Education Archives | The Public Sphere

A Liberal Arts Foundation for Public Service? What my Maxwell School education taught me about “liberal arts” and a “technical education” – Dr.Sabith Khan

During our inaugural Fall retreat for the faculty this year, the opening theme was focused around the theme of “Future ready graduate: Skills, values and community impact.” The discussion had a strong focus on the relevance of a liberal arts education in the US and how it is relevant to the world we live in.

This issue of relevance of education and return on investment has been at the heart of a technical education vs. humanities debate, which is part of the larger debate about the value of Higher ed in today’s world. My own journey to academia and social sciences (aligned with liberal arts and interdisciplinary work) has been circuitous and begins with a very technical field.

I graduated with a bachelors in Engineering, though had a knack for writing and communications. Soon after graduating, I jumped head on, starting my own communications consulting firm and subsequently working for Ogilvy & Mather in their PR unit for a while. This led to other opportunities in other firms and eventually, I made it to the Maxwell School of Syracuse University for an MPA and MA in International Relations.

I applied for just three programs, while I was working in the Middle East, ranked #1, #2 and #3, respectively – they were Maxwell School at Syracuse Uni, Harvard Kennedy School at Columbia and the school at Columbia Uni. I got accepted to Maxwell, with a scholarship! The decision was made for me. Why did I choose to come here?

It was largely becasue at the heart of Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs lies a distinctive educational philosophy: the belief that professional training in public policy and administration is most powerful when rooted in the liberal arts. This approach, which integrates professional MPA and other technical programs with interdisciplinary social science, produces graduates who are not merely skilled technicians but engaged citizens equipped to tackle complex societal challenges. I was enrolled in a dual MPA-MA(IR) focus so needed strong foundational courses in social sciences, that Maxwel school provided.

The Maxwell School, established in 1924, was founded on the principle of teaching citizenship to all Syracuse undergraduates. This commitment to civic engagement remains central to its identity, distinguishing it from traditional professional schools. I had the most intellectually stimulating time of my adult life at Maxwell School, where I was a Graduate Assistant at the Moynihan Institute and worked with one of the foremost experts on Iran, Dr. Mehrzad Boroujerdi.

As the only graduate school whose professional programs in public administration and international affairs are fully integrated with social science departments, Maxwell offers a truly distinctive educational model. Its faculty of 170 scholars across six social science disciplines: anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, and sociology; provide students with multiple lenses through which to understand policy problems. I attended classes in many of these disciplines as the elective structures let me take classes in many disciplines, with few restrictions.

The school’s flagship Master of Public Administration program, created over 90 years ago as the nation’s first such professional program, embodies this interdisciplinary philosophy.

As I learned during my time there, the MPA program emphasizes three areas of mastery: formulating, implementing, and evaluating policy; leading organizations with diverse stakeholders; and applying rigorous evidence-based analysis. These skills, however, are not taught in isolation. Maxwell’s faculty engage in applied interdisciplinary research, bridging theoretical frameworks with practical application. This blending ensures that policy decisions are understood within their cultural, historical, and social contexts.

Practical experience in interdisciplinary learning can be seen in the Maxwell classroom. In one course, MPA students worked alongside engineering students on complex policy projects, from lead service line replacement to automated vehicle regulation. My own capstone project involved an NGO (Near East Foundation) that worked with refugees in the Middle East and focused on workforce development and job creation for them.

As an Engineer, I learned to write policy briefs, while all MPA students grappled with technical infrastructure challenges: demonstrating how policy and technical expertise must inform one another. The instructor noted that MPA students excel at articulating policy arguments and applying current events to their analysis, skills honed through exposure to multiple disciplines.

This commitment to broad-based education extends to Maxwell’s undergraduate programs, offered in partnership with the College of Arts and Sciences. As I followed the schools work post graduation, the liberal arts core is being reimagined to address contemporary challenges like climate change, social justice, and human well-being, moving from traditional disciplinary perspectives toward thematic approaches that reflect an interconnected world. As one Maxwell associate dean observed, students with narrow professional ambitions are “just like the bear who sees the other side of the mountain”; true education requires crossing disciplinary lines to bridge ideas, cultures, and languages. The University’s longstanding principle has been that “just providing liberal education or just providing professional training is not where society needs education to be”.

Some of my professors were leaders of global organizations, including Prof. Catherine Bertini, former Head of World Food Program, Prof. Walter Broadnax (one of my favorite professors),

It is a testament to this unique model of blending liberal arts education with a very technical education that made my Maxwell experience unique. This model has earned Maxwell recognition as the #1 ranked graduate school of public affairs in the nation. Its success reflects a larger truth: today’s public challenges: from environmental sustainability to national security, all demand leaders who can synthesize perspectives and adapt to evolving conditions. As I look at Maxwell School’s enduring contribution, I realize it lies in understanding that effective public service requires not just technical competence but the critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and broad understanding that only a liberal arts education can provide.

Disciplinarity is a norm in today’s academia and though specialization is needed in many respects; getting bogged down in one’s discipline while ignoring the “big picture” can produce people and graduates who are inept at understanding the world, as it is.

