On the heels of climate strikes, marches, and protests worldwide, this Thursday, Professor Ann Bostrom will testify in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in a hearing titled, “Understanding, Forecasting, and Communicating Extreme Weather in a Changing Climate.”
Category: News and Information
Professor Dwight Dively Receives 2019 Kenneth A. Howard Award for Lifetime Achievement
Last week, Professor Dwight Dively was selected as the winner of the 2019 Association for Budgeting and Financial Management’s Kenneth A. Howard Award for lifetime achievement by a practitioner in the field of public budgeting and finance.
ABFM is the main professional association for public administration academics who focus on public budgeting and finance. The Association deeply values practice-relevant research and has a rich tradition of engaging and honoring leading practitioners who have deep ties to the academic community.
Professor Dively is entering his 31st year of teaching financial topics at the Evans School, and his contributions to the Evans Schools strong financial management and budgeting practice are both recognized and deeply appreciated. Congratulations, Professor Dively!
This week, Professor Alison Cullen begins her term as interim dean of the Evans School.
Cullen has served the Evans School with distinction since she joined the faculty in 1995, including terms as associate dean and graduate program coordinator. She has published many scholarly works related to her research areas, which focus on environmental and human health policy, wildfire risk management and climate impacts. She also holds adjunct professor appointments in the School of Public Health and the College of the Environment.
“I would like to express my appreciation and my optimism about the year ahead. I am honored and humbled to have been selected to serve as interim dean of the Evans School,” she emphasized, “I look forward continuing Dean Archibald’s efforts to sustain the Evans School as one of the nation’s leading public affairs institutions.”
Cullen is the recipient of the Society for Risk Analysis Distinguished Educator Award, has twice received the Evans Student Organization Excellence in Instruction Award and received the 2016 Evans School Dean’s Outstanding Teaching Award. Among her numerous awards and recognitions for scholarship, Cullen was an NSF Faculty Fellow in the Advanced Study Program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a visiting fellow at Boston’s Health Effects Institute and the recipient of the Society of Toxicology Award for a Publication Demonstrating Applied Risk Assessment. She is active in risk assessment and management efforts in the U.S. and internationally, including serving on the Science Advisory Board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and conducting wildfire risk management research with the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
“After 24 years, my passion for our great school is reinforced by my excitement to serve as interim dean in a critical period for scholarship and action in the public and nonprofit sectors,” she said. “The Evans School has a proud history of excellence in providing evidence-based solutions to societal challenges, and an inspiring future rising from a passionate call for justice, equity and inclusion in public policy and governance.”
Cullen received her bachelor’s in civil/environmental engineering from MIT and holds both a Master of Science in environmental health science, exposure assessment and engineering and a doctor of science in environmental health management from Harvard University School of Public Health, where she also previously served on the faculty.
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Professor Alison Cullen Named Interim Dean of the Evans School
Alison Cullen has been named interim dean of the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, Provost Mark A. Richards announced earlier this month. Her appointment, set to begin Sept. 1, is subject to approval by the UW Board of Regents.
Cullen currently holds the Daniel J. Evans Endowed Professorship of Public Policy and Governance and is a decorated scholar and long-serving faculty member.
“President Cauce and I are so grateful to Alison for bringing her leadership experience and commitment to excellent teaching and scholarship with impact to her leadership of the Evans School, and we appreciate the widespread and enthusiastic support for her appointment among our faculty colleagues,” Richards said.
Marches, Lawsuits, and Wedding Dresses: My Personal Fight for Gay Rights
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City when gay, lesbian, and transgender patrons of the Stonewall Inn fought back against on-going police harassment.
UW Undergraduate Puts Ideas into Action
In May 2017, then-University of Washington freshman Byron Dondoyano Jr. identified a need for more inclusive, affirming policies after he observed Ramadan as a non-religious student. By fasting from 2:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. with no food, drink, or water right before finals, he experienced first-hand a glimpse of the lived experiences of his Muslim peers. He discovered that this was more than just an issue for Muslim students, but also for Jewish students with finals on Saturdays, and Orthodox Christians observing Christmas in January.
Byron began to research how state law around religious expression was being implemented at the UW. He found that UW policies, and how they are communicated to students, could be strengthened. And, he promptly took action. That same spring quarter, Byron took an undergraduate elective course at the Evans School called “Making Change Happen” (PUB POL 313), which not only helped him understand the process of policy making, policy implementation, and evaluation, it also equipped him with the skills he would need to push his own piece of legislation through from the UW Student Senate to the Washington State Legislature.
