Truman School of Government and Public Affairs

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Rebecca Fallon, an academic advisor at the Truman School of Government and Public Affairs, has received the University of Missouri’s inaugural First-Generation Faculty/Staff Champion Award, presented by the First-Generation Student Success Standing Advisory Board. This award celebrates faculty and staff who demonstrate a commitment to first-generation student success through mentorship, advocacy, and leadership in first-generation initiatives on campus.

Columbia, MO – The Volcker Alliance launched the Service to Service initiative, a partnership with We the Veterans to help schools of public service connect veterans and military families with public service education pathways and propel them into stable and impactful careers in public leadership.

As a Fulbright student researcher, Aryanna Hyde, PhD candidate in Political Science in the Truman School of Government and Public Affairs, is currently in Irbid, Jordan, working on fieldwork for her dissertation project, titled "Migrant Integration and Vitamin Wow: Wasta and the Migrant Experience in Jordan." Aryanna’s research focuses on the unique challenges and opportunities faced by migrants in Jordan, particularly within the context of "wasta"—a cultural concept of networking and social capital that can be vital for navigating everyday life and accessing resources.

After a career of over 20 years with MU, Wayne Mayfield, PhD, Associate Director of Research at the Institute of Public Policy (IPP), Harry S Truman School of Government and Public Affairs, will be retiring January 1, 2025. After graduating from Grinnell College with a BA in Spanish, he started with MU at the Missouri Testing and Evaluation Services where he worked on the Missouri Mastery and Achievement Tests, the first state-developed school assessments in Missouri.

Dr. Rudy Hernandez awarded 2024 Jack Miller Teaching Excellence Award in Higher Education (Junior Scholar). 

The Jack Miller Teaching Excellence Award recognizes exceptional teaching in civic education at both the college and K-12 levels. The award is given annually by the Jack Miller Center to honor educators who excel in engaging students with America’s founding principles and history.

Long known for an underdeveloped public transit system, Michael Gawlick is among the Kansas City leaders trying to reverse that narrative.

With a clear post-graduate career goal of international development and education through non-profits, Maria Eduarda Olimpio Lopes searched for the best graduate schools in the US to give her experience and opportunities to enhance her abilities. Lopes found the Masters of Public Affairs program at Truman to be the perfect fit due to its flexibility of focus areas on both public policy and nonprofit management.

Dr. Lael Keiser Awarded Prestigious John Gaus Award for Contributions to Public Administration and Political Science

Columbia, MO - Dr. Lael Keiser, a distinguished professor of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri, has been honored with the 2024 John Gaus Award. This prestigious accolade, presented by the American Political Science Association (APSA), recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of public administration and political science.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Drury Cooper, Dean of the College of Arts and Science at the University of Missouri, announced that Lael Keiser, professor of public policy and administration, has been reappointed director of the Harry S Truman School of Public Affairs at MU, effective Sept. 1.  Dr. Lael Keiser has been reappointed as the Director of the Truman School of Government and Public Affairs for a third three-year term.    

TSGPA professor David Switzer co-authored the book, The Profits of Distrust: Citizen Consumers, Drinking Water and the Crisis of Confidence in American Government, and it has been selected for the Lynton Keith Caldwell Prize given for the best book on environmental politics and policy published in the past three years by the Science, Technology, Energy Section of the American Political Science Association.