I try to bring this to the classroom and in the program management at Cal Lutheran and hope that you see the value of this approach.

Expanding Inclusive Curriculum Towards the LGBTQ+ Community in California Schools: How and Why Should Educators Do This?

~Erin Niemi

As the conversation surrounding inclusivity is discussed within the education sector, there has been consideration to address prominent heteronormativity in schools and uplift LGBTQ+ students. It has been found that students identifying as a part of the LGBTQ+ community are at increased risks to suffer from chronic stress as a result of stigma-related discrimination (Smith-Millmen, et. al, 2019) are twice as likely to miss school due to sadness and hopelessness than their non-LGBTQ+ peers (Choi, et. al 2017), and report high levels of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse on campus compared to their non-LGBTQ+ peers (Smith-Millmen, et. al, 2019). In order to confront this safety epidemic, educators have begun to explore the ways LGBTQ+ inclusive education could confront safety issues in schools, as well as begin to confront LGBTQ+ erasure and discrimination by omission in all subjects taught.

Benefits of LGBTQ+-Inclusive Education:

Although the passage of The FAIR Education Act, which states that the contributions of “lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender” people should be included in curriculum addressing the political and social development of California and the United States was passed and implemented in 2012, fewer than 20% of LGBTQ+ students have reported that they have had positive/neutral representations of LGBTQ+ folks in the classroom (Snapp, et. al, 2015). Additionally, research has shown that LGBTQ+ related issues, topics, and people are underrepresented in the courses such as health and sexuality (Snapp, et. al, 2015), math and science (Snapp, et. al, 2015), and although more included in the fields of English, history, and government, LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum in these areas miss several aspects that would make the curriculum more inclusive. However, when done correctly and with the intention of inclusion, LGBTQ+-inclusive makes school safer for both LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ students, and when this curriculum was implemented, students as a whole heard fewer homophobic slurs, experienced less victimization and bullying, and a reduction of prejudicial attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community (Snapp, et. al, 2015). While LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum lacks literature in a lot of areas (mostly due to its nonexistence), present research studying it has pointed towards its power to affirm student safety and individuality and extend inclusivity.

How Educators Have Implemented This:

While there is no present standard of LGBTQ+ curriculum, educators and teachers have implemented LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum through the inclusion of literature with LGBTQ+ characters/authors, anti-bullying campaigns, and social justice units. By including and making available reading materials and topics towards LGBTQ+ students, as well as including them next to non-LGBTQ+ topics and literature, educators can combat the lack of representation LGBTQ+ students and educators face both inside and out of the classroom. Additionally, by integrating LGBTQ+-inclusive topics and literature in the classroom, teachers can give students a more realistic version of the global population aside from what they have traditionally heard about in school and inside their home. This way, teachers can promote lifelong learning and tolerance while simultaneously acknowledging diversity and fighting back on stigma (Batchelor, et. al, 2018).

Why Is This Important:

As LGBTQ+ students face disproportionate violence, lack of school safety, and a lack of representation in the classroom, it is important that educators consider adding LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum within their current class material in lieu of policy passage in order to help foster school safety, inclusivity, tolerance, and reduce discrimination the LGBTQ+ community faces. By increasing LGBTQ+ inclusive content in schools, students will have a safer and more tolerant learning environment to learn in, as well as will have a better picture of the global population and all of the people within it. By including LGBTQ+-inclusive topics in the classroom, educators can also help combat discrimination by omission as well as discrimination through homophobic, transphobic, and biphobic stereotypes and prejudiced beliefs. By expanding representation, acknowledging the LGBTQ+ community, and advocating for inclusive content that reflects the world as it is, rather than through the heteronormative and cisgender lens, educators and institutions can begin to make the necessary change in order to protect LGBTQ+ youth and create education that discusses prevalent, yet often unmentioned, current issues that impact the global community as a whole.

References:

Batchelor, K. E., Ramos, M., & Neiswander, S. (2017). Opening Doors: Teaching LGBTQ-themed Young Adult Literature for an Inclusive Curriculum. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 91(1), 29–36.

Choi, S. K., Baams, L., & Wilson, B. D. M. (2017). LGBTQ Youth In Public Schools, Differences Across the State. The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law. https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/LGBTQ-Youth-CA-Public-Schools-Oct-2017.pdf.

Smith-Millman, M., Harrison, S. E., Pierce, L., & Flaspohler, P. D. (2019). “Ready, willing, and able”: Predictors of school mental health providers’ competency in working with LGBTQ youth. Journal of LGBT Youth, 16(4), 380–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/19361653.2019.1580659

Snapp, S. D., Burdge, H., Licona, A. C., Moody, R. L., & Russell, S. T. (2015). Students’ Perspectives on LGBTQ-Inclusive Curriculum. Equity & Excellence in Education, 48(2), 249–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2015.1025614

Snapp, S. D., McGuire, J. K., Sinclair, K. O., Gabrion, K., & Russell, S. T. (2015). LGBTQ-inclusive curricula: why supportive curricula matter. Sex Education, 15(6), 580–596. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2015.1042573

Is virtual international education worth it?

