Alumni News & Announcements

  • Giving Spotlight: Alumni Jeffrey Wasserman and Ted Harshberger

    Jun 25, 2018

    Ted Harshberger (cohort '86) and Jeffrey Wasserman ('85) have long — and strong — ties not only to Pardee RAND but to the RAND Corporation itself. Ted is the Vice President and Director of Project AIR FORCE, and Jeffrey is the Vice President and Director of RAND Health. So it is no surprise that — when it comes time to support their alma mater and their company — Jeffrey and Ted don't hesitate.

  • Tim Smith's Graduate Address Takes Audience on a Wild Ride

    Jun 19, 2018

    In his graduate address at Commencement 2018, alum Tim Smith (cohort '13) compared writing his dissertation to hitchhiking across the Southwest. Intrigued? A video and his prepared remarks are both available online.

  • Q&A with Alumni Leadership Award Winner Sharon Arnold

    Jun 18, 2018

    Sharon Arnold (cohort '85) received Pardee RAND's fourth Alumni Leadership Award during Commencement Weekend 2018. She sat down for a Q&A about her experience at the School and how her time at RAND has influenced her career, and also spoke at the Celebratory Dinner on Friday, June 15.

  • Aerial view of Miami, Florida

    Adapting to a Changing Climate in Southeast Florida

    Jun 6, 2018

    Florida's Miami-Dade and Broward counties are vulnerable to flooding and intrusion of saltwater into drinking water. These risks are driven by sea level rise, changes in precipitation, and urban development. Alum David Groves (cohort '01) and colleagues ask, how can the region adapt?

  • Group of college students in class

    The Case for Corequisites: What Are the Ingredients of Success?

    May 23, 2018

    More than two-thirds of community college students and 40 percent of four-year college students take at least one developmental education course. Alum Lindsey Daugherty (cohort '05) writes that states and colleges across the United States are experimenting with innovative approaches to developmental education to improve graduation rates for struggling students.

  • Palestinian demonstrators run for cover from Israeli fire and tear gas during a protest against the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, at the Israel-Gaza border in the Gaza Strip, May 14, 2018

    Five Thoughts on Jerusalem, Gaza, and What's in Between

    May 15, 2018

    Dozens of people have been killed and over 2,000 injured in protests in the Gaza Strip along the border with Israel. Alum Shira Efron (cohort '11) says continued clashes are expected until the fundamental problems of the strip are solved, including the governance vacuum, the Palestinian Authority-Hamas rift, and the conflict with Israel.

  • Sharon Arnold to Receive Fourth Alumni Leadership Award

    May 3, 2018

    Noting her leadership in government and contributions to the nonprofit world, Dean Susan Marquis announced that Sharon Arnold (cohort '85) will receive Pardee RAND's fourth biennial Alumni Leadership Award at the school's Commencement and Alumni Weekend on June 15.

  • Dad works from home, holding baby on his lap

    Understanding Government Telework

    Apr 23, 2018

    Alum Bonnie Triezenberg (cohort '14) contributed to a report examining U.S. government practices regarding working from home, the benefits of these policies, and their possible challenges—especially for employees in the national security sector.

  • A soldier stands guard in a tower overlooking Camp Delta at Guantanamo Bay naval base, Cuba, December 31, 2009

    Now's the Time to Act on Guantanamo

    Apr 16, 2018

    Most of the 41 terror suspects who remain confined at Guantanamo Bay are unlikely to be released from custody any time soon. Alum Jack Riley (cohort '88) says moving their trials from U.S. military to U.S. federal judges could give detainees their long-denied day in court and possibly help deliver judicial closure to the families of terror victims.

  • A 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot in her aircraft during the squadron's deployment in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve at Graf Ignatievo, Bulgaria, March 18, 2016

    How the U.S. Air Force Could Retain More Female Officers

    Apr 10, 2018

    Women are underrepresented among the Air Force's senior leadership compared with their representation among the lower ranks. Alum Stefan Zavislan (cohort '14) helped conduct focus groups with female officers, which identified key retention factors and potential ways to improve Air Force policies and programs to address female officer retention.

  • Bruce Bennett discusses North Korea at a March event at RAND's Santa Monica headquarters

    Alum Bennett on Preparing for U.S.-North Korea Talks

    Apr 5, 2018

    Upon returning from his 114th trip to the Korean Peninsula, alum Bruce Bennett (cohort '75) offered his analysis of recent developments in North Korea and suggested strategies for putting pressure on Kim Jong-un at the negotiating table.

  • Closeup of a woman's hands holding a menu

    How Do Calorie Labels Affect Consumers?

    Mar 28, 2018

    In standard restaurant settings, displaying the calorie content on restaurant menus slightly reduced the amount ordered without affecting consumer satisfaction, according to research by alum Helen Wu (cohort '07), students Crystal Huang ('13) and Cameron Wright ('12), and Prof. Roland Sturm.

  • American and North Korean flags facing opposite directions

    Understanding and Shaping the Ongoing Korea Crisis

    Mar 26, 2018

    Upon return from his latest trip to the Korean Peninsula, alum Bruce Bennett (cohort '75) offered RAND and Pardee RAND alumni and supporters his analysis of the recent appearance of a détente between North and South Korea. He also explained U.S. options for shaping the ongoing crisis and suggest new opportunities to pressure North Korea toward denuclearization.

