SIPA: School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University

SIPA Announcements and Awards 2008

“Uncertain Democracy”
In his new book, “Uncertain Democracy: U.S. Foreign Policy and Georgia’s Rose Revolution,” Professor Lincoln Mitchell recounts the events that led to the overthrow of President Eduard Shevardnadz and analyzes the factors that contributed to the staying power of the new regime. He also explores the modest but indispensable role of the United States in contributing to the Rose Revolution and Georgia's failure to live up to its democratic promise. [2008]

Following the Crowd in the Financial Markets
Go with the flow. Follow the leader. Run with the herd. Do investors or other subjects mimic the decisions of their peers, such as buying or selling stock? Many government and financial leaders worry that such “herd” behavior destabilizes the markets. Professor Helios Herrera presents a paper entitled “Social Learning with a Hidden Action,” examining how a peer’s decision to invest can lead to others following suit. [2008]

SIPA Alum and Documentary Producer Wins Emmy Award
Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs congratulates alumna Na Eng (MIA ‘99) on winning a 2008 Emmy Award for business and financial reporting. Ms. Eng won the Emmy for her segment entitled “Taxing the Poor,” presented on the program NOW on PBS. The segment focuses on state tax policies and the working poor, and the impact on three families in Alabama.

To watch “Taxing the Poor” or learn more about its production, click here.

To learn more about Na Eng and her award-winning documentary work, visit her blog here. [2008]

The Growth Report: A Panel Discussion
SIPA’s Program in Economic Policy Management (PEPM) presents a panel discussion on “The Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development,” released in October from the Commission on Growth Development. The panel discussion featured two members of the Commission, Robert Solow, Nobel Laureate and MIT Professor Emeritus, and Danny Leipziger, Vice-President of the World Bank. Columbia professors Jagdish Bhagwati and Guillermo Calvo hosted the guests and provided comments and discussion.

View a video of the panel discussion here.
Download the full report here.

In addition to its regular 14-month mid-career professional program, the PEPM hosts regular visits by leading practitioners and academics from around the globe. Learn more about PEPM here. [2008]

NYC Employees Eligible for EMPA Fellowship
Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) announces a new program to provide employees of New York City with expanded opportunities for executive education. SIPA will provide fellowship support to a small number of the most competitive and promising applicants from among the City’s vast pool of talent, beginning with the class that enters in the fall of 2009. Fellowships will range from partial to full support, depending on the number of applicants admitted to the fellowship program. [2008]

Around the World with Joseph Stiglitz
Nobel Laureate and SIPA professor Joseph Stiglitz will join the Lincoln Center Film Society on December 3 to answer questions following a 7 p.m. screening of Jacques Sarasin’s new travelogue. The documentary follows Professor Stiglitz as he studies the perils and promises of the increasingly international economy. [2008]

Betty Wu Adams to Re-join U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
SIPA congratulates 2004 MPA alum and adjunct professor Betty Wu Adams on her new position with the federal government. Ms. Adams will re-join the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grants. It is a return to HHS for Ms. Adams, who previously served the department for two years in various senior executive leadership positions. She has also chaired the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and advised the White House and the Administration on policies and programs to increase economic opportunities and business participation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. 

“Health and Human Services represents almost a quarter of all federal outlays and administers more grant dollars than all other federal agencies combined,” says Ms. Adams. “Due to the size and complexity of the department’s grant programming as well as an enhanced focus on accountability and transparency in government, I am honored and delighted to accept a call for public service and to be providing continued leadership during this time of transition in Washington.”

Ms. Adams also served as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Employment, and received acclaim for redefining the scope of the department as an economic development agency, and moving the department toward increased efficiency, customer focus, and productivity.

In the private sector, Mr. Adams held senior executive positions at Bloomberg L.P. and numerous global financial services firms. She has served on several boards, including the Workforce Development Council of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the New York City Workforce Investment Board, Teach for America and the Disability Opportunity Fund. [2008]

Ghassan Salamé Receives Joint Appointment from Columbia’s SIPA and Sciences Po Paris
Ghassan Salamé, currently a Professor of International Relations at Sciences Po, France, has agreed to come to SIPA as a Visiting Professor to teach his highly regarded lecture course on “International Politics in the Middle East” and a graduate reading seminar on “Culture in International Relations.” Professor Salamé will arrive in spring 2009 and return to SIPA every spring for the next several years. He will pursue his teaching at Sciences Po in the fall.

