UCR School of Public Policy

What if progress on gun violence doesn’t require solving every other social challenge first? Join us for a conversation with Dr. Jens Ludwig, author of “Unforgiving Places,” where he will discuss how most gun violence in America is not what we have long thought, and that the solutions can be simple. ✅ Register to save your spot: myadv.ucr.edu/forms/ucr-jens…

Interested in a legal career? Register now to find out the daily tasks completed by Riverside County attorneys! Register Here➡️events.zoom.us/ev/AsCmIZ15B-Q…

Thank you to Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis for taking the time to sit down with us for an upcoming episode of Policy Chats, the School of Public Policy’s student-run podcast! Ambassador DeLaurentis was nominated by President Obama in 2016 to become the first nominated U.S ambassador to Cuba in over 50 years, and served as the Chief of Mission at the U.S Embassy in Havana, Cuba. He is currently serving as the Warburg Chair in International Relations at Simmons University. 🏛️ ➡️ Stay on the look out for this episode’s release! #UCRSPP #SPP #SchoolofPublicPolicy #UCRSchoolofPublicPolicy #UCR #PolicyChats #Spotify #Podcast #InternationalRelations #Government #USAmbassador

The UCR School of Public Policy is honored to have welcomed U.S. House Representative Mark Takano @RepMarkTakano to campus today to record an upcoming episode of our Policy Chats podcast. Rep. Takano discussed systemic changes in education policy and the PACT Act, a bill created to protect the health of veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. ▶️ Stay tuned for the episode to be released next quarter!

Today marks the final day of UCR Advocacy Day in Sacramento. Since Monday, our School of Public Policy students have been meeting with policymakers, sharing the School’s mission, and advocating for issues that impact higher education and their communities. 🇺🇸🐻 Experiences like Advocacy Day give students insight into the policymaking process and help them build the professional connections that support future careers in public service. You can make opportunities like these possible through the 10 for 10 campaign. A monthly gift of $10 helps fund programs, resources, and experiences that prepare public policy students to lead. ➡️ Now is the time to act. Join 10 for 10 today and help invest in the next generation of policy leaders: givecampus.com/campaigns/7158… #AdvocacyDay #IJoined10For10 #10YearAnniversary #SupportStudents #GivingBack #PolicyLeaders #UCRSchoolofPublicPolicy #UCRSPP

Today kicks off UCR Advocacy Day in Sacramento, where School of Public Policy students, alumni, and supporters meet with elected officials to discuss issues impacting UC Riverside and higher education. 🏛️ Advocacy like this starts with opportunity. Through 10 for 10, our giving campaign celebrating 10 years of impact, you can help make experiences like Advocacy Day possible for our students. By committing to $10 a month, you support the programs and opportunities that prepare our students to lead and shape public policy. ➡️Join us in strengthening the next generation of policymakers by signing up for 10 for 10 today: givecampus.com/campaigns/7158… #AdvocacyDay #IJoined10For10 #10YearAnniversary #SupportStudents #GivingBack #PolicyLeaders #UCRSchoolofPublicPolicy #UCRSPP

Interested in a career in law? Join us for a webinar hosted by the School of Public Policy’s Presley Center of Crime & Justice Studies! ⚖️ Riverside County Bar Association attorneys will discuss their daily responsibilities, ranging from drafting documents to attending hearings. Attendees will gain a first-hand perspective on what to expect going into a legal career. 🗓️Wednesday, April 1st ⏰12:00 - 1:30 p.m. 📍Zoom Speakers include: Goushia Farook, Bratton & Razo Sharon Ramirez, Kenny Ramirez Law Firm Christopher Jensen, Reid & Hellyer Alejandro Barraza, Arsany and Barraza, Attorneys at Law Christopher Johnson, Reid & Hellyer ➡️Click the link to register: bit.ly/law-school-web… #UCRSPP #SPP #SchoolofPublicPolicy #UCRSchoolofPublicPolicy #UCR

Thank you to Former California Assemblymember Jim Wood for taking the time to sit down and engage with our Dean and Dean’s Ambassadors. These connections will help strengthen the relationship between the UCR School of Public Policy and the greater California community. Thanks to the wisdom shared by our distinguished guests like Jim Wood, students will be better prepared to become impactful leaders in their communities. 🏫 #UCRSPP #SPP #SchoolofPublicPolicy #UCRSchoolofPublicPolicy #UCR

On February 22nd, volunteers met up for Highlander Day of Service to weed and water planting sites established in the Jurupa Hills! Thanks to the support of the Rivers and Lands Conservancy Team and the hard work of our participants, all weeding was completed an hour early!🌱 We are so grateful to Rivers and Lands Conservancy for partnering with us to help restore these beautiful open spaces, and thanks again to our volunteers! 🌳 #UCRSPP #SPP #SchoolofPublicPolicy #UCR #CommunityService #HabitatRestoration #JurupaHills #HighlanderDayofService #NativePlantGarden #RiversandLandsConservancy

Our second February faculty feature is Dr. Robynn Cox, Associate Professor of Public Policy! 💼 Her research focuses on the social, economic, and health consequences of mass incarceration policies. Swipe through the images to learn more about Professor Cox’s recent works and publications, including an article that she recently co-authored, titled “Black Lives: The High Cost of Segregation,” that explores the impact that segregation has on homicide victimization in regard to race.

