In the News: Sean O'Keefe

"If enacted, this directive will add an organizational overhead expense for this separation and will create countless bureaucratic fist fights over what goes into which part of this new Department of the Air Force enterprise," writes Sean O'Keefe, University Professor and Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership.

According to University Professor Sean O'Keefe, "...it isn’t necessarily the beginning of a new space race as much as it is evidence that exploration beyond low Earth orbit is picking up momentum. That’s been a long time coming, but it signals the dawning of a new chapter of global ambitions to explore our neighborhood in this solar system." 

"Today’s technology gives us the means to minimize human risk of space ventures by having a much better idea of what we’re likely to encounter and the ability to have a much better plan of what we can do when people do arrive," says Sean O'Keefe, University Professor and Howard and Louise Phanstiel endowed Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership. 

University Professor and former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe was tasked with informing the families and friends of the terrible fate of the astronauts on the Columbia Space Shuttle. "It went from being a moment of great anticipation and elation...to a stillness, recognizing that the time that had been anticipated for the shuttle to land had passed," he says of the tragic event.

The fellowship is made possible by generous gifts to the Astrid Merget Fund honoring two-time alumna and former associate dean of the Maxwell School Astrid Merget ’68 M.P.A./’73 Ph.D. (SSc).

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) program's reputation and Washington location provide Maxwell students and faculty regular access to a range of leaders and practitioners—to an extent not feasible in Syracuse,” says University Professor and Phanstiel Chair Sean O’Keefe ’78 M.P.A., who is charged with developing opportunities to further nurture Maxwell/CSIS collaboration.

"There's been no effort to even address that point. I can barely call what was articulated [on Monday by the president] a vision. It was more of just an expression. You know, that's about it," says University Professor Sean O'Keefe.

"Creation of a separate military service as a ‘Space Force’ is a solution in search of a problem," says Sean O’Keefe, University Professor and Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership. "There’s no reason to believe that space-related programs would fare any better than they do today under the U.S. Air Force recognizance."

“We’re thrilled to welcome this diverse group of accomplished professionals to be among the first to join the program” says Ryan O. Williams, assistant dean for Washington programs at the Maxwell School, about the twelve students who  have enrolled in this semester’s first-ever offering of the Washington, D.C.-based Executive Master in International Relations degree.

Sean O'Keefe, University Professor and Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership, says no one will really know when the Chinese space station will hit the earth until about an hour before it happens and, after the station enters the atmosphere, any debris that remains will fall to the ground in less than 20 minutes, likely flaming.

"This is more about boosting reconnaissance and cyber security than fighting in orbit," says Sean O'Keefe, University Professor and Phanstiel Chair in Leadership. "You can emphasize more help for the military in space without going to the massive organizational change and expense."

"Crew changes aren't unusual and when they do happen, the reassigned astronauts almost always fly on a later mission," says Sean O'Keefe, Howard and Louise Phanstiel endowed Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership. "The exceptions are very few and far between."

Maxwell alumna Emily Simonson ’15 M.P.A./M.A. (IR) was one of the recipients of the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals, as part of the Urban Waters team, which created public-private partnerships to clean and revive urban waterways and their surrounding lands. 

"The vice president has an interest in technology and space policy generally, so the council becomes a good venue to put some context to all of this," says University Professor Sean O'Keefe.

"His [Jim Bridenstine] policy views, voting record and insights on how he may choose to use skills honed as a politician and elsewhere will surely be revealed in the upcoming confirmation hearing. But if past is prologue, he’s qualified to clear the hurdles for Senate confirmation. And I’m willing to bet he’ll prove to be a fine choice as the 13th NASA administrator," writes University Professor Sean O'Keefe.

"Now is the time to find more and better ways to harness the $2 trillion in global R&D spending lying just beyond the Pentagon’s reach. It is also time for the Pentagon to incubate a larger volume of potential defense technologies to outpace an ever-growing range of threats," says University Professor Sean O'Keefe.

According to University Professor Sean O'Keefe, NASA’s role as a “development catalyst” has been part of the agency’s objectives since its earliest days.

The recently announced two-year funding extension will support a total of four additional Robertson fellows. All Robertson fellows receive funding for two years of study, allowing them to pursue one of the joint degrees offered through the Public Administration and International Affairs Department.