Maxwell School News and Commentary

Thomas Keck, Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics, says that while constitutional conventions could help advance civil rights by allowing organized groups to propose and implement changes to the state constitution, there is a fear that the same issues that plague state legislatures, like corporate cash or politician corruption, could also influence the construction of a new constitution.

"I think the fact that [George] Papadopoulos had a meeting early on or had connections early on with Russian government officials while he was employed by the Trump campaign is pretty damaging," says William C. Banks, director of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism.

The Public Policy and International Affairs Program is a seven week summer fellowship that promotes the inclusion of underrepresented groups in public service and advances their leadership roles throughout civic institutions. “This experience reaffirmed my intention to pursue a graduate degree in public affairs. More importantly, I learned how I could combine my passion for public policy and science in graduate school,” says Chizobam Nwagwu ’18, who recently completed the fellowship.

"This is potentially a can of worms, and Mueller has opened that can today," says Bill Smullen, director of the National Security Studies program.

The Maxwell School has appointed new chairs for the departments of anthropology, economics, history, international relations (undergraduate), political science and sociology, as well as an interim chair of social science. 

The Maxwell School's Citizenship and Civic Engagement program was selected by the Association of American Colleges and Universities as one of twenty-two departments from institutions across the country that are providing models for how to make civic learning and democratic engagement an expectation for all students who major in a given discipline.

Removing the likelihood of a trial in the United States leaves the government with few options, says William C. Banks, professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. "It’s time now to wonder whether the Trump administration is thinking of doing something different."