For our first February faculty feature, we have Dr. Andy Crosby, Assistant Professor of Teaching at the School of Public Policy! Dr. Crosby’s work centers around public budgeting and financial management, intergovernmental relations, and survey methodology. 📈 Swipe through the images to learn more about Dr. Crosby’s recent projects and publications, including his involvement as Survey Expert and Analyst for UCR’s inaugural Sustainability Literacy Assessment, and a recent textbook he co-authored. 📕

Interested in how climate related disasters strain state and local public finances? In our latest episode of Policy Chats, Professor Wei Guo joins Host Dori Pham to explain why disaster recovery spending often remains elevated throughout the years. Using California as a case study, she highlights how Proposition 13 can produce unexpected fiscal outcomes after wildfires through property reassessments tied to housing turnover. 🏠 Check out the episode on Spotify! #UCRSPP #SPP #SchoolofPublicPolicy #UCRSchoolofPublicPolicy #UCR #PolicyChats #Spotify #Podcast #Prop13

Last Friday, we held “What It Takes to Progress: Abundance in Practice,” featuring three distinguished guests all coming from different, but very significant backgrounds. 🌎 Our panelists—Sara Mogulescu, President of The @VolckerAlliance; Liza Reed, Director of The @NiskanenCenter; and @AlecStapp, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of the Institute for Progress—offered perspectives on abundance from lenses of state capacity, energy infrastructure, and emerging technologies. Watch the recording on our YouTube channel! youtu.be/EEpMC1gXKRw

Thank you to Erin Edwards, Executive Director of Blue Zones Project Riverside and former Riverside Councilmember, for taking the time to sit down with our Dean and Dean’s Ambassadors for a meet and greet and podcast recording. These connections help strengthen the relationship between the UCR School of Public Policy and the greater California community. Thanks to the wisdom and advice shared by guests like Erin Edwards, our students will be better prepared to become impactful leaders in their communities. 🏫 #UCRSPP #SPP #SchoolofPublicPolicy #UCRSchoolofPublicPolicy #UCR #PolicyChats

A new report from our Center for Community Solutions has brought light to how UCR students are becoming sustainability leaders. The study, meant to demonstrate sustainability knowledge through the inaugural Sustainability Literacy Assessment, found that seniors scored significantly higher than freshmen. These findings show that education at UCR is efficiently preparing students to tackle environmental and global challenges.🌍🌳 Click the link below to learn more! ➡️bit.ly/4s1e2lg #UCRSPP #SPP #SchoolofPublicPolicy #UCRSchoolofPublicPolicy #UCR #Riverside #Education #Sustainability #Research #CenterforCommunitySolutions #Articles

Throwback to last year’s Highlander Day of Service where volunteers helped clean up Downtown Riverside! Don’t forget to sign up for this year’s habitat restoration project with Rivers & Lands Conservancy happening this Sunday❗ 📅 Sunday, February 22, 2026 🕠 1:00–4:00 p.m. 📍 Mary Vagle Nature Center, 11501 Cypress Ave E, Fontana, CA 92337 Register using the link below and complete the waiver to be eligible to participate! Hope to see you there🌳 ➡️bit.ly/spp-hdos-26 #UCRSPP #SPP #SchoolofPublicPolicy #UCR #CommunityService #HabitatRestoration #JurupaHills #HighlanderDayofService #NativePlantGarden #RiversandLandsConservanc

Shoutout to MPP student Paula Omokhomion on being selected to participate in the @APPAM_DC's Student Activities Committee! ⚖️ Paula is a Dean’s Ambassador and a member of the team behind the School of Public Policy’s official podcast, Policy Chats. As part of APPAM’s Student Activities Committee, she will be overseeing programs, sessions, and reviewing student proposals at the Annual Fall Research Conference happening in November of this year. 💼 Congratulations Paula! 🎉 #UCRSPP #SPP #SchoolofPublicPolicy #UCRSchoolofPublicPolicy #UCR #Congratulations #APPAM

For our February alumni spotlight, we’d like to introduce Jeffrey Villalobos ‘23, Sourcing Supervisor at Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County! 🍊 🎉 During his time here as a student, Jeffrey was offered an internship with @FeedingAmerica Riverside/San Bernardino. Through this internship, he was able to gain more experience in the nonprofit, food security and rescue field. He credits the School of Public Policy for giving him the skills and knowledge needed in his current role to effectively convey important policies to grocery store chains. Through supervising Second Harvest’s “Grocery Rescue” program, Jeffrey recovered 19 million pounds of surplus food, which went to families experiencing food insecurity in Orange County! #UCRSPP #SPP #SchoolofPublicPolicy #UCRSchoolofPublicPolicy #UCR #10YearAnniversary #Celebrating10Years

Did you know? 💭 On February 11th, 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years — a pivotal moment that accelerated negotiations to end apartheid and led to constitutional and legislative reforms expanding democratic rights in South Africa. This moment reminds us that lasting policy change is often the result of sustained commitment over time. This post is brought to you by the School of Public Policy’s 10 for 10 campaign. 🌎 Start giving today: givecampus.com/campaigns/7158…