“Part of what I learned was the importance of coalition building. As a non-religious student, my lived experiences were going to be very different from those who observe whatever faith they observe,” Byron explained. “I partnered with Mennah from the Middle Eastern Student Commission to tackle this project. During the entire journey, our coalition grew to include the Jewish Federation, Council for American-Islamic Relations, the Anti-Defamation League, Faith Action Network, Cedar Law PLLC, and State Senator Bob Hasegawa.”
Now signed into law, Senate Bill 5166 creates more transparency and brings more awareness to religious accommodations, in the same spirit that the ADA created more awareness and support for people with disabilities. It also provides protection for all universities in Washington state from potential lawsuits over discrimination.
“The elective courses I took at the Evans School changed the way I viewed government and decision making,” Byron noted. “This journey has inspired me to continue to do work in policy, and I plan on pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy or Education Policy in the future.”
Byron is now a junior studying Law, Societies and Justice with a minor in education. He is also a volunteer and part-time teacher at a preschool in his community, and he is working to create more gender and racial representation in early childhood education.
Evans School Digital Strategies Team Wins Distinguished Staff Award
Congratulations to Molly Jay, John Compton and Ian Gonzalez for receiving the University of Washington’s 2019 Distinguished Staff Award! Molly, John, and Ian were recognized for their achievements in re-imagining, redesigning, and constructing the new “Hallway,” an important resource that allows educators to easily access and source case studies to use in their public policy courses. They share their recognition with gratitude to Nicole Fiorentino and the many student workers who helped to make this project a reality.
They will be honored at the UW’s Awards of Excellence ceremony at 3:30 p.m. on June 13 in Meany Hall for the UW community and general public. The program includes a one-hour ceremony hosted by President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost and Executive Vice President Mark Richards, followed by a reception.
Learn more about the process and the winners here.
Meet the 2019 Evans School members of the Husky 100
Meet the newest Evans School members of the Husky 100: Louie Tan Vital (MPA ’19) and Carter Osborne (MPA ’19)!
These two outstanding Evans School students know that education happens both inside and outside the classroom. Louie and Carter were selected based on their ability to embrace innovation and novel ways of thinking, to seek understanding of and engagement with diverse communities, to lead proactively, and to take on their bright futures with enthusiasm, savvy and fortitude.
Louie came to the Evans School determined to become a policy analyst and, eventually, a policymaker. Now, with new analytical skills and a thorough understanding of the policy process, she plans to carve a space for herself in between policy analysis and policy advocacy.
“Public administration as a field is guilty for codifying institutional racism in the United States, and it is my life’s mission to undo its harm,” Louie explained. “Using a race and equity lens at every step of the way, I want to change the narrative of what it means to be a public administrator and elected official.”
During his time at the Evans School, Carter committed himself to immediately applying the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom to his efforts advancing University of Washington mental health initiatives. Carter helped to bring together nearly 15 independent student groups to form the Student Mental Health Taskforce, which builds awareness and improves policies that address suicide prevention at the UW.”
“I’m optimistic when it comes to public service. I honestly believe that everyone has a public issue that they would commit themselves to, which is what suicide prevention is for me. I think my job is simply to help people find their issue and take action.”
The Husky 100 recognizes UW juniors, seniors and graduate students who are making the most of their Husky Experience, as demonstrated by the ways in which they fulfill the five program criteria. This year’s selection process was highly competitive, with more than 1,800 nominations and more than 600 applications from all three UW campuses.
Congratulations Louie and Carter!
Kevin Truong (MPA ’20) Sets an Example with Hey Mentor
Second-year MPA student Kevin Truong was featured in Perspectives, the College of Arts and Sciences January 2019 newsletter for his exciting work founding Hey Mentor, an online mentor program for high school students. Since its launch in fall 2017, Hey Mentor has served students from more than 20 high schools in King County, and has earned the attention and support of the Gates Foundation. Truong hopes Hey Mentor can continue to broaden its reach, with Hey Mentor clubs at other universities in Washington state and beyond. Given his own background, he understands what a difference a little help can make.
Congratulations to Brenda Gellner!
Evans doctoral student Brenda Gellner was recently awarded a position in the 2019 Dissertation Proposal Workshop hosted by Howard University’s Center on Race and Wealth and the Institute for Research on Poverty at University of Wisconsin. She was one of only 12 students selected. The workshop provides an excellent opportunity for Brenda to interact with scholars from across the country and to advance her work on her dissertation proposal.