Virginia Tech - School of Public and International Affairs

To all of our SPIA graduates, CONGRATULATIONS!!

We are so proud of each and every one of you who for your contribution and hard work paying off. We wish you the best of luck on the next chapter of your life!

Thank you for everyone who came to the SPIA Awards Ceremony and Celebration, we hope you had a great time being with your fellow Hokies and faculty one last time.

To all of the undergrads and grads pursuing a higher education, good luck and enjoy the journey!

GO HOKIES!!

The Virginia Tech School of Public & International Affairs is honored to invite you to the launch of Dr. Chad Levinson’s newly published book, The President’s Echo System: How Foreign Policy Is Sold to Americans.

Joining Dr. Levinson for the evening will be James Goldgeier of American University School of International Service for a timely conversation on foreign policy, public opinion, and institutional influence.

📍 Event Details
🗓 Thursday, June 4
🕖 7:00–9:00 PM
📌 Virginia Tech Research Center
(In-person event)

Registration is required. Please RSVP by May 29: https://tinyurl.com/2bmnmu7z

We look forward to seeing you there.

Dear SPIA Community,

Join us on Saturday, June 6th from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Lubber Run Park (200 N. Columbus St., Arlington, VA 22203) for a relaxed afternoon of good food and great company.

We’re looking forward to bringing together our SPIA community from all campuses, students, recent graduates, alumni, faculty, staff, as well as family and friends.

Please RSVP by May 29th 👉 https://tinyurl.com/mun4xcd8

TOMORROW from 3-6!
Come support your fellow SPIA Hokies and community as you learn about the impacts of data centers in Virginia through an art exhibit at the Center for the Arts!
Bring your friends and stop by!

Tuesday: 3:00-6:00pm. Come when you can!
This is an amazing opportunity to learn about the impacts of data centers in Virginia and see what the 'Data and the Art of Policy-Making and Planning' class has been working on all semester!
If you are unavailable, but still want to participate, you can register for the Virtual Exhibition using the provided QR Code.

🌍 Protect those protecting the planet.

This summer, take part in a powerful, real-world research experience with SPIA:

Reducing Violence Against Environmental Defenders Through Data-Driven Analysis
📚 SPIA 4984 (UG) | SPIA 5984 (Grad)
🗓 July 8 – Aug. 15
🕔 Mondays, 5:00–7:45 PM
💻 100% Virtual
👩‍🏫 Dr. Paroma Wagle

Work with global partners like the Environmental Law Institute and the Alliance for Land, Indigenous, and Environmental Defenders to:
✔️ Analyze drivers of violence
✔️ Explore prevention strategies
✔️ Present findings directly to organizations on the frontlines

Open to students across disciplines—policy, business, human rights, law, and more.

➡️ Make your research matter. Make an impact.
📲 Scan the QR code to learn more

💡 Turn ideas into impact.

Join SPIA’s Public Value Lab: Designing Initiatives for Public Impact

📚 SPIA 4984
🗓 June 15 – July 3 (3-week intensive)
🕠 5:30–8:30 PM
💻 100% Virtual

Learn how to:
✨ Frame real public problems
✨ Build actionable solutions
✨ Design initiatives using the Public Value Canvas

Led by global practitioners and policy leaders, this hands-on studio ends with your own Public Value Initiative.

➡️ Build something that matters this summer

Happy Earth Day Hokies! Only 3ish more weeks of classes! Keep up the hard work, but give yourself some time to pause and enjoy the changing of the seasons around you!

New course just dropped! If you are interested in how A.I. will intertwine with policymaking this is for you.
UAP 3264
Tuesday - Thursday from 12:30pm to 1:45pm
In-person with Shahidur Rashid Talukdar

Meet Sanaa Payge, a SPIA alum turning data into powerful stories that drive global conservation impacts 🧡

From discovering her purpose on a service trip to New Orleans to working in conservation today, Sanaa shows us that sustainability and social equity go hand in hand.

Her journey is proof that meaningful change happens when we center both people and the planet