Post date:
Professor of Economics M.V. Lee Badgett will discuss her newly-released book, The Public Professor: How to Use Your Research to Change the World, on Wednesday, January 27, at 4:00 p.m. in the Amherst Room at the UMass Campus Center (10th Floor).
The event is co-sponsored by the UMass Public Engagement Project and the Center for Public Policy and Administration. Associate Professor of Sociology Amy Schalet, who directs the Public Engagement Project, will moderate the event. Comments will be offered by Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement Elizabeth Chilton and Associate Professor of Resource Economics and Public Policy Sylvia Brandt.
An informal reception and Q&A will follow the program.
Badgett’s book is an important contribution to our understanding of how scholars can inform public discussions and policymaking on issues ranging from climate change to social inequality.
Over the past 25 years, Badgett’s own research has helped to shape state and national policies governing the rights of LGBT individuals, including the legalization of same-sex marriage. Badgett draws on her experience, along with the experiences of other public intellectuals, to show how academics can successfully create the professional networks and “voice” that allow their research to be heard before Congress, on public radio, or on the editorial pages of such national newspapers as the New York Times or Washington Post.
According to reviewer David Boies, “[Badgett] has written an important book which provides valuable advice for anyone who wants to improve their ability to use their research and knowledge to create compelling public messages.”
Badgett is a co-founder of, and steering committee member for, the Public Engagement Project, a faculty-driven initiative to support UMass colleagues seeking to use their research for the common good. The Project sponsors several all-campus events each year about public engagement, and annually runs a semester-long fellowship program for faculty who want to reach broader publics with their research.
Badgett has been director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration since 2007. She is also a Distinguished Scholar at the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, UCLA School of Law.
