Oakland, CA - Mills College announced today a new Master’s Degree in Public Policy (MPP) designed to prepare women for engaged policy work and public leadership on behalf of social change. According to program director Carol Chetkovich, the new graduate program will “produce professionals prepared for positions of public influence that consider the complex social, economic, and cultural factors affecting societal problems.”

Chetkovich pointed out that students are increasingly seeking paths to make a difference in the world through advocacy, running for public office, and managing public, private, and non-profit agencies. “Mills’ new public policy graduate program will enable women to pursue many career directions such as serving in local, state and federal government positions and running for elective office.”

Opportunities for women’s leadership in the U.S. government have been historically limited. For example, a total of 30 women have held cabinet or cabinet-level positions; women hold only 15.1% of the 535 seats in the 109th U.S. Congress and 14% of the 100 seats in the Senate. In addition, women hold 25.1% of statewide elective executive offices in the U.S.; 6.3% of them are women of color.

Mills has a longstanding commitment to advancing social justice and women’s leadership opportunities. 

The College’s graduate public policy courses will provide students with the conceptual framework and practical tools to analyze, implement and evaluate public policy. The curriculum draws on multiple disciplines to develop student skills in a variety of areas, including economic analysis, law, cross-cultural awareness and competence, financial management, democratic political practice, and civic responsibility.

Approximately 20 students are expected to enroll in the program currently accepting applications for fall 2007. For more information about the Mills College Master’s Degree in Public Policy, contact Carol Chetkovich, 510.430.3370 or email cchetkov@mills.edu.

Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering innovative degree programs for undergraduate women, and graduate degree and certificate programs for women and men. Consistently recognized as one of the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Mills currently ranks 16th for diversity among the country’s liberal arts colleges.

This year, the Washington Monthly College Rankings (September 2006) named Mills a leading liberal arts college based on community service, research spending, quality of preparation for graduate education, and social mobility. In addition, The Princeton Review’s annual guide, The Best 361 Colleges (2007) included Mills for the second year in a row among top U.S. institutions offering students an outstanding undergraduate education.

Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California on 135 lush acres, Mills provides a dynamic liberal arts education fostering women’s leadership, social responsibility, and creativity.

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