Rutgers SUNJ Edward J Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
http://policy.rutgers.edu/
Mission
The Bloustein School is committed to a rebirth of the public-service ethic in the United States. The ethic focuses on good civic design in its broadest sense-encompassing such endeavors as housing, transportation, workforce development, public health, economic development, ecological balance, and social justice for the disadvantaged. The ethic strives for a scholarly atmosphere that is inspirational, creative, productive, and personally fulfilling. The ethic reaches to the larger world beyond academia-that is, to community, state, national, and international clienteles.
Edward J. Bloustein-Rutgers president, constitutional scholar, active citizen, philosopher, and teacher-lived a life of civic engagement that the school's ethic seeks to perpetuate. Research, teaching, and outreach at the Bloustein School aim for intellectual originality and practical rigor in an atmosphere of spirited and open debate. Bloustein activities are rooted in diversity of experience and thought. They create settings where individuals and communities can flourish. The Bloustein ethic strives to improve the quality of public discourse by producing ideas and measures that have impact.
The Bloustein ethic engages those who do their jobs not just honorably, but with a passion for their work that alters their surroundings. The Bloustein School seeks to foster new research and thinking that achieve both scholarly recognition and public acceptance.
Education
The School supports a wide variety of educational activities, from undergraduate and master's and doctoral degree programs to continuing education courses and conferences for professionals and alumni. The School also hosts international fellows programs, which provide education and professional development opportunities for individuals from nations around the world. The core purpose of all our educational programs is to enhance students' understanding of the theories, methods, and practice of planning and public policy. The School's educational programs encourage open discussion of all viewpoints, the application of quantitative methods for analysis, the careful study of history, and a thorough consideration of economic and demographic trends and political institutions and processes. Full- and part-time students examine theories and methods in a wide variety of concentrations, including community and economic development, public health, workforce development, land use, housing, transportation, urban design, education, social policy, science and technology policy, and environmental policy.
Research
The School serves as an intellectual focal point at Rutgers University for the examination of societal problems and solutions. Research undertakings are governed by a strong commitment to quality through the use of sound social science theory and methods and to full dissemination of results and peer review of findings. Research is carried out on a wide variety of challenging topics. Specialized centers, established by the University's Board of Governors, carry out large-scale projects and are supported by external funding. The centers support the educational and public-service mission by focusing research in the substantive areas of the School's strength and by supporting students, faculty, and staff in those areas.
Service
The School is committed to addressing community, regional, state, national, and international needs. Faculty, staff, and students fulfill this commitment in a variety of ways, by preparing students for careers in public service; through continuing education courses and seminars; by serving as advisors to public officials and community organizations; by working to strengthen the capacity of governmental and nonprofit organizations through education and training; and by undertaking research projects that address the pressing needs and concerns of our society.