Faculty Council Hears Proposal For Joint FAS, Kennedy School PhD.

The departments of government and sociology, in conjunction with social policy program at the Kennedy School of Government (KSG), Wednesday submitted a proposal to the Faculty Council to create a joint doctoral program.

The program joins the existing Ph.D. programs in government and sociology to a program that examines social policy. Graduate students enrolled in the program will be required to complete all the requirements of sociology or government plus additional social policy requirements.

The program will offer two degrees: a Ph.D. in government and social policy and a Ph.D. in sociology and social policy.

One of the program's coordinators, Katherine S. Newman, Ford professor of urban studies at the Kennedy School, said this program capitalizes on the expertise of Harvard's faculty.

"Over the last three years Harvard has recruited a really stellar group of faculty that span these departments who have overlapping interests in social issues," Newman said.

This program brings faculty members from across the Kennedy School and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences together within one program.

"The most productive interaction for scholars evolves when it is ongoing and permanent and involves training new people," Newman added.

Faculty members in the sociology and government departments expressed enthusiasm about the program.

"It gives sociology students a background to really take their researching methods and apply them to the practically world of policy," said Christopher V. Winship, chair of the sociology department.

Winship also said the program will be valuable in preparing sociology students to teach at public policy institutes.

"We need people who can bridge things between the sociology and the policy world," Winship said.

Government department faculty also said the collaboration would be helpful for graduate students.

"The end product is a very exciting intellectual program which will present our students with a nationally unrivalled combination of first-class scholars from the FAS and the KSG with whom to study political science and social policy," said department chair Roderick MacFarquhar, who is also Williams professor of history and political science.

The program involves the collaborative effort of more than 30 faculty members.

It will receive funding from a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant which provides $2.5 million for five years. While the foundation received over 600 applications, the Harvard program was one of just 20 recipients of the grant.

"This is the only one in the social sciences that they awarded," Newman said. "I took it as a signal of the national prominence of this group."

Financial aid for the doctoral students will come from fellowship money provided by the Kennedy School and from the NSF grant.

The new program will only expand the numbers of students admitted to the graduate programs in sociology or government by one or two students per year.

Students admitted to the program will go through a joint admissions process. First they must complete the regular admissions process for the sociology or government department. In a second phase, an interdisciplinary committee of Kennedy School and FAS faculty will admit the student into the social policy program.

The social policy program will also feature a summer institute for under-graduate participants.

According to Newman, national scholars, who are participating as program faculty along with Harvard faculty, will nominate undergraduates for the program.

The undergraduates will be paired with graduate students who will serve as hosts and mentors for the duration of the summer program.

"I am hopeful that minority students will be interested in this program, but it is not especially for them," Newman said. "I hope this will encourage gifted undergraduate students to think about specializing in scholarly work in any of these areas."

After some discussion of the creation of new classes and other logistical concerns, the Faculty Council expressed approval for the program.

"I don't have any reservations about the program. I personally think that it is a good idea and I'm pleased to see that the departments at the Kennedy School thinks it is a good idea," said David Cutler, a member of the council.

Pending approval by the full Faculty, the program will begin to admit students this fall

"The end product is a very exciting intellectual program which will present our students with a nationally unrivalled combination of first-class scholars from the FAS and the KSG with whom to study political science and social policy," said department chair Roderick MacFarquhar, who is also Williams professor of history and political science.

The program involves the collaborative effort of more than 30 faculty members.

It will receive funding from a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant which provides $2.5 million for five years. While the foundation received over 600 applications, the Harvard program was one of just 20 recipients of the grant.

"This is the only one in the social sciences that they awarded," Newman said. "I took it as a signal of the national prominence of this group."

Financial aid for the doctoral students will come from fellowship money provided by the Kennedy School and from the NSF grant.

The new program will only expand the numbers of students admitted to the graduate programs in sociology or government by one or two students per year.

Students admitted to the program will go through a joint admissions process. First they must complete the regular admissions process for the sociology or government department. In a second phase, an interdisciplinary committee of Kennedy School and FAS faculty will admit the student into the social policy program.

The social policy program will also feature a summer institute for under-graduate participants.

According to Newman, national scholars, who are participating as program faculty along with Harvard faculty, will nominate undergraduates for the program.

The undergraduates will be paired with graduate students who will serve as hosts and mentors for the duration of the summer program.

"I am hopeful that minority students will be interested in this program, but it is not especially for them," Newman said. "I hope this will encourage gifted undergraduate students to think about specializing in scholarly work in any of these areas."

After some discussion of the creation of new classes and other logistical concerns, the Faculty Council expressed approval for the program.

"I don't have any reservations about the program. I personally think that it is a good idea and I'm pleased to see that the departments at the Kennedy School thinks it is a good idea," said David Cutler, a member of the council.

Pending approval by the full Faculty, the program will begin to admit students this fall