Embracing Challenges: The Making of an Aspiring Change-Maker
As the VCU Wilder School community eagerly anticipates the upcoming Fall Graduation Ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 8, we spotlight a remarkable Fall Class of 2023 member, Jada Whitley. Whitley, set to graduate with dual undergraduate degrees in Criminal Justice and Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, has been honored with the role of student speaker, representing her class.
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VCU urban planning student helps ‘a very hopeful experiment’ take root in Richmond
With the rollout expanding this fall, Adelaide Alexander says participatory budgeting elevates social awareness and community engagement.
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Wilder School Virginia Capitol Semester program: Sofhia Pineda Garay explores legislation in action
The Wilder School Virginia Capitol Semester program represents a unique opportunity for students to gain direct experience in the policy process. This spring semester internship program allows students to play an integral support role in the office of a Virginia State Legislature House Delegate or Senator during the General Assembly. For Sofhia Pineda Garay, a passion for social equity and social justice reform led her to apply.
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Future-focused: Undergraduate Evan Hirsh selected as Wilder School Fall 2022 Commencement speaker
Early on, Evan Hirsh knew he was cut out for a career in public service. Now concluding his final semester at the Wilder School, Hirsh’s plans are coming to fruition — but not in the way he initially imagined.
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Class of 2022: Michael Kyrychenko sets his sights on a public service career in criminal justice
As a criminal justice undergraduate student at the VCU Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Michael Kyrychenko is engaged in his community and prepared for success.
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Exploring public service possibilities with GVPA 100: Making Policy Real
A new Wilder School introductory course helps students to explore a wide range of careers
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Training for a Purpose: Student Basic Jailor Academy
Unique university-community collaboration allows Wilder School students to earn college credit and work part-time as certified correctional deputies in Henrico County jails.
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Wilder School Students Help Restore the Past, Plan for Future
A monstrous tangle of ivy and kudzu vines clog many pathways and bury much of Historic Evergreen Cemetery under a blanket of neglect. Some tombstones are so worn their names are illegible. Others lay crumbled, shrouded by a towering canopy of trees.
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Wilder School Hosts Dynamic Cohort for First-ever PPIA Public Service Weekend
The Wilder School recently hosted the first-ever PPIA Public Service Weekend for a talented and dynamic cohort of students from all over the country. In total, 24 students from 17 states and 21 universities attended the intensive, three-day experience which focused on the theme “Social Equity in Public Policy Analysis.”
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Future-focused: Eric King envisions environmental equity
An urban and regional planning graduate student at the Wilder School, Eric King is pursuing a career in building climate resilience from the ground up at the local level by tackling issues such as flood prevention and rising temperatures in urban areas.
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Plan Off! 2023: Congratulations to our urban and regional planning graduate students
The Plan Off! 2023 competition was a huge success and celebration for students, faculty, alumni and friends to gather in support of urban planning. Each year, MURP students compete for a prize by pitching their solution to a real-world planning, public policy or management problem before a panel of expert judges. Students each receive five minutes to present their plans, which advance through a series of rounds until a champion is named.
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Future-Focused: Amy Clifton-Mills takes an innovative approach to criminal justice research
For Amy Clifton-Mills (M.S. ’19), pursuing criminal justice was an obvious choice. Raised on “Law & Order” and “CSI,” Clifton-Mills’ curiosity and self-proclaimed “nosiness” grew into a passion for social sciences. Now a student in the Wilder School public policy and administration Ph.D. program with a concentration in criminal justice policy, she’s putting a childhood dream into action.
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Class of 2022: Whitney Brown excels with dedication to public service and her community
As an M.P.A. graduate student at the VCU Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Brown transforms her passion for social equity into action.
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VCU Wilder School's Nakeina E. Douglas-Glenn connects equity and outcomes as a ‘pracademic’ – a practitioner-academic
Leading the Wilder School’s Research Institute for Social Equity, she looks to ensure that government services and public encounters embrace the full community.
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North Korea: What you need to know with Wilder School expert Benjamin Young
From leader Kim Jong Un’s recent visit with Vladimir Putin and rumors of a military alliance with Russia to nuclear weapons development and COVID isolationism, North Korea punches up for its size in international politics. The impacts of this secretive nation are felt across the globe. We spoke with expert Ben Young, assistant professor of homeland security and emergency management at the VCU Wilder School, to explore what we need to know about North Korea.
