2021 | February 15 – 20 | The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy

Thanks to all who made Virtual Admitted Student Week a success!

If you could not attend Admitted Student Week, or would like to watch the videos again, the recordings are available below.

Monday, February 15

"Why Study Public Policy?" with Senior Associate Dean Ranjan Daniels and Sydney Stein Professor and Deputy Dean Ethan Bueno de Mesquita

Monday, February 15| 6–7 p.m. CST

Watch the webinar: Why Study Public Policy (58 min.)

Please join Senior Associate Dean Ranjan Daniels and Sydney Stein Professor and Deputy Dean Ethan Bueno de Mesquita for a session to learn why now is the perfect time to study public policy.

Tuesday, February 16

Academic and Career Support

Tuesday, February 16 | 8-9 a.m. CST

Watch the webinar: Academic and Career Support (56 min.)

Join Senior Associate Dean of Professional and Career Development Jeremy Edwards and Dean of Students, Kate Shannon Biddle, along with Assistant Directors of Career Readiness Ethan Rucker and Alejandro Monroy-Velez and Student Affairs Specialists Hanna Seferos and Eman Alsamara to learn more about the support offered by Academic and Student Affairs and your Career Development Office.

Center Spotlight: The Pearson Institute

Tuesday, February 16 | noon–1 p.m. CST

Watch the webinar: Center Spotlight - The Pearson Institute (54 min.)

Join Pearson Fellow Sonnet Frisbie, MPP Class of 2021, and Director of Operations Alex Carr to learn more about the unique opportunities available to students at The Pearson Institute.

Learn more about The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts.

Health Policy Living Room with Harold Pollack and Ellen Cohen

Tuesday, February 16 | noon–1 p.m. CST

Watch the webinar: Health Policy Living Room with Harold Pollack and Ellen Cohen (53 min.)

Please join the Helen Ross Professor at the School of Social Service Administration Harold Pollack and Executive Director of the Center for Health and the Social Sciences Ellen Cohen as they discuss Health Policy at Harris.

Office of Civic Engagement

Tuesday, February 16 | 1:15–2 p.m. CST

Watch the webinar: Office of Civic Engagement (42 min.)

If you are interested in civic engagement on campus and in the local community, please join University of Chicago Office of Civic Engagement Associate Vice President Susana Vasquez as she presents the opportunities available to students to get involved.

Diversity and Inclusion at Harris: A Virtual Dinner Conversation

Tuesday, February 16 | 6–7 p.m. CST

Watch the webinar: Diversity and Inclusion at Harris - A Virtual Dinner Conversation (26 min.)

Join Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion Michelle Hoereth for a virtual dinner conversation about Diversity and Inclusion at Harris as well as her work with Harris Student Organizations.

Wednesday, February 17

Alumni Panel: Mid-Career Professionals

Wednesday, February 17 | 8–9 a.m. CST

Watch the webinar: Alumni Panel - Mid-Career Professionals (56 min.)

Looking to pivot or level up your career? Join this panel of mid-career professional alumni to hear how their Harris experience shaped their career trajectories. We will be joined by the alumni below:

Peter Biava, MPP/MBA’19, is an Associate in Infrastructure Investment and Development at Bechtel Enterprises. With previous work experience heavily focused on finance, Peter said he pursued the MPP/MBA joint degree at UChicago with the goal of working in infrastructure investment, which he did upon graduation.
Asia Canady, MPP’19, is a Policy Specialist at Start Early, a champion for early learning and providing children with the opportunity to thrive in school and life. She manages the operations of the Integration and Alignment committee of the state's Early Learning Council and also petitions state elected officials to support legislation concerning early learning and care. While at Harris, Asia also co-foundedBlack Action in Public Policy Studieswith three fellow students.
Gonzalo Pons, MPP’19, is currently a Behavioral Science Consultant for the World Bank. At Harris, Gonzalo was a Pearson Fellow, where he worked as a research assistant for Professor Austin Wright and contributed to projects on corruption and poppy eradication in Afghanistan.

