Maxwell School News and Commentary

“We think the current civil service system is badly in need of reform. But the blueprints offered by both left and right are problematic. One side is firmly rooted in a status quo that (inadvertently or otherwise) impedes accountability, and the other could end up politicizing the very civil servants who should be politically neutral,” writes University Professor Sean O'Keefe and his co-authors.

“The U.S. and Canada will do anything possible to avoid a draft,” says Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs. If war breaks out, a coalition force of North American professional military personnel would likely do the fighting, alongside existing European troops, he says.

Zoe Tatum Best, a rising senior majoring in political science, is the recipient of this year’s Matthew Ross Wanetik Memorial Scholarship, which honors the life of a Maxwell School student who passed away from an undetected heart ailment while studying abroad in 2008. 

Latest cohort of graduates receive degrees as Maxwell celebrates its centennial. 

Born on July 30, 1924, she was just three months old when the school was founded by entrepreneur George H. Maxwell. Some 18 years later, Rudolph—whose maiden name is Millinger—left her home in New York to attend the school, which fostered her lifelong interest in world affairs, politics and government.

In this study published in Journals of Gerontology: Series B and co-authored by Emily Wiemers, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, results point to structural factors generating new racial-ethnic gaps in pandemic-related economic hardship among those approaching retirement (ages 55-74) that did not affect the oldest adults (ages 75+).

The late professor was instrumental in shaping citizenship curriculum and impacted thousands of students in his more than 40 years on the faculty. 

Tommy DaSilva ’26, a triple major, works part time at the LGBTQ Resource Center in Schine Student Center. “The LGBTQ Resource Center is great because it works with the IC (Intercultural Collective) to provide resources, trainings and programs to students,” he says.

Marguerite J. Fisher was a revered teacher known for her international scholarship and activism for domestic social issues.