Message from the Director

This academic will be a capacity-building year at the School of Public Affairs.  With more capacity, we will be better able to support students, faculty, and the broader San Diego community. 

First and foremost, I’m excited to continue our efforts to expand course offerings, internships, and student experiences for our criminal justice, public administration, and city planning students. If you’ve been paying close attention, you have already seen some additional offerings in the School. For example, we are offering a new course on ‘politics and administration’. Students will learn about the California and federal administrative states in class, then travel to Sacramento or Washington, DC, to learn more about public policy, programs, and administration in the public sector. This course is part of a broader initiative we launched last year to ensure that every student in the School of Public Affairs can connect their academic classroom knowledge with actual public service experience in the field. 

Secondly, this year, we will launch a new initiative to secure the financial capacity of the School. Working with our 15,000 alumni, local and national foundations, student organizations, affiliated faculty, and local community partners, we plan to raise enough money to endow a position within the School of Public Affairs and generate funds to support students on academic learning experiences, like the Sacramento or Washington DC program.  

Finally, the School will increase its administrative capacity. This year, we plan to launch a new graduate programs coordinator post. The coordinator will oversee our accreditation processes, coordinate student recruitment and admissions, and advise graduate students.   Most importantly,  the coordinator will work to ensure that each student has a plan for degree completion.  With this extra administrative capacity, you’ll see more graduate-level events and activities from the School of Public Affairs. 

Together, these initiatives will help to ensure that the School continues its upward trajectory and that we continue to pursue our mission - to prepare students for the challenges of changing political and social environments - across Southern California and the world. 

Have a great academic year,

Roddrick Colvin
School Director and Professor