Institute for Public Affairs News
Public policy affects the laws that govern everything from social to economic issues and beyond. Here you’ll find stories about the work our students, alumni and faculty perform to affect positive changes in policy. And you can contact us if you have a story you’d like to see shared here. The College of Liberal Arts’ Institute for Public Affairs takes a particular interest in issues affecting Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley and is interested in telling stories that foster a collaborative, intellectual exchange of policy ideas.
Each semester, the College of Liberal Arts sends students to Washington D.C. where they work in full-time, credited internships in the world of politics or public policy while earning full-time credits as students. Find out what some of their experiences were like in spring 2019.
A recent policy brief from the Center on Regional Politics, “A Tale of Haves and Have-Nots,” forecasts the fiscal future for all 500 school districts in PA for the period 2017-18 through 2021-22. The brief projects budget shortfalls for almost 300 districts, requiring them to reduce expenditures through program cuts or raise additional revenue.
Five Ways I’m Making the Most of My Internships
Senior Taylor Allen, a dual Political Science and Journalism major, reflects on her three internships and shares some tips for how other Temple University students can succeed in their own internships.
PA School Fund Balance Policy Brief – Update 2018
A policy brief recently published by the Center on Regional Politics provides data on the status of fund balances for Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts at the end of fiscal year 2016-17. Although the data show that total reserve funds have increased by about $591 million since 2012-13, from $4.3 billion to $4.9 billion, they also show that the flexible reserves of most districts are within or even below the minimum standards recommended by bond raters and government finance professionals and allowed by state law.
PA Capital Semester Yields Lifetime Opportunities
The College Liberal Arts profiled two recent alums of the PA Capital Semester, a full-time internship program housed within the Institute for Public Affairs.
Students gain valuable career experience, confidence, and important future connections for life after Temple. The program is open to all majors, and runs every fall and spring semester.