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The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
is perhaps as well-prepared as any educational institution in
the nation to help us understand the issues and tackle the challenges
provoked by the stunning events of September 11. In pursuit
of the school’s mission of “advancing citizenship, scholarship,
and leadership around the world,” Maxwell’s faculty has created
a unique training ground for political and social leadership
at every level of society, from neighborhoods and cities to
nation-states and international alliances.
Though no less horrified, many of the school’s
professors were not surprised by the terrorist attacks. “Anyone
who is a serious student of history and world affairs knew that
some sort of substantial terrorist activity on American soil
was inevitable,” says Maxwell School Dean John L. Palmer. “It’s
very hard, however, to get people to take seriously a threat
that hasn’t been made real. You could fault us as a society,
or perhaps fault our political leadership, for not having taken
more seriously the fact that we knew we would have to deal with
this sooner or later.”
The terrorist
attack shook the United States like no other incident, but Maxwell
scholars see the country emerging from the crisis by moving forward
and coming to a new understanding of itself
For generations, Maxwell faculty and alumni
have played important roles in dealing with challenges to American
democracy. The influence of ideas and ideals nurtured at the school
is a tangible force in the modern world. Since its founding in
1924, the school has graduated more than 7,000 students, who hold
graduate degrees in public administration, international relations,
and the gamut of the social sciences. Many of these alumni have
risen to positions of authority in governments, foundations, and
educational institutions across the globe.
During the past decade alone, the school
saw its graduates rise to such positions as secretary of Health
and Human Services, deputy secretary of Defense, secretary of
the Navy, foreign minister of Jordan, and director of the African
Development Bank. Two Maxwell faculty members, currently on leave,
are serving in the Bush Administration: Trustee Professor Douglas
Holtz-Eakin is the chief economist for the President’s Council
of Economic Advisors; and Sean O’Keefe G’78, the Louis A. Bantle
Professor of Business and Government Policy, is deputy director
of the Office of Management and Budget. |
