In a special announcement made by Chancellor Chopp on Sept. 20, DU’s Institute for Public Policy Studies was renamed the Scrivner Institute for Public Policy in honor of a $14 million donation from former board of trustees chairman Doug Scrivner and his wife Mary. Planning for the new Institute will continue in the coming years as the Scrivners and DU administration seek to connect the goals of DU Impact 2025 to enhanced curriculum, interdisciplinary research and overall strength in the public policy program. Major changes are coming to the department, and because a Public Policy program that is available to undergraduates is a rare opportunity that sets DU apart from other schools, undergraduate voices will be important in upcoming decisions.
Undergraduate public policy students at DU share a common interest in social change and the concrete steps that are needed to make it happen—students that choose this major are generally involved on campus, politically active and engaged in other fields of study as well. By nature of DU’s demographics, many are also from Colorado and are familiar with the public policy issues discussed in our city and state. Many of us are drawn to the public policy program because it is unique to find this as an undergraduate major. For all of these reasons, DU’s public policy undergraduates are motivated to learn about this field and also to use that knowledge to do real work locally, even before graduation. The quality and motivation of undergraduate public policy students will hopefully mean that the new Scrivner Institute seeks our input on program changes in addition to that of administrators, professors and graduate students.
Connecting curriculum more to local policy, establishing our own internship process and providing more opportunities to learn technical skills like data analysis are examples of changes in which undergraduates have been interested in the past. DU Newsroom reported that the program will include more data sciences and analytics, topics that undergraduates will hopefully embrace when learning policy analysis. Involvement with local public policy also already seems to be a goal of the Scrivner Institute with its connection to Impact 2025 and Denver Advantage, though if the details of this relationship have been established, they are not yet public. Getting undergraduates into the field through internships or classes that include Denver policy will be a way to commit to the community-focused goals of Impact 2025.
The changes coming as a result of this generous gift will be interesting, and undergraduate students have a large stake in them, just as graduate students and members of administration do. Valuing the input of our uniquely motivated group will be one of the best ways the Scrivner Institute for Public Policy can improve in the coming years.
