Pardee RAND News & Events

Pardee RAND Graduate School students, alumni, and faculty are often in the news, writing blogs, publishing research, speaking at events, and more. Other pages (student blog posts, alumni news, faculty blog posts, featured research) provide filtered views of Pardee RAND news and announcements; here we present a complete compilation of ALL the news that's fit to share.

  • Woman using a laptop while her children hug her, photo by FG Trade/Getty Images

    Married Moms Aren't Striking Workers, but They Are Saying the Same Thing

    If we are in the middle of a labor shortage, recruiting people back into the labor force is key to sustaining a recovery. Prof. Kathryn Edwards says the historic work choices of married mothers reveal a lot about what might lure people back into the workforce, especially when—even if they want the income—there are competing forces at play.

    Nov 1, 2021

  • Five Faculty Win Awards for Mentoring

    RAND recently recognized five Pardee RAND faculty members — one of whom is also an alum — for their valuable contributions in mentoring junior researchers and advising colleagues.

    Oct 27, 2021

  • Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic concept, illustration by Alexandra Gl/Adobe Stock

    Hackathon Explores Ideas for a More Equitable Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic

    COVID-19 hit vulnerable communities especially hard. To identify promising policy solutions for a more equitable recovery from the pandemic — and engage aspiring young activists — Pardee RAND students worked with undergraduates from Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, and Spelman in a three-week virtual hackathon sponsored by the Tech + Narrative Lab and RAND's NextGen Initiative.

    Sep 24, 2021

  • A close-up image of the inner workings of a clock. Photo by seraficus / Getty Images

    Policy Analysis for Improving the Performance of Large Social Systems

    The fields of systems and policy analysis have helped to make the world more stable, secure, and prosperous by informing and improving decision-making in areas of public policy. Tim McDonald (cohort '16) considers how the scholarship and practice of policy analysis can contribute to addressing contemporary system challenges.

    Sep 16, 2021

  • A U.S. flag and flowers on the 9/11 memorial in New York City, New York, January 25, 2020, photo by Nicolas Economou/Reuters

    The Guilt I Carry Over 9/11 Drives Me to Help Others

    Alum and U.S. military veteran Jonathan Wong (cohort '12) reflects on how the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have influenced how he has lived his life since that day.

    Sep 13, 2021

  • Lower Ninth Ward area residents walk by the reconstructed wall of a levee at the Lower Ninth Ward canal in New Orleans, Louisiana, August 16, 2015, photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters

    Hurricane Ida Is Part of a Cycle of Disasters—Mitigating Their Impact Means Building Back Better

    Building back better means focusing on recovery that not only restores damage from a disaster but also reduces future risk. To meet that goal today, Jay Balagna (cohort '20) says we need to look at the ways our disaster preparedness and response systems actually create risk themselves, by reinforcing things like wealth inequality, systemic discrimination, or access to crucial services.

    Sep 13, 2021

  • A young Black man holding his infant child, photo by NappyStock

    The Compounding Effects of Racism: Q&A with James Anderson, Rachel Perera, and Heather Gomez-Bendaña

    Students Rachel Perera and Heather Gomez-Bendaña are working with RAND colleague James Anderson to create an interactive tool that illustrates how the effects of bias compound over time. Their aim is to improve understanding of how seemingly small disparities can add up to create significant inequality.

    Sep 10, 2021

  • Hand touching icon health care medical concept, photo by marchmeena29/Getty Images

    Tech Assets Might Help Make Public Health Data More Equity-Centered

    The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified broad societal inequities and trained a spotlight on the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. public health system. Tara Blagg (cohort '19) and professors Doug Yeung and Chris Nelson ask, what would more equity-centered, tech-engaged public health data look like?

    Sep 9, 2021

  • School Weaves Four Threads Through Program

    Pardee RAND has launched the most recent element of the program's redesign: the addition of ethics, communication, global perspectives, and social justice and racial equity threads to further strengthen an already tight-knit program.

    Sep 7, 2021

  • Dean's Report to Board of Governors

    In her report to the Pardee RAND Graduate School Board of Governors, Dean Susan Marquis shares information about the 2020 cohort, recent graduates, new initiatives, the school's recent reaccreditation, fundraising, and more.

