As many of you know by now, I have had the honor of being chosen by President-elect Biden to chair the Council of Economic Advisers and serve in his Cabinet. Accepting this nomination was a hard decision, yet I feel compelled to serve given our current economic crisis spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic. I am proud to be joining one of the most diverse administrations in our nation’s history.

At the same time, I want to assure you that the School’s efforts on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) will continue. In response to President Eisgruber’s charge to confront racism at Princeton, I have been working with the SPIA community to review both the undergraduate curriculum and the graduate MPA core to ensure we are not only teaching students 21st century skills, but also embracing diversity and equity in a truly inclusive manner.

For the graduate review, this semester we held 10 focus groups on the curriculum, gathering input from a number of students and alumni. The sessions were conducted by an external facilitator, who will synthesize the valuable feedback. Information gathered from the focus groups will inform a survey that will go out to those who have participated in the current program: all current MPA students and relatively recent alumni.

As a reminder, you can find updates about related University initiatives, as well as timelines and opportunities to offer input and feedback, on the University’s new Racial Equity website.