Mission 

The fundamental purpose that drives the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management is to advance the broad public interest through focused research and outstanding graduate education.

Increasing Understanding

Our faculty and students live that mission by conducting research that creates a better understanding of the most intractable problems, by designing strategies to address them, through outreach programs that contribute to immediate needs, and through rigorous, innovative curricula that produce graduates who are especially well equipped for leadership.

Our outstanding faculty and specialized institutes continually study important public issues through research programs that lead to a deeper understanding of the causes of the social, economic and political issues that challenge society.

Introducing Innovation

We carry out our mission through rigorous academic programs that integrate policy, management and information technology, mutually reinforcing disciplines that provide our students with the tools to generate new ideas, innovations and solutions to problems.

As a result, our graduates – men and women committed to improving the human condition – are prepared to become catalysts for positive change.

Improving the Human Condition

Our mission may be demonstrated most visibly by our System Synthesis Projects, a program that requires our students and faculty to apply their expertise to public service projects for government, not-for-profit or other organizations.

In the decades since the program was instituted, our projects have ranged from the development of transportation services for the elderly, studies on prison populations, neighborhood revitalization, feeding the hungry, sustainable development, and airport security in a post-911 world. In one year alone, the combined efforts amounted to almost 17,000 hours of service.

In every case these projects provide students with real-life experiences while providing significant positive impacts on communities, government agencies and not for profit organizations.

Serving as a Model