The School of Public Policy hosted its annual fall kickoff on Friday, September 18, welcoming a new cohort of graduate and undergraduate students across three programs while exploring this year's central theme: "Democracy at Work: Policy, Law, and Data."
The event brought together incoming students from the Data Analytics and Computational Social Science (DACSS), Legal Studies, and Public Policy programs. The keynote was delivered by MA State Senator Jo Comerford along with speeches by UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Dean Karl Rethemeyer, SPP Director Jane Fountain, and DACSS Director Justin Gross, who each offered perspectives on policy, law, and the role of data in addressing the most challenging, and sometimes intractable, issues of our day.
The event also featured remarks from alumni who have put their education to work in the field. Ayla Thornton (MPP), Débora D. Ferreira, Theresa Szczepanski, and Maxwell Solie all shared insights into both the event's theme and their own career trajectories since graduating from UMass Amherst.
The kickoff set an exciting tone for the coming academic year, and helped current students connect with alumni start envisioning their future career possibilities.
