SPS 2012: Post Holiday Round-Up

After the fun of the Fourth, it was back to business for the St. Albans School of Public Service on Thursday, with a busy day of classes and speakers.  One of the classes for SPS 2012 was the second of six of  a series of mini-economics seminars with Mr. Eagles throughout SPS Weeks 2-4.  The first three classes lay the framework for the last three, which examine, respectively the role of the Federal Reserve in U.S. economic and monetary policy; the U.S. debt/deficit question; and the Euro Crisis.  SPS 2012 will have another economics class today (and if you don't think an air-conditioned classroom is a good place to be, just check out the weather forecast for DC!).

In addition to Thursday's economics class, SPS 2012 also dissected another case study from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government: "Values in Conflict: The Furor Over Admissions Policy at a Popular Virginia Magnet School."  (Click HERE for a link to the abstract of the case study.)  The case allowed the students to delve into questions of educational policy, the role of magnet schools in the public school system, and affirmative action in education.

SPS 2012 also heard from two speakers.  In the morning, Mr. Abderrahim Foukara, Washington Bureau Chief for the international television network Al Jazeera, spoke about events in the Middle East and his role as a journalist covering the recent dramatic changes during and after the Arab Spring.  (Click HERE for a link to a February 2011 Washington Post online forum in which Mr. Foukara discussed events in Egypt.)  In the afternoon, Dr. Rohan Hazra (click HERE for his professional biography), a pediatric HIV specialist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), spoke of his work in the public health field and the evolving worldwide effort to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission.

On the agenda for today are another economics seminar and work on the session's group project focusing on political advocacy. The SPS 2012 class was divided into six smaller groups, and each has been assigned a broad policy area and asked to form a Political Action Committee (PAC); draft a piece of legislation within their policy area; secure "Congressional" sponsors (really the SPS faculty and staff) for their bills; draft a press release publicizing their views; hold a press conference fielding question from the skeptical press (their classmates); and, finally, take part in a full legislative debate on the bills.  Today the six PACs (addressing issues having to do with, respectively, energy; immigration; firearms ownership; social security; health care; and litigation reform) will be finalizing the legislation for which they will be lobbying over the next several weeks.

In addition, a small group will go with Mr. Eagles to a Federalist Society-sponsored "Supreme Court round-up" luncheon (where cases from the current term will be dissected and discussed by former Solicitor General Ted Olson ) at D.C.'s Mayflower Hotel.

For tonight?  An outing to see the first place Washington Nationals,* led by Cy Young contender Stephen Strasburg, take on the Colorado Rockies.  Batter up!


*Editor's Note: The St. Albans School of Public Service has dual citizenship in Red Sox Nation and in the District of Columbia.