Maxwell News

Howard “Howie” Phanstiel ’70 B.A. (PSc)/’71 M.P.A. and Gloria Somolekae ’94 Ph.D. (PA), will be awarded honorary degrees during Commencement exercises for their distinguished accomplishments in their professional careers and in service to others.

A bachelor’s degree from the Maxwell School and the College of Arts and Sciences helped prepare famed broadcaster Mike Tirico to take on one of the toughest assignments of his storied career: the 2022 Winter Olympics in Bejing, China.

Former Secretary of the U.S. Army Ryan D. McCarthy has joined the Maxwell School’s Washington, D.C., office as a Dean’s Scholar in Residence. He is joined this academic year by eight scholars and senior-level practitioners who are sharing their expertise with students as adjunct professors in Maxwell’s Washington undergraduate and graduate programs.

Simon Weschle, assistant professor of political science, is this year’s recipient of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Award for Teaching and Research. The award will be presented at the Maxwell School’s Graduate Convocation on Friday, May 13. 

In this selection of recently published books, faculty explore insurrections in Mexico, the intersection of race and class, the longevity of China's Communist Party, the effect of culture and social context on parenting, the origin of the farmer's address, race and borders in the Colonial Caribbean, and disaster and health  

Louise Gartner Birkhead ’52 M.P.A. has made a gift to help ease the financial burden of current and future students.

Provost Gretchen Ritter announced that Gretchen W. Purser, associate professor of sociology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, has been appointed co-director of the Lender Center for Social Justice.

Saba Siddiki has been named the Chapple Family Professor of Citizenship and Democracy at the Maxwell School. She is the fourth faculty member to hold the professorship, created in 2006 with a gift from alumnus and Maxwell School Advisory Board member John H. Chapple ’75 B.A. (PSc)/’11 Hon.

A demographer and sociologist whose work focuses on population health will serve as the next director of the Center for Policy Research (CPR), the oldest interdisciplinary social science research program at the Maxwell School. Shannon Monnat, Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion and professor of sociology, will begin the position on July 1, 2022. 

Lamis Abdelaaty’s research explores how discrimination toward vulnerable people fleeing conflict can have a damaging impact.  

The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs hosted a panel discussion and Q&A Monday, titled “What’s at Stake in Ukraine?” The event brought together respected faculty experts who examined the repercussions of Russia’s invasion.