News from 2017
SNAP: Nutrition Aid Can Provide Long-Term Benefits
The Issue: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as "food stamps", is one of the largest anti-poverty programs in the United States, reaching over 44 millionAmericans in 2016, at a cost of $73 billion to the Federal Government. Major policy changes up for consideration in Congress as well as the Trump administration's federal budget proposal could lead to dramatic funding cuts to SNAP. While the costs are easy to tally, the program also…
More must be done to protect America’s nuclear power plants from cyberattacks
In testimony this month before the congressional Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection, Patricia Hoffman, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, outlined some of the measures government agencies are taking to protect our energy infrastructure from “significant cyber incidents.” The programs she outlined — information sharing, research and development, physical preparedness, and multi-stakeholder coordination — are all vitally important. But there are additional novel…
Job Posting: Assistant Professor of Religious Diversity at the Haas Institute
The University of California, Berkeley invites applications for a non-tenured appointment to the faculty at the Assistant Professor level, with an expected start date of July 1, 2018. The successful candidate will be appointed to one or more Departments at Berkeley (depending on the candidate’s background) in affiliation with the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society. The candidate will be expected to participate in the Religious Diversity Cluster of the Haas Institute and collaborate with the Chair to…
Job Posting: Lecturer
The Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, invites applications for a part time academic year lecturer position affiliated with a professional graduate degree program. The Goldman School of Public Policy is generating an applicant pool of qualified temporary instructors to teach graduate-level breadth courses should an opening arise. The pool will remain in place for one calendar year; those interested in remaining in the pool beyond that time must reapply. We are searching for instructors…
Job Posting: Associate/Full Professor
The Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley is conducting a search to fill a tenured faculty position at the rank of Associate Professor of Public Policy or above, with an expected start date of July 1, 2018. We seek applications from researchers and scholars who focus on policy issues related to the future of jobs, the changing nature of labor markets, and the ways in which Public Policy can support working people and diverse populations. We anticipate…
Don’t Suspend Students. Empathize.
To his teachers at Ridgeway High School in Memphis, Jason Okonofua was a handful. During class, his mind drifted and he would lose the thread of the lesson. He slouched at his desk and dozed off. His teachers seemed to take it personally, as a sign of disrespect. He earned detention and was suspended several times. Jason wasn’t trying to rile his teachers. He wasn’t paying attention in class because his thoughts were being consumed by…
Dean Brady on DACA
Today's action by the Trump Administration to end DACA demonstrates the ultimate failure of our government to develop humane and thoughtful solutions to problems, especially those regarding immigration. My personal opinion is that DACA was the right solution to a vexing situation and that ending it elevates legal niceties over the exercise of justice and the practice of basic American values. As many people have said, those affected by DACA came to America as innocent children with their relatives.…
Dan Kammen Resigns from Post in Trump Administration
August 23, 2017 Mr. President, I am resigning from my position as Science Envoy for the Department of State of the United States. Since 1996, I have served the Departments of Energy, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the State Department in a number of roles. Working closely with the talented teams at State Department Headquarters and at US embassies abroad, we have built significant partnerships in North and East Africa, and in the Middle East, around shared visions of national security,…
Summer Internships 2017
This summer, first year Goldman School of Public Policy MPP students are all over the country and the globe pursuing internships in government, non-profits, and the private sector. Below are just a few of the one hundred internships via which students are gaining real-world policy experience. Steven Almazan Where are you? I am interning in Los Angeles with The Broad Center (TBC), a non-profit organization that prepares strong system-level leaders in public k-12 education. What are you doing? As a…
In Memoriam: Professor Arnold Meltsner
It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Professor Arnold Meltsner. Professor Meltsner was one of the founding faculty members of the Goldman School of Public Policy. He taught "Pol Org" for years and he helped generations of students learn how to think like policy analysts and to write clear, lucid, and persuasive memos. Arnold came late to academia after a distinguished career in government, and he was devoted to the notion of policy analysis. From 1975…