Public Policy and International Affairs Program logoDiversity, Equity and Inclusion in SPP

The Master of Public Policy Program at OSU is a strong ally and advocate for students from diverse backgrounds and offers the opportunity for students to participate in a wide range of interdisciplinary inquiry on policy that affects diverse communities.

We are part of the Public Policy & International Affairs Graduate School Consortium (PPIA), which is dedicated to Diversity & Leadership in Public Service.

We are striving to provide a truly multicultural, diverse and international learning environment. For this purpose, we have been partnering with Diversity & Cultural Engagement and with several international partners.

We provide a variety of funding sources and scholarships for excellent students from any background.

We also offer a close mentoring relationship between our students and faculty. Joint policy-related and social events throughout the academic year offer regular opportunities for an active academic and personal exchange, and contribute to a strong sense of community and fellowship.

Several programs and field schools directly address issues of international and domestic diversity:

Field Schools

Transatlantic Students Symposia

The Transatlantic Students Symposia are a series of short-term academic exchanges that provide a student-based and largely student-run space for the discussion of topics of contemporary relevance in an interdisciplinary, experiential and transatlantic setting. Students of the humanities, including Political Science, Cultural and Literary Studies, History, Education, and others, are working together in order to approach political and historical topics with a strong relation to present-day cultural and public policy issues. They are furthermore provided with an outlook into professional and practical applications of their academic training. Student participants are selected on the basis of merit, service to their degree programs, and areas of academic concentration.

The MPP program partners with Diversity & Cultural Engagement at OSU to create a diverse group of participants. Our international partners come from the American Studies Program at Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany, and from the American Studies Center at Warsaw University, Poland.

International Comparative Rural Policy Studies Summer School

ICRPS 2012

The International Comparative Rural Policy Studies (ICRPS) program brings together a diverse, international, multi-disciplinary group of faculty, students and professionals to study together the many facets of rural policy, from policy formulation to policy impacts. Student participants are selected on the basis of merit, service to their degree programs, and areas of academic concentration (i.e.,rural policy)

RURAL POLICY LEARNING COMMONS

The Rural Policy Learning Commons (RPLC) is a $2.5M partnership grant funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) with the Rural Development Institute (RDI) and Brandon University. Major objectives of the RPLC are to build rural capacity and strengthen relationships to inform rural research and policy. RPLC provides support for graduate student comparative rural policy research, webinars, and field research opportunities. OSU's Graduate Program in Public Policy is a founding member of the RPLC consortium.

 

Programs, Initiatives and Centers for Diversity

Social Justice Students Conference at Holocaust Memorial Week

MPP students are encouraged to hold presentations and interact with speakers and fellow students at the annual Social Justice Conference, hosted by Diversity & Cultural Engagement in cooperation with the Holocaust Memorial Week.

Cultural Centers

OSU maintains a variety of Diversity & Cultural Engagement which serve an active community of domestic and international students. MPP faculty regularly participate in events hosted by the centers.

Web Sites:

Diversity Workshops

All MPP students take part in workshops addressing questions of cultural, ethnic, social and sexual diversity. The Social Policy concentration allows for further specialization in solving contemporary challenges to maintaining a diverse culture and society.

Women in Policy

Oregon State University’s Women in Policy student group seeks to serve as a platform for increased collaboration and education for those interested in policy topics, which span all disciplines, including social and natural sciences. The group also aims to build a diverse member base, from casually interested observers to those who are actively pursuing careers in policy-making. Central to the group is to recognize and raise awareness among members and the broader community about historical and current under-representation of women in the policy process. WIP invites both undergraduate and graduate students of any gender to contribute towards this goal. Staff/faculty and community members are also encouraged to participate.