Executive Education News

“Experiencing arts online has eradicated barriers,” he said. “More people are accessing the arts,” says Executive Education alumnus Stephen Butler ’04 M.A. (PA).

“There’s no doubt that we are not going back to the way it was. There will be a—quote unquote—new normal," says Catherine Gerard, associate director of Executive Education, about the short- and long-term effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic. “This has been an incredible disruption,” University Professor Sean O’Keefe said. “This disruptive change is having a global consequence.”

“We were fortunate to have some experience with online education prior to the pandemic. Our work with the online executive master of public administration and other online training programs enabled an easier transition,” says Steven Lux, director of the Executive Education Program.

“A key aspect of the Humphrey Fellowship program at Maxwell is the ability for fellows to generate a transformative impact upon return to their countries,” says Steven Lux, director of Maxwell’s Executive Education program. “We strive to maintain these connections as it both informs theory and practice.”

The eight essays include historical background and trends to explain the legacy of voters' choices in November. Also included in this edition are stories on historian David Bennett's 50-year-plus career, a new scholarship fund geared towards retention, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

After serving as its director or co-director since 2005, Catherine Gerard has stepped down from her leadership role at the Maxwell School’s renowned Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC), effective July 1, 2020. Gerard will continue as an adjunct professor of public administration and associate director for the Executive Education Programs at Maxwell, and also continue her work as co-director of the Collaborative Governance Initiative at PARCC. 

“We always imagine that our programs have global reach. So many of our students come here from around the world. But this amazing response to the coronavirus emergency confirms Maxwell’s belief in global community,” said Xueyi Chen, who directs Executive Education’s China Program, after 100 Chinese alumni of the program shipped medical masks to Central New York.

About 20 public policy graduate students from the Universidad Panamericana’s (UPA) Mexico City campus arrived in Washington, D.C., in the middle of the U.S. Senate’s impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. “They had lots of questions, from the politics of impeachment, to the mechanics, to what it said about the structure of U.S. political institutions,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

Maxwell’s partnership with the government of India and IIMB continues the efforts of civil servants and academics from both countries to learn from each other. “This is an active partnership that works for all parties,” Dan Nelson, international program manager, says.

Peer to Peer reflects the diverse professional experience and interests of Maxwell’s midcareer professionals, says Margaret E. Lane, Executive Education's assistant director. “Our students are leaders of organizations and agencies from around the globe who are dedicated to public service and have insights to share,” she says. “In sharing their insights, they enrich us all.”

“We enjoy working with students from Kazakhstan because they are so appreciative of their opportunity to study at the Maxwell School,” says Steve Lux, director of the Executive Education program. “Every one of them are eager to apply what they have learned to the challenges facing their country."