From FDR's vision for "practical contacts between the collegiate and educational world, and the operations of government;" SPA was born. In 1934, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt began implementing New Deal programs that, among other things, sought to increase “practical contacts between the collegiate and educational world and the operations of government.” He believed that the intersection of
academia and public service would result in better-informed decision making, not only for Depression-era America, but also for future generations to come. From his vision, the School of Public Affairs (SPA) at American University was born. Over the past eight decades, SPA has embraced FDR’s vision as it cultivated a culture of lasting impact -- to empower those who seek knowledge, to conduct and apply research, to build a bridge between academic thought and policy planning, and to inspire change at every level. Today, with more than 1,600 current students and more than 20,000 alumni, SPA’s faculty and students continue to tackle complex issues with thoughtful research that educates, informs, and promotes change across a broad field of study.
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