Center Spotlight: The Center for Effective Government

Wednesday, February 17 | noon–12:45 p.m. CST

Watch the Webinar: Center Spotlight - The Center for Effective Government (44 min.)

Ready to reimagine politics at an institutional level? Join Sadia Sindhu, Executive Director of the Center for Effective Government (CEG) to learn about the work CEG is doing and opportunities for students to get involved.

Post COVID-19: Keynote Conversation with Dean Baicker and Dr. Landon

Wednesday, February 17 | 5–5:45 p.m. CST

Watch the Webinar: Post COVID-19 - Keynote Conversation with Dean Baicker and Dr. Landon (43 min.)

Join Harris Dean and the Emmett Dedmon Professor Katherine Baicker and Associate Professor of Medicine and Executive Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control Dr. Emily Landon for a conversation on the state of COVID-19.

Alumni Panel: Young Professionals

Wednesday, February 17 | 7–8 p.m. CST

Watch the Webinar: Alumni Panel - Young Professionals (59 min.)

If you're interested in how Harris can help you increase your impact in your next professional role, please join this panel of young professional alumni as they discuss how Harris helped them launch their careers. We will be joined by the alumni below:

Mengxin (Ivy) Sun, MPP'16, is a Manager in the Strategy and Analytics Department at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. She uses data to identify and communicate healthcare issues and trends to the general public, healthcare stakeholders, and thought leaders. She also serves on the Harris Alumni Council.
Jacob R. Plummer MPP’07, MBA’10, is Head of Customer Success at Datavant, which provides solutions to help institutions protect, match, and share health data. Jacob also was the recipient of the UChicago Harris Rising Star Award in 2019, which acknowledges a recent alumnus who had distinguished themselves early in their career, creating a positive impact in the execution of public policy.
Harin Contractor, MPP'08, is a Program Manager & Subject Matter Expert at Nexight Group, a research consulting firm in Virginia. He is co-chair of the executive board of the Washington Leadership Program, a nonprofit to build the next generation of South Asian leaders. Harin received the Minorities in Public Policy Studies (MiPPS) 2020 Alumni Award this fall.

MACRM Roundtable with Professor Scott Ashworth

Wednesday, February 17 | 8–9 p.m. CST

Please note, this session is only available to MACRM admits upon request.

Learn more about the MA in Public Policy with Certificate in Research Methods (MACRM) in this virtual roundtable with Professor and PhD program director Scott Ashworth.

Please note, this session is reserved for MACRM admits.

Thursday, February 18

Becker Friedman Institute (BFI) and Energy Policy Institute at UChicago (EPIC)

Thursday, February 18| 9:30–10:15 a.m. CST

Watch the Webinar: Becker Friedman Institute (BFI) and Energy Policy Institute at UChicago (EPIC) (50 min.)

The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics is a hub for cutting-edge research across University of Chicago economics. The Energy Policy Institute at UChicago (EPIC) seeks to confront the global energy challenge by ensuring energy markets provide access to reliable, affordable energy needed for growth, while limiting emissions that cause climate change and damages to the environment. Please join Executive Director of both BFI and EPIC Sam Ori for a session to learn more.

Faculty Session: Steans Professor in Educational Policy Steven Durlauf Discusses Social Policy & Inequality

Watch the Webinar: Faculty Session - Steans Professor in Educational Policy Steven Durlauf Discusses Social Policy and Inequality (40 min.)

Thursday, February 18| 2–2:30 p.m. CST

Please join Steans Professor in Educational Policy Steven Durlauf for a faculty session focused on social policy and inequality. Durlauf's research spans many topics in microeconomics and macroeconomics. His most important substantive contributions involve the areas of poverty, inequality and economic growth.

Graduate School as an Investment

Thursday, February 18 | 6–7 p.m. CST

Watch the Webinar: Graduate School as an Investment (56 min.)

