The Institute for Policy and Governance (VTIPG) builds strategic relationships between the university and community by linking academic research and outreach efforts to address significant public policy issues. VTIPG, a university level institute, was created to blend theory with practice by providing a variety of policy-related services.
The Institute’s current research and project emphases are concentrated around these policy areas:
- Child and Family Social Welfare Policy Group
- Governance and Civil Society Group
- Public and Community Health Group
- Public Policy Data Group
Latest News
January 24, 2012
Max Stephenson and Laura Zanotti's forthcoming book, "Peacebuilding through Community-Based NGOs: Paradoxes and Possibilities," announced in the Kumarian Press 2012 New Books Catalog. It will be available for purchase in September 2012.
January 23, 2012
Damion Blake and Scott Tate featured in ASPECT Newsletter, Issue 3
Affiliated doctoral student Lyusyena Kirakosyan selected to present paper at the Sovereign Violence ASPECT mini conference March 12-13, 2012.
Lysusyena's paper "Is promoting disability rights conducive to a stronger democracy in Brazil?" has also just been accepted for inclusion in the Second ISA Forum of Sociology in Buenos Aires to take place August 1-4, 2012. Congratulations to Lyusyena!
January 20, 2012
"Building community capacity and social infrastucture through landcare: a case study of land grant engagement" article published in Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education Research. Written by Courtney Kimmel, R. Bruce Hull, Max Stephenson, David Robertson and Kimberly Cogwill.
We are delighted to announce that affiliated doctoral student, Scott Tate, has had his article, "The Role of the University in Society: Exceptional Public Intellectuals or Engaged Interdisciplinary Neighbors?" published in Vol. 1 Issue 2 of the SPECTRA journal.
We are delighted to announce that research associate Marcy Schnitzer has had her article, "Radical Pluralism, HOMO SACER, and the Subaltern: Reconstituting the Field of Democracy," published in Vol. 1, Issue 1 of the SPECTRA journal
Lyusyena Kirakosyan, an affiliated doctoral student, is currently pursuing her dissertation in the global and community health area
January 10, 2012
Affiliated students Lyusyena Kirakosyan, Jessie Gunter and Emily Barry selected to present papers at one-day conference, Human Rights: Witnessing and Responsibility
January 8, 2012
Director Max Stephenson's commentary published in Roanoke Times
_________________________________________________________Events
Community Voices Series: Ideas for Change. Ideas that Matter.
The Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical and Cultural Thought at the Institute for Policy and Governance has convened a Community Voices series aimed at bringing leaders of community based organizations from across our region to Virginia Tech for an ongoing conversation with an interdisciplinary group of faculty and doctoral students. These dialogues are designed to provide a deeper and broader understanding of the social, political, cultural and economic forces that are impacting communities in Virginia and beyond.
Recent Community Voices Lectures
November 23, 2011, The