Dear Scrivner Institute community,
With the end of the 2024–25 academic year, the Scrivner Institute of Public Policy has reached a milestone — we have been in full operation at the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs for five years! We are immensely proud to have become recognized over that time as a vibrant hub for innovative, evidence-based learning and discourse about public policy at the University of Denver and in our wider communities. We thank you all for your engagement with our work.
At a time when political rhetoric is overheated, we have explored hard questions with curiosity and respectful dialogue. In so doing, we have built a reputation for the Scrivner Institute as a convenor of wide-ranging policy discourse. Our signature series — the Scrivner Policy Roundtable and the Denver Dialogues, (the latter co-organized with Korbel’s Dean, Fritz Mayer) — reflect the local to global span of our programming.
With outstanding additions to our core faculty at the Korbel School and via strong cross-campus ties, the Scrivner Institute houses public policy curricula for the 21st century — and our MPP program is now ably directed by Professor Lapo Salucci. Our degrees ensure that students build solid policy analysis skills, then immerse them in experiential learning and enable them to choose a contemporary policy specialization. Alumni of our programs are thriving in city, state, national, and international policy-related careers.
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The Scrivner Institute’s research agenda reflects the outstanding and innovative scholarship of our colleagues at the Korbel School and beyond. We are home to interdisciplinary research on strengthening democratic governance, reducing inequality and enhancing inclusion, and catalyzing urban policy innovation. And we are dedicated to promoting scholarly contributions to public debate and policymaking, manifested in initiatives such as the Colorado Project and Bridging the Gap.
Over the past five years, too, we have built rewarding partnerships with our colleagues at the Korbel School and across DU. The Scrivner Institute’s amazing Assistant Director, Katie Aker, manages our growing portfolio of activities and relationships with diligence and creativity. She was aided this past year by our wonderful student teammates, Katia Diamond-Sagias and Derek Quintero Rosa. We are ever grateful to Doug and Mary Scrivner for their vision and generous support of our work — and were thrilled to see their most-deserved recognition with the University of Denver’s Founders Medal earlier this year.
Please read on for more highlights about the Scrivner Institute’s work in 2024–25, including spotlights on some members of our wonderful community. We wish you a rejuvenating summer and are excited to re-engage with you in the fall as we continue to build our identity as a premier public policy institute.
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Naazneen Barma
Director, Scrivner Institute of Public Policy
Scrivner Professor of Public Policy
Josef Korbel School of International Studies
University of Denver
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Our three signature programs have become the hallmark of the Scrivner Institute’s community and public engagement. Together, they demonstrate our commitment to productive, evidence-based discourse around policy issues from a local to global scale.
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Denver Dialogues
A joint initiative of the Scrivner Institute and the Korbel School
In its third year, Denver Dialogues draws experts from our partner think tanks — premier institutions including AEI, Aspen Institute, Hoover Institution, and New America — to share their often distinct, and sometimes opposing, philosophies about the most effective approaches to major challenges affecting the United States and the world. We partnered again with the Aspen Strategy Group last summer to offer a special edition dialogue on the end of soft power at the Aspen Security Forum 2024. Our fall dialogue, leading up to the 2024 election, examined the potential policy impacts of Project 2025. In the winter, the Korbel School's Denver Democracy Summit featured our dialogue on the nexus between climate change and democracy. We look forward to partnering with Aspen Security Forum again this year. Stay tuned for more info on that very soon!
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Student Spotlight: Aspen Security Forum
In July 2024, our partners at the Aspen Security Forum generously offered complimentary passes to four Korbel students, providing a unique opportunity for these aspiring international security and diplomacy professionals to learn about timely topics from preeminent U.S. and global policymakers.
Student attendee Omar Aittakalla, who earned his Korbel Master’s degree in International Development, said of his experience: "As I reflect on my time at the Aspen Security Forum, I am left with a renewed sense of purpose and a deeper appreciation for the collaborative efforts required to navigate the complexities our world is facing and will continue to face in the future.”
Learn more about the student experience at ASF.
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The Colorado Project
A joint initiative of the Korbel School and the Scrivner Institute
Building on a successful first round focused on statewide sustainable and inclusive growth, Colorado Project 2.0 has launched a Rural Renaissance Learning Tour to highlight policy innovation emerging from rural areas across the state. These communities, often overlooked in statewide dialogue, can offer nimble and adaptive responses to statewide challenges. The first convening focusing on Northeast Colorado was just held in Sterling, with subsequent visits planned for the San Luis Valley / Alamosa and the Yampa Valley / Steamboat Springs.
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The 2024–25 academic year was marked by political upheaval and a fast-changing policy landscape. The Scrivner Institute convened our expert faculty affiliates and partners to help give context to current events and provide space for community dialogue.
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| Election 2024
We hosted a series of events during the 2024 election cycle in partnership with the Center on American Politics (CAP) and the Korbel School: including student watch events for the presidential debate and election night, informal discussions at politics hours with students and faculty, and a faculty panel immediately following the election to discuss what had happened and what might come next. Our former colleague Megan Grogan deserves special recognition for organizing a campus-wide Get Out the Vote initiative (DU Votes). We are grateful for the partnership we’ve had with CAP (which is currently on hiatus) and our collaboration with Megan and Professor Seth Masket, Director of CAP.
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Trump 2.0 Policy Implications
In response to overwhelming demand from our community following our election programming in the fall, we convened another faculty panel in the winter to unpack the policy actions the Trump Administration took in its first few months in office. Scrivner faculty affiliates discussed emerging implications for immigration, education, the economy, and international security.
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| MPP Capstone Presentations & Awards
We recently held our annual end-of-year celebration featuring capstone presentations by our graduating MPP students. Faculty, staff, students, and community partners came together to learn about the student projects, which included topics such as small-scale gold mining formalization in Ghana, wildfire preparedness in Colorado, and the influence of ranked choice voting on political extremism.
For the first time this year, we presented Outstanding Capstone Awards to two students in recognition of their exemplary achievement in the MPP capstone project. Congratulations to Akosua Otiwaa Ampofo and El Zimpel on this achievement!
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Research & Faculty Updates
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It was an exciting year for the Scrivner Institute's faculty affiliates and research agenda:
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Institute designation
In January 2025, the Scrivner Institute was awarded the prestigious designation of "University of Denver Research Institute Status" in recognition of our research excellence and critical contributions to addressing today’s most pressing policy challenges. Over its first five years in operation, the Scrivner Institute has seen remarkable growth, expanding our faculty and partnerships, more than doubling research funding, and producing numerous publications and policy reports. We have also developed innovative programming in policy dialogue at local, national, and global levels. Read more about the designation here.
- Scrivner Policy Series
In May 2025, we launched the Scrivner Policy Series (SPS), envisioned as a quarterly series for members of our community — faculty affiliates, MPP students, and community partners — to present their research and discuss what comes next. Our goal with the SPS is to amplify and support evidence-based research on public policy that is grounded in the Scrivner Institute’s core values — inclusivity, engagement, innovation and ethics — and create more opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration while highlighting our community's expertise. Professor Kaitlyn Sims was our first SPS presenter, sharing her recent work on the impacts of cash and commercial bail reform. Read Dr. Sims' paper here.
- New grant — Multi-actor security networks
Professor Naazneen Barma is one of three principal investigators awarded a $500,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to study multi-actor security networks and their impact on regional and global order. Working with a global research team, the project has held convenings of experts in three parts of the world and is now conducting further empirical work in partnership with researchers in those regions.
- Welcoming new faculty
We were excited to welcome Stefan Chavez-Norgaard as Teaching Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Korbel School this year! Dr. Chavez-Norgaard studies issues of urban planning; housing, land-use, and transportation policy; state and local politics and policy; and policy implementation. This year, he taught courses in Urban Policy, Ethics in Public Policy, Policy Writing, Public Policy Analysis, and a Policy Lab course on Housing Policy. Learn more about his teaching and research here, and in our community profiles below.
- Thank you & farewell
We bid a bittersweet farewell to two of our Scrivner Institute faculty affiliates this year. Professor Francisco Rodriguez is ending his term as the Korbel School’s first Rice Family Professor of the Practice and will be joining the Center for Economic and Policy Research to continue his productive scholarship on economic sanctions. Professor Govind Persad of the Sturm College of Law will be moving to the University of Colorado Law School to further his work on health policy and law. We are glad that both Francisco and Govind will still be in Denver!
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| What do you believe is a unique contribution you bring to the MPP program/Scrivner Institute?
I am born and raised in Colorado, and have long been passionate about issues of Colorado politics and policy. I have also spent considerable time on the east coast of the United States and have lived and worked internationally. I believe I bring a policy perspective that is at once locally grounded and in tune with national and global policy conversations. I hope to strengthen the Scrivner Institute’s topical expertise on issues of urban policy, state and local politics and policy, and implementation, and further skills-based courses in writing and public policy analysis.
What are your research interests and areas of expertise?
I study issues of urban planning; housing, land-use, and transportation policy; state and local politics and policy; and policy implementation. I conduct research on these topics in both international and domestic contexts.
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| How did the MPP program help prepare you for what you’re doing now?
The practical, real-world skills I learned in the MPP program helped prepare me for my current role by being able to critically analyze existing policies, understand all possible implications, and come up with creative ideas that then inform conversations with state and school district leaders to drive more meaningful outcomes for all students.
What class was particularly impactful?
The most impactful class for me was The Policy Lab, because it was the most hands-on, directly applicable representation of developing a creative policy solution and taking the steps needed to make it successful. It was a great bridge between education and practice, and provided a unique opportunity directly engage with lawmakers in a meaningful way before even finishing the program.
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You two are the current leaders of the Korbel Policy Society (KPS), the student organization for MPP students and others interested in policy. Why do you think students should join/engage with KPS?
We both could not recommend involvement in student organizations more! Grad school can be difficult and isolating at times, and it is important to surround yourself with people who can motivate you through the challenges and celebrate the successes. Even if it’s not our club, find something at Korbel that allows you to step out of your cohort and learn from/lean on others.
What are your career goals, and how do you think the MPP program is preparing you for this career?
Olivia: I’m focused on enhancing my knowledge of current policy problems in the Emergency Management space, particularly surrounding critical infrastructure and wildfire preparedness. Long-term, I hope to address these problems at the state or federal level to help strengthen the nation’s preparedness as natural disasters become increasingly frequent. The MPP program has prepared me to face these challenges with analytical experience and by valuing dissenting policy opinions in the search for the solution.
Otiwaa: My career goal is to lead in ESG and corporate responsibility strategy, helping businesses align their operations with social and environmental impact. The MPP program is equipping me with the analytical, negotiation, and policy design skills I need to drive that change—bridging the gap between business goals and public good.
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