Please join us for a previously recorded session of common ways students finance their degree at the University of Chicago, the value of a Harris degree, and why our students consider graduate school to be a valuable investment. After the recording plays, Director of Student Recruitment and Operations Devon Reber Drehmer will be available for a live Q&A to answer your questions.

Friday, February 19

Mini Policy Lab Overview

Friday, February 19 | 8–9 a.m. CST

This webinar recording is currently unavailable and will be posted soon. Thank you for your patience.

Interested in learning more about Policy Labs? Join Executive Director Carol Brown and Professor Paula Worthington for a Policy Labs Overview. We will be joined by Harris alumni who have completed a Policy Lab.

Alumni Conversation: The Value of UChicago

Friday, February 19 | 10–11 a.m. CST

Watch the Webinar: Alumni Conversation - The Value of UChicago (59 min.)

At UChicago, you’ll join a global network of alumni. Join Senior Associate Dean Ranjan Daniels, AM'94, Nikki Wegner, MPP'13, and Manuel Aragones, MPP'16, as they discuss the value of a UChicago degree from an alumni perspective.

Nikki Wegner, MPP’13, is a Manager in Deloitte’s government and public services practice. In her role, Nikki supports state and local governments in determining how to best deliver and implement health and human service programs so that people get better access to the medical, food, monetary assistance, and children services they need. Nikki also serves on the Harris Alumni Council.
Manuel Aragones, MPP’16, is the co-founder and CEO of deep_dive, a data science firm based in his home country of Mexico. He is committed to using data science to reshape public policy, exemplified by his involvement with the Federal Legal Advisory Service of the Executive Commission for Victims’ Assistance (CEAV), a federal agency in Mexico for victims of disappearances, kidnappings, and crimes committed by government authorities. Manuel’s team, which included two Harris students, established a digital registry and applied data science to provide valuable insights on open cases.

MSCAPP Roundtable with Professor Anne Rogers and Professor Dan Black

Friday, February 19 | noon–1 p.m. CST

Please note, the recording for this session will only be available upon request to MSCAPP admits.

Please join MS in Computational Analysis and Public Policy (MSCAPP) co-directors Professor Anne Rogers and Professor Dan Black for a roundtable discussion of the MSCAPP program.

Crime Lab with Edwin A. and Betty L. Bergman Distinguished Service Professor Jens Ludwig

Friday, February 19 | 4–5 p.m. CST

Watch the Webinar: Crime Lab with Edwin A. and Betty L. Bergman Distinguished Service Professor Jens Ludwig (59 min.)

Jens Ludwig is the Edwin A. and Betty L. Bergman Distinguished Service Professor, director of the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab, codirector of the Education Lab, and codirector of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s working group on the economics of crime. Please join Professor Ludwig to learn more about the UChicago Crime Lab, which partners with cities and communities to use data and rigorous research to design, test, and scale programs and policies that enhance public safety, improve educational outcomes, and advance justice.

Saturday, February 20

Faculty Session: Professor Luis Martinez

Saturday, February 20 | 8–9 a.m. CST

Watch the Webinar: Faculty Session - Professor Luis Martinez (58 min.)

Please join Assistant Professor Luis Martinez for a faculty session. His main research interest is in the empirical analysis of the political economy of development, with a particular focus on the functioning of democracy in Latin America. In current work he studies the impact of fines for electoral abstention on voter behavior in Peru and whether the source of government revenue affects local governance in Colombia. He is also interested in the functioning of non-democracies and is doing research on the manipulation of GDP statistics in authoritarian regimes and on the electoral response to state-led violence against civilians during the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile.

Current Student Panel

Saturday, February 20 | 9:30–10:30 a.m. CST

Watch the Webinar: Current Student Panel (59 min.)

Please join current Harris students for a panel to learn more about the Harris student experience.

2021 | February 15 – 20