This is an exciting time to be at GSPIA and the University of Pittsburgh.  Yes, the global recession has posed some problems for us at Pitt as for our colleagues elsewhere—but fortunately our university, our city and our state have been far less negatively impacted than most.  In January Forbes magazine ranked Pittsburgh #6 among the “Ten Cities for Job Growth in 2009.”  In June 2009 The Economist ranked Pittsburgh as the “most livable city” in the United States—confirming the 2007 ranking by Places Rated Almanac.  Moreover, when the White House announced recently that Pittsburgh would host the G-20 Summit in September 2009, it was explained that our city seemed ideally suited for the occasion since it symbolizes resilience and renaissance in the face of economic adversity.

It should also be noted that the flipside of the economic crisis has been altogether positive for those of us who study public and international affairs.  All through the corridors of our School over the past few months there has been fascination with the challenging new roles assumed by the federal government and a renewed enthusiasm for public service.  As our alumni continue to report, the stakes of governmental decision-making have never been higher and there is a renewed sense that our country needs “the best and the brightest” to step up and serve.

In this context we are looking forward to the fall term and continuing to chart new directions for the School.  We have just published the first issue of GSPIA Persectives, our magazine designed for alumni and friends of GSPIA, which provides coverage of initiatives ranging from the new Washington Center to the formation of our new Board of Visitors.  The Mayor of Pittsburgh, Luke Ravenstahl, was at GSPIA recently (see the news item for August 6 on the website) to chair an organizational meeting for CONNECT—the Congress of Neighboring Communities, Pittsburgh region—a new project facilitated by Professor David Miller, Director of the Innovation Clinic. A host of activities will be held on campus in conjunction with the G-20 meetings in Pittsburgh, including the awarding of an honorary GSPIA doctorate to Manuel Barrasso, President of the European Commission.  Professor Phil Williams is returning from leave at the Army War College in Carlisle with a much-acclaimed new book on Criminals, Insurgents and Militias: Organized Crime in Iraq and an innovative agenda for the Ridgway Center for International Security Studies, where he will serve as the new director.  Williams will be hosting a conference in September on “Cyber Threats: Challenges and Responses” and another in October on “Drug Trafficking, Violence and Instability in Mexico, Columbia and the Caribbean.”  Professor Taylor Seybolt, the new Director of the Ford Institute for Human Security, is part of a Pitt-Carnegie Mellon team planning a major conference on “Recording and Estimation of Casualties” for October.  We are preparing a signing ceremony for October in Pittsburgh for our new exchange program with the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies at Kobe University, Japan, and a similar ceremony is scheduled to take place in China in November for a program linking GSPIA to the School of Public Management at Nanjing University; the Nanjing school has already developed a close collaborative relationship with Professor Louise Comfort, Director of our Center for Disaster Management.  Professor Kevin Kearns, Director of the Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership, is preparing to launch a new Leadership Portfolio program for our students this coming year.  Stay tuned to our GSPIA website: these are only a few of the developments that will highlight the new year.

Best regards to all GSPIAns,
and welcome to all of our new students,

John T.S. Keeler, Dean