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Dear Pardee RAND Students, Staff, and Faculty,
Welcome (back) to Pardee RAND for what I am certain will be an exciting academic year!
Please join me in wishing a warm welcome to many new faces: our terrific 2022 cohort of Ph.D. students, our inaugural M.Phil. cohort, and several new members of our teaching faculty.
Just last Friday, our new students completed a fantastic and fast-paced Orientation and Bootcamp—and that was just the beginning. Read on to learn more about the newest members of our Pardee RAND family, upcoming events, and information about this academic season.
I look forward to a wonderful year with you!
Warmly,
Nancy
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Welcome Cohort ’22!
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Members of Cohort '22, photos by Diane Baldwin/RAND Corporation
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Our newest cohort includes 18 Ph.D. students: 10 focusing on research, analysis, and design; 5 exploring community-partnered policy and action; 3 delving into technology applications and implications.
We are also excited to welcome five new students to our inaugural M.Phil. cohort!
Our students hit the ground running with a two-week orientation and bootcamp that included the following activities:
- Numerous meet-and-greets, course overviews, and introductions to key features of Pardee RAND and RAND, including On-the-Job Training (OJT), Career Services, the Tech + Narrative Lab (TNL), and the RAND matrix
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An immersive Los Angeles policymaking site visit in Watts that focused on climate change and equity
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A Santa Monica scavenger hunt that helped the new students learn about their adopted city
Cohort ’22 brings exciting new energy to the school, and we’re so excited they’ve joined us!
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Upcoming Events
On September 29, join RAND's BELIEVE (Black Employees Leading in Inclusion, Equity, Vision, and Education) employee resource group and Pardee RAND for a virtual panel on HBCU Excellence, featuring the United Negro College Fund's Nadrea R. Njoku in conversation with RAND alumni of historically black colleges and universities.
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RAND president and CEO Jason Matheny will join Dean and Vice President of Innovation Nancy Staudt for a Pardee RAND Fireside Chat on October 11, followed by a networking reception. Your invitation will be emailed soon, so save the date!
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With a focus on “Justice Reinvestment,” RAND’s NextGen Initiative and the Pardee RAND Tech + Narrative Lab will host the second annual Equity Hackathon next month. Final presentations will be November 2 and are open to the public.
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New Staff, Faculty, and Courses
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MaryLou Gilbert
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Nick Fahy
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A hearty congratulations to our new DEI coordinator, MaryLou Gilbert, who will partner with our DEI director Malcolm Williams and continue supporting the school’s Community-Partnered Policy and Action curriculum.
Please welcome Nick Fahy, the research group director for RAND Europe Health and Wellbeing, who will teach "Health Policy and Systems: Past, Present, and Future Challenges" in the spring quarter. Check out our 2022-23 course menu to learn more.
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Share Your Thoughts with the Task Force
The 2022 Summer Task Force continues to explore current strengths and areas for improvement within the graduate program, with the goal of providing implementable recommendations for FY23 and beyond.
Professors Nelson Lim, Kerry Reynolds, Jeanne Ringel, and Cynthia Gonzalez, and students Elliot Brennan, Sarah Kang, and Danielle Sobol have held focus groups to identify specific areas of priority and topics to explore further. A student survey will provide additional essential details to the team as their recommendations take shape.
If you are a returning student and haven't yet shared your thoughts, please complete the survey by the end of the day Wednesday, September 28.
Additionally, join the October 31 Town Hall to hear from learn more about the Task Force’s findings.
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Stay Healthy!
If there's one thing we've learned in the last few years, it's that in-person connections and class time are important elements of the Pardee RAND experience. Thank you for doing your part to keep our community safe and well! Stay up to date on RAND’s Latest COVID Protocols — and be sure to contact Registrar Alex Duke if you test positive or are exposed.
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