UCR School of Public Policy

Our End-of-Year Celebration is happening in less than two weeks! Join us as we celebrate the graduating class of 2026, scholarship recipients, and our 10-year anniversary. Register by Monday, June 8th so you don’t miss out!

Register Here ➡️ https://myadv.ucr.edu/forms/spp-end-of-year-celebration

You're invited to our End-of-Year Celebration, where we will be honoring our 10-year anniversary, scholarship recipients, and the graduating class of 2026! 🌍

The celebration will include a keynote address from Andrew Light, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs, as well as remarks from student speakers Katie Chau and Niloofar Shoja Razavi.

📅 Sunday, June 14th, 2026
🕑 5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
📍 Culver Center of the Arts

➡️ Register: https://myadv.ucr.edu/forms/spp-end-of-year-celebration

We look forward to commemorating another year of growth with all of you!

Bruce Link, Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Sociology, has been named the 2026 UCR Faculty Research Lecturer! This is the highest honor that the Academic Senate bestows to a faculty member with an exceptional record of scholarly research and achievement. 📚

Professor Link is also the first School of Public Policy professor to receive this award and will be giving a lecture to commemorate the award during the next academic year. Congratulations Professor Link! 👏

Thank you to former Ambassador and now Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy, Barbara Bodine for taking the time to sit down with us for an upcoming episode of Policy Chats, our student-run podcast!

Prior to joining Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, she spent over 30 years in the U.S Foreign Service improving Arabian Peninsula and greater Persian Gulf issues. She held many positions during her time in Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq and the USS Cole crisis, including Deputy Principle Officer during the Iran-Iraq war, Deputy Chief of Mission during the Iraqi invasion, the Senior State Department Official in Iraq, and many more. 💼

➡️ Stay on the look out for this episode’s release!

For our next May faculty feature, we have Dr. Sharon Oselin, Professor of Public Policy & Sociology and Director of the Presley Center of Crime & Justice Studies! 𓍝

Her research encompasses crime, the criminal-legal system, prisoner re-entry, deviance, gender and s*xuality, s*x work, urban conditions, organizations and culture. 🏛️

To learn more about Dr. Oselin’s work, including research on the experiences of re-entry among formerly incarcerated peoples, click this link ➡️ https://spp10years.ucr.edu/faculty-feature-articles/2026/05/28/sharon-oselin-faculty-feature-may

Our first May faculty feature is Professor of Public Policy, Dr. Cecilia Ayón!

Dr. Ayón is widely recognized for her contribution in research focusing on how immigration policies and sociopolitical climates shape the health, well-being, and family processes of Latinx immigrant communities.🏡

To learn more about Dr. Ayón’s research, click this link➡️ https://spp10years.ucr.edu/faculty-feature-articles/2026/05/28/cecilia-ayon-faculty-feature-may

Don’t forget to RSVP for our End-of-Year Celebration coming up on June 14th where we will be honoring our 10-year anniversary, scholarship recipients and the graduating class of 2026! You won’t want to miss it, register by clicking the link in our LinkTree!

You're invited to our End-of-Year Celebration, where we will be honoring our 10-year anniversary, scholarship recipients, and the graduating class of 2026! 🌍

The celebration will include a keynote address from Andrew Light, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs, as well as remarks from student speakers Katie Chau and Niloofar Shoja Razavi.

📅 Sunday, June 14th, 2026
🕑 5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
📍 Culver Center of the Arts

➡️ Register: https://myadv.ucr.edu/forms/spp-end-of-year-celebration

We look forward to commemorating another year of growth with all of you!

The SPP Family keeps growing! 🌱 We are so excited to introduce our next group of incoming policy-shapers joining the UCR School of Public Policy. Swipe left to read about their unique backgrounds, passions, and policy goals! 🏛️✨

Haven't submitted your introduction yet? Check your inbox for the link to be featured in our next spotlight! 📩

Transfer students, a friendly reminder: Your SIR deadline is coming up fast on June 1st! Secure your spot and join the movement. 💙🐻

How is artificial intelligence shaping the future of democratic communication? 🏛️

Professor Kevin Esterling recently served as a guest on “The Reference Desk” podcast to discuss his research on large language models, civic discourse, and the role that emerging technologies and AI play in how people communicate in online democratic spaces. 💻

Listen now! ➡️ https://open.spotify.com/episode/61slljoTvWtaAhkm5atrV2?si=DGGSxZqWR12fOC0dFAyy-A&nd=1&dlsi=6b7a005baf884b31

For our May alumni spotlight, we’d like to introduce Imad Jobah, Region Manager of Practice Innovation at Dignity Health Medical Foundation! 🏥

During his time at the School of Public Policy, Imad learned the importance of building solutions that create greater access and opportunity for underserved communities.

His work today allows him to lead initiatives that will focus on improving healthcare access, care coordination, and patient experience.

We’re proud of Imad and his significant contributions to improve the healthcare system! 🩺