Contact Us
Phone: (202) 885-2940
Graduate programs: spagrad@american.edu
Undergraduate programs: aupublicaffairs@american.edu
9 Moments for 9 Decades of SPA
Scroll over the image below to learn more about each moment.
Jump down to view Speciality Areas.
9 Moments for 9 Decades of SPA
A $4,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation trains 80 promising federal government employees. By 1937, enrollment exceeds 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
The Key Executive Leadership Program, founded in 1975, training more than 2,500 public sector executives. Learn more about Key.
In 1988, SPA shifts focus to what became its core disciplines and departments: Public Administration & Policy, Government, and Justice, Law & Criminology. Read more about our Departments and Research Centers.
In the 1980s, SPA launches the popular interdisciplinary undergraduate major CLEG (Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government).听
SPA devotes resources to centers and institutes covering a wide range of areas. Follow our centers and institutes.
Founded in 2019 the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) focuses on the rising threat of domestic terrorism. Learn more here.
The SPA Analytics and Management Institute (SAMI) launches in 2018 to build skills in graduate students and alumni through weekend courses with experienced practitioners.
SPA Associate Professor Laura Paler launches the in 2022 to study global democratic erosion and develop evidence-based policy recommendations to counteract it.
In collaboration with the International Association of Chiefs of Polic (IACP) SPA releases "Re-Envisioniong Police Training in the U.S.: Rejecting the Status Quo, Speeding the Pace of Progress Toward a True 21st Century Model." Read the report here.
Ken Meier and Anna Amirkhanyan have both won NASPAA鈥檚 Duncombe Award, recognizing excellence in doctoral education, making SPA the only school to win the award twice. Learn more.
SPA is ranked #4 in Public Management & Leadership by U.S. News & World Report; has four current faculty who are fellows of the National Academy of Public Administration (Jocelyn Johnston, Barbara Romzek, Bob Tobias, and Vicky Wilkins); and is host to four academic journals.
The Key Executive Leadership Program, founded in 1975, training more than 2,500 public sector executives. Learn more about Key.
SPA is home to the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management (edited by Professor Erdal Tekin) and its companion podcast, 鈥淎 Closer Look鈥 (hosted by Professor Seth Gershenson).
In 2019, SPA launched a 鈥淧ublic Policy鈥 camp in partnership with APPAM to build a diverse pipeline of doctoral students concentrating on public policy.
SPA hosted the 2020 APPAM International Conference along with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
The Center for Environmental Policy is launched in 2010, focused on applied research and policy analysis, dialogue between government and the private sector, and bringing educational opportunities to our students that develop the next generation of environmental leaders.
SPA annually celebrates environmentalists making an impact through the Reilly Award for Environmental Leadership, named in honor of former Conservational International and World Wildlife Fund president William K. Reilly.
SPA is convening thought leaders to address issues of climate mitigation, adaptation, resiliency, and more. Watch and learn more.
Founded in 2019 by Cynthia Miller-Idriss, the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) focuses on the rising threat of domestic terrorism.
New books by Tricia Bacon and Thomas Zeitzoff examine the political realities of extremism. Bacon鈥檚 鈥淭error in Transition鈥 examines the organization of terrorist movements, while Zeitzoff鈥檚 鈥淣asty Politics鈥 looks at the increasing polarization of political discourse.
厂笔础鈥檚 Joseph Young and David Malet examine the roots of violent behavior in their research. Young鈥檚 Tortured Logic looks at why 猫咪社区apps support torture, while Malet鈥檚 Foreign Fighters examines why some people are motivated to join foreign wars.
Associate Professor Taryn Morrissey and Professor Seth Gershenson publish new research on early childhood education and teacher diversity, influencing policy and public discourse.
Partnership with restaurateur Mark Bucher (SPA/BA 鈥90) addresses food insecurity in the DC region.
Scholar in Residence Karen Baehler is the editor of the 2023 edition of The Oxford Handbook of Governance and Public Management for Social Policy.
厂笔础鈥檚 Metropolitan Policy Center launched in 2014 to research urban and metropolitan issues and disseminate findings to policymakers, think tanks, foundations, nonprofits, and more.
Partnerships with Anacostia Smithsonian Community Museum, District of Columbia鈥檚 Public Library, PENN Press, and the Wilson Center find solutions for urban challenges, such as affordable housing, economic development, racial and ethnic diversity, social service provision, and urban and regional governance.
Prof. Derek Hyra鈥檚 鈥淩ace, Class, and Politics in the Cappuccino City鈥 is published in 2017, bringing research on gentrification to the public.
厂笔础鈥檚 Khaldoun AbouAssi is leading a multi-university effort into the international governance of refugee camps.
厂笔础鈥檚 Lewis Faulk is the editor-in-chief of Nonprofit Management & Leadership
SPA will serve as a local host of the 2024 ARNOVA conference in Washington, DC. If you are in town, check us out!