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A new report by the Wilder School’s Elsie Harper-Anderson highlights the role of local governments in successful entrepreneurial ecosystems
A post-COVID-19 entrepreneurial surge in local governments sparked a RAND Corporation report, co-authored by Wilder School's Elsie Harper-Anderson. Surveying six U.S. cities, the report emphasizes the overlooked role of local governments in nurturing entrepreneurial ecosystems. Highlighting the variable allocation of support based on each city's economic objectives, the study calls for a deeper understanding of local government's influence on entrepreneurship.
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Virginia leaves Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative: What you need to know
With a 4-3 vote from the Air Pollution Control Board, Virginia begins a process to withdraw from a multistate carbon cap-and-trade program, walking back years of greenhouse gas and sustainable energy. We sat down with Damian Pitt, Ph.D., an expert in sustainability-focused energy policy in Virginia and the Atlantic region. Pitt is associate professor of urban planning in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public
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Walking in urban green spaces is better for us than walking in gray spaces says Wilder School research
Adjunct professor of urban and regional planning Jeremy Hoffman describes how we can get more out of our city walks — and how cities can be designed to reduce stress and improve health.
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Virginia youth from areas with high rates of crime and economic disadvantage are at the highest risk of recidivism, VCU study finds
The study by Wilder School researchers provides data that can inform policies to reduce youth recidivism across Virginia.
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Road to research: Blythe Balestrieri
Blythe Balestrieri, PhD., and associate professor at the Wilder School, began her academic career in criminal justice after working as a prison law librarian in graduate school.
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A VCU Wilder School institute is playing a key role in the state’s efforts to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine equitably
The Research Institute for Social Equity in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University is providing support to Virginia’s efforts to promote equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to disproportionately impacted populations, such as the Black and Hispanic/Latino communities.
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Meet Christina Mancini
Christina Mancini, Ph.D., is an expert on sexual violence, campus rape, sexual assault policy and the role of public opinion in shaping public safety.
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Meet Maureen Moslow-Benway
Maureen Moslow-Benway joined the Wilder School faculty in 2007, following a storied 20-year intelligence career that included roles as as a special agent in the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and as a national security consultant and manager for Booz Allen Hamilton. In her spare time, she's an extreme athlete with a record of more than 100 competitive races.
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Meet Chernoh Wurie
Chernoh Wurie, Ph.D., was 16 when rebel bandits entered his home in Sierra Leone and held his family at gunpoint. That incident fueled a career in policing that would eventually lead to the classroom.
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Blythe A. Bowman
Dr. Blythe A. Bowman’s intellectual journey brought her to the crossroads of classics and criminal justice.
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Suen Coauthors Economic Impact Study of the James River Park System
A study conducted by a Wilder School associate professor and a VCU psychology associate professor on behalf of the Friends of the James River Park has found that the James River Park System has a positive impact on the city of Richmond, with every dollar in the park’s budget generating more than $60 in visitor spending.
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Alumni Changemaker: Nancy Toscano builds on career marked by dedication to vulnerable families and children
As CEO of UMFS, Ph.D. alumna Nancy Toscano ('15 PPA) builds on career marked by dedication to vulnerable families and children.
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Alumni Changemaker: Amy Atkinson serves the commonwealth's youth and families
Amy Atkinson’s (MPA ’00) career in public service began with embracing “open doors” that led her to unexpected professional opportunities. Now the executive director of the Virginia Commission on Youth, she has served in state government for nearly three decades and remains committed to opening doors for others.
Read more.jpg "Cydney Lowenstein (B.S. ’10, M.S. ’13, Ph.D. ’20), became a member of the Wilder School community when she began her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2006. Three Wilder School degrees later, she's now a research support specialist with the Wilder School Survey and Evaluation Research Lab.")
Wilder School triple graduate Cydney Lowenstein brings data analysis expertise to the Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory
Cydney Lowenstein (B.S. ’10, M.S. ’13, Ph.D. ’20), became a member of the Wilder School community when she began her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2006. Three Wilder School degrees later, she quickly advanced to a position as research support specialist where she continues to demonstrate her broad range of expertise today as part of the Wilder School’s Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory.