Ghassan Salamé was Lebanon’s Minister of Culture from 2000 to 2003. He served as the Political Advisor to the first UN Mission in Iraq and Senior Advisor to the United Nations Secretary General from 2003 until 2006. A widely read expert on international relations, Ghassan Salamé is recognized as one of the most respected actors and observers of conflict resolution and Middle East politics. [2008]

Former U.N. Ambassador Siv (MIA 1981) Recalls Life Under Khmer Rouge
SIPA alumnus, Ambassador Sichan Siv, shared excerpts from his life story, Golden Bones, at a reading and book-signing event at Teachers College. His journey chronicles the hardships he experienced under the Pol Pot communist regime, his eventual arrival in the United States and nomination as Ambassador to the U.N. Economic and Social Council. Read further: http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/56555 [2008]

Ocampo Receives Colombian Award for Contributions to the Field of Development Economics
On September 18, 2008, José Antonio Ocampo, the new director of the Economic and Political Development (EPD) concentration at SIPA, was honored in Barranquilla, Colombia by FENADECO, the National Association of Students of Economics. This year, Ocampo was selected as a recipient of the award for his academic achievements and contributions to the field of development economics.

FENADECO represents all students in undergraduate economics degree programs across Colombia. Every year they plan a National Congress at which a current problem is discussed. This year, the Congress addressed the "Obstacles in Development and Goals for the Millennium: Stance and Challenges for Colombia," with the main objective of finding explanations and ideas to reduce poverty across the globe. José Antonio Ocampo served as the Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs at the United Nations; Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); and has held multiple governmental posts in Colombia. He has published numerous books and articles on macroeconomic policy and theory, economic development and trade, and economic history. Currently he is a Professor of Professional Practice at SIPA, teaches in the Sustainable Development Ph.D. program and, most recently, started his term as the new EPD director. [2008]

New Master’s Program will Prepare Sustainable Development Practitioners
A newly designed graduate degree program at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and up to 12 other universities around the world in the coming three years will prepare aspiring professionals to help address the complex social and scientific challenges of sustainable development.  The two-year Master of Public Administration in Development Practice (MDP) program at Columbia University will be the first MDP program to be offered anywhere in the world and will begin in the fall of 2009 with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.  Study for the degree will include a rigorous core curriculum emphasizing practical, cross-disciplinary knowledge from the health, natural, and social sciences with a strong focus on training for leadership and management.  Students will also reach out of their traditional classrooms to engage in intensive field training experiences. [2008]

SIPA Alumnus Eron Bloomgarden Appointed President of Environmental Markets Group, Equator Environmental, LLC
Equator Environmental, LLC appointed SIPA alum Eron Bloomgarden as President of its Environmental Markets Group. Bloomgarden, who previously served as Ecosecurities’ US Country Director and managed the firms US operations, joins Equator to lead and manage all aspects of its environmental markets business. Bloomgarden will focus on carbon opportunities related to Equator’s US and International carbon investments, the development of opportunities related to Latin American timber business, as well as expansion of Equator’s activities to include additional carbon project types.

Equator Environmental, LLC specializes in the generation and management of high quality carbon credits and environmental assets derived from reforestation projects, forest conservation and sustainable land management. [2008]

David Nissen named Senior Fellow at U.S. Association for Energy Economics
David Nissen, Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), has been nominated as a Senior Fellow of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics (USAEE). The prestigious Fellow Award is given to individuals who have exemplified distinguished service in the field of energy economics and/or the USAEE.  Professor Nissen is also the Director of the Program in International Energy Management and Policy at Center for Energy, Marine Transportation, and Public Policy at Columbia.

Prior to joining SIPA, he managed the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and the gas strategic consulting practice at Poten and Partners, Inc., a leading commercial and energy consulting firm and held senior positions with Exxon's Corporate Planning Department and Chase Manhattan's Corporate Lending Group. Professor Nissen also served in the U.S. Federal Energy Administration (precursor to the Department of Energy) during the Carter Administration, where he directed the quantitative assessment of the Carter Administration's National Energy Plan. He has published numerous articles in energy and economics journals, including Econometrica and the Review of Economic Studies.

