The School of Policy Studies is about to begin a new chapter in its long and impressive history. Principal Daniel Woolf has announced a new associate dean and director (Policy Studies) for the school, as well as a new model that will allow the school to leverage faculty expertise from many more areas of the university.

Warren Mabee will become the school’s associate dean and director (Policy Studies), starting on July 1, 2019, succeeding Dr. David Walker who has been in the role of interim executive director since July 2016. A respected researcher, Dr. Mabee is currently a professor and head of the Department of Geography and Planning, a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Renewable Energy Development and Implementation, and director of the Queen’s Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy.

Dr. Mabee’s appointment is the latest in a series of important announcements about the School of Policy Studies this year. In February, the Principal’s Commission on the Future of Public Policy at Queen’s University delivered its final report, An Ambitious Vision for Public Policy at Queen’s. Shortly after, an implementation and transition working group was appointed to identify next steps for the report’s top recommendations.

“For generations, Queen’s University has been an important driver of public policy in this country, both through our research and through our talented graduates taking up leadership positions in the public service, as well as in the private and not-for-profit sectors,” says Principal Daniel Woolf. “The changes we are announcing will set the school up for future success by elevating public policy to a pan-university priority that incorporates a multi-disciplinary approach to public policy research.”

To help facilitate this new approach, the School of Policy Studies will now become part of the Faculty of Arts and Science. From this new base, it will be able to regularly draw on a wider range of faculty expertise. Queen’s has international research and academic leadership spread throughout its faculties of Arts and Science, Business, Engineering and Applied Science, Health Sciences, and Education. This new initiative will set the school up to become a national leader by enabling it to leverage this deep expertise across multiple fields of endeavor.

The school will also be setting up an internal and an external advisory board to help identify priorities and future opportunities.

Principal Woolf also announced the university will be providing funding to cover operating costs to support the school during this transition period and to support the development and advancement of new programs over the coming years.

“Public policy is arguably more important now than it has ever been, with governments in Canada and around the world facing challenges that are dynamic, incredibly complex, and often global in scope,” says Dr. Mabee. “With the support and guidance of the new advisory boards, the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s will be aiming to develop a new model that will allow us to begin consistently leveraging the world-class expertise available across Queen’s, including such areas as economics, business, engineering, biology, and health sciences.”

This new focus on cross-faculty collaboration will set the school up to carry out leading research in such important and pressing areas as indigenous reconciliation, climate change, the impact of technological change, refugee movements, and shifting demographics, to name just a few.

Currently, the School of Policy Studies offers two programs – a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and a Professional Master of Public Administration (PMPA). Each are staffed by leading faculty and distinguished public policy practitioners.

To learn more about the school visit the Queen’s School of Policy Studies website.