended . The event will also be available via livestream at .

In 1997, Albright was named the first female secretary of state and became, at that time, the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government. As secretary of state, Albright reinforced America’s alliances, advocated for democracy and human rights, and promoted American trade, business, labor and environmental standards abroad. From 1993 to 1997, she served as the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations and was a member of the president’s Cabinet.

Prior to her service in the Clinton Administration, she served as president of the Center for National Policy, a member of President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Council and White House staff,��and served as chief legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Edmund Muskie.

Albright is chair of Albright Stonebridge Group��and chair of Albright Capital Management, an affiliated investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets.��She is also a professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. She chairs both the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and serves as president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation. She is also on the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Policy Board, a group tasked with providing the secretary of defense with independent, informed advice and opinion concerning matters of defense policy. Albright also serves on the boards of��the Aspen Institute and the Center for American Progress. In 2009, Albright was asked by NATO Secretary General Anders Fog Rasmussen to chair a group of experts focused on developing NATO’s new strategic concept.

Albright earned��a B.A. with honors from Wellesley College��and holds master’s and doctorate degrees from Columbia University’s Department of Public Law and Government, as well as a certificate from its Russian Institute.

The Tanner Lecture Series on Ethics, Citizenship and Public Responsibility provides a public forum for exploring questions about ethical citizenship in provocative and challenging ways. The series has been generously endowed by alumnus W. Lynn Tanner ’75 PhD, founder, CEO and chairman of TEC Canada, a leadership development organization dedicated to accelerating the growth and development of outstanding 21st-century leaders. The lecture series is coordinated by the Campbell Public Affairs Institute at the Maxwell School.

Amy Ellen Schwartz

The study, published Jan. 19 in the online issue of , was conducted by researchers at the , NYU Langone Medical Center and New York University’s Institute for Education and Social Policy.

The research team reports on analysis of more than 1 million students in 1,227 elementary and middle schools across the city. The paper, which compares students in schools with and without the water dispensers, called “water jets,” is the first to establish a link between the program and weight loss.

“Decreasing the amount of caloric beverages consumed and simultaneously increasing water consumption is important to promote children’s health and decrease the prevalence of childhood obesity,” says principal investigator Amy Ellen Schwartz, Daniel Patrick Moynihan Chair in Public Affairs at the Maxwell School and director of the NYU Institute for Education and Social Policy. “Schools are a natural setting for such interventions.”

In 2009, New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Department of Education began introducing water jets—large, clear electronically powered jugs with a push lever for dispensing water—into schools. Each water jet costs about $1,000. About 40 percent of schools received a water jet over the course of the study period: the academic school years 2008-9 through 2012-13.

Using height and weight data collected annually by schools to assess the fitness level of students, the investigators compared BMI and overweight status for all students before and after the introduction of water jets. Their results showed positive change: Students at schools that had water jets for at least three months saw a reduction in standardized body mass index (zBMI) of .025 for boys and .022 for girls, compared to students at schools without water jets. Adoption of water jets also was associated with a .9 percentage point reduction in the likelihood of being overweight for boys and a .6 percentage point reduction for girls.

The authors conclude that easy access to water during lunch may lead kids to substitute it for caloric beverages like chocolate milk, juice and soda. (NOTE: New York City public schools stopped allowing the sale of sugar-sweetened beverages before the study period, but students can still bring them from outside).

“This study demonstrates that doing something as simple as providing free and readily available water to students may have positive impacts on their overall health, particularly weight management,” says study senior investigator Brian Elbel, an associate professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone and NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. “Our findings suggest that this relatively low-cost intervention is, in fact, working.”

A 2015 study published in the American Journal of Public Health by Elbel and other colleagues found that water consumption increased three-fold just three months after schools introduced water jets. In addition, between the 2008-2013 academic years, milk purchases dropped at water jet schools by about 12 half-pint cartons per student per year, the new study found.

Just under 40 percent of children are overweight or obese in New York City. In addition to installing water jets in schools, the city has enacted policies to combat obesity and support child health including improving nutrition standards, expanding fruit and vegetable offerings, removing soda from vending machines and replacing whole milk with low-fat milk.

Funding for the study was provided by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.