The awards will be presented at the USAEE’s conference in New Orleans in December. [2008]

Congressional Research Service Partners with SIPA on Workshops
A workshop in the International Finance and Policy concentration at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) recently partnered with the Congressional Research Service (CRS), to examine trends in retiree health insurance benefits received pursuant to public-sector collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). Under the guidance of Professor Michael Silverman, the four-member SIPA team analyzed 84 CBAs and conducted interviews with retiree health benefit experts, union officials and employer representatives. [2008]

SIPA Translates the Experiences of Immigrant Businesses in Queens
The New York State Wide Coalition of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce (NYSWCHCC) partnered with a Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs workshop team in spring 2008 to research questions surrounding immigrant businesses, entrepreneurship, and selected labor markets in Queens, New York. The students surveyed Korean-American business owners in Flushing and Latino business owners in Jackson Heights. Their final report included recommendations on how NYSWCHCC could help its members strengthen their businesses and realize their full potential. [2008]

SIPA Grad Student Wins Prestigious OPC Foundation Award
Aaron Clark, a graduate student at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, was recently awarded a $2,000 Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholarship at the Foundation’s annual Scholarship Luncheon held at the Yale Club in New York City. Clark was among 12 finalists selected by a panel of leading journalists from a pool of applicants from 65 different colleges and universities. His winning essay described conditions in Myanmar, where the ruling junta maintains its power through a brutal mix of fear, incompetence and poverty. Clark was the winner of the Roy Rowan Scholarship, named for the legendary Time Inc. bureau chief.

The OPC Foundation is the nation’s largest and most visible scholarship program encouraging aspiring journalists to pursue careers as foreign correspondents. [2008]

New Book on Race in American Political Development Edited by SIPA’s Dorian Warren
SIPA Assistant Professor Dorian Warren has edited a new volume titled Race and American Political Development, along with co-editors Joe Lowndes and Julie Novkov. This volume, the first to collect essays on the role of race in American political history and development, resituates race in American politics as an issue for sustained and broadened critical scholarly research and action. Race has been present at every critical moment in political development in the United States, shaping political institutions, discourse, public policy and its denizens' political identities. Covering more than three hundred years of American political history, the volume provides an understanding of American politics that challenges the conventional disciplinary tools of studying politics and the conservative political moment's dominant narrative of racial progress. [2008]

SIPA Alumna Sarah Burd Sharps (MIA '87) Co-authors First Ever American Human Development Report
Scheduled for official launch on July 16 at the National Press Club in DC, The Measure of America: American Human Development Report 2008-2009 is the first-ever human development report for a wealthy, developed nation. The project, which is funded by Oxfam America, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council, with additional funding from the Annenberg Foundation, is a 'nonpartisan, independent effort to introduce to America a well-honed international approach and tool for measuring human well-being – the human development approach and the human development index.' For more information on the report and the project, please visit: www.measureofamerica.org. [2008]

SIPA Students Partner with FDNY to Save Lives and Property
As part of the spring 2008 workshops at SIPA, a team of seven MPA students worked with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) on the agency’s goal to create a performance management system.

Under the guidance of SIPA Professor William Eimicke, who is the current FDNY Commissioner of Strategy and Planning, the students divided themselves into teams according to the three benchmarks that the FDNY leadership asked them to investigate. From January to April 2008, the students looked at: determining the value of property lost in NYC due to fire and water damage, developing a customer service measurement program for the EMS division of the FDNY, and preparing definitions for lives saved/rescued. [2008]

SIPA Alumna Lan Yang Takes on Earthquake Relief Efforts
SIPA Alumna Lan Yang (MIA ’96) has joined forces with National All-Women’s Federation and the China Children and Teenagers’ Fund to provide support for children orphaned by the massive May 12th earthquake in Sichuan province.  The death toll from the earthquake has already surpassed 65,000, leaving behind thousands of children without parental support.  The aim of the new CCTF fund is to provide immediate disaster relief as well as to prepare for the long-term support and educational needs of children in the affected area. 

Lan Yang has been active in China’s growing nonprofit world for several years.  In 1999 and 2001, Ms. Yang was named by Asiaweek magazine as one of the "leaders in society and culture in Asia" and one of the "movers and shapers of 21st-century China." Ms. Yang also received the Chinese Women of the Year award in 2001 and the Top Ten Woman Entrepreneurs award in 2002.  In 2005, she founded Sun Culture Foundation with a mission to promote the relief of poverty, advancement of education, and understandings across civilizations.

