Maxwell School News and Commentary

“We’re proud to receive the recognition of our peers across so many categories of excellence—ten specialties ranked in the top 10—as we pursue our mission to provide the very best professional education for our students,” says David M. Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School.

Peter Wilcoxen, professor of public administration and international affairs, will serve as the inaugural Ajello Professor in Energy and Environmental Policy. The professorship was created from a $250,000 gift from Maxwell School alumnus James Ajello ’76 M.P.A.

Dina Eldawy, an international relations and citizenship and civic engagement major, and Crystal Letona, a policy studies major, are finalists for the Truman Scholarship, which recognizes students for their community service, academic accomplishment, and commitment to a career of public service. “Dina and Crystal are extraordinary students and activists who are passionate about public service,” says Jolynn Parker, director of  Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising.

Maxwell's Citizenship and Civic Engagement program "was thrilled when [The Association of American Colleges and Universities] chose to include us as a case study,” said Anne Mosher, chair of the program and professor of geography. “As a collection, the cases highlight a shared commitment to bringing theories of citizenship into civic practice in some way."

The Mandela Washington Fellowship empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and local community engagement. The cohort of fellows hosted by the Maxwell School will be part of a larger group of 700 Mandela Washington Fellows hosted at 27 institutions across the United States this summer.

Alumnus James M. Harkin ’76 M.S.Sc./’78 Ph.D. (SSc) and his wife, Lucille Boilard-Harkin, have made estate plans that will provide ongoing scholarship support to students in Maxwell’s M.P.A. degree program. The gift will support Maxwell’s Birkhead-Burkhead Fund, of which James Harkin was a founding donor in 1987.