La Follette School of Public Affairs

La Follette School of Public Affairs
Name	La Follette School of Public Affairs
Established	1968
Type	Public policy school
Parent	University of Wisconsin–Madison
City	Madison
State	Wisconsin
Country	United States

La Follette School of Public Affairs is a public policy institution housed within the University of Wisconsin–Madison that trains students for public service, policy research, and civic leadership. The school interfaces with institutions such as the Wisconsin State Legislature, City of Madison, Wisconsin, United States Congress, Government Accountability Office, and United Nations agencies, while engaging scholars connected to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute, Urban Institute, and Rand Corporation. Founded amid mid‑20th‑century policy reforms involving figures like Robert M. La Follette Sr., the school has ties to statewide initiatives including the Wisconsin Idea, collaborations with the MacArthur Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, and exchange programs with Harvard Kennedy School, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Columbia University and London School of Economics.

History

The school originated during a period shaped by leaders such as Robert M. La Follette Sr., Gaylord Nelson, Robert M. La Follette Jr. and reform movements linked to the Progressive Era, the Wisconsin Idea, and postwar policy debates involving the New Deal, Marshall Plan, and legislative activity in the Wisconsin State Legislature. Early directors recruited scholars from institutions including Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, and Stanford University, and hosted programs influenced by reports from the Truman Commission, the Hoover Commission, and foundations such as the Ford Foundation. Over decades the school expanded undergraduate and graduate curricula, forged partnerships with entities like the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and established research centers interfacing with the National Science Foundation and the Social Science Research Council.

Academic Programs

The school offers professional degrees and certificates that connect to programs at University of Wisconsin Law School, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and Wisconsin School of Business, along with joint degrees akin to cooperative offerings at Harvard Kennedy School, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Yale Law School, and Stanford Law School. Degree tracks emphasize policy analysis, program evaluation, quantitative methods, and public management and mirror coursework common to schools such as Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, and Kellogg School of Management. Graduate offerings include a Master of Public Affairs comparable to programs at Princeton, combined dual degrees with the Madison campus graduate programs, and certificate programs similar to those at Columbia SIPA, with coursework often cross‑listed with departments like Political Science, Sociology, Economics, and History.

Research and Centers

Research initiatives align with centers that collaborate with funders including the National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, National Endowment for the Arts, and private philanthropies such as the Rockefeller Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York. The school hosts centers and projects paralleling the scope of the Institute for Research on Poverty, Madison Initiative for Public Policy, and thematic efforts similar to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Urban Institute, Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, and RAND Health. Research themes encompass public finance work connected to the Congressional Budget Office and Office of Management and Budget, regulatory studies touching Securities and Exchange Commission matters, and interdisciplinary collaborations with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the Wisconsin Energy Institute.

Faculty and Administration

Faculty ranks have included scholars who previously served in roles at the United States Senate, United States House of Representatives, State of Wisconsin, Office of Management and Budget, and international organizations such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The administrative structure interfaces with the Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, and advisory committees featuring members from the Wisconsin Policy Forum, League of Women Voters, American Association for Public Opinion Research, and civic leaders from the City of Madison Common Council. Faculty scholarship appears alongside work published by presses like Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, University of Chicago Press, and journals associated with the American Political Science Association and the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.

Student Life and Admissions

Students participate in experiential placements with entities such as the Wisconsin Legislative Council, Milwaukee County Government, Office of Governor of Wisconsin, United States Department of Justice, and nonprofit organizations including Public Agenda and The Brookings Institution. Student organizations mirror nationally affiliated groups like the American Society for Public Administration, Young Americans for Freedom, Pi Alpha Alpha, and community engagement projects with the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, Wisconsin Historical Society, and Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center. Admissions criteria reference standardized measures used by schools such as Harvard Kennedy School, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, and Syracuse University Maxwell School, and recruit from undergraduate feeders including University of Wisconsin–Madison departments, Carleton College, Williams College, Amherst College, Swarthmore College, Michigan State University, Ohio State University, Indiana University Bloomington, and University of Michigan.

Notable Alumni and Impact

Alumni have assumed roles in state and federal offices including service with the Wisconsin State Assembly, United States Congress, United States Department of State, United States Agency for International Development, and leadership at organizations such as the Urban Institute, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense Fund, American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and major media outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NPR. Graduates have influenced policy debates involving legislation connected to the Social Security Act, Affordable Care Act, Clean Air Act, and state budget reforms debated in the Wisconsin State Legislature, and have appeared as experts before committees including the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Category:Public policy schools in the United States