By Roman Yavich, MPA The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a massive disruption to the entire education system. As with any crisis, this difficult and tragic situation has also brought an opportunity for change. In international education this change is the acceleration of the trend toward virtual programs.

source: unomaha.edu

Is Virtual Study Abroad an Oxymoron?

Virtual study abroad sounds like an oxymoron. Most students and faculty scuff at the idea. After all, the whole point of study abroad is to get out of the country to experience another culture and see the world! But is it? It’s true that most students sign up to study abroad to go to an exotic foreign destination. It’s an Instagram-able, credit-barring adventure of a lifetime. But most students come back from a study abroad program, especially a structured, faculty-led program, having gained something more profound and impactful than what they could capture with their phones. A new perspective, even epiphany, about their privilege, consumption patterns, social, economic, and environmental impact, prior naivete about foreign policy, along with enlightened views about cultural relativism and a myriad of additional insight, is what makes study abroad truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And if this is the point of study abroad, then good news, it can be achieved through virtual programming. Epiphanies during faculty-led study abroad most often occur as a result of interaction with locals who share their perspective and culture. These conversations can have almost the same impact over a zoom call. While a screen will never compare to travel, a virtual reality viewer at least starts to bridge the gap. A virtual internship can be just as valuable as an in-person internship abroad, and, in fact, might better prepare a student for their future career, which will likely involve remote work. No, I don’t think virtual study abroad will or should replace in-person travel programs, but I do believe that if the objective is to internationalize the curriculum and students’ views, virtual programs can be effective.

Advantages of Virtual Study Abroad

Virtual international education also has unique advantages to travel-based faculty-led programs that should not be overlooked. First and foremost, it is more affordable, meaning it is more accessible to a broader segment of the student population. Only a small fraction of students currently study abroad, and this group is far from representative of the diversity of the student population. Without the cost of travel, accommodation, restaurants, and adventure activities, virtual study abroad costs a fraction of the cost of a travel program. Increasing access, participation, and diversity in study abroad has been repeatedly cited by research as a top concern for colleges and universities. The international education community should promote these programs not only as an alternative when travel is not possible, as is the case now, but as an alternative when travel is possible. Virtual programs are also environmentally friendly compared to the carbon intensive travel programs. A single long-haul flight is as harmful to our climate as a year’s worth of driving. This is why Learn from Travel offsets its entire carbon footprint. Virtual programs also eliminate the carbon of hotel accommodation, eating in restaurants, and other activities. They also prevent the possibility of littering, which is a particularly big concern for programs that involve ecotourism activities. Virtual programs are much easier logistically, without the need for planning travel, complicated activity scheduling, and limiting the program to an intensive week-long or two-week-long itinerary, in the case of a faculty-led study abroad. The activities can be spread out over the course of the semester and students can engage with people and places geographically far apart, something that is not possible when traveling. Virtual Faculty Led Study Abroad Example After conducting some market research on the topic of virtual study abroad over the last several months, my team came to realize that many faculty simply can’t imagine what a virtual faculty-led program could look like. At best they think of international zoom calls, and, yes, that is a part of it, but it’s just the beginning. Take for example a faculty-led program in Oaxaca on the topic of migration and remittances: Students can join a local guide using her cell phone to walk through an Oaxacan market, meet different merchants, learn about the produce, and buy groceries for making mole. Later in the day the students can make the mole sauce together with a chef in Oaxaca to enjoy with their families at home that night. Using Zoom they can meet the director of a local migration support nonprofit to hear about the complexity of the issue for Mexican authorities and the efforts to help the desperate families, from all over the world, seeking safety and security. As a class, the students can participate in a service learning project to support the migration center with data entry and analysis, database updates, and social media posts. Going further, students can intern with a variety of nonprofit, public and private organizations that make up the ecosystem of migrant support services. They can engage in a multi-week virtual internship, coming together weekly to share insights. Students can also work with their Oaxacan peers to conduct research on migration on both sides of the border, receiving lectures from faculty in the US and in Oaxaca. Using a $15 VR viewer, they can even experience Monte Alban, one of the most important archeological sites in the Valley of Oaxaca, in an immersive 3D virtual space composed of 360° photos and videos layered with additional text and links to online content. Beyond being a fun and engaging experience, the virtual reality visit can help students place the topic of migration and settlement in the historical context.

Conclusion

So is virtual international education worth it? I’m biased, but yes. It is absolutely worth it if the alternative is a lack of international content in a course curriculum. Despite a recent rise in nationalism, the world is becoming more interdependent and interconnected by the day. The pandemic will not change that. Preparing students for work and life in this world is vitally important for higher Ed institutions and the opportunity for integrating virtual international education should not be missed. To learn more about virtual study abroad modules and programs, please visit Learn from Travel. Roman Yavich is the founder of Learn from Travel, a social enterprise international educational provider specializing in custom faculty-led and virtual study abroad programs for higher ed.