SPPD In the News

SPPD Ranks Among Best Public Affairs Schools in U.S.
The USC School of Policy, Planning and Development ranked seventh overall among "America's Best Graduate Schools" for public affairs, according U.S. News & World Report. In addition, SPPD also earned high ratings in several academic specialty areas.
» Read more about SPPD's rankings.

Latino Immigrants May Provide Economic Rescue, Myers Says
Professor Dowell Myers was quoted in a recent U.S. News & World Report story about baby boomers and Latino immigrants. For a nation bracing to support 79 million baby boomers in their old age, the growing and younger population of Latinos should be viewed as economic salvation, Myers said. "Children are always a fiscal burden, yet children are also the lifeblood of every community," he explained. "What's killing Japan and threatening the economic future of Europe is that they don't have enough kids, and that's what's depriving these rural areas in America," he added. Myers is the author of Immigrants and Boomers: Forging a New Social Contract for the Future of America, the story noted.
» Read the complete U.S. News & World Report article.

Little: It Costs Real Money To Run Municipal Water Systems
The Wall Street Journal published a letter by Richard Little, director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at SPPD, regarding municipal water systems. "Unless governments (and their voters) choose to treat water as a public good and provide it through general tax revenues, water systems are subject to the same laws of economics as every other business," Little explained. "Charging less than it costs to deliver a safe, reliable water supply is neither good business nor good public policy; in the end, neither the pipes nor the polices will hold water," he added.
» Read the complete Wall Street Journal article.

Hise Discusses Possible Sale of L.A Times Building
Professor Greg Hise was quoted about the Los Angeles Times building, which may be sold by its owners. While a residential boom has remade downtown L.A. into a hip district, some urban thinkers decry how buildings vacated by defunct businesses become attractive themes for condos, the story reported. "In the big sweep of things, this is just part of the dynamism of urbanization and urban life," Hise said. "That said, people ought to stop and think about what kind of city they aspire to and what would be appropriate symbols of a good and just city." Newspapers are an important piece of an ongoing civic dialogue but are part of an industry in flux, Hise added. "This isn't a shock in some ways. But it's worth having a conversation about what an actual physical presence of a newspaper means in a city."
» Read the complete Los Angeles Times article.

SPPD Professor Presents Immigration Research to State Lawmakers
Professor Dowell Myers served as an expert witness before the California Senate Select Committee on Immigration and the Economy on June 9. His testimony before state lawmakers was featured on BBC Radio World Service. Myers' research suggests that immigrants can help fill the gap left in the work force as aging baby boomers retire, the BBC story noted. "People view immigration as being a problem about immigrants, but really our problem today is not immigrants but is the rest of us," Myers said. "The number of seniors is skyrocketing. We have to figure out how we're going to live in an aging society. Immigrants are part of the solution, they're not the problem."
» Read the complete article.

Alumnus Pledges $50,000 Toward Newland Professorship in Public Administration
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development announced today that alumnus Dr. Kenneth Macias pledged $50,000 toward the school's Chester A. Newland Endowed Professorship in Public Administration at the USC State Capital Center in Sacramento.
» Read the complete article.

SPPD Students Sweep Fellowship Awards
In an unprecedented sweep, all three recipients of the William A. Carlson Fellowship award – presented by the California Redevelopment Agency in March – are current students at SPPD.
» Read the complete article.

SPPD Alumnus Is Committed to Giving Back to Community — and SPPD
Jim Lewis vividly remembers the kind of enriching "family environment" present at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development during his undergraduate years more than a decade ago. "Faculty members exposed me to things I never would have imagined," Lewis said. "They invested in me." Now, he's returning the favor. Lewis, the 33-year-old the assistant city manager of Atascadero, Calif., recently donated a $250,000 insurance trust to SPPD.
» Read the complete article.