Colby to Establish Public Policy Lab
An anonymous trustee gift will provide an opportunity for student research and engagement on pressing policy issues
Deepening its commitment to addressing the most pressing public-interest issues of the day, Colby College will establish a new Public Policy Lab.
Funded by an anonymous trustee with a $5-million gift, the Public Policy Lab will allow students to participate in all aspects of the policymaking process, as they work closely with faculty members, community partners, visiting practitioners, and governmental and non-governmental organizations.
“The Colby labs have helped to redefine a Colby education,” Colby President David A. Greene said. “The labs deepen academic engagement and create partnerships and opportunities for research and learning through hands-on problem solving. I am so grateful for this gift, which allows the College’s long tradition of engagement in public policy to become a centerpiece of the Colby experience.”
The vision for the lab combines classroom study with experiential learning to prepare students to bring about positive change on important issues and lead lives of meaning, purpose, and impact, said Provost and Dean of Faculty Margaret McFadden, the NEH/Class of 1940 Distinguished Professor of the Humanities.
“As they learn about difficult problems in their courses, many students become deeply interested in finding solutions to those problems,” McFadden said. “This wonderful gift will ensure that students have a range of opportunities to learn the policymaking process in collaboration with faculty, expert practitioners, and other stakeholders and that they are enabled to make meaningful change in the world. This is exactly the kind of work that is central to our liberal arts mission.”
Public Policy Lab will be Colby’s latest
A key priority for the College, the Public Policy Lab will be the fifth lab launched in recent years. Among the many new programs, initiatives, and facilities made possible by generous donors to the Dare Northward campaign, the suite of Colby labs has opened avenues to students and faculty alike for scholarship and intellectual networking across disciplines.
Colby’s other labs include the Buck Lab for Climate and Environment; the Linde Packman Lab for Biosciences Innovation; the Halloran Lab for Entrepreneurship; and the Lyons Arts Lab.
Cross-disciplinary and focused on pressing challenges, the labs amplify students’ curricular work by providing opportunities for research, internships, and employment with a range of partners. The success and impact of these labs strengthen Colby’s approach to academic innovation, grounding experiential learning with practical applications.
The opportunity for research
The lab will help students benefit from the many key partnerships the College has built with businesses, research institutes, nonprofit organizations, think tanks, government agencies, and private citizens in Maine and across the country, and it will inspire new opportunities for partnerships. When students arrive on campus, they join an expansive, existing network within the realms of public affairs and public policy.
The lab will provide funding for students who want to undertake research or policy-related projects while helping the College cultivate and encourage the next generation of leaders. Through internships, research trips, and other activities, students will combine theoretical thinking with practical, hands-on applications that expand Colby’s standing as a globally oriented and locally focused institution.
“Colby students want to make a difference. The combination of our rigorous academic programs and the experiences provided through the Public Policy Lab will inspire and prepare them to do just that.”
President David A. Greene
The intent is to create a platform for Colby students to stand at the forefront of public policy research and decision-making through their scholarship, often in collaboration with faculty. The lab will offer students the chance to pursue unique learning opportunities focused on their own personal priorities in a senior capstone project, Jan Plan course, or summer research activity.
Faculty research is at the heart of Colby’s existing public policy efforts. Faculty are conducting timely research across disciplines, including economics, anthropology, education, sociology, and environmental studies. Many faculty already work with local, state, and national leaders, connecting students with policymakers and processes at all levels of government.
Still to be named, the inaugural director of the Public Policy Lab will come from a policy-related discipline. In addition to running the lab, the director will lead a visiting fellow program, build cocurricular opportunities for students interested in public policy, and work with faculty to develop avenues of study and student engagement.
