On July 1, 1998 to the School of Policy, Planning, and Development was founded through a merger of the School of Public Administration and the School of Urban Planning and Development.   At the same time, the Institute for Civic Enterprise (ICE) was created to lead the research activities at the new school.  The need for a new research institute came from the recognition that researchers in public policy and planning face significant social changes, both in the U.S. and abroad, including: 

• Advances in technology, especially in the information and telecommunications area 
  
• Limitations of public resources, coupled with the increased use of private resources to meet public needs 
  
• Changing demographics related to age and ethnicity 
  
• Citizens’ requests for increased public participation in the political process 
  
• Political decentralization 
  
• Globalization of the economy
  
  

As societies explore economic, technological, and institutional innovations to cope with these changes, policy and planning researchers are challenged to adapt their research topics and strategies to provide the knowledge base to improve societal decision-making.  ICE was created to take the lead in this effort at the new School.