Kennedy School of Government 

John F. Kennedy School of Government
Established: 1936
Type: Private
Endowment: US$1.1 Billion
Dean: David Ellwood
Faculty: 138
Students: 1116
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Campus: Urban
Website: www.hks.harvard.edu

The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (also known as Harvard Kennedy School and HKS)1 is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools. It offers master's degrees in public policy, urban planning, public administration, and international development, grants several doctoral degrees, administers executive programs for senior government officials, and conducts research in subjects relating to politics, government, and economics.

The School's primary campus is located on John F. Kennedy Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The main buildings overlook the Charles River, southeast of Harvard Yard and Harvard Square, on the site of a former MBTA Red Line trainyard. The School is adjacent to the public, riverfront John F. Kennedy Memorial Park.

Since 2004, the School's Dean has been David Ellwood, who is also the Scott M. Black Professor of Political Economy. Previously, Ellwood was an assistant secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services in the Clinton administration.2

Contents

History

Littauer Building, John F. Kennedy School of Government

Graduate School of Public Administration

Harvard Kennedy School was originally the Harvard Graduate School of Public Administration, and was founded in 1936 with a $2 million gift from Lucius N. Littauer, a graduate of Harvard College.3 The School drew its initial faculty from Harvard's existing government and economics departments, and welcomed its first students in 1937.

The School's original home was in the Littauer Center north of Harvard Yard, now the home of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Economics Department. The first students at the Graduate School were so-called "Littauer Fellows," participating in a one-year course which later developed into the school's mid-career master's program. In the 1960s, the School began to develop today's public policy degree and curriculum.

Renaming and move

In 1966, the School was renamed for President John F. Kennedy. By 1978, the faculty—notably presidential scholar and adviser Richard Neustadt, foreign policy scholar and later dean of the School Graham Allison, Richard Zeckhauser, and Edith Stokey—had orchestrated the consolidation of the School's programs and research centers in the present campus. Under the terms of Littauer's original grant, the new campus also features a building called Littauer.

In addition to playing a critical role in the development of the School's modern era, Neustadt, who at the time served as the Assistant Dean, was also the founding Director of the Harvard Institute of Politics (IOP), created in 1966 in honor of President Kennedy.4 The IOP has been housed on the Kennedy School campus since 1978, and today the Institute puts on a series of programs, speeches and study groups for Harvard undergraduates and graduate students. The John F. Kennedy, Jr. Forum in the new Littauer building is both the site of IOP forums as well as a major social gathering place during school days at HKS.

Academics

Degrees

Currently, Harvard Kennedy School offers five master's degree programs.5 The Master of Public Policy (MPP) program focuses on policy analysis, economics, management in the public sector, and policy design. The Master in Public Policy/Urban Planning (MPP/UP) program adds to the MPP track with courses in urban design and affairs, including required studio coursework at Harvard's Graduate School of Design.

There are also three separate Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs: a one-year "mid-career program" (MC/MPA), intended for professionals more than seven years from college graduation; a two-year MPA program intended for professionals that have an additional graduate degree and are more recently out of school; and a two-year International Development track (MPA/ID) focused on development studies, and with a strong emphasis on economics and quantitative analysis. Among the members of the mid-career MPA class are the Mason Fellows, who currently serve as public and private executives.

In addition to the master's programs, the Kennedy School also administers four doctoral programs. PhD degrees are awarded in Political Economy and Government, Public Policy, and Social Policy, in conjunction with the Departments of Government and Sociology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, as well as in Health Policy, in conjunction with FAS and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Joint and concurrent degrees

Harvard Kennedy School has a number of joint and concurrent degree programs, within Harvard and with other leading universities, which allow students to receive multiple degrees in a reduced period of time. At Harvard, joint degree programs are run with Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School, and concurrent programs are offered with Harvard Divinity School and Harvard Medical School.

