Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs: A Legacy of Leadership and Public Service

The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University stands as a pioneering institution in the field of public affairs education. Established in 1924, it was the first of its kind in the United States, with a mission to cultivate informed and engaged citizens and develop effective leaders for the public sector. Named after George Holmes Maxwell, a Syracuse alumnus and patent attorney from Boston, the school has a long-standing reputation for academic excellence and impactful research. The Maxwell School continues to uphold its commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship and public service through its diverse academic programs, research centers, and engagement initiatives.

Historical Overview

The Maxwell School's origins can be traced back to George Holmes Maxwell's vision for a school dedicated to citizenship education. The school was dedicated on October 3, 1924, marking the beginning of its journey as a leader in public administration education. In 1937, the school was formally named the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and found its home in Maxwell Hall, a building specifically designed to meet its needs on Syracuse University's campus. Recognizing the need for expansion to accommodate the school's growth, the "Campaign for Maxwell" in 1990 raised funds for a new building. To commemorate the school's centennial, the New York State Senate issued Resolution 2023-J1717.

Academic Programs

The Maxwell School offers a comprehensive range of academic programs spanning various disciplines within the social sciences and public affairs.

Master's and Doctoral Programs

The School offers master’s (M.A.) and doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees in anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, and sociology, as well as a Public Administration PhD. These programs prepare students for careers in academia, research, and public service.

Executive Education

Through its Executive Education program, Maxwell offers executive master’s degrees, certificates of advanced study, and training programs for mid-career professionals from across the globe. These students, scholars and participants may study at Maxwell for a few weeks to a year or more. Additionally, Executive Education hosts the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, providing international professionals with opportunities for leadership development and collaboration. The Executive MPA (EMPA) is available online or on campus.

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International Relations

Most students pursuing the International Relations, MA degree take advantage of Syracuse Abroad offerings. This allows students to gain international experience and broaden their perspectives. Half of all Maxwell students and most students pursuing the International Relations, BA and BS degrees take advantage of the Syracuse Abroad programs. Study Abroad may take place at one of Syracuse University’s six overseas centers or with one of our world partners.

Financial Aid

Academic departments and programs each have an array of financial aid, including University Fellowships, graduate assistantships, tuition scholarships, and grants-in-aid. Doctoral students generally receive tuition, stipends and health insurance coverage in exchange for teaching or research services.

Research Centers and Institutes

Many faculty members also participate in one or more of fifteen research centers and institutes clustered around significant topics. The Maxwell School is home to a diverse array of research centers and institutes, each dedicated to addressing critical issues in public affairs and policy. These centers foster interdisciplinary collaboration and generate valuable insights that inform policy decisions and contribute to the public good. Among the research centers at the Maxwell School are:

