On October 26, 1978, University of Maryland President John S. Toll appointed the Committee on a School of Public Affairs to pursue the question of whether the College Park campus should establish a new School. The committee, chaired by economics professor Dr. Dudley Dillard, submitted its report on January 12, 1979, with a recommendation to establish a school that should be “primarily graduate, small and above all of high quality.” Soon thereafter, Dr. Peter Brown was charged with the tasks of 1) obtaining appraisals of the plan from outside experts; 2) assisting University officials [Dr. David Sparks, vice-president for graduate studies and research and Dr. Murray Polakoff, provost of the division of behavioral and social sciences] in processing the proposal for the Master of Public Management degree; 3) preparing an application to the Sloan Foundation for funding some aspects of the School's activities; 4) and serving as a member of the search committee for a dean of the school. Dr. Brown came to the University in 1976 to establish and direct the Center for Philosophy and Public Policy. The center, now an Institute of the School, is often considered to be its intellectual foundation.

After receiving a small Sloan Foundation grant to explore the establishment of a school of public affairs, the campus was hopeful that the Foundation Board would be receptive to a request for a significant investment in such a School. Art Singer, who was Vice President of the Sloan Foundation, and Dr. Joel Flesichman, acting as an outside reviewer for the Foundation, wholeheartedly endorsed the proposal. The Sloan Board of Trustees approved a generous three-year grant to assist in the initiation of the Maryland School of Public Affairs.

With the support of Sloan and key individuals like Sen. Joe Tydings and publisher Phil Merrill, a new, nationally-recognized School of Public Affairs was created. By April of 1981, Al Bowker was appointed the first dean of the School and a stellar group of faculty was recruited. The first seven faculty included Allen Schick, Robert Pastor, Catherine Kelleher, Frank Levy, Peyton Young, George Eads and Mark Winer. They opened the School's doors in 1982, received approval for the Master of Public Policy program in 1983 and conferred degrees on a dozen students during the School's first graduation exercises in 1984.

The School of Public Affairs changed its name to the School of Public Policy in 2004, to better communicate its mission to contribute to the nation and the world through the preparation of current and future leaders committed to public service.

In just twenty-five years, the University of Maryland School of Public Policy has ascended to the ranks of the top schools of public policy, management and international affairs in the United States . To date, the School has graduated close to a thousand Master's and doctoral students and has provided executive training to thousands more. The School has four program areas: Environmental Policy; Social Policy; Management, Finance & Leadership; and International Security & Economic Policy. The School is also in the process of establishing a certificate program in Non-Profit Management & Leadership to provide support to Third Sector clients playing an in increasingly vital role in our nation's political economy.

Today, the School is ranked in the top twenty public affairs programs nationwide and three of its four program areas are ranked in the top ten. The School is distinguished by a stellar faculty, an integrated domestic and international affairs curriculum, and a program that emphasizes the confluence of the public, private and nonprofit sectors. The School's scholars and scholar-practitioners give students a real-world perspective on policy formation and shed a pragmatic light on the day's most pressing public issues. Our instructional, research and specialized programs have progressed steadily since the founding; blazing a trail in public affairs education that has been emulated by schools both larger and older than MSPP.

In turn, the School has attracted the very best future policy leaders who consistently go on to prestigious careers in government, private enterprise and the non-profit sector. The high quality of the School's students has invigorated the environment for learning

Institutes and Centers

Based at the School are several Institutes and Centers, whose presence has served to attract outstanding scholars and scholar-practitioners in the areas of foreign policy, environmental studies, leadership and management, and public policy analysis.

Office of Executive Programs - Thomas Kennedy, Director
In 1986, an experimental effort to train mid- and upper-level government managers evolved into the Office of Executive Programs, which today provides training to hundreds of mid-career professionals each year in focused programs that build the capacity of public and private sectors to serve public needs.

Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)
– Dr. Peter Levine, Director
CIRCLE promotes research on the civic and political engagement of Americans between the ages of 15 and 25. CIRCLE's most recent research revealed that young people involved in sports vote, volunteer, and engage more than non-athletes.

Center for Intelligence Research and Education (CIRE)
Dr. William Nolte, Director
The Center for Intelligence Research and Education will focus the resources of the University of Maryland, in partnership with entities outside the university, to provide research, education, expertise, and analysis to local, state, and national officials dealing with the full range of issues involving intelligence and security.

Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM) –
Dr. John Steinbruner, Director
The Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM), established in 1987 is a research center that pursues policy-oriented scholarship on major issues facing the United States in the global arena. The Center sponsors CISSM Forum, a weekly discussion among faculty, students, and researchers on current international issues.

Center for Integrative Environmental Research (CIER) - Dr. Matthias Ruth, Director
Established in 2006 by the University of Maryland, College Park, the Center for Integrative Environmental Research (CIER) provides a focal point for multidisciplinary environmental research and collaboration on local, regional, national and international scales.

Center for Public Policy & Private Enterprise (CPPPE) – Dr. Jacques Gansler, Director
The Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise strengthens connections among government, business, academic, and nonprofit sectors in order to address complex public policy problems and speed improvements in the management and delivery of public services. The Center focuses on areas impacted by public-private linkages: including, government sourcing, supply chain management, national security, and economic competitiveness.

Institute for Philosophy & Public Policy (IPPP) – Dr. Mark Sagoff, Interim Director
The Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy was founded in 1976 to conduct research into the conceptual and normative questions underlying public policy formulation. This research is conducted cooperatively by philosophers, policymakers and analysts, and other experts both within and outside the government.

James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership – Dr. Carol Pearson, Director
The James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership at the University of Maryland fosters leadership through scholarship, education, and training, with special attention to advancing the leadership of groups historically underrepresented in public life. The Academy sponsors Academy Talks Speaker Series , which has featured such leaders as Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele, States Attorney Glenn F. Ivey, and Maryland State Treasurer Nancy Kopp.

National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education – Dr. Gerrit Knaap, Director
The National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education is a non-partisan center for research and leadership training on Smart Growth and related land use issues nationally and internationally. The center has teamed up with the Baltimore district council of the Urban Land Institute and 1000 Friends of Maryland to conduct a series of growth visioning exercises in Maryland called Reality Check Plus .

Welfare Reform Academy – Douglas J. Besharov, Director
The Welfare Reform Academy was created to help state and local officials, private social service providers, and other interested parties take full advantage of the 1996 welfare reform law.   Mr. Besharov recently published an op/ed in the Wall Street Journal on new data released by the Census Bureau that he says “allows us to get a better view of the resources available to low-income Americans.”

Program on the Economics of Crime and Justice Policy – Dr. Peter Reuter, Director
The Program on the Economics of Crime and Justice Policy is an effort by the University of Maryland to bring economists interested in crime together with criminologists. It aims to do that through developing research collaborations and through teaching and training, involving the Criminology and Economics Departments and the School of Public Policy , as well as the Maryland Population Research Center .

Sloan Biotechnology Industry Center (SBIC) – Dr. Jacques Gansler, Director
The Sloan Biotechnology Industry Center (SBIC), established in April 2005, is an independent, academic research center that examines issues related to competitive advantage of firms in the U.S. biotechnology industry. The center conducts research using interdisciplinary teams that work directly with industry to investigate critical areas that can affect current and future performance of U.S. biotechnology companies. research center that examines issues related to competitive advantage of firms in the U.S. biotechnology industry. The center conducts research using interdisciplinary teams that work directly with industry to investigate critical areas that can affect current and future performance of U.S. biotechnology companies.