Marxe School of Public and International Affairs Joins National Initiative to Educate Next Generation of Public Servants

August 10, 2020

Baruch College’s Marxe School of Public and International Affairs is one of three inaugural schools to participate in Tier 2 of the Next Generation Service Partnership (NextGen Service), a national initiative of the Volcker Alliance and Arizona State University’s Watts College that seeks to elevate and expand public service learning experiences for undergraduates.

“The Marxe School sees an urgent need to grow the pool of students interested in and prepared for outstanding careers in public service,” explained Marxe School Dean David Birdsell, PhD. “By developing a program that can speak to students across a many great majors at Baruch and CUNY, and helping them realize the ambitions they have for the causes and communities that mean the most to them, we help them to effect the changes they want to see in the world.”

According to Birdsell, Baruch’s involvement in this program is at an early phase of development, yet he is hopeful the first group of students who sign up for NextGen Service will begin during the spring 2022 semester.

Baruch undergraduates—from any major and pursuing a variety of careers, such as engineers, chemists, historians, social workers, and data scientists—are all eligible for the program, as are students from across CUNY. Baruch will offer the required 18-credit course of study, and participating students will gain a broad range of experiences with three mandatory internships in the government, private, and nonprofit sectors.

“Everyone needs to be prepared to serve”

“As the COVID-19 pandemic makes so clear, our thorniest problems require everyone’s best efforts,” Birdsell stated. “Not everyone needs to work for government, but everyone needs to be prepared to serve. Developing that potential among the diverse and brilliant students at CUNY is not only good for them, it is in prospect a lifeline for a society in need of their talents as never before.”

About NextGen Service Program

Along with the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, Tier 2 schools include the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s College of Public Affairs and Community Service.

NextGen Service aims to expand the reach of educational strategies that work for undergraduates, foster collaborative planning and learning between schools of public service and other academic departments across their campuses, and provide technical support to help schools of public service accelerate the implementation of effective undergraduate programming.

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