Since 1972, the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs has been focused on researching, developing, and creating policies that impact our everyday lives while also training the next generation of influential leaders in the public, private, and nonprofit spheres.
The past year has been a celebration of the first half-century of the O’Neill School, and it has been such an honor to meet and interact with so many alumni and friends who put a spotlight on all we’ve accomplished throughout the decades. Be sure to check out the many ways that the O’Neill community is making a difference in the world, the memories of the O’Neill School that alumni shared, and look back at how we celebrated our 50th anniversary in this issue.
And you never know when you might meet an O’Neill alum! During a recent trip to the Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico City, I ran into two of our graduates, Nate and Laurel Cannon Alder, and their son, Jacob Alder, who recently graduated from our MPA program. Nate was wearing an O’Neill T-shirt, and it was wonderful to see IU and our school represented so far from home. It was a memory I won’t soon forget!
As we move into our next 50 years, we do so with a clear sense that what is past is prologue and with a vision for expanding our influence both in the state of Indiana and on the global stage.
We’ll continue to pursue our foundational ideals of making a difference by leading for the greater good by building our profile on our Indianapolis campus. We are excited about the opportunities that will accompany the transition of IUPUI to Indiana University Indianapolis, opportunities that will allow the O’Neill School to work even more closely with both the city and the state while also equipping our students for meaningful careers.
Our faculty are world leaders with a long, proud history of collaboration, and we’re certain this transition will allow the O’Neill School to grow and thrive as part of the largest urban research university in the state.
Finally, I’m incredibly proud that U.S. News & World Report once again ranked the O’Neill School in the top spot as the country’s best graduate school for public affairs. We also garnered the top ranking for our concentrations in environmental policy and management, nonprofit management, public finance and budgeting, and public management and leadership. We further ranked in the Top 10 in public policy analysis, health policy and management, and local government management.
Our alumni are a big reason why the O’Neill School has maintained its reputation as the premier public affairs school in the country. Thank you so much for all you do for the O’Neill School, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish in the next 50 years.
To quote our founding dean, Chuck Bonser, “We are just getting started!”
Siân Mooney, Ph.D.
Dean