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Alumni Changemaker: Myra Goodman Smith
For Myra Goodman Smith (B.S.,’82, M.P.A., ’84), public service is her life’s work. From her days as a volunteer candy striper at MCV hospital at the age of fourteen to her current position as President and CEO of Leadership Metro Richmond, Smith has made a name for herself through her unwavering commitment to helping others.
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Wilder School Alumni Changemaker: Jovan Burton
Housing accessibility has a complicated and storied history in the Richmond region, and it’s a past Jovan Burton (M.P.A.’21) is working to transform. As the executive director of the Partnership for Housing Affordability (PHA), a nonprofit dedicated to advancing affordable housing policies and programs, Burton is a tireless advocate for fostering diverse, equitable and inclusive communities.
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Meet Mo Alie-Cox
It would be impressive for any college student to earn his undergraduate degree in just three years. But for Mo Alie-Cox, graduating in three years is downright masterful.
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Center for Public Policy Spotlight: Dietra Trent, Ph.D., Senior Director of Equity Research and Training
Dietra Trent, Ph.D., an alumna of the VCU Wilder School and the former Secretary of Education for Virginia, is the Wilder School's first senior director of equity research and training.
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Championing Equity: The 2023 Wilder Symposium Tackles HBCU Funding Disparities
In an era echoing demands for equality, funding disparities between HBCUs and other institutions highlight lingering inequities. Led by L. Douglas Wilder, the Wilder School of Government recently showcased this crucial issue in a significant symposium. Discover insights from a renowned panel spanning academia to politics as they tackle 'HBCUs and the Absence of Support' at the 2023 Wilder Symposium.
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2023 Excellence in Virginia Government Awards celebrates record-setting event
Four outstanding public servants and three innovative organizations were honored during the 16th Excellence in Virginia Government Awards (EVGA) held on April 11, 2023, by the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, who created the awards in 2004, remarked on the importance of recognizing excellent achievements.
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Available now: “Triple Pandemic” book showcases the breadth of Wilder School research
Published by Routledge, the book represents a collaborative research undertaking that includes contributions from 16 Wilder School faculty, three alumni and three Ph.D. students.
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2022 Wilder Symposium recap - "‘I had no choice’ but to help them"
L. Douglas Wilder spoke about his work as an attorney representing the family of Bruce Tucker, whose heart was transplanted without his or his family’s knowledge or consent at the Medical College of Virginia in 1968.
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Research Institute for Social Equity receives $3 million to become thought leader and connector for advancing social justice
The Research Institute for Social Equity in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU, an institute that has contributed to the equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in Virginia among other efforts, will receive $3 million over the course of two years to continue efforts toward advancing equity to inform public policy, governance and practice to improve conditions for marginalized voices in society.
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Wilder School Formally Dedicates New Raleigh Building
The Wilder School officially dedicated the renovated Raleigh Building on August 30, celebrating our newest property with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Read more.jpeg "Class of 2023 HIGHER Ground Women’s Leadership Development Program.")
HIGHER Ground Women’s Leadership Development graduates learn to lead with compassion.
Introducing Dr. Antoinette Allen, Ph.D., the new director of Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute and HIGHER Ground Program. Under her guidance, 34 leaders completed the transformative program, emphasizing compassion and growth. With a distinguished career at esteemed institutions like the Federal Executive Institute, IRS Leadership Academy, and FBI, Dr. Allen brings extensive expertise in leadership development.
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Virginia Executive Institute Class of Spring 2023 celebrates with workforce development presentations
The Spring 2023 Class of the Virginia Executive Institute (VEI) celebrated their program completion by gathering to present group project findings. VEI provides a dynamic forum for leaders to collaborate across a network of state executives committed to developing their leadership strengths and becoming change agents for Virginia's future.
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Virginia Executive Institute Grows Leaders and Fosters Connections
For more than two decades, the Performance Management Group within the Center for Public Policy at VCU’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs has provided a dynamic forum for leaders of today and tomorrow to examine and enhance their abilities as thinkers, decision makers and leaders.
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Celebrating a career of public service: Laurin L. Henry, Ph.D., professor emeritus, approaches 102nd birthday
Laurin L. Henry, Ph.D., turns 102 on May 23. He was the first dean of VCU's School of Community Services (now the Wilder School) and served as the president of NASPAA. Last month, Henry recounted his legacy of passion, dedication and service to administrators from NASPAA and the VCU Wilder School.