Aging Studies Institute (ASI): ASI is a collaborative initiative of the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs and the David B. Falk School of Sport and Human Dynamics. Its mission is to coordinate and promote aging-related research, training, and outreach at Syracuse University. With over 70 faculty affiliates from more than 17 departments in 8 colleges/schools, ASI provides multi-disciplinary research and education that is relevant to almost every academic discipline on campus. ASI is committed to developing the next generation of scholars and practitioners. It provides education and training opportunities to undergraduate students and faculty members at Syracuse University. ASI supports the undergraduate minor in Gerontology, where students are exposed to a variety of theoretical perspectives, research methodologies, and policies. ASI also coordinates and promotes a range of age-related graduate-level coursework that is offered by various SU departments, including the Certificate of Advanced Study in Population Health and Aging. In addition, ASI hosts a seminar series, thematic conferences, and workshops.
Autonomous Systems Policy Institute (ASPI): The Autonomous Systems Policy Institute (ASPI) is dedicated to interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching related to the design, governance, and societal aspects of Artificial Intelligence and to policy frameworks that guide the use and development of autonomous systems. ASPI incorporates research and teaching on the socio-historical, political-economic, artistic-creative, and legal-ethical aspects of technology. This broad approach, allows it to offer a well-rounded and, critical perspective on how emerging technologies such as AI and computing systems shape the world around us and what kinds of policies, norms, and practices can best enable their ethical and fair use. ASPI brings academic insight, community needs, and industry developments into conversation and joint action. It involves faculty from all SU schools and colleges and creates research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students.
Center for Aging and Policy Studies (CAPS): The Center for Aging and Policy Studies (CAPS) is an Upstate New York consortium between Syracuse University (the administrative home of CAPS), Cornell University, and University at Albany. The overarching objective of the Center is to improve the health, well-being, and independence of older adults through conducting research, disseminating research, and providing methodological training. CAPS has 50 research affiliates from multiple disciplines such as sociology, economics, psychology, public health, and public administration and international affairs. Affiliates conduct population-level research across two signature themes and three cross-cutting themes. The two signature themes are health and well-being and family and intergenerational supports.
Center for Environmental Policy and Administration (CEPA): The Center for Environmental Policy and Administration (CEPA) is an interdisciplinary center within Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. CEPA explores environmental issues from an integrated perspective that considers technical, social, and humanistic aspects of environmental matters and prepares leaders who can blend those dimensions as they confront the world’s complex environmental challenges. CEPA has a close working relationships with the Center for Policy Research, and with SU faculty from outside Maxwell, particularly those in biology, earth sciences, and the colleges of law, engineering, and information studies. Also, CEPA members work with faculty at the nearby SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) and with the faculty and staff of the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems.
Center for Policy Design and Governance: The Center for Policy Design and Governance fosters integration in policy, political and computational sciences in research and instruction to help scientists, practitioners and public service leaders understand and address existing and evolving governance challenges. The Center is home to the Policy Design Studio and supports multiple international research initiatives, including the Computational Institutional Science Lab and the Institutional Grammar Research Initiative. The Policy Design Studio provides hands-on training and evidence-based analysis on policy design, the engagement of government and non-government stakeholders in policy formulation, and policy implementation. The Computational Institutional Science Lab is an international hub for developing and applying computational methods to study how societies are governed. The Institutional Grammar Research Initiative convenes scholars from around the world who study and practice institutional analysis. The Center is also the institutional host to the Policy Studies Journal. During the academic year the Center holds a seminar series called the Process of Policy, which explores the deliberation, formulation, design, and adoption of policies related to some of today’s most pressing issues.
Center for Policy Research (CPR): The Maxwell School Center for Policy Research (CPR) supports disciplinary and interdisciplinary policy-relevant research and dissemination that enables leaders to make informed policy decisions and provide effective solutions to critical challenges in our local region, state, country, and across the world. CPR faculty research and teaching strengths fall within the broad areas of econometrics; education and labor; energy, the environment, and food systems; population health; public finance; social policy and inequality; and urban, rural, and regional studies. This collection of specialists brings a depth of experience and skill to research and offers students a wealth of opportunity for collaboration and mentorship on their own research, as well as the possibility of research assistantships on projects directed by the faculty.
Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health: The Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health is a Maxwell School center established in 2011 with an endowment from Sid and Helaine Lerner. The Center’s mission is to improve population and community health through research, education, advocacy, and health promotion programming focused on the social, spatial, and structural determinants of physical, mental, and behavioral health and health disparities. The Lerner Center has over 30 faculty affiliates from public health, sociology, psychology, economics, medicine, and public administration, comprising broad multidisciplinary expertise in population and public health research. It provides research assistantship and training opportunities to SU graduate and undergraduate students. The Lerner Center supports the Certificate of Advanced Study in Population Health and Aging and the Policy, Place, and Population Health Lab - a hub for interdisciplinary graduate student research and training on how places and their policies shape population health. The Center also regularly offers a 1-credit DeStress for Success course that explores concepts and strategies of stress management and positive mental health.
Maxwell X Lab (X Lab): The Maxwell X Lab (X Lab) was founded in January 2017 and partners with organizations in the public and nonprofit sector to build evidence for what works. The X Lab uses behavioral science research to improve policy and program outcomes, testing these interventions using randomized control trials. Maxwell X Lab researchers have designed, implemented, and analyzed experiments in multiple policy areas. Recent projects include 1) implementing machine learning algorithms to accurately predict residential housing property values and 2) partnering with multiple researchers across New York to analyze decennial census response rates for Hard-To-Count populations. The Maxwell X Lab also collaborates with Syracuse faculty who want to run their own field experiments and works with undergraduate and graduate students who have an interest in behavioral science.
Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC): The Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC) is an interdisciplinary program research center devoted to advancing the theory and practice of conflict analysis and the analysis of conflict, the resolution of conflict and, collaborative action, and collaborative governance. Initially known for its groundbreaking work on conflict transformation, intractable conflicts, and identity conflicts in the international arena, PARCC’s areas of research have expanded to include environmental conflicts, advocacy and activism, and collaborative governance. The primary goals of the program are to develop knowledge about the context and stages of different conflicts and, on that basis, to assess and teach alternate methods of conflict transformation. A special interest is the emergence of collaborative problem solving as a critical skill set for the public sector. The diverse backgrounds of over 80 PARCC faculty associates reflect the program’s emphasis on interdisciplinary research and theory building. The research interests of PARCC associates and graduate students may be characterized by a series of questions: What are the significant differences and similarities of various kinds of conflicts? How can theory be made applicable to the work of practitioners and the experience of practitioners contribute to the refinement of theory? How can governments work more collaboratively across sectors and with citizens? How can groups unite to address social issues? What are the appropriate strategies at different stages of conflicts? How can intractable conflicts be moved to the stage where de-escalation can take place? What kinds of conflict resolution and collaborative methods are effective for different circumstances? Program associates are engaged in studies that relate to collaborative governance, collaborative public management, foreign policy decision making during crises, cultural aspects of conflict, geo-political ideologies, ethnic conflicts, labor studies, nonviolent means of protest, gender and conflict, community organizing efforts, alternative dispute resolution methods, conflict transformation, interpersonal violence, prevention and management of disputes through public participation, and de-escalating initiatives and peacemaking. Other activities of the program include a theory-building seminar, working groups organized around specific research topics, a conflict studies speaker series, and interdisciplinary conferences and publications focused on conflict-related topics. PARCC provides skills-building workshops and trains students to work with others and in the community. PARCC’s EPARCC collection of teaching cases and simulations is used globally. PARCC is a base for graduate studies in collaborative governance, collaborative public management, conflict analysis and conflict resolution.

