Dean's Message
These are exciting times for public service and for the Robert
F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. As NYU Wagner embraces
a new group of students committed to public service, we find ourselves
strategically situated to reframe and transform public service
education in the 21st century. Our vision identifies public service
as work of public importance wherever it happens. It recognizes
that limited approaches are increasingly ineffective in a world
that is as fast-changing, globally interrelated and complex as
ours has become.
This requires us to move beyond educating our students for one role or one sector. Public service careers inevitably span sectors, demand role flexibility, and respect and reflect context. We bridge divides and cross boundaries. We value both theory and practice and operate, whether in our research, our teaching or our service, from the integration of the two. Locating specific programs in a general school of public service exposes students to a broad curriculum and also enables them to achieve depth by issue as well as by professional specialization. Our aspiration is to prepare students to produce results that matter. We teach our students to consider frame; apply the relevant analytics; create appropriate intervention strategies; and assess results. The context in which students are able to do this work is unique to NYU Wagner. We have an urban focus and a global reach. The global and the local intersect in New York City in ways they don’t anywhere else.
NYU Wagner is the home of 32 full-time, tenure track faculty with incredible strength in teaching and research. Although they come from many disciplines and fields- economics, finance, sociology, political science, law, planning, health care – they share a strong commitment to addressing issues of critical public importance, in the classroom and in their research. They have chosen NYU Wagner as their home because they understand that today’s public service issues require inter-discipline approaches and creative solutions. Both domestically and globally, faculty research examines issues of social disparity and access, urban and health policy, organizational strategies and resources, and leadership.
Students come to NYU Wagner seeking to transform their personal commitment into public service leadership. Our vision of public service leadership is not a still life snapshot but a fast moving reel to reel frame. The impact of public service work by NYU Wagner students will transform the communities they serve and the work they do. We invite you to learn more about Wagner by exploring our website.
Ellen Schall
Dean