The China Children and Teenagers’ Fund was established in 1981 and is one of the leading charitable organizations of China.  For more than 20 years, the CCTF has supported the education and welfare of Chinese children, in particular children from ethnic minorities or in remote rural areas.

Alumni who want to assist with Ms. Yang’s efforts can donate to China Children and Teenagers'  Fund (Zhong Guo Er Tong Shao Nian Ji Jin Hui) with a note for the "Orphan’s Relief for Wen Chuan Earthquake."  Information on the organization and instructions for wiring donations is available at www.cctf.org.cn or via Miss Teressa Yan (Country Code: 86-13810572249). [2008]

Four Columbia Economists Lead 15th Annual World Congress of the International Economist Association
Columbia professor and economist Guillermo Calvo (above), a professor at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, is presiding over an international gathering of economists from June 25 to 29 in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss the challenges of globalization. [2008]

SIPA Alumna Promoted to SVP at Lifetime Networks
SIPA alumna Toby Graff (MPA 1998) has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Corporate Communications at Lifetime Networks. Graff, who has been with Lifetime since 2002, will take on additional oversight of the corporate communications department, including trade and business media relations for all Lifetime Networks' properties and initiatives. She will continue to lead Lifetime's 'Emmy(R) Award-winning awareness and advocacy campaigns.' These include content on myLifetime.com, community outreach, and legislative advocacy and programming. She will also continue to remain as supervisor of the Networks' corporate giving and participation in industry and charitable events. For more information, click here. [2008]

Women Presidents' Educational Organization- D.C. Names SIPA Alumna as New Executive Director
SIPA Alumna Liz Cullen ( MIA 2008) has been named the new Executive Director of the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization (WPEO). Liz will be responsible for managing programs, outreach, and staff in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area.  Previously, Liz had been WPEO Regional Director of Certification, overseeing certification services and outreach as well as fund-raising in the New York Region. The WPEO (wpeo.us) is ‘a regional affiliate of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation’s leading advocate of women-owned businesses and third party certification organization.’ For more information, click here. [2008]

SIPA Hosts Quality of Life Awards Ceremony Honoring NYC High School Students
On Thursday, June 13, 2008, at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs,  Working in Support of Education (w!se) announced the prizewinners of the 2008 Quality of Life Competition. More than 400 New York City public high school students submitted proposals for consideration this year.

The Quality of Life Awards Ceremony honors student excellence in generating innovative ideas to improve life in New York City. Since 1996, more than 16,000 students have participated in QL. Through the QL Scholarship Competition, which comprises a five-step judging process, more than $400,000 in scholarships and implementation grants have been awarded to students. [2008]

Columbia SIPA Alum and Former Mayor of Addis Deressa Reflects on Life After Third Retirement
Columbia SIPA alumnus Berhane Deressa (BA 1971, MIA 1972) is an extraordinary man. After a career serving his native Ethiopia with stints at the United Nations, World Bank, and in various senior government ministry posts, Deressa was asked in 2005 by parliament to lead the city’s caretaker government as mayor.  Taking the charge at a tense time in Ethiopian history was no easy feat for a twice-retired civil servant. Facing poor infrastructure, civil unrest and violence, Deressa tried to install order and calm conditions during his two year term. Click here for more information. [2008]

SIPA Alumnus Scott Millstein Appointed Executive Director of Coro New York
SIPA alumnus Scott Millstein (MPA 1995) has been appointed Executive Director of the Coro New York Leadership Center. Coro brings together leaders from government, corporate, media, labor and nonprofit sectors to encourage an open dialogue and help solve the city’s problems. Millstein has worked in public service for his entire professional career. Previously, he worked for 10 years in senior positions at Safe Horizon, the country’s leading victim assistance organization. Millstein  also has worked as the Special Assistant to the Commissioner at the New York City Department of Homeless Services as well as at other NYC agencies, including the Mayor's Office and the Parks Department. For more information, click here. [2008]

SIPA Alumna Thottam Named Time Magazine’s New Delhi Bureau Chief
Jyoti Thottam (MIA 1997) former Time Magazine senior editor and South Asian Journalist Forum president has been named Time Magazine’s New Delhi Bureau Chief. Thottam, a native of India but mostly raised in Houston, began her career at Time Magazine at On Magazine/Time Digital. Following graduation from SIPA in 1997, Thottam traveled and freelanced, spending time in  India, Thailand and Nepal, before returning to New York in 1998. Her work has been published in The Wall Street Journal, Village Voice, Christian Science Monitor, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, San Francisco Chronicle, City Limits and Himal magazine and presented on Voice of America radio. For more information, visit  www.sajaforum.org. [2008]