The Maxwell School also has two institutes that focus on major domestic and international issues: the Alan K. Campbell Public Affairs Institute and the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs. Through the involvement of visiting scholars, reflective practitioners, and the broader Syracuse University community, the institutes contribute to understanding, cooperation, and ongoing dialogue in the areas of governance, law and politics, and citizenship in the United States and around the world.

Alan K. Campbell Public Affairs Institute: The Campbell Public Affairs Institute examines and promotes citizenship, public leadership, and governance. We explore the relationships between and among leaders, citizens, private organizations, and governments in an effort to understand and contribute to the development and implementation of effective management, policy, and democratic practices.
Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs: The Institute fulfills its mission by providing students and faculty with opportunities to participate in regional studies programs and centers. It hosts seven such programs/centers: the Center for European Studies, the Middle Eastern Studies Program, the Maxwell African Scholars Union, the East Asia Program, the South Asia Center, the Central Asia and the Caucasus Working Group, and the Program on Latin America and the Caribbean. These regional studies programs/centers provide students with chances to learn more about the world in which they live and will work, facilitating students gaining education, research, language, and internship experiences in these various regions of the world.

Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media (IJPM)

A collaborative effort between the College of Law, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. IJPM is devoted to the interdisciplinary study of issues at the intersection of law, politics, and the media. We sponsor lectures and symposia designed to foster discussion and debate between scholars, policymakers, sitting judges, and working journalists. We are home to a book series and journal showcasing the intersection of these fields.

Maxwell-in-Washington Program

The Maxwell School of Syracuse University and Center for Strategic and International Studies announce major collaboration. All Maxwell graduate and undergraduate classes are held at CSIS’s headquarters on Rhode Island Avenue NW. Maxwell-in-Washington provides a mix of policy relevant professional development courses and faculty-supervised internships that fulfill the Maxwell School's hallmark emphasis on experiential learning. In the past year, students completed a total of 130 internships at 82 different Washington organizations. The interaction between the spheres of international relations and public administration makes the joint master's degree program in PA/IR an invaluable experience for students seeking a career that values the combination of international expertise and public management skills. Students work as interns three or four days a week, getting firsthand experience in both international and domestic policy. They also meet for seminars with Maxwell professors who work in the Washington policymaking community.

Executive Education's Global Reach

The Maxwell School’s Executive Education department has been preparing the next generation of leaders for a global community since 1964. Each year, the department hosts several international groups. More than 10,000 people from all over the world-including groups from governments and universities in India, China, the Middle East, and Russia-have completed Maxwell graduate degrees and professional training programs.

Undergraduate Programs

As a joint initiative of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs was established in 1924 to teach citizenship to all Syracuse University undergraduates. In partnership with the College of Arts and Sciences, we offer an outstanding liberal arts education. Maxwell is home to the social sciences, as well as to interdisciplinary policy and international relations programs. Its faculty members teach courses in each of the disciplines, offer interdisciplinary courses, such as the foundational MAX Courses (MAX 123 Critical Issues for the United States and MAX 132 Global Community), and provide an array of majors and minors. Students may take multiple majors within the social sciences or pursue additional majors in areas outside of the Maxwell School. They can also minor in most programs. Many of our undergraduate programs offer opportunities for internships and applied research. They also offer the opportunity to earn distinction in their majors.

Faculty

Faculty: Jacob Bendix, A.H. Peter Castro, Jay Golden, Matthew Huber, W. Henry Lambright, Allan Mazur, John McPeak, Mark Monmonier, Thomas Perreault, David Popp, Sarah Pralle, Jane M.

Lamis Abdelaaty, Kristi Andersen (Emeritus), Kenneth Baynes, Jenny Breen, Keith Bybee, Andrew Cohen, Daniel Daneri, Joshua Darr, Christopher Faricy, Shana Gadarian, Johannes Himmelreich, Zack Huitink, Jenn Jackson, Thomas Keck, W.

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