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American University School of Public Affairs

The School of Public Affairs at American University has a storied legacy that informs our values and approach.

In 1934, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt began implementing New Deal programs that sought to increase “practical contacts between the collegiate and educational world, and the operations of government.” He believed that the collaboration of academia and public service would result in better decision-making, not only for Depression-era American, but also for future generations to come. From FDR’s vision, American University’s School of Public Affairs was born.

Over the last 80+ years, SPA has cultivated a culture of excellence. Our personalized teaching and experiential education transform the student experience. We empower those who seek knowledge to conduct and produce research. And we promote engagement to build a bridge between academic thought and policy planning - inspiring change in the world.

Today, with 1,800 current students and 23,000+ alumni, SPA continues to tackle complex issues with thoughtful research that educates, informs, and promotes change across a multitude of fields.

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 80 articles

Martin Luther King Jr. (bottom right) listens to gospel singer Mahalia Jackson during the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. Bob Parent/Getty Images

Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson made a suggestion during the 1963 March on Washington − and it changed a good speech to a majestic sermon on an American dream

As the “Queen” of gospel music, Mahalia Jackson sang two songs during the historic March on Washington. But her most famous line may have been a suggestion to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Many Americans in their early 50s take care of older loved ones. FredFroese/E+ via Getty Imagres

GOP’s proposed expansion of SNAP work requirements targets many low-income people in their early 50s – but many of them already work

Republicans are pressing for policy changes based on a misconception that hardly anyone who gets help buying groceries with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits is employed.
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announce their new trade agreement. Dan Kitwood/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

New EU-UK trade deal has promise for Northern Ireland and US as well

A newly approved trade deal could be an opportunity to return Northern Ireland’s political attention to pressing issues of health care, housing, energy costs and inflation.
People volunteer at a Native Alaskan voting station on Nov. 2, 2022 in Anchorage. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

What’s at stake this Election Day – 7 essential reads

Voter demographics and policy priorities are two recurrent, big issues on Election Day – but shifts in election administration and voting laws are new challenges influencing the midterms.
Voters cast ballots in Orange County, Calif., in November 2018. Paul Bersebach/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images

Automatic voter reregistration can substantially boost turnout

When registered voters who move get help reregistering to vote in their new locations, they are more likely to cast a ballot at the next election.
Classmates in grades 3, 4 and 5 are more likely to come from diverse economic backgrounds than their schoolmates in grades 6, 7 and 8. Paul Bersebach, MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

Students are often segregated within the same schools, not just by being sent to different ones

In middle school classes, students from lower-income families tended to be concentrated in just a few classrooms, new research from North Carolina has found.
A rare unauthorized public gathering in Havana on July 11, 2021. Some demonstrators on the streets that day chanted ‘Down with the dictatorship.’ Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images

Cuba protests: 4 essential reads on dissent in the post-Castro era

Experts explain the recent history behind the rare public outpouring of anger in Cuba.
Honduran and Cuban migrants cross the Rio Grande River on the U.S.-Mexico border, June 26, 2019. Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Cuba’s economic woes may fuel America’s next migrant crisis

The dire conditions that brought waves of Cubans to the US in the 1980s and 1990s are again escalating on the communist island, provoked by Trump-era sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

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