Post date:
School of Public Policy students Toby Armstrong (MPP), Madeleine Neill (MPPA), and James Sullivan (MPPA) have been selected to compete in the 2018 Best Capstone Competition held by the Massachusetts chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.
Their capstone project looks at the effects of the recent legalization of marijuana in Massachusetts on local governments, using the town of Deerfield as a case study. The students surveyed Deerfield residents and held focus groups with town government officials to determine the community's most pressing concerns about marijuana legalization. Then they conducted surveys in communities with demographics similar to Deerfield's, in states were legalization laws were already in effect, to assess whether those concerns were borne out. At the end of the semester, the team will present Deerfield officials with a set of recommendations on dealing with legalization in their community.
Public policy students from across Massachusetts compete in the annual ASPA Best Capstone Competition. Last year, UMass School of Public Policy students Zulekha Abu and Liana Ascolese took first place with their project, "If You Want Something Done, Ask a Woman: How Women College Administrators Implement Effective Title IX Policies to Prevent Sexual Assault."
About the School of Public Policy: Established in 2016, the UMass Amherst School of Public Policy is a hub for research and teaching, preparing students for leadership in public service. The program’s focuses include social change and public policy related to science and technology.
— Maureen Turner, communications manager, School of Public Policy
