Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Inspiring Public Service Toward an Equitable Future

For more than 60 years, the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance has built a reputation as one of the top public policy schools in the nation. The school is defined by our shared purpose: to inspire public service and to democratize public policy.

Our students, graduates, and faculty provide the ideas, expertise, and leadership that guide government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private companies around the country and throughout the world. In partnership with communities, we co-create solutions to the most pressing societal problems.

History

The University of Washington first offered the Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree in 1947 through the Department of Political Science. In 1958, UW President Charles Odegaard appointed a committee to determine how the University could improve public policy and management education. Following the committee’s recommendations, Odegaard asked Brewster Denny to develop a model for an independent school of public policy and governance. The Evans School was established in 1962 as one of the nation’s first schools of public policy at a public university, and it has quickly risen to being home to the top public policy programs nationwide.

Denny, the great-grandson of one of Seattle’s founding families, a former staff member for U.S. Senator Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson, and a UW alumnus, designed a mission and curriculum, serving as the school’s first director and dean.

In 2021, the Evans School welcomed its seventh dean, Jodi Sandfort, who is taking the school’s strong legacy of public service and academic achievement created by her predecessors—Brewster Denny, Jared Hazelton, Hubert G. Locke, Margaret T. Gordon, Marc Lindenberg, and Sandra O. Archibald—into the next era.

The Honorable Daniel J. Evans & Nancy B. Evans

Formerly known as the UW Graduate School of Public Affairs, the Evans School was renamed in 1999 to honor Daniel J. Evans, who served as both a U.S. senator and three-term governor of the State of Washington. He ranks as one of the most distinguished leaders in the history of the State of Washington with a lifelong commitment to public service with longstanding ties to the UW and exemplary experience in the fields of governance, education, and the environment. The late Former First Lady Nancy Bell Evans worked tirelessly as a civic volunteer to bring energy, grace, and passion to public and nonprofit service. A leader and innovator, she was a founder and chair of the Friends of Cancer Lifeline, national chair of the First Ladies’ Mental Health Month, founding trustee of Planned Parenthood of Olympia, and founder of the Governor’s Mansion Foundation.

In Memorium

The Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance is proud of the service of its faculty, staff, and supporters, past and present. From its beginnings in the Department of Political Science to the present, the Evans School has benefited from the intellectual and practical contributions of dedicated individuals whose commitment to the public good has helped cultivate generations of leaders and establish one of the country’s top-ranked schools of public policy and governance. Learn more about the public service leaders who have influenced on our proud history.

Parrington Hall

The Evans School resides in historic Parrington Hall, which, built in 1902, is the second oldest academic building on campus.  Its iconic silhouette is almost as old as the University of Washington itself and its foundation reminds us of the powerful legacy that both purpose and commitment can leave behind.

In 2020, we reimagined that legacy by renovating the building so that it reflects our commitment to serving the public good and our belief that public systems can be used to make this world more equitable and just. The reimagined Parrington Hall is an efficient, flexible, and inspiring learning environment for our current and future public service leaders.

Rankings

Evans School Ranks Among Best in the Nation

U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools places the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance among the best schools in the nation and the world.

Four of our specializations were also ranked in the top ten: Environmental Policy, Nonprofit Management, Social Policy, and Public Finance & Budgeting.

Evans School Dean Jodi Sandford noted: “I am pleased by Evans’ continued top-ten ranking because of the ways it positions us to engage deeply with public policy and implementation issues moving forward, sharing our learning with peers throughout the country and the world. We should all take great pride in our School’s work to inspire public service and democratize public policy.”

These rankings are released annually and are based on reputation and respect among peer institutions. These rankings are representative our leadership and expertise in these areas as an institution.