ATOZ: From
Woody Woo in 2016 - 2017
Auction In December, Wilson School students hosted the School’s annual signature event benefitting the Isles Youth Institute in Trenton. This year’s auction raised $16,000 for the local nonprofit, which mentors and assists disconnected youth.
Bay Area Visit Dean Cecilia Elena Rouse toured the Bay area with President Christopher L. Eisgruber and Khristina Gonzalez, associate dean of the college for programs of access and inclusion. The group visited Making Waves Academy charter school in Richmond, California, and led a roundtable discussion in San Francisco. He discussed ways to improve college access for low-income and first-generation students.
CISS Simulation This year, the Center for International Security Studies hosted more than 100 students for its fall crisis simulation. This year’s simulation was designed to expose students to the process of formulating, implementing and adjusting national security strategies under realworld conditions of time constraint and uncertainty. In the imagined scenario, political instability in Pakistan created regional unrest.
Deaton Sir Angus Deaton, senior scholar and Dwight D. Eisenhower Professor of International Affairs, Emeritus, and 2015 Nobel Memorial Prize Laureate in Economic Sciences, testified before the U.S. Senate on the deadly opioid epidemic that is contributing to an unprecedented increase in overall mortality and morbidity in midlife.
Election The Wilson School held many public lectures before and after the election, including an event featuring journalists Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes who coauthored “Shattered,” a book exploring Hillary Clinton’s “doomed” campaign. The night of the election, students and staff were invited to the School to hear predictions from a panel of experts and watch the returns.
Fung Global Forum This year’s annual Princeton-Fung Global Forum, “Society 3.0+: Can Liberty Survive the Digital Age?,” explored digital technologies in the information age, with a careful eye to how different countries and sectors approach the balance between risks, benefits and fundamental rights. Held in Berlin, Germany, the conference invited guest speakers who specialize in cybersecurity, including Brad Smith ‘81, president and chief legal officer, Microsoft, and Neelie Kroes, former vice president and commissioner for digital economy and society, European Commission.
Graduate Workshops Each year, graduate students participate in workshops led by Wilson School faculty covering a range of topics. A policy workshop led by Ethan Kapstein examined how the Millennium Challenge Corporation applies policy principles to U.S. foreign aid. Another workshop taught by Tom Wright challenged students to rethink the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Helping the Community For the past four years, local low-income clients at Trenton’s Arm in Arm food pantry have received free tax preparation from graduate students of the Wilson School. The volunteer work allows the students to witness policy topics playing out in the real world, such as how the Earned Income Tax Credit can increase refunds for low-income residents.
Indigenous Students This year marked the tenth annual Santa Fe Indian School Leadership Institute’s Summer Policy Academy (SPA), hosted at the Wilson School. Fifteen rising juniors, seniors and recent high school graduates from a diverse group of indigenous tribes in New Mexico participated in a rigorous weeklong program focusing on current challenges and federal policies affecting Native American communities.
John Templeton’s Retirement John Templeton, associate dean for graduate admissions, retired this year after 23 years of working at the School. He is a recipient of one of Princeton University’s MLK Day Journey Awards, the Journey Award for Lifetime Service, which recognize efforts to continue the journey to achieve Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision for America. We appreciate the positive impact he had on the Wilson School, and he will be missed greatly.
Kurtzer Lunch-Timer The Wilson School hosts regular LunchTimer lectures for students, faculty and fellows on a range of topics. This year, a lecture by Amb. (Ret.) Daniel C. Kurtzer, S. Daniel Abraham Professor of Middle East Policy Studies, explored the Trump Administration and the Middle East peace process.
Arthur Lewis Dodds Auditorium in the Wilson School has been renamed to honor Sir Arthur Lewis, a Nobel laureate in economics and James Madison Professor of Political Economy at the Wilson School who served on the School’s faculty from 1963 to 1983.
Math Camp Incoming MPA students (pictured), as well as incoming Ph.D. students, participated in the annual threeweek “Math Camp� to prepare them for the upcoming academic year.
Naturalization Ceremony In April, the Wilson School hosted a naturalization ceremony for 46 people from 28 countries, who live in 27 New Jersey towns. President Christopher L. Eisgruber gave opening remarks and welcomed the citizenship candidates to the ceremony. Lynne Johnson, Regina Leidy and Nancy McCollough, staff members of the Wilson School, performed The Star-Spangled Banner.
Oppenheimer Michael Oppenheimer, the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs, co-taught a spring course with David Wilcove, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and public affairs, on the science and politics behind different environmental laws and treaties. The course, titled “The Environment: Science and Policy,� challenged students to examine environmental concerns through a policy lens.
Politics & Polls Hosted by Wilson School professor Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang, “Politics and Polls” is a weekly political podcast covering topics from “Race Relations in America” to “Unraveling the ‘Trump-Russia Saga.’” The podcast is currently #20 on iTunes’ News & Politics category.
QE exams As part of their curriculum, MPA students are required to take two qualifying exams (QE). The QE1, taken in May at the end of their first year, tests the analytical skills acquired in the core curriculum. The QE2, taken after the second year, tests students in their chosen field of concentration. This year, MPA students Bethany Atkins, Jack Hoskins and David Logan received QE2 high distinction and Alexandra Parma, Ewan Rankin and Ken Sofer received QE2 distinction.
Race and Policing Forum In December, the Wilson School held a forum on race and policing, “From Ferguson to Dallas to Charlotte: Racial Justice and Policing in America.� The forum brought a diverse and distinguished panel of experts together to discuss the divide between African American communities and the police. Panelists explored community relations and accountability, issues of racial justice, profiling, human rights and effective law enforcement.
Softball Game In May, the WWS Annual Softball Game pitted graduate students of the “Woody Woo Athletic League” against the “Wooverines,” staff and faculty of the School. All played a well-fought battle, but the graduate students ultimately took home the trophy.
Ted Cruz Visits WWS Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, visited the Wilson School in early June during Princeton Reunions. He joined Professor Robert George for an engaging discussion on the importance of respecting differences and engaging in healthy debates.
Undergraduate Thesis Day In May, Wilson School seniors celebrated the completion of their senior theses by jumping into the Robertson Hall fountain, an annual tradition. Each senior is required to complete a thesis that addresses a specific policy question and draws out policy implications or offers policy recommendations.
Volunteering Many students at the Wilson School are active members of their communities and dedicated to giving back. The Woodrow Wilson Action Committee, the graduate student governing body of the Wilson School, plans social activities and coordinates volunteer and community-service activities. This year’s volunteer events included an auction for the Isles Youth Institute in Trenton.
WWS Reacts WWS Reacts, produced by the Wilson School’s Office of Public Affairs and Communications, is a series of interviews with Wilson School experts addressing current events. Topics range from “Renewing Ties with Egypt” to “Trump’s Tax Cut Plan.”
Brexit The Wilson School closely followed the Brexit referendum, hosting lectures about the impact of Brexit, conducting WWS Reacts for expert reactions and debating the controversial issue on the Politics & Polls podcast series.
Youth Education Research Six faculty members at Princeton University will receive funding from the Overdeck Education Research Innovation Fund to work on innovative, cross-disciplinary education research projects over the next two academic years. Projects focus on improving youth education and development.
Zika Adel Mahmoud, a senior policy analyst and lecturer with the rank of professor at the Wilson School and expert on infectious diseases, discussed the challenges to developing a Zika vaccine for WWS Reacts. Mahmoud highlighted the need for a global vaccine development fund to bridge the gap between vaccine research and the development of the product.