Director’s Welcome

As I begin my first year as Director of the School and join the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, I look forward to working with the talented staff and faculty to build on previous directors’ achievements and engage our vibrant community of students and partners at all levels of governance.  

With a foundation of impactful scholarship and experiential learning, we seek to inform, innovate, and inspire. A hub for interdisciplinary research on issues of local and global scope and significance, the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs respects the autonomy and agency of the communities it engages. Our collaborations are founded on mutual respect and promoting lifelong learning. We are committed to co-design, co-creation, and co-ownership of ideas, innovations, and recognitions.  

Our students work closely with faculty on research and outreach and embark on careers in government agencies, businesses, non-governmental and international organizations, and academia. We house the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI) and the Dukakis Center for Regional and Urban Policy and partner with research centers across the university. 

Our School is committed to educating tomorrow’s changemakers as they respond to the challenges of today and the future. Our ambition is to prepare thinkers and doers who break boundaries, cross disciplines, and connect concepts and action from the neighborhood to the globe. And as we integrate social and racial justice in every aspect of our teaching, research, campus relationships, and community engagement, we will hold ourselves accountable for the impact of our words and actions and promote consistent and constructive dialogue. 

Northeastern University is an exciting place to live and learn. “Impossible” is not part of the narrative here as the ambitious new academic plan—Experience Unleashed—reveals. Our School will support these goals through innovative work solving the hardest problems, preparing learners for lives of accomplishment, and contributing to the public good from our Boston neighborhoods to nations across the world.  

I invite you to learn more about our School and join us in conversations online and on campus. Sign up for our newsletter, connect with us, or come and sit in on a class or a public lecture. 

Maria Ivanova
Director, School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs