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Celebrating Trachtenberg: Reflections from Director Newcomer
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Reflections from Director Newcomer
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Professor Cellini enjoying the theater in D.C.
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As Director of Trachtenberg School, I take great pride in the accomplishments of my distinguished colleagues who are making such a difference in the world. Last month we celebrated The Honorable Susan Dudley. This month, I'm proud to showcase the accomplishments of Professor Stephanie Cellini – a leading expert on the economic returns to higher education, federal student aid policy, and especially for-profit colleges. Stephanie is a rare combination in academe – a brilliant researcher and a classroom rock star. Her scholarly research is especially impactful in higher education policy and she has worked alongside policymakers in Congress and the White House. She has also won several teaching awards, and most recently the GW university-wide 2025 prize for Teaching which is based on nominations from students.
Stephanie is beloved by her graduate students for making economics accessible and actually fun. She makes teaching look easy, but she works hard to do that. She has clearly always worked hard in all of her endeavors - she was a national champion rugby player at Stanford, and was one of the youngest inductees as a Fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
Stephanie’s research has been published in top journals such as the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the American Economic Journal: Policy, and the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. It has also been cited extensively in regulations and government reports, including the Economic Report of the President, and she has been invited to testify before Congress. And due to the saliency of her research, her work has been covered by a vast number of media outlets including: the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and Marketplace from American Public Media.
Stephanie has also served as editor of Education Finance and Policy and as a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Her most recent accomplishment has been to establish the Postsecondary Education and Economics Research (PEER) Center. Stephanie is Co-PI in securing funding for PEER along with Jordan Matsudaira at American University. The PEER Center generates research to drive policy improvements in postsecondary access, affordability, experience, and outcomes. The PEER team conducts policy-relevant analyses, engages with and trains researchers, and provides technical support directly to federal and state policymakers. Producing rigorous research on higher education is more important than ever, so establishing PEER could not have happened at a better time!
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PEER Center Discusses Reconciliation and the Regulatory Process
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Earlier this year, Congress enacted the One Big Beautiful Bill, a sweeping reconciliation law, poised to transform the landscape of higher education. The U.S. Department of Education is currently implementing the legislation through the federal regulatory process, with most provisions scheduled to take effect in 2026.
On September 18, Professor Stephanie Cellini and the PEER Center convened a dynamic session with researchers and stakeholders to unpack what made it into the final law, what was left out, and how these new policies could impact students and institutions. Interested in learning more? View the presentation here→
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Special Issue on Nonprofit Innovation Now Available
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Professor Mary Tschirhart is pleased to announce the publication of a Special Issue on Nonprofit Innovation in Administrative Sciences, a public access journal. Tschirhart's and her co-editor's (Professor Khaldoun AbouAssi at American University) Introduction to the Special Issue reviews the themes of the issue and their thoughts on innovation by nonprofit organizations. Special Issue articles include Liu and Altamimi's examination of the strategic and reactive use of flexible labor; Heist, Shaker, Sumsion, Tomlison, and Minor's recommendations for stewarding DAF gifts and presentation of a DAF Donor Relationship Management Cycle model; Araque's ethnographic research on innovative volunteer management practices at the Huellas Foundation in Columbia; Doherty, Hoeber, Hoeber, Morrison, and Wolfe's study of types of planned and unintended innovations in community sports organizations; Lofthouse and Krahl's argument for using polycentric systems, with their multiple overlapping decision-making centers, to address wicked problems, with examples from post-disaster recovery and climate change mitigation; Meyer and Wiley's insights on multi-sector innovations inspired by an examination of social media communications on the 2022 Mpox outbreak; Cooley's use of an accountability scoring system to identify areas for improvement in nonprofit organizations' online transparency, stakeholder engagement, and overall effectiveness; and Espejo-Pereda, García-Salirrosas, and Villar-Guevar's findings on how inclusive leadership, through servant, empowering, and shared leadership styles, creates a learning culture that promotes innovation.
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On October 7, Co-hosted by the Trachtenberg Regulatory Studies Center and BBB National Programs' Center for Industry Self-Regulation's (CISR) Soft Law Summit. The summit brings together industry leaders, academics, and policy makers to examine how the challenges and opportunities for America's business sectors can be addressed by independent and effecitve industry self-regulation. Register→
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Join Tberg's Regulatory Studies Center (RSC) for The Future of Finance: Developments and Perspectives. On October 23, RSC will host the third edition of its Regulation Week Conference. Panel discussions with international experts will explore topics including sustainable finance, digital finance, and evolving trends and outlooks on financial market regulations. Register→
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Leveraging Alumni Expertise in Meaningful Ways- Anytime, Anywhere
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The Trachtenberg Video Hub brings the best of the School to our community's screen—anytime, anywhere. It captures the real-world impact of our programs and celebrates the generosity of our alumni, who consistently give back by sharing their insights, experiences, and expertise with the broader Tberg community.
Explore quick career tips from standout alumni, such as:
Alicia Mazzara (MPP ’12), Director of Strategy and Equity in Public Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Reuben Aniekwu (MA-ENRP ’19), Project Director at GreenLoop Energy Systems and 48fund
Anna Teye-Kasongo (MPA ’19), Director of Community Partnerships at the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio
This growing library of workshops, briefings, and alumni reflections is a powerful testament to the strength, spirit, and reach of our community.
The Video Hub also spotlights our dynamic employer partnerships, many of which are rooted in alumni connections, as well as the School’s reputation for excellence. These videos offer students a direct window into the organizations shaping public service today—from briefings with the Economic Innovation Group, Booz Allen, and the Maryland Department of Budget and Management. Students can also revisit alumni panels on topics of importance, such as “AI and the Future of Public Service” and “Building Bridges, Driving Change.” Together, these resources reflect how Trachtenberg connects students with real-world opportunities—and how our network continues to grow in impact and influence.
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US Coast Guard and Trachtenberg Partnership Reaffirmed
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USCG Students, Alumni, and long-time advisor and Emeritus Professor Bill Adams
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The Trachtenberg School is one of four places where a select cohort of mid-career Coast Guard officers are sent to earn an MPA or MPP as they progress through the ranks (the others are Harvard, Princeton and Syracuse). Since the early 1980s about two CG officers have come to the Trachtenberg School each fall, and a good number of them have progressed through the ranks and become admirals. One of our star alumni is Admiral Thad Allen, who was not only Commandant of the Coast Guard, but he led the federal response to both Hurricane Katrina and the BP Oil Spill, and he continues to be a very respected thought leader on national defense and diplomacy. The CG officers enrich our classrooms with their experience and dedication, and the School’s close relationship with the Coast Guard has provided our students with innumerable opportunities for capstone projects.
Current student Cyrus Unvala joined Trachtenberg after working as a vessel operator and personnel manager on Coast Guard ships for eight of the ten previous years. Cyrus reflected on his Tberg experience, "The MPA program has helped me understand different ways to approach, interpret, and question a broader range of public policy issues than I had ever been exposed to. I appreciate the opportunity to learn from an experienced and devoted faculty and a diverse and inspiring peer group. I have also had the opportunity to pursue and research my own interests in foreign policy and Arctic security through Trachtenberg's journal, Policy Perspectives, and the program's culminating capstone project."
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Leah Brooks was a Visiting Scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia in September.
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