SIPA Alumnus Bill Rigler Appointed as Chief of Staff at Rockefeller Foundation
SIPA alumnus William (Bill) Rigler (MIA 2004) has been appointed as Chief of Staff of the Rockefeller Foundation. He most recently served concurrently as Chief of Staff to the CEO and as a Deputy Managing Director with the Global Consulting Group, an international firm specializing in corporate communications and government relations. Bill previously served as Chief of Staff to Geraldine Ferraro, the former Vice Presidential candidate, at the same firm. Prior to this, he spent three years as Executive Director at the Humpty Dumpty Institute. Earlier in his career, Bill worked for the Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). Bill has been a member of SIPA’s Alumni Council since 2007. [2008]

Columbia Economists Host 15th World Congress of the International Economic Association in Istanbul
From June 25th to 29th, Guillermo Calvo, Professor at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and President of the International Economic Association, will host the 15th World Congress of the IEA jointly with the Turkish Economic Association (TEA), in Istanbul, Turkey. [2008]

Participant in SIPA Executive Education Program to be Interviewed on CNN Heroes May 29th
Ms. Phymean Noun, Executive Director of People Improvement Organization in Cambodia (PIO) and a participant in SIPA’s Southeast Asia Fellows Program (2005), has been nominated as a CNN Hero. A clip interview with her on her work offering assistance, education, health care, and nutrition to reduce the level of poverty of underprivileged women and children in Cambodia, can be seen on the May 29th broadcast of Larry King Live (EST 9-10pm), with the full content of the interview on CNN, Headline News and CNN International and Español the following day and throughout the weekend. (Check local listings for details). Viewers can vote for their favorite CNN Hero by visiting the website at CNN.com. We wish Phymean good luck in winning votes and continued success in her vital work. [2008]

Executive MPA Program Open House on June 4th
The Executive Master of Public Policy and Administration (EMPA) program of the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) is designed for the experienced and ambitious executive who is looking for a top quality and practical graduate program but cannot take the time out to pursue full-time study. To learn more about the program, please go to www.sipa-empa.com

The Executive MPA is hosting the last Open House for fall 2008 admission on Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 at 6p.m. You will meet other prospective students as well as the program directors and administrators. Refreshments will be served.

The event will take place in Room 1512, on the 15th floor of the International Affairs Building, located at 420 West 118th Street, between Amsterdam Avenue and Morningside Drive. Elevators to the 15th floor are located directly inside the entrance to the building. Please note that when you enter the building, "street level" is considered the fourth floor.

To R.S.V.P. please email empa@columbia.edu or call the Office of Recruitment at 212-854-5124. [2008]

PEPM Director Guillermo Calvo Welcomes Chilean Finance Minister Andres Velasco to Columbia’s SIPA
On May 9th, 2008 Guillermo Calvo [link name to profile], Director of the Program in Economic Policy Management at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, welcomed Columbia alumnus and current Chilean Finance Minister Andres Velasco to SIPA.  Velasco, along with a party of congressmen and members of the Finance Cabinet, participated in a discussion of macroeconomic policy in Latin America in the context of the current global financial crisis. [2008]

Patricia M. Cloherty, MIA ’68, Awarded the Order of Friendship by Vladimir Putin
Patricia M. Cloherty, MIA ’68, Chairman and CEO of Delta Private Equity Partners, has been awarded the Order of Friendship by a decree from Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation.  She received this honor for her major contribution to the development of Russian business and for strengthening friendship and cooperation between the Russian Federation and the United States of America. Ms. Cloherty is a Trustee of Columbia University and a member of the SIPA Board of Advisors. She is former Co-Chairman, President and General Partner of Apax Partners, Inc. (formerly Patricof & Co. Ventures, inc.), an international private venture capital company that she joined in 1970 and that has $10 billion under management. [2008]

Andrea Bubula Granted Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching
Andrea Bubula, a long standing popular member of the faculty at SIPA, was selected as a recipient of the Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching. Established in 1996, the presidential awards honor the best of Columbia's teachers for the influence they have on the development of their students and their part in maintaining the University's longstanding reputation for educational excellence. The awards are designed to recognize the diverse forms that teaching may take in the different parts of the University.

