# Carsey School of Public Policy

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire is located in Huddleston Hall, on the campus of the University of New Hampshire in Durham. The Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire is widely known for its research, policy education, and civic engagement work. The school publishes policy-relevant research briefs, offers four master’s degree programs, and brings people together for thoughtful dialogue to address societal challenges.

## History

University of New Hampshire alumna Marcy Peterson Carsey, a 1966 cum laude graduate in English literature and the producer of such television shows as The Cosby Show, Roseanne, Grace Under Fire, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and That '70s Show, established the Carsey Institute through a financial gift to the University in May 2002. In 2013, Marcy Carsey gave a second gift of $20 million to the University of New Hampshire to establish a school of public policy. This gift is the second largest in UNH’s history.
Michael Ettlinger served as founding director of the Carsey School of Public Policy from 2014 to 2023. In July of 2024, Stephen Bird became director, joining Carsey from Clarkson University where he had established himself as a world-renowned and highly productive researcher in the fields of energy and environmental policy. Bird is also a professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire.

## Publications and research

The Carsey School of Public Policy produces briefs that analyze complex data on pressing issues grounded in real-world conditions and tied to current policy debates. Current areas of interest include demographic change, public finance, sustainable community development and finance, early childhood education, vulnerable families, clean energy and the environment, civic engagement, and more.
The Carsey School also publishes a variety of briefs and reports specific to New Hampshire, including analyses of changing demographics, child care, and civic health.

## Academic programs

The School offers four master's degrees in Community Development (MCD), Global Conflict and Human Security (GCHS), Public Administration (MPA), and Public Policy (MPP). Master in Public Policy students can also pursue a Master in Public Policy/Juris Doctor. In addition to its graduate degrees, the Carsey School offers a certificate program in community development finance and public facilitator training through New Hampshire Listens.

### Master in Community Development

The Carsey School’s Master in Community Development program equips seasoned and aspiring development practitioners with useful knowledge and skills in finance, policy, organizational management, and evaluation. Designed for working professionals, this online degree at Carsey allows students to earn their Master in Community Development in 14 months.

### Master of Global Conflict and Human Security

Carsey's online Master of Global Conflict and Human Security program prepares students to solve the world's most pressing problems with a career in humanitarian relief and global development. The online cohort can be joined in the fall or spring and completed in just 12 months. This program is partnered with the Peace Corps to support Returned Peace Corps Volunteers with the Coverdell Fellowship.

### Master of Public Administration

The Carsey School’s Master of Public Administration program prepares students for strategic roles in a broad range of public and nonprofit institutions. The online cohort can be joined in the fall or spring and a degree completed in as little as 12 months. Widely recognized and sought after, the MPA provides students with the edge needed in today's competitive public service sector.

### Master in Public Policy

The Carsey School’s Master in Public Policy program provides the skills and tools needed to make a difference and create change in the challenging world of 21st-century policymaking. Through this 14-month on-campus program students learn how to develop transformative policies through research, and how to strategically communicate those policies to bring their ideas to fruition.

## Research centers and programs

The Carsey School oversees or contributes to a variety of programs and research centers, including centers for Demography, Engaged Communities, Impact Finance, and Social Policy in Practice.

### Center for Demography

Population change exerts a significant impact on people, places, and institutions. The Center for Demography examines the demographic forces that cause population change, using the latest data available. It considers the consequences that demographic change has for the families, communities, and the environment across the rural-urban continuum. And it contributes analysis to the informed policymaking needed to address complex challenges produced by demographic change.

### Center for Engaged Communities

New Hampshire Listens is the field team and lead civic designer at the Center for Engaged Communities. Engaged communities with higher civic health are a foundation for fair and effective public policy. New Hampshire civic health is core to our research agenda. This Center designs thoughtful and engaging meetings and coalitions with state and local partners. It also coaches and trains on navigating controversy and conflict in public life.

### Center for Impact Finance

The Center for Impact Finance addresses income and wealth inequality and increases access to capital for underserved communities through research, training, and practitioner-driven solutions. It provides a successful track record of working within communities and as respected national thought leaders in the field. In addition, it conducts original applied research, develops initiatives, designs programs, and implements financing products, projects, and policies that address societal challenges.

### Center for Social Policy in Practice

The Center for Social Policy in Practice collects, analyzes, and translates data that community stakeholders can use to design and deliver equity-enhancing programs and policies. It provides special expertise in finding stories in messy data, focusing on topics that expose inequalities, and identifying methods for addressing them. In addition, the Center houses the New Hampshire Early Care and Education (ECE) Research Consortium, which works to centralize high-quality applied research on the state’s ECE system to provide access to a wide variety of stakeholders.

## Funders

The Carsey School is funded through the support of philanthropic institutions, public and non-profit agencies, individuals, and a founding gift endowed by Marcy Carsey. Some of the school's funders include Annie E. Casey, Everyday Democracy, Carnegie Corporation of New York, JPMorgan Chase Bank, NASA, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Education, Volunteer NH, Washington Center for Equitable Growth, The Mastercard Foundation, Regional Economic Development Center, and many other foundations and private donors.

## Notable faculty

* Jake Sullivan, senior fellow and former U.S. National Security Advisor to Former President Joe Biden.
* Kenneth Johnson, senior Demographer and Sociology professor; Awarded the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship to advance research in social sciences and humanities
* Michael Swack, founding director of the Center for Impact Finance and professor for the Carsey School and Peter T. Paul College; former dean of the School of Community Economic Development at Southern New Hampshire University
* Stephen Bird, Carsey director and Political Science professor; Engagements and research awards include New York’s Energy Research Authority, the U.S. State Department, the European Commission, National Resources Canada, a 2016 Fulbright Research Chair, and the National Science Foundation.

## Fellowships

The Carsey School offers research fellowships to graduate and undergraduate students at UNH.

### Governor John G. Winant Fellowship

The Winant fellowship program was established at the University of New Hampshire in 1982 in memory of New Hampshire Governor John Gilbert Winant (1889-1947) to encourage the professional development of undergraduates with a strong commitment to public service.
Fellowship recipients receive a stipend of $4,000 for full-time summer work (300 hours to be completed anytime between mid-May and late-August) with a nonprofit organization or government agency of their choice, and recipients are recognized for their award in university publications.

### Judge William W. Treat Fellowship

The Treat Fellowship program was established at the University of New Hampshire in 2018 in memory of the late New Hampshire Judge William W. Treat to provide students a platform for engaging in civil discourse around difference.
A stipend of $425 (before taxes) for active engagement in the program (approx. 2-4 hours/week, or 20 hours) with NH Listens, or $500 with student's attendance to all sessions.

### Master in Public Policy Fellowship

The Carsey School is pleased to offer paid policy-related fellowships to Master in Public Policy (MPP) students, enabling them to earn and learn while enrolled in the MPP program.
Fellowship positions last for two semesters (typically commencing in the fall and concluding the following spring) with student fellows working approximately 15 hours per week (while classes are in session) and receiving a stipend of $6,500 per semester for a total of $13,000.

### S. Melvin Rines Fellowship

S. Melvin Rines (UNH ’47 graduate) created the S. Melvin Rines Fellowship at the Carsey School of Public policy to help prepare students for a rewarding career and future leadership roles within the finance field in Africa. The Fellowship provides a partial tuition award to students who enroll in the Master in Community Development program at the Carsey School. The Melvin Rines Fellowship Successful candidates must be committed to Africa’s development and demonstrate outstanding academic and professional achievement, as well as effective teamwork and leadership potential.