Trustees Approve School of Public Policy Reorganization

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The University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees has approved a reorganization plan for the School of Public Policy (SPP) that adds five tenure-line faculty positions to program.

The plan, approved at the board’s July 20 meeting, moves into SPP the tenure homes of four faculty already affiliated with the school as joint faculty: Professor Brenda Bushouse; Distinguished University Professor Jane Fountain; Professor John Hird, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences; and Professor Alasdair Roberts, director of the School of Public Policy. In addition, Associate Professor Elizabeth Sharrow will move her tenure line to the School of Public Policy, with a joint appointment in the Department of History.

The reorganization is part of a multi-year expansion plan at the School of Public Policy. Earlier this year, SPP hired four new faculty members, the first to have their tenure lines in the program: Juniper Katz, assistant professor of public policy; Thaddeus Miller, associate professor of public policy; Viviana Chiu-Sik Wu, assistant professor of public policy; and Ethan Zuckerman, associate professor of public policy, communication, and information (a position jointly supported by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Information and Computer Sciences).

"This reorganization provides a solid foundation for future growth," Roberts, the School of Public Policy director, said. "School of Public Policy students have the opportunity to work with a talented faculty that is deeply committed to good governance and social change."

SPP’s growth plan also includes ongoing expansion of its graduate programs and the addition of an undergraduate major, among other initiatives.