School of Urban Affairs & Public Policy Resolution

WHEREAS, the field of policy analysis has become vitally important as communities have grown more global, complex and interconnected. More than ever, governments and public organizations play an integral role in addressing societal problems. The proposed B.A. in Public Policy program will examine the ways in which policies are developed and executed, how policies should be designed and implemented to achieve the desired outcomes, and how policies should be evaluated and monitored. This goal addresses the University mission discussed by President Harker in The Engaged University, where he stated:

“…As the largest university in a small yet nationally and internationally important state, we have the opportunity to work closely with public agencies throughout Delaware, applying research and human talent to address pressing social and civic issues…”

WHEREAS, the proposed B.A. in Public Policy has been based on a critical review of prominent public policy programs nationally and there is no similar program within the region offering an interdisciplinary program of this type;

WHEREAS, the B.A. in Public Policy program will promote discovery-based learning that brings our faculty and students into close contact with the challenges and knowledge of practitioners. Outreach to the global community – in Delaware, across the U.S., and around the world – will be a priority;

WHEREAS, increasing numbers of applicants to the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy M.A. and M.P.A. degree programs desire to focus on policy design, implementation and analysis relevant to specific social, human and economic issues in the U.S. and the international arena—a need that could be more fully addressed through undergraduate and graduate education;

WHEREAS, the faculty of School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy have a 30-year history of teaching policy courses at the graduate level in public administration, public policy, and urban studies.

RESOLVED, that the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy Faculty within the College of Human Services, Education, and Public Policy supports, and the Faculty Senate recommends, the provisional establishment, for five years, of a new major leading to the B.A. degree in Public Policy, effective September 1, 2009.