2008 Woodie Awards
Policy school a beacon on local issues
Drew Bonifant
Issue date: 12/6/06 Section: News
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This is the third in a series of articles examining programs the university is bolstering through the Academic Investment Plan.
Given Northeastern's position within the city of Boston, it would make sense that the school focuses much of its attention on issues within the surrounding community, specifically through its Center for Urban and Regional Policy (CURP), that focus could be bolstered soon.
Thanks to a part of the Academic Investment Plan (AIP), the center will receive an increase in resources, and, it hopes, influence.
An initiative in the AIP has created a new school within the university to focus on city and state issues, establishing the School of Social Science, Urban Affairs and Public Policy. A much larger institution than the seven-year-old CURP, the new school will have departments for economics, sociology and anthropology, political science, history, African-American studies and a law, policy and society program. CURP will be a research center within the school, along with the Center for Labor Market Studies.
Shortly into its existence, the new school is already getting involved with issues concerning the city. According to the school's website, four of the school's faculty have been assigned to groups to help governor-elect Deval Patrick set his agenda and budget priorities for his upcoming term.
Barry Bluestone, director for CURP, feels it was the school's position in the city that helped get urban policy involved in the AIP.
"Northeastern University has been involved in the urban community since it was founded over 100 years ago," he said. "It was the urban school, it was the commuter school. The idea is that the university can play a critical role in meeting some of the challenges of the greater Boston area and the commonwealth."
According to the CURP website, the focus of the center, and of the new school, is to use faculty, staff and students to address issues involving the local community and Greater Boston region. Bluestone said the urban attention has become a large part of Northeastern's identity.
Given Northeastern's position within the city of Boston, it would make sense that the school focuses much of its attention on issues within the surrounding community, specifically through its Center for Urban and Regional Policy (CURP), that focus could be bolstered soon.
Thanks to a part of the Academic Investment Plan (AIP), the center will receive an increase in resources, and, it hopes, influence.
An initiative in the AIP has created a new school within the university to focus on city and state issues, establishing the School of Social Science, Urban Affairs and Public Policy. A much larger institution than the seven-year-old CURP, the new school will have departments for economics, sociology and anthropology, political science, history, African-American studies and a law, policy and society program. CURP will be a research center within the school, along with the Center for Labor Market Studies.
Shortly into its existence, the new school is already getting involved with issues concerning the city. According to the school's website, four of the school's faculty have been assigned to groups to help governor-elect Deval Patrick set his agenda and budget priorities for his upcoming term.
Barry Bluestone, director for CURP, feels it was the school's position in the city that helped get urban policy involved in the AIP.
"Northeastern University has been involved in the urban community since it was founded over 100 years ago," he said. "It was the urban school, it was the commuter school. The idea is that the university can play a critical role in meeting some of the challenges of the greater Boston area and the commonwealth."
According to the CURP website, the focus of the center, and of the new school, is to use faculty, staff and students to address issues involving the local community and Greater Boston region. Bluestone said the urban attention has become a large part of Northeastern's identity.
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