Beyond Harvard, there are concurrent degree arrangements with other selective law, business, and medical schools throughout the country. These include: Columbia Business School; Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University; MIT Sloan School of Management; Stanford Business School; Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College; Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania; Columbia Law School; Duke University School of Law; Georgetown University Law Center; New York University School of Law; Northwestern University School of Law; Stanford Law School; University of California, Berkeley School of Law; University of Michigan Law School; University of Pennsylvania Law School; Yale Law School; and UCSF Medical Center.6

Taubman Building, John F. Kennedy School of Government

Courses

Harvard Kennedy School's course catalog7 is divided into the following policy areas: Analysis of Policies and Institutions; Strategic Management of Public Organizations; Political Advocacy and Leadership; Business and Government Policy; Crime and Criminal Justice; Environment and Natural Resources; Health Care Policy; Human Resources, Labor and Education; Housing, Urban Development, and Transportation; International Security and Political Economy; International Trade and Finance; Nonprofit Sector; Political Economy and Development; Press, Politics, and Public Policy; Science, Technology, and Public Policy.

Instead of academic departments, the school divides studies into five course areas, each headed by a faculty "area chair." These areas and chairs are:

Management and Leadership - Prof. Mary Joe Bane
International Relations, Science, and Security - Prof. Ashton Carter
Democratic Institutions and Politics - Prof. Alex Keyssar
Social Policy - Prof. Jose Gomez-Ibanez
Markets and Methods - Prof. Christopher Avery

In addition to the courses at Harvard Kennedy School, students are eligible to cross-register for many classes at the other graduate and professional schools at Harvard. Students are also able to take courses at the MIT Sloan School of Management, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and in urban planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Notable professors

Centers

Harvard Kennedy School is home to 15 centers, several of which are University-wide.8

Student life

Kennedy School women's team outside the Weld Boathouse preparing to row the Head of the Charles

There is an active student life at HKS, despite the fact that most students are at the School for two years or less. Most of the activities are centered around interest-driven student 'caucuses,' the student government (Kennedy School Student Government, known as KSSG), a student newspaper (The Citizen), student-edited policy journals, and a number of athletic groups.

Elections for student government are among the most lively of the activities at the School, as one might expect for a school of government. The KSSG is led by a President, Executive Vice President, functional Vice Presidents and Class Representatives. The KSSG is also responsible for overseeing the interest caucuses at the School.

The courtyard nestled between the main Kennedy School buildings is a key attraction for students who gather there to work on their assignments, have lunch, or relax. During the warmer months, the School frequently sponsors beer and barbecue events which give students the opportunity to socialize. During the colder months, "Quorom Calls" are held in one of the indoor atriums, to celebrate the end of the week with friends.

Rankings

Harvard Kennedy School receives high rankings in the U.S. News & World Report list of top graduate schools of public affairs. In the 2008 rankings, the School is ranked second overall and is ranked first in subcategories of public policy analysis, health policy & management, and social policy. 24

Notable alumni and former students

Main article: List of Harvard University people

Government and Politics

Non-Profit

Military

Academia

Journalism

Business

Arts

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ Kennedy School Web site asks what you can do — The Harvard University Gazette
  2. ^ Harvard Kennedy School - David Ellwood
  3. ^ Harvard Kennedy School - History
  4. ^ Kumar, Martha Joynt. "Richard Elliott Neustadt, 1919-2003: a tribute," Presidential Studies Quarterly, Mar. 1, 2004, pg. 1
  5. ^ Harvard Kennedy School - Office of Admissions
  6. ^ Harvard Kennedy School - Joint & Concurrent Degrees
  7. ^ Harvard Kennedy School - Course Listing (2007-08 Academic Year)
  8. ^ Harvard Kennedy School - Centers
  9. ^ Ash Institute For Democratic Governance and Innovation
  10. ^ Harvard - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
  11. ^ Carr Center for Human Rights Policy | John F. Kennedy School of Government | Harvard University
  12. ^ http://cid.harvard.edu
  13. ^ http://cpl.harvard.edu/
  14. ^ Harvard Kennedy School
  15. ^ Harvard University Institute of Politics
  16. ^ Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics : Home
  17. ^ Shorenstein Center Home Page
  18. ^ Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government
  19. ^ Rappaport Institute of Greater Boston
  20. ^ The Taubman Center:
  21. ^ http://www.hks.harvard.edu/socpol/
  22. ^ Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies - Home Page
  23. ^ Women and Public Policy Program
  24. ^ America's Best Graduate Schools 2008: Complete Guide to Public Affairs Programs
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