University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Civic Engagement
and Public Policy

The social and cultural changes that have occurred over the past several years have led to a myriad of problems that confront local, national and international constituencies. Problems associated with poverty, educational access and reform, housing, health and environment, crime and criminal justice, substance abuse, family violence and persistent inequalities related to race, social class and gender pose pressing societal challenges. As an urban public research university, UB possesses strengths across its various units including its ability to marshal collaborative expertise in research, teaching and service that advances the public good.

This Civic Engagement and Public Policy initiative encourages and supports faculty research and scholarship that identify and address pressing social issues and/or broad policy issues in a collaborative fashion with partners within the local or global community. This scholarly expertise will then be disseminated and applied at the local, regional, national or global levels to advance the public good and inform public policy.

The collective work conducted under the aegis of Civic Engagement and Public Policy draws on the existing strengths within the liberal arts and the professional schools and builds on the synergy that has been established among these decanal units.

Committee Leadership

Coordinating Committee:

• Nancy Smyth (Coordinating Dean)
  Dean, School of Social Work
• Wayne Anderson
  Dean, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Arjang Assad
  Dean, School of Management
• Michael Cain
  Dean, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
• Brian Carter
  Dean, School of Architecture and Planning
• Mary Gresham
  Dean, Graduate School of Education
• Lynn Kozlowski
  Dean, School of Public Health & Health Professions
• Bruce D. McCombe
  Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
• Makau Mutua
  Dean, Law School
• Harvey Stenger
  Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Faculty Advisory Committee:

Note: This committee is currently reforming; however, the following people may still be contacted for further information.

• Robert Granfield (Chair)
  Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology
• Greg Dimitriadis
  Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy
• D. Munroe Eagles
  Professor, Department of Political Science; Director, Canadian Academic Programs
• Diane Elze
  Associate Professor, School of Social Work
• Kathryn B. Friedman
  Deputy Director, The Regional Institute
• Susan Vivian Mangold
  Professor, School of Law
• Niraj Verma
  Professor and Chair, Department of Urban and Regional Planning