    Sep 1, 2021

  • ‘Federal Service Is Incredibly Fulfilling’: Q&A with Alum David Howell

    Looking at the career of alum David Howell (cohort '03), it might seem like he was helping the United States prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic since he graduated. He spoke with us about his experience in the federal government, working on pandemic preparedness and response, and more.

    Aug 31, 2021

  • Cohort '20 Externs Share “What I Did on My Summer Vacation”

    The six members of Pardee RAND's inaugural Community-Partnered Policy and Action cohort completed their first externships this summer, three in Sitka and three in Los Angeles. Each shared glowing reflections on their experiences.

    Aug 31, 2021

  • Emmett Keeler

    After 41 Years of Teaching at Pardee RAND, Emmett Keeler Retires

    Prof. Emmett Keeler taught 51 courses — and nearly every single student at Pardee RAND — over the past 41 years. His students and colleagues paid tribute to this faculty institution, who retired from teaching this summer.

    Aug 27, 2021

  • Syrian refugee children in the Ketermaya refugee camp, outside Beirut, Lebanon on June 1, 2014, photo by Dominic Chavez/World Bank

    New Solutions Are Urgently Needed for Displaced Populations

    Among the 80 million people who are displaced globally are 30 million refugees. They are living in limbo without full citizenship rights, and their host countries are experiencing ever-greater political and economic strains. Research by Hardika Dayalani (cohort '18) and colleagues highlights the critical need to find both durable and interim solutions.

    Aug 26, 2021

  • Faculty Leaders Program Proves Virtually Unstoppable

    Fifteen professors from institutions across the United States gained policy research skills and personal mentoring over a three-week period this summer, thanks to Pardee RAND’s reimagined, virtual, and professionally enriching Faculty Leaders Program.

    Aug 25, 2021

  • People wearing virtual reality headsets watch films at a newly opened VR cinema by Er Dong Pictures in Beijing, China, March 27, 2019, photo by Lin Hui/Beijing Youth Daily/Reuters

    China Is Organizing the VR Industry. The United States Could Do the Same

    Given the potential value of virtual reality (VR) as a tool—and the increasing competition from China—the United States could focus more energy on advancing VR in a coordinated fashion. Otherwise, Will Shumate (cohort '20) and Prof. Timothy Marler write, America risks missing an opportunity to excel internationally with a valuable and broadly applicable emerging technology.

    Aug 23, 2021

  • A student uses a tablet at a socially-distanced desk during a hybrid learning day at the Mount Vernon Community School in Alexandria, Virginia, March 2, 2021, photo by Tom Brenner/Reuters

    U.S. School Districts Are Expanding Their Services Beyond Academics

    Analysis by Melissa Diliberti (cohort '19) of American School District Panel survey data found that during the pandemic, the percentage of districts offering weekend meals to eligible students nearly tripled. Nine of ten districts offered summer programs. More mental health services and computing devices will be provided to students in 2021–2022. But most academic programs won't change.

    Aug 23, 2021

  • Students return to school wearing masks at Wilder Elementary School in Louisville, Kentucky, August 11, 2021, photo by Amira Karaoud/Reuters

    How Concerned Are Parents About the Safety of In-Person Instruction?

    A new survey details parents' responses concerning school hesitancy and preferences for COVID-19 safety practices in U.S. schools. Melissa Diliberti (cohort '19) and colleagues fielded the survey July 16–29, just as the delta variant greatly increased the number of cases nationwide.

    Aug 18, 2021

  • Firefighters knock down hot spots while protecting a rail bridge from the Dixie Fire near the town of Quincy, California, August 5, 2021, photo by Fred Greaves/Reuters

    Climate Change Is Only One Driver of Explosive Wildfire Season—Don't Forget Land Management

    The fire seasons that have been scorching huge areas and wiping entire towns from the map appear to be the future. Jay Balagna (cohort '20) says that accepting that wildland fires are a part of our environment and working to live with fires rather than continuously fighting against them may be the most responsible path forward.

    Aug 16, 2021

  • A teacher checks a student's work as students return to school when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 8, 2021, photo by Hannah Beier/Reuters

    The K–12 Pandemic Staffing and Budget Crises Have Not Panned Out—Yet

    As the pandemic increased stress on educators, many indicated they planned to leave their jobs by the end of the 2020–2021 school year. Districts have also had budget concerns, knowing federal aid will expire. Neither of these crises has come to pass, according to research by Melissa Diliberti (cohort '19), but they still could.

    Aug 16, 2021