McCourt School of Public Policy Impact Report Spring 2020

Dear Alumni and Friends,

I hope this report finds you and your families safe and well. As we face an urgent need to work together in the face of great challenges and uncertainty, I am so appreciative of this community and your support: you are the resilient models of leadership and service we need now more than ever.

The McCourt School is committed to training ethically grounded leaders and equipping them with the cutting-edge skills to have a positive impact now. Together, our community is tackling today’s most complex problems and designing meaningful solutions rooted in evidence and a deep understanding of the people they serve.

Over the past year, the McCourt School has grown in line with our ever-increasing aspirations for impact: we welcomed 280 new students and substantially expanded our full-time and research faculty to reflect diverse expertise and groundbreaking scholarship. And the world is taking notice. The McCourt School recently ranked 25th in the latest edition of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Schools of Public Affairs ranking, placing the McCourt School in the top 10 percent of public affairs schools nationwide.

This year and beyond, we will continue to invest in the next generation of public policy leaders. We will break down the barriers that stand between the “impatient changemakers” that fill our classrooms and the careers that await them—across sectors and policy areas, here in DC and around the globe. We will build a new home at the very center of policy making on the Capitol Campus that brings together our students, research, professional staff, resources, and programming, and amplifies our collective ambition for the common good.

Each commitment the members of this generous community make to our mission, whether sharing your story of impact, connecting with our students and alumni, or contributing to our efforts to support our students and programs, strengthens our shared mission and deepens our capacity for transformational impact. In uncertain times like these, your support is deeply felt.

Thank you.

Maria Cancian
Dean, McCourt School of Public Policy

Points of Pride

McCourt Rises in Speciality Rankings in Latest U.S. News & World Report

2020 Whittington Scholar Winner is Committed to Giving Back to the Community

Using Data to Improve Housing Inspections in DC

McCourt School Students Issue $20,000 to Local Nonprofits to Support Racial Equity and COVID-19 Response Efforts

Why I Am Thankful…

1 of 4
1 of 4

  • Why I Am Thankful…

    “Because of the McCourt Fund for Student Excellence, I had the opportunity to travel to the Philippines to complete a fellowship in sustainability with the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation. As a fellow, I worked with the El Nido Resort sustainability team and the broader Ayala Corporation to develop a sustainable supply chain plan and inventory optimizations to decrease environmental impact. I was able to apply data analysis and management techniques learned at McCourt while gaining valuable skills in Corporate Social Responsibility, which led me to my thesis topic on the intersection of CSR and emission levels. I hope to continue to work in CSR and sustainability!”

Caitlyn Loeffler (MPP’20)

  • Why I Am Thankful…

    “My internship with the Committee on Education at the Council of the District of Columbia was and continues to be the highlight of my McCourt experience. I apply relationship-building skills in engaging with D.C. agencies, communication skills in writing time-sensitive memos, and policy and legislative analysis skills in drafting bills. My internship has directed my post-McCourt career aspirations to local government, and I look forward to deeply engaging with my new Philadelphia community.”

Ashley Pollard (MPP’20)

  • Why I Am Thankful…

    “With the support of the McCourt Fund for Student Excellence, I interned at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) last summer. I worked for the Office of Sustainable Development in the Bureau for Africa, specifically supporting the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), an Africa-wide youth leadership development program. I was given the opportunity to work on a variety of tasks, including program design, sustainability planning, monitoring and evaluation, private sector engagement, and strategic partnerships. I was challenged throughout the internship and greatly improved my understanding of how large-scale development programs operate. Overall, I had a great experience with the YALI team and really grew my interest in education and youth issues in the development context. I am excited to return to USAID upon graduation from the McCourt School later this year as a Presidential Management Fellow!”

Ritika Ayer (MPP’20)

  • Why I Am Thankful…

    “Last summer, I interned at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). I assisted in identifying, analyzing, and summarizing the targets of terrorist attacks for inclusion in the Global Terrorism Database. I concurrently worked on a research project on the relationship between terrorist organization lethality and ideology, which I presented to START staff. This internship allowed me to improve my research, analysis, and presentation skills, aiding me in my pursuit of a research position at a think tank after graduation.”

Ido Levy (MPP’20)

Connect with Us

Thank you for being an important part of the McCourt School.

Make a Gift