Budapest, April 17, 2012—CEU Founder and Honorary Chairman George Soros will speak about his vision for CEU's School of Public Policy and International Affairs (SPPIA) that was established in the fall of 2011. Media are invited to his talk, “A Global Public Policy School for the 21st Century – My Vision,” on Tuesday, April 24 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in the CEU auditorium.
CEU President and Rector John Shattuck described the new school as one that “will focus on promoting innovation in public policy in a time of pressing global challenges as well as new opportunities. Reflecting the distinctive mission of CEU, it will highlight the particular role of civil society as a driver for change.”
Inaugural Dean Wolfgang H. Reinicke said “We have the ambition to create an educational experience that involves the acquisition not merely of skills and knowledge but also the cultivation of a mindset that emphasizes entrepreneurship, innovation, cultural awareness and a commitment to the public good.”
At the school's inaugural conference, “The Future of Public Policy Schools in the 21st Century,” (April 23-24), SPPIA seeks to both learn from leading policy thinkers and practitioners and advance the debate on the future of schools of public policy and international affairs at a time of multiple crises. Speakers will include Anne-Marie Slaughter, Bert G. Kerstetter ‘66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, and Ghassan Salame, Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences-Po. The moderator of the session with George Soros will be Associate Director of the Open Society Foundations Leonard Benardo.
Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Time: noon–1.00 p.m.
Venue: CEU Auditorium (Nador u. 9, V–Budapest)
If you wish to attend,RSVP by April 19 to rulli@ceu.hu so that we can reserve a seat.
Background information:
- The mission of SPPIA is to promote advanced knowledge of public policy through research, teaching, and practice. The core focus is on the just, legitimate, and efficient delivery of public goods by public, private, or civil society actors at the local, national, regional, transnational, international or global levels. Promoting civic engagement is an essential part of the school’s mission, and will be pursued in the various degree programs and through executive education and outreach programs. SPPIA will admit its first students to a two-year flagship Master in Public Policy program in the fall of 2013.
- SPPIA builds on new and existing CEU resources, including the Center for Policy Studies, and the departments of Public Policy, International Relations and European Studies and Political Science. It will bring together scholars in policy-related work from comparative politics, international relations, economics, law, environmental science, philosophy, and other disciplines. CEU’s relationship with the Open Society Foundation adds a strong civil society dimension and a focus on applied public policy, putting SPPIA in a unique position to provide students with the tools for acting as political and social innovators in their future careers, and for understanding and shaping global debates over open society.
For a brief video about SPPIA, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUSP4xUoWD8
For more information please contact Ildiko Rull, Manager, Hungarian Media Relations, CEU
Tel.: +36 (30) 258-8626 / E-mail: rulli@ceu.hu