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John Moeser, ‘advocate for a more just society’ and VCU urban studies trailblazer, dies at 79
Moeser was a founding member of VCU’s Urban and Regional Studies and Planning program and the co-author of an influential book that revealed how Richmond’s planning policies placed Black residents at a disadvantage based on race.
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A Leader among leaders: Remembering Chong Mo Pak
Chong Mo Pak, a former VCU professor, helped transform public service leadership education in Virginia.
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The History of the Wilder School
Since its inception, the Wilder School has been focused on public and community service in several forms with different degree programs at VCU. Learn more about the school's history during Public Service Recognition week.
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Wilder School Dean Susan Gooden elected vice president of global accreditation body
Congratulations to VCU L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Dean, Susan Gooden, who was elected Vice President of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) at its 2020 annual conference.
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Gooden Named Dean of Wilder School
Susan Gooden, Ph.D., who has served as interim dean of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University since May 2018, has been named dean, effective April 16. She will oversee a professional school which ranks among the top 20 percent of schools of its kind in the nation, includes more than 1,200 students, nine undergraduate and graduate programs and a comprehensive Center for Public Policy.
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Susan Gooden Makes History at International Conference
Wilder School Interim Dean Susan Gooden, Ph.D., became the first person from the United States and the fourth woman to deliver the Braibant Lecture at the 2018 Congress of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS), held June 25-29 in Tunis, Tunisia.
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Susan Gooden Publishes Clear-Eyed Book on “Global Equity in Administration”
New book edited by Susan T. Gooden, Global Equity in Public Administration: Nervous Areas of Governments, confronts discrimination and exclusion against public servants, governments and government actors.
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Manhattan Institute Awards Research Grant to Susan Gooden
Susan T. Gooden, Ph.D., professor of public administration and policy at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, has received a research grant of $364,196 to conduct an evaluation of the life outcomes of participants in nonprofit organizations focused on engaging disadvantaged youth from poor and minority communities.
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Albanese, Gooden to Receive University’s Top Honor
Two Wilder School professors—Jay Albanese, Ph.D., and Susan Gooden, Ph.D.,—have been selected as recipients of the 2016 Distinguished Faculty Awards, the campus’ most prestigious honor for teaching faculty.
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Gooden Receives Research Award
Susan T. Gooden, Ph.D., professor of public administration and policy at the Wilder School, has received a $50,000 presidential research award from the Russell Sage Foundation
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Gooden to lead Kerner journal, conference
Wilder School professor Susan Gooden, Ph.D., is the co-editor of a collection of articles that will mark the semi-centennial of the Kerner Commission Report, which is due out next fall. To celebrate the publication, Gooden is organizing a national conference in Minneapolis September 6-7. Both the journal symposium and the conference are being sponsored by the Russell Sage Foundation.
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ASPA to Honor Governor Wilder with Social Equity Award
L. Douglas Wilder, distinguished professor at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia’s 66th governor, will receive the American Society for Public Administration Gloria Hobson Nordin Social Equity Award at ASPA’s upcoming annual conference in Denver, Colorado.
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Gooden Publishes New Research Methods Text
Susan Gooden, Wilder School Interim Dean and Professor, has co-authored “Why Research Methods Matter,” a refreshingly accessible new textbook that hits the sweet-spot between sound, scientific-driven inquiry and the political and economic considerations of real-world evaluation and policymaking. The book, available from Melvin and Leigh Publishing, hits shelves later this month.
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Gooden Named Interim Dean of Wilder School
Susan T. Gooden, Ph.D., professor of public administration and policy, has been named interim dean of the Wilder School, effective Tuesday, May 15.
Read more.jpg "66th Governor of Virginia, L. Douglas Wilder symbolizes the pinnacle of public service as the first elected African-American in the United States.")
Governor L. Douglas Wilder honored with Defender of Democracy Award by the University of Virginia Center for Politics
Center for Politics Director Larry J. Sabato will present Wilder with the award at a luncheon event at the University of Virginia’s Rotunda Dome Room on Friday, Sept. 29 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the presentation itself beginning around 12:15 p.m.
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