JU Public Policy Institute receives $152K duPont grant

The JU Public Policy Institute, which will begin offering four master in public policy graduate degree programs in August 2013, has been awarded a $152,000 grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Religious, Charitable and Educational Fund.

The grant will fund costs associated with the master in public policy (MPP) curriculum at Jacksonville University.

“I think the grant reflects both the recognition of the need for the Institute and the support for it community wide,” said Rick Mullaney, the Institute’s founding director.

The duPont Fund is a Jacksonville-based national charitable foundation that issues grants to about 325 organizations and causes that philanthropist and educator Jessie Ball duPont supported from 1960 to 1964.

Established in January 2012, the JU Public Policy Institute seeks to prepare students for diverse leadership opportunities in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. The Institute will offer the first MPP degree in Florida and the first MPP-JD (juris doctor), MPP-MBA (master in business administration) and MPP-Marine Science joint degree programs in Florida.

“What we’re seeing from the community – our 23-member Board of Advisors, our 10 internships partners, and now with the duPont Fund – is the recognition of the enormous need for this program, support for it, and the belief that the Institute and JU MPP program can have a significant influence on shaping the future of our community,” Mullaney said.

Through its board, faculty, community partners and founding director, the JU Public Policy Institute seeks to solve community problems by providing public policy expertise, collaboration among policymakers and academics, and public discussion on policy issues that shape the future of Jacksonville, the state and the nation.
“This is not simply an academic or Ivory Tower exercise. This program is the intersection of scholarship and solving community problems,” Mullaney said. “It brings together the academic community, policymakers and public in a neutral gathering place to address community problems. As the JU MPP program develops, it can make a significant contribution to preparing future leaders and shaping the future.”

To learn more about the Jacksonville University Public Policy Institute or to apply, visit www.ju.edu/ppi or e-mail ppi@ju.edu.