Andrea Bubula teaches the core course Economic Analysis for International Affairs.  His expertise is in applied open-economy macroeconomics and finance. Dr. Bubula’s research focuses on the choice of the exchange rate regime and nominal anchor across countries and over time.  He has also examined the determinants of interest rate differentials in developing countries. Dr. Bubula earned his Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University in 2004 and holds a ‘Laurea’ and ‘Dottorato di Ricerca’ from Universita’ di Roma, La Sapienza.  He has worked at the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and was a Fellow of International Affairs at Yale University. [2008]

John H. Coatsworth Named Dean of SIPA
After a 13-month international search, John H. Coatsworth has been appointed as dean of the School of International and Public Affairs.

Coatsworth joined the Columbia faculty from Harvard in 2006. He is the author or editor of seven books on the history of economic development and international relations of Latin America. From 1994 to 2006, he served as the founding Director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard—now the largest center of its kind in the world. He also chaired the Harvard faculty Committee on Human Rights, as well as the Committee on Education Abroad, which overhauled Harvard's undergraduate international study program. From 1969 to 1992, John taught at the University of Chicago, where he chaired the History Department and founded the university's Center for Latin American Studies. A past president of the American Historical Association, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Board of Directors of the Tinker Foundation and the Washington Office on Latin America, and president-elect of the Latin American Studies Association. In 2005, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. For more information see Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger's Announcement and Dean John H. Coatsworth's Statement. [2008]

SIPA’s FDNY Officers Management Institute Selected to Compete in Innovations in American Government Awards
The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School announced the Top 50 Programs of the 2008 Innovations in American Government Awards competition. Selected from a pool of nearly 1,000 applicants, these programs represent the best in government innovation from local, county, city, tribal, state, and federal levels. SIPA’s Picker Center for Executive Education designed this program in collaboration with the Columbia Business School to prepare senior fire and EMS chiefs for the complex challenges of the post-9/11 world. [2008]

SIPA Alumnus, Steve Fainaru, 2008 Pulitzer Prize Winner, to Speak at SIPA’s Graduation Ceremony on Monday, May 19th, 2008
Steve Fainaru (MIA 1994), 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner and reporter for the Washington Post, will be the speaker at SIPA’s graduation this year. Steve, who concentrated in Latin America and International Media and Communications at SIPA, has been awarded a Pulitzer Prize in the category of International Reporting for his writing on the role of private armies in the Iraq War. According to the Washington Post, Fainaru ''took personal risks to expose a hidden side of the Iraq war'' in his reporting. His articles, which exposed how private armies fired indiscriminately at insurgents and civilians and functioned without regulation or oversight, contributed to the development of legislation and Congressional oversight.

For more information on the award, please see the Pulitzer Prize Website. [2008]

Lisa Anderson Named Provost of the American  University in Cairo
The American University in Cairo (AUC) today announced the appointment of Columbia University Professor  Lisa Anderson, a specialist on politics in the Middle East and North  Africa, as its next provost.  Dr. Anderson succeeds Dr. Earl (Tim) Sullivan who has been AUC provost since 1998 and professor of  political science at AUC since 1973.

As AUC's chief academic officer, Anderson will be responsible for  shaping and implementing AUC's academic vision and continuing to  build the size and quality of its faculty.  As the region's premier  liberal arts institution, AUC enrolls more than 5000 students and has a full time faculty of 400. The university will be moving to a new $400 million campus this year. [2008]

Hishaam Aidi Named Carnegie Scholar
Hishaam Aidi, lecturer at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, has been named a Carnegie Scholar for his work on Muslim youth in America and Western Europe.  Aidi’s work will examine the cultural and political responses of Muslim youth in America and Western Europe in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 and the different initiatives Western states have adopted to integrate Muslim communities within their borders.  Aidi's research will explain how Muslim youth, in their bid for social inclusion, are becoming racially and politically conscious, and are producing new diaspora identities and movements.  The 2008 Carnegie awardees are the fourth consecutive annual class to focus on Islam.  For more information on the program, please see the Carnegie site. [2008]

SIPA Alumnus, Steve Fainaru, Wins Pulitzer Prize
Steve Fainaru (MIA 1994) of the Washington Post has been awarded a Pulitzer Prize in the category of International Reporting for his writing on the role of private armies in the Iraq War.  According to the Washington Post, Fainaru ''took personal risks to expose a hidden side of the Iraq war'' in his reporting.  His articles, which exposed how private armies fired indiscriminately at insurgents and civilians and functioned without regulation or oversight, contributed to the development of legislation and Congressional oversight.  For more information on the award, please see the Pulitzer Prize Website. [2008]

Koren Shelton (MIA 2000) Provides Health Care Instruction in Kenya
SIPA MIA 2000 Alumna Koren Shelton has her work cut out for her using technology and expertise in health to save lives around the world. As managing director for the UCLA Center of International Medicine (CIM), Shelton’s team of experts travel globally ‘to assess firsthand local health needs’ and create ‘multimedia-based training programs and other innovative health care solutions’ In one such recent trip, Shelton, through a DVD-based training program, trained health care providers in the Kakuma refugee camp in Northern Kenya to assist the region’s sexual assault survivors. Working with international organizations such as the UN, Rescue Committee, and project HOPE, CIM is able to combat the shortage of trained health care workers through innovative technology. To read more click here. [2008]

Harvey Picker, Third Dean of SIPA, Dies at 92
Harvey Picker, the third dean of the School of International and Public Affairs and a generous donor to the School, passed away this year at the age of 92. He was a well-known inventor of medical technologies and founded the Picker Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the principles of patient-centered care.

Like so many in the SIPA community, Picker's career bridged both the private and nonprofit sectors, combined practical experience with and imagination and embodied the adage to "think globally, act locally."  [2008]

The MFWG Hosts its Annual Careers in Microfinance Event
The Microfinance Working Group (MFWG) hosted its 6th annual Careers in Microfinance Event on Feb. 25th.   This event is the centerpiece of the MFWG’s outreach efforts, and aims to promote microfinance by providing panels of experts and practitioners in the field to share their experiences.  While SIPA students were well represented among the attendees, there were also numerous professionals and students from other schools who attended to learn more about career opportunities in the rapidly growing field of microfinance. [2008]

José Antonio Ocampo Wins Leontief Prize
José Antonio Ocampo has been awarded the distinguished Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought, along with Robert Wade of the London School of Economics, for their work on trade and development. Neva Goodwin, who directs award selection process at Tufts’ Global Development And Environment Institute, said, “José Antonio Ocampo and Robert Wade are among the most creative economic thinkers, combining rigorous analysis with empirically grounded research. Each of them is laying critical pieces of the groundwork that’s needed for solving global problems in ways that will genuinely improve the lives of the world’s poor majority.” [2008]

Heikkila and Colleagues Awarded PepsiCo Foundation Grant
Tanya Heikkila, Assistant Professor at SIPA, is part of an interdisciplinary team that received a $6 million grant from the PepsiCo Foundation for a project on the challenges of water scarcity in India, Brazil, China and several countries in Africa. The project will be based at the newly founded Columbia Water Center and will be directed by Professor Upmanu Lall at the School of Engineering. The project seeks to demonstrate that an integrated, interdisciplinary approach combining site-appropriate technological, policy and economic innovations is the best method to produce sustainable water supply development. [2008]

Peter Godwin Winner of 2007 Original Voices Award
On January 23, 2008 Borders announced the winners of the 2007 Original Voices Awards. The 12th annual Original Voices Awards recognizes “fresh, compelling and ambitious works” from new and emerging talents of 2007 in several literary categories. Peter Godwin, Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, is the winner of the non-fiction category for his book, When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa. According to the Borders’ selection committee the story took readers somewhere unfamiliar and taught them something new. Peter Godwin’s novel was also placed on The Notable Books Council of the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) 2008 list of outstanding books for the general reader. [2008]

SIPA Students Visit Ghana and Nigeria
In January 2008, 25 students from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) embarked on a study tour of Ghana and Nigeria. Tour coordinators Lincoln Ajoku (MIA ’08), Christabel Dadzie (MIA ’07), Chinonso Emehelu (MIA ’08) and Osa Iyayi-Kanu (MIA ’08) organized the trip that introduced students to the best of both countries by connecting them with political leaders, entrepreneurs, human rights advocates, CEOs, artists, and most importantly, their families and friends. [2008]  

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