  • Chess pieces painted in the European Union and Union Jack flags, representing Brexit negotiations.

    After Brexit: Economic Prospects for the UK, EU, and U.S.

    Mar 20, 2018

    The United Kingdom is scheduled to leave the European Union in March, 2019, but there is uncertainty about whether the break will be "soft," "hard," or even final. At this RAND/Pardee RAND Alumni Association event in RAND's Washington office, Ambassador Charles Ries and RAND senior economist Howard Shatz discussed Brexit options and how they could impact U.S. economic, foreign policy, and security interests.

  • Winter 2018 Issue of Findings Now Online

    Mar 16, 2018

    With details about Commencement Weekend; features on alumni Mark Schuster and Josh Weed; photos from the APPAM regional conference, the holiday party, and the inaugural ping pong tournament organized by Brown Faculty Chairs; and much more, the winter issue of our quarterly newsletter continues Pardee RAND's goal of informing and entertaining alumni.

  • Mark Schuster

    Q&A with Mark Schuster, Founding Dean of Kaiser Med School

    Mar 15, 2018

    Alum Mark Schuster (cohort '91) says he sees many similarities between the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, where he is the founding dean, and Pardee RAND: "The school is innovating and reinventing public policy graduate education much like we are reinventing medical education." He also shares how Pardee RAND has influenced his career.

  • U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 5, 2018

    Gaza on the Brink

    Mar 9, 2018

    The combined risk of violence and pandemic in Gaza makes this small coastal enclave a ticking time bomb, writes Prof. Shira Efron (alum, cohort '11). While neither Israel nor the U.S. has the solutions to all of Gaza's water and health woes, the United States' decision to withhold funding to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency could only make things worse.

  • Giving Spotlight: Josh and Kristin Weed Continue Family Tradition

    Mar 6, 2018

    For alum Josh Weed (cohort '01) and his wife Kristin, giving back to Pardee RAND is a family affair. They have a strong sense of giving back to the school, and are regular donors. They also attend commencement whenever possible, and Josh conducts alumni interviews with applicants to school.

  • Professor teaching a college class

    Ready, Set, College

    Mar 5, 2018

    With at least $1 billion going toward developmental education, writes alum Lindsay Daugherty (cohort '05), states and colleges have started to rethink their approaches to reform. But it may be too soon for states to put into place broad “one size fits all” policies. In the meantime, should states do nothing?

  • Multiracial group of young students studying together. High angle shot of young people sitting at the table and studying on laptop computer

    Designing and Implementing Corequisite Models of Developmental Education

    Feb 23, 2018

    Alum Lindsey Daugherty (cohort '05) and students Diana Gehlhaus Carew ('15) and Alexandra Mendoza-Graf ('16) examined the implementation of integrated reading and writing corequisites—a reform to developmental education that accelerates students into college-level courses, while providing academic support—in Texas community colleges.

  • People serving themselves from a buffet of food

    Obesity May Be 'Socially Contagious'

    Jan 25, 2018

    Alum Ashlesha Datar (cohort '99) and Prof. Nancy Nicosia found that people who move to a high-obesity area are more likely to become overweight or obese. This may be due, in part, to “social contagion.” Living in a community where obesity is more common may make inactivity, poor diet, and being overweight or obese more socially acceptable.

  • Demonstrators wave Turkish and Palestinian flags during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in Istanbul, Turkey, December 10, 2017

    Jerusalem Embassy Move Sparks Turkey-Israel War of Words

    Jan 2, 2018

    President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital has exacerbated tensions between Turkey and Israel, writes Prof. Shira Efron (alum, cohort '11). Economic interests had provided incentives for thawing relations in June 2016, but separating economic interests from political differences is harder today given the mistrust between Ankara and Jerusalem.

  • p201710_01, techlab, event, workshop, open house

    Fall 2017 Alumni Newsletter Available Online

    Dec 13, 2017

    Pardee RAND's alumni newsletter features the creative results of a Tech Lab pilot. Other articles highlight "Pardee RANDroid," the school's new robot; a student-published newspaper; Dean Marquis' book, I Am Not A Tractor!; APPAM presentations, and more.

  • Knights Brigade Soldiers take the oath of reenlistment in the courtyard of the Burg Lichtenberg castle in Kusel, Germany, April 1, 2016

    Promising Approaches to Army Institutional Change

    Dec 5, 2017

    The U.S. Army faces challenges including behavioral health issues, misconduct, and adjustment to changing demographics. Student Adeyemi Okunogbe (cohort '13) and alum Ben Batorsky (cohort' 12) found that long-term solutions will require changes in Army culture and climate. Such changes are difficult, but promising strategies do exist.

  • A drone takes off from an operations center in Muhanda, Rwanda, on its way to deliver blood supplies to remote hospitals, October 12, 2016

    Drones Could Deliver Change to Africa

    Nov 17, 2017

    Drones have potential on the African continent to transform urban and rural infrastructure and enhance agricultural productivity, writes Prof. Shira Efron (alum, cohort '11). But deployment of drones in Africa still faces technological, economic, social, and legal and regulatory challenges.