Public Affairs and Government

Join us for a public lecture, organized and hosted by the Howard J. Samuels State and City Policy Center at Baruch College, on the causes and consequences of rising housing costs, by Edward L. Glaeser, Professor of Economics at Harvard University. Dr. Glaeser will examine why housing has become increasingly unaffordable in major cities and what policy choices can and cannot do to address the housing crisis in urban centers including New York.

Spring 2026 Ackerman Lecture. Join Jelani Cobb, Dean and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism at the Columbia Journalism School for this important lecture situates contemporary concerns over democracy, immigration, DEI, and higher education within their broader historical contexts.

How Major Change Happens in Urban Welfare Policies? Can New York City respond effectively to poverty and related problems? Mayors Lindsay, Giuliani, and de Blasio all sought major change in city welfare policy. When has big change been achieved and how did it happen? Thomas J. Main’s new book, Reforming Social Services in New York City: How Major Change Happens in Urban Welfare Policies (Cornell 2025), will be the springboard for a discussion of these issues.

Context Matters. Whether cultural, economic, political or environmental, contexts shape our work, our values and our strategies. Join our visiting nonprofit and community philanthropy scholar/practitioners as they share and reflect on their experiences from Peru, the Philippines, and Ukraine.

Join Mustafa Santiago Ali for a lecture highlighting some social justice movements reshaping communities across the country and learn about a model that is bringing transformative change.

As nations push toward net-zero goals, nuclear energy is making a comeback — sparking debate while offering a low-carbon, reliable power source. With AI driving unprecedented electricity demand, how can nuclear power meet both climate and tech challenges? Join global experts for a deep dive into: ⚡ Technological, economic, and policy trends shaping nuclear energy 🌐 Geopolitical perspectives from the U.S., China, and the EU 🔬 Nuclear’s role in decarbonization and powering the AI era

Keynote address from the launch event of the Online Executive Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration.

Join Deborah Archer, president of the ACLU National and esteemed legal scholar, for a discussion of her upcoming book Dividing Lines, where she explores how America’s transportation infrastructure has reinforced racial segregation and inequality over the past century. From highways that separate communities to sidewalks that exclude, Archer reveals how seemingly neutral infrastructure choices have perpetuated division. Drawing on history, legal analysis, and real-life testimonies, she offers a critical look at the enduring impact of these systems and outlines a vision for a more equitable future.

Come hear legendary organizer Marshall Ganz in conversation about his once-in-a-generation book. Its framework for creating real and lasting change is drawn from his extraordinary experiences with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, President Obama’s 2008 election campaign, and training future leaders for over 20 years at Harvard.

Through a wave of innovative experimentation with worker cooperatives and closely related enterprise models, social and community entrepreneurs are including more workers in the economy. This event features a review of developments in the field from local experts and includes insights and actionable strategies for leaders in the non-profit, public, and higher education sectors interested in using these approaches to maximize their social impact.

President Emeritus and University Professor Mitchel Wallerstein discusses his forthcoming book “Public Higher Education That Works” in conversation with Former and Founding President of Guttman Community College and University Professor Scott Evenbeck.

Join us in welcoming Kathryn Kolbert as our Fall 2024 speaker for the Ackerman Lecture on Equality and Justice. She will describe the nearly five decades of legal battles around abortion that have brought us to this current moment, when 14 states have total abortion bans, and 27 states have bans based on gestational duration. (Ten states have measures related to abortion rights on their ballots this November.) Kolbert will also describe strategies that she and her co-author, Julie F. Kay, propose to safeguard reproductive rights.

Panel discussion with speakers from the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation, the Robinhood Foundation, and the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation.

Climate change and our broader ecological crisis pose a serious challenge to our basic social and political systems. A variety of styles of response to this scale have emerged. Some involve emphasis on centralized decision-making by experts, whether the “Green New Deal” scale national policies of states or by way of the returns-driven focus of institutional investors and asset managers. Others call for more distributed decision making, emphasizing market mechanisms like carbon taxes and offsets or the role of sub-national public entities in energy transition. The talk will present examples of each of these approaches and discuss the underlying implications and stakes for democratic life and institutions. Guest Speaker: Dr. Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University.

This online event provides a forum to discuss about virtual or hybrid team leaderships for nonprofit organizations in order to increase team trust, bonding, cohesion, and conflict management. Including in the panel are presenters and experts from non-profit sectors, Tosca Bruno-van Vijfeiiken, Principal Consultant of Five Oaks Consulting and Ahmed Hachelaf, Peace & Conflict Education Specialist of Generations For Peace. The program is introduced by George Mitchell. 

This presentation explores the role of transnational advocacy and international organizations in international relation.  The lecture is presented by Nina Hall and based on her volume: Transnational advocacy in the Digital Era.   The program is introduced by George Mitchell.

This presentation discusses the dimensions of a new paradigm for management of nonprofit organizations based on building resilience and navigating crises to ensure future viability and effectiveness.  Presenters Dennis R. Young and Elizabeth A.M. Searing offer talks based on their book: Resilience and The Management of Nonprofit Organizations.   The program is introduced by George Mitchell. 

The main theme of this Zoom event is to provide joint conversations with Baruch alumni nonprofit leaders which include the following speakers: Donna Frisby-Greenwood (MPA’96), Ciara Ginyard (MPA’12), Jenny Lai (MPA ’17), Steven Raga (MPA ’16), and Pinky Vincent. The moderator of today’s program is Barbara Paxton.     This program starts with brief introduction by Janet Rossbach, Director of Alumni Relations, as well as brief talk by Dean Sherry Ryan from Marxe School, and George Mitchell.

This online event provides a forum to be engaged with audiences on revisiting and updating the knowledge of how NGOs conduct advocacy on international issues. Presenters Christopher A. Pallas and Elizabeth A. Bloodgood focus on issues related to NGO draw on their recently published volume entitled:  Beyond the Boomerang: From Transnational Advocacy Networks to Transcalar Advocacy in International Politics. The program starts with brief introduction provided by George Mitchell.

This online event provides a forum to discuss about international nongovernmental organizations. Including in the panel are presenters from non-profit sectors and NGO, Ido Lotan and Matthew Aubry. The program is introduced by the co-hosts George Mitchell and Barbara Paxton with Barbara Paxton from BoardStrong to provide nonprofit board training, consultation, and educational resources.

This online event provides a forum to examine the rise of new actors in the international development world: volunteer-driven grassroots international nongovernmental organizations. Presenter Allison Schnable focuses on issues related to NGO drawn from her book entitled:  Amateurs without Borders: The Aspirations and Limits of Global Compassion The program is introduced by George Mitchell and a Q&A session follows the lecture. 

Moderated by Sherry Ryan, Dean of Marx School of Public and International Affairs, the focus of this conference is to discuss the goals and strategies of  Bank of America’s 4-year funding program on supporting higher education. Speakers include Randa Shockley and Gail Harvey from Bank of America and Rob Johnstone from the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement. 

Moderated by Robert Smith, Professor and Ackerman Chair and presented by Stephen Russell on his educational research for LGBTQ+ Youth and Schooling, considering the use of research to advance social change for social justice with understanding the lives and experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) children and youth and identifying policies and practices of education research to support LGBTQ+ and all students.

Over the past 15 years, New York City has become a technology powerhouse, with almost 350,000 jobs in the sector propelled by businesses large and small, including more than 9,000 start-up firms. The city’s institutions of higher education are producing more tech, STEM and life sciences graduates than any other locality in the nation, and the New York is a leader in the development of civic technology. How did we get here? Is our current growth sustainable? Are our educational programs feeding alumni into careers in technology large enough and inclusive enough to make tech a vehicle for social equity? What challenges does a high concentration of highly educated, highly compensated employees in this industry pose for the city? Join us for a conversation with three people who have been intimately involved with New York’s emergence as a technology hub and setting the agenda for further growth. The Marxe Issues panel of experts includes: Gale A. Brewer, Manhattan Borough President; Andrew Rasiej, Founder/CEO Civic Hall, Founder Personal Democracy Forum, Chairman Emeritus, NY Tech Alliance; and J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives for New York City. This program will be moderated by David S. Birdsell, Marxe Dean, Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs.

In late 2019 major and, at times, violent protests broke out in Chile, Colombia, and Bolivia. These events took place in the context of protests earlier in the year in Venezuela and, before that, Brazil. These types of protests have had important impacts on political systems and social dynamics in the region and have in the past generation contributed to bringing down governments in Bolivia and Brazil. Chile’s protests have already led to an agreement to revise that country’s constitution. This panel will bring together experts on the region to discuss the drivers of these protests, the effects on these political systems, and their implications for the future. The Global Insights panel of experts includes: Janice Gallagher, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University-Newark, and Patricio Navia, Clinical Professor of Liberal Studies at New York University. The program will be moderated by Enrique Desmond Arias, Marxe Chair of Western Hemisphere Affairs at Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs.

"In 2016 the Colombian government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) concluded a historic peace agreement that ended the half-century long war between the government and the FARC. Colombia’s president Juan Manuel Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize that year. The implementation of the peace accords has, however, been a rocky affair especially after Ivan Duque, an opponent of the peace process, won the presidency in 2018. Conflict continues today with numerous FARC dissident organizations operating around Colombia and other armed organizations, including the ELN and EPL guerrilla groups, expanding their presence in formerly FARC controlled areas. Indeed, homicide rates have increased nationally since 2017 as armed actors vie for control of lucrative markets in illicit drugs and mining. The country has seen a wave of assassinations of peasants, civic leaders, and former guerrillas leading one important FARC leader to again take up arms. This panel will bring together scholars and practitioners to discuss the state of the peace process and the prospects for Colombia in the coming years."

International Affairs programs face numerous challenges responding to a rapidly shifting global order. As new powers rise and old powers recede, the existing liberal order struggles to maintain relevance in the face of warming climates, growing economic inequality, migration, trade wars and political conflict. What is the future for International Affairs programs? Join us in conversation about the challenges facing MIA programs and the need for a new approach.

Immigrant legal status is a central axis of stratification in contemporary U.S. society and is linked to a range of inequities for youth. The poverty rate of children with undocumented parents is twice the rate of children of U.S.-born parents and undocumented youth are much more likely to report clinical levels of depression and anxiety than their documented peers.Yet although we know immigrant legal status is linked to inequality, we know far less about potential solutions to this problem. One straightforward remedy is the regularization of immigration status. In June 2012, the Obama Administration announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program, granting a subset of undocumented youth temporary relief from deportation, access to work authorization, and other related benefits. In September 2017, the Trump administration announced plans to eliminate the program, a highly contested decision culminating in a November 2019 Supreme Court hearing. In this presentation, Dr. Patler addresses a series of interrelated questions about DACA’s tenure and potential termination in influencing the wellbeing of undocumented young people: How has DACA influenced psychological wellbeing among immigrant youth during the program’s tenure? Have DACA’s impacts changed or unfolded over time, in response to changing political contexts? And finally, how has DACA affected the family members of DACA-eligible people?

This Marxe Issues will focus on the complexity of the U.S./China trade and security relationship by exploring the impact of tariffs, cyber security breach, and the long-term perils facing these two superpowers.

The 2019 Spring Ackerman Lecture features Cristina Jimenez, a community organizer, strategists and freedom fighter. She is the Executive Director and Co-founder of United We Dream (UWD), the largest immigrant youth-led network in the United States. A CUNY alumni, Cristina holds a master’s degree in Public Administration and Public Policy from Baruch College Marxe School of Public and International Affairs and graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science and Business from Queens College.

Moderated by Lawrence Scot, Professor from the Master of Public Administration, Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs (MSPIA) at  Baruch College, this lecture contains an overview of nonprofit accounting, including a brief introduction of recent accounting reporting changes, the presentation of financial statements with clarifying contributions received & made, revenue from contracts with customers, and leases.

The United States Army War College's Eisenhower Series Program promotes candid dialogue between students at the Army's senior educational institution and universities and civic organizations across the country. Our panelists will discuss their military careers and their views on American national security and leadership nearly twenty years after the 9/11 attacks and the start of the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The distinguished panel moderated by Marxe Professor Hector Cordero leads a panel of visiting cabinet ministers from the Dominican Republic.

This Marxe Issues Public Policy program will focus on the controversy involving reaching a viable NAFTA agreement under the current Trump administration. The panel will feature distinguished experts on the United States, Canada and Mexico trade policies. They will discuss the setbacks that have occurred to date and suggest ways diplomatic talks should proceed in the interest of all three countries. The NAFTA agreement greatly impacts the American economy, and our relationship with Canada and Mexico both economically and politically.

The February 5th Marxe Issues program, co-sponsored by the Robert Zicklin Center for Corporate Integrity at the Zicklin School of Busienss, will focus on why universities and colleges must carefully monitor their donor base to avoid politically or ideologically driven philanthropy from seeking unethical influence on college campuses. The panelists will address this issue sighting recent cases and the steps taken to introduce new policies and philanthropic strategies. This panel of experts includes two officials from George Mason University, the institution exposed in national press headlines for being influenced by politically motivated donors.

Janai Nelson discusses the local and national steps the Legal Defense and Education Fund is taking to protect and defend voting rights.

This program features a discussion with Marxe Professor Thomas Main, author of the book “The Rise of the Alt-Right” and Professor Mark Lilla, professor of the Humanities at Columbia University, author of “The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics."

Moderated by David Birdsell, Dean of the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, the program starts by showing a documentary film regarding the access to the right to vote guaranteed in the constitution using North Carolina for the case study of the issues and taking a close look as it relates to national security, terrorism, social justice and human rights protections against radical public policies. The panelists include: Ezra Rosenberg of the Voting Rights Project at Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under the Law, Melissa Mark-Viverito of the Latino Victory Fund, and Susan Lerner of the Common Cause of New York. A Q & A follows the discussions   

Moderated by Professor Carla Robbins from Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, this program includes panel speakers Carlos Petersen (Eurasia Group), Nawra Mehrin (UNDP), Daniel Coughlin (International Rescue Committee), and Olivia Nightingale (AJWS) focusing on global career paths and their individual professional experiences.

Keynote addresses from the National Academy of Public Administration sponsored event explore ways that states and localities can address inequality in the face of fiscal austerity. J. Philip Thompson: How States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Agencies Might Address Future Challenges : A Focus Upon New York City ; Jim Malatras: For Many, Is College Out of Reach? Exploring Scalable Innovative State Programs to Close the College Access Gap.

Addresses from the National Academy of Public Administration sponsored event explores ways that states and localities can address inequality in the face of fiscal austerity. Bruce J. Katz: The New Localism: How Cities can Thrive in an Era of Populism. Marc Morial: Keynote address.

This lecture focuses on Manuel Castro's work in and with New York City government to strengthen the labor rights and organizing of day laborers.

The conversation will explore themes from the book Big Impact: Insights & Stories from America's Non-Profit Leaders, including lessons learned about philanthropy and nonprofit leadership at a time when civil society is more important than ever.

Two-day workshop on blockchain technology.

Two-day workshop on blockchain technology.

The new "Marxe Issues" Breakfast Series focuses on important public policy concerns. In keeping with the findings and issues raised in Steven Diner’s book “Universities and Their Cities: Urban Higher Education in America," the author explores the role of higher education in advancing economic and social justic relations. The panel will discuss how a stronger university/city collaboration involving pooling vast resources can significantly benefit both citizens and government services. An enhanced alliance of cities/universities can be a bold step toward rethinking how to advance needed local changes and advancements.