Welcome from the Dean
Welcome to the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies.
I am delighted that you are browsing our web pages to learn about the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. In addition to reading about our undergraduate and graduate degree programs centered in economics and public management and policy, you will discover an extensive range of activities to inform policy discussions both here and abroad.
I want to call your attention to our wide-ranging work in communities, with public, business and nonprofit organizations, and for the greater society. We help explore, design, and build the policy infrastructure that improves governance by promoting predicable rules, applying best practices, adhering to economic principles, and advancing the public good.
Our name conveys an expectation to be a global leader in public policy based in the opportunities afforded by an urban serving research university. We achieve that goal by conducting cutting-edge research and engaging in the policy community at the nearby State Capitol, with the numerous local governments in the region, in the national health care policy network we serve, and among the international policy leaders that connect us in meaningful ways to the world. Our faculty members are called upon by local, state, national and international leaders for hard-headed advice and civic leadership. Moreover, we are innovators…we test rules in the laboratory to see their impact on economic behavior.
Fundamentally, our effort helps individuals learn, businesses flourish, communities grow, and societies prosper. We are involved…we don’t just lecture and retire to our offices.
Our instructional efforts are global. We go there, and their current and future policy leaders come to Atlanta for our workshops and training sessions. Our students can work alongside the experts and grow as independent researchers and analysts.
Our faculty members excel in research. The economics department leads all universities in this state in top-quality journal articles. The public management and policy department is in the national top-13 in several fields and members of its faculty rank among the top scholars in their areas. In our short existence, the school already ranks among the best.
Ambassador Andrew Young once challenged a graduating class with these words: “I want you to look at the world and realize it calls you to leadership. And you needn’t know where you go. You only need to take one step at a time.” Like you, we want that first step to be purposeful. With that as our goal, we offer an invigorating learning environment with students from around the corner and the world, joined by outstanding scholars leading the discussion. We can learn and have an impact together. Come join us.
Sincerely,
W. Bartley Hildreth, Ph.D.