Nicholas Jacobs to Lead Public Policy Lab
The professor and political scientist is committed to providing students with hands-on experience in public service and policy analysis
Colby has appointed Associate Professor of Government Nicholas Jacobs as the inaugural director of its new Public Policy Lab. The non-partisan lab will be an innovative hub for interdisciplinary research, immersive learning, and meaningful collaboration with policymakers and community stakeholders across Maine and the United States.
Established with a $5-million gift, the Public Policy Lab seeks to rebuild public trust in government, elected officials, and experts by providing students with real-world experiences through internships, partnerships, and hands-on research across a range of public policy-related issues.
Jacobs, who joined Colby’s faculty in 2019, is a nationally recognized expert on American politics and policymaking. He is the author of multiple books and dozens of peer-reviewed studies on topics ranging from school segregation to income inequality to the federal bureaucracy. His most recent book is The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America (Columbia University Press, 2024), coauthored with Professor of Government Daniel M. Shea.
“Colby’s Public Policy Lab is about restoring public trust in expertise and empowering communities through collaboration,” said Jacobs. “We’re focused on preparing students to become thoughtful, responsive leaders who not only understand evidence-based policy but also recognize the importance of community-driven solutions.”
By building tools, gathering data, and sharing perspectives, the lab seeks to promote democratic decision making at the local, state, and national levels.
“Nick Jacobs brings a wonderful blend of scholarly expertise and real-world experience in policy development to the directorship of the Public Policy Lab,” said Provost and Dean of Faculty Margaret McFadden. “Students who engage with him, and with the many other faculty who do policy work at Colby, will have extraordinary opportunities to test their classroom knowledge in a wide variety of research and policymaking projects and to do work that makes a difference in the world. I am delighted that he has accepted this important position.”
Building the lab
The work of the Public Policy Lab will begin in earnest at the start of the 2025-26 academic year. During its first year, the lab will develop four primary initiatives, including a practicum course; a new series of student internship and research experiences; a Jan Plan course; and an innovative faculty-student research collaboration.
The academic practicum course, titled Public Policy Practicum and taught by Jacobs, will partner students with community organizations and local and state governments to study existing public policy challenges. The practicum is meant to give students practical experience working alongside policymakers by learning how to offer evidence, data, or analysis, gather new observations, and help practitioners and community members explore and interpret data.
The Public Policy Lab will offer student internships and research experiences through its Pathways in Public Policy Fund. The unique qualities of Maine as primarily a rural state provide excellent learning opportunities with nonprofits serving Maine and central Maine, the Maine state government and legislature, and nearby municipalities, including the City of Waterville.
Opportunities are abundant within 30 minutes of campus, including the State Capitol in Augusta, where students can see where people are making a difference.
“It doesn’t always make the headlines, but that’s where policy is made. It’s where our streets are repaved, our teachers are hired, and policing decisions are made,” said Jacobs. “You don’t need to go to Washington, D.C., to learn how government works and affects people’s lives.”
“Nick Jacobs’s strong vision of how students learn policy best—by doing—will ensure that students find the Public Policy Lab to be a space of vibrant intellectual activity, exciting and varied perspectives, and meaningful contributions to the public good.”
Provost and Dean of Faculty Margaret McFadden
The lab’s faculty-student research collaborative will support student summer research assistants, who typically remain on campus, and provide funding for collaborative student-faculty research projects on under-explored or emerging policy issues.
Through these primary initiatives, the lab aims to bring policymaking alive for students.
“For most students, you learn about policy by sitting in a classroom, reciting the latest buzzwords about this policy, and learning to calculate various equations to assess that one,” said Jacobs. “But there is nothing that can compare to the messiness and importance of actual policy work in the field. You learn that data are not always right, people are complicated, and community is hard to build. This is the essence of a liberal arts education—immersing students in real-world complexities to cultivate thoughtful, adaptive leaders.”
Guiding principles
The Public Policy Lab is the fifth Colby lab launched in recent years thanks to generous donors to the Dare Northward campaign. Colby labs create opportunities for faculty and students alike for scholarship and cross-disciplinary networking.
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.
The Public Policy Lab is poised to step into a crisis of expertise, which Jacobs describes as a world that struggles to trust “the experts,” with humility and a sense of purpose. Jacobs believes that people do value expertise, but it needs to be accountable, accurate, and aligned with the common good rather than special interests.
“Our mission is grounded in collaboration, ensuring community voices shape the policy process from start to finish.”
Director of the Public Policy Lab Nicholas Jacobs
To restore that trust, the Public Policy Lab will rely on an ethic centered on independence, humility, and partnership.
Independence means the lab prioritizes transparency in its methods, openness in its data, and accountability in its conclusions, said Jacobs. Its goal is not to be above scrutiny but to earn public trust by resisting pressures that compromise the integrity of its work.
Humility recognizes that expertise alone does not guarantee wisdom. Jacobs said the lab will acknowledge the limits of what it knows, remain open to challenge, and treat correcting errors as a strength, not a weakness.
Partnership is a commitment to doing policy work with communities, not for them. Jacobs believes good policy arises from a dialogue between expert knowledge and lived experience. That means listening carefully, working collaboratively, and ensuring that those most affected by policy decisions have a meaningful voice in shaping them.
“We aren’t making recommendations for anyone; we are empowering democratic decision making by collecting new data, finding different stories, and making academic research accessible,” said Jacobs. “Our mission is grounded in collaboration, ensuring community voices shape the policy process from start to finish.”
McFadden noted that Jacobs’s “strong vision of how students learn policy best—by doing—will ensure that students find the Public Policy Lab to be a space of vibrant intellectual activity, exciting and varied perspectives, and meaningful contributions to the public good. And his thoughtful and collaborative spirit will ensure that faculty, staff, and students partner effectively with organizations beyond the College to the benefit of everyone involved.”
