Editorial: A new era at the Wilson School

Paxon’s background as a member of the Wilson School faculty and an expert on both domestic and international issues have provided her with ample preparation for her new role. She already has an impressive knowledge about the school’s graduate and undergraduate programs and their evolution over recent years. Moreover, as an academic who has focused on health and development issues both domestically and internationally, Paxson seems well poised to balance both the domestic and foreign policy interests in the school. In an interview, Paxson told the Editorial Board that she dislikes the strict division between these two “areas” and hopes to foster a culture in which students will learn about the interrelated nature of policies across borders and scales. Given complaints that Slaughter prioritized the international curriculum of the school at the expense of courses and faculty focused on domestic issues, Paxson can hopefully mollify these concerns.

As dean, Paxson will be responsible for any major changes to the school’s program structures, budget or curriculum. Though she told the board that she is still in the process of formulating what shape these changes may take, Paxson has already enunciated a sound methodology for approaching this kind of decision-making marked by vigorous investigation and input from both students and faculty. In the past, program changes and expansions may not have been instituted with similar due diligence. The dean’s desire to “plan changes carefully” by soliciting both data and input from all corners of the school should serve her well.

The board is particularly enthusiastic about Paxson’s ideas for making the Wilson School’s curriculum and resources more readily available to students from disciplines across the University. Paxson oversaw the formation of an undergraduate certificate in Global Health and Health Policy. This program provides students from a variety of disciplines with the opportunity to take classes in the Wilson School and receive a certificate, all without the admission quota and hefty requirements of the Wilson School certificate program. Paxson’s plan to use the global health certificate as a model for other certificates will enable more students to participate in the kind of interdisciplinary collaboration on policy that is the hallmark of the Wilson School. We sincerely hope she follows through on this initiative.

The board does have concerns about Paxson’s vision for the undergraduate program’s role in producing graduates dedicated to public service. In discussions with the board, Paxson explained that the undergraduate program was not a professional one with the express design of producing policymakers. Though this is an accurate assessment of the career paths graduates of the program often take, there appears to be a disconnect between the dean’s assessment and previously enunciated visions for the undergraduate program. In particular, administrators have explained that a competitive admission process ensures that undergraduates in the school are committed to public service rather than careers in investment banking. While it is encouraging that Paxson plans to sit on the undergraduate admission committee and examine the process, it remains to be seen how her vision of the program will play out in the next few years.

On the whole, the Board believes Dean Paxson brings a sound approach and fresh ideas to her position that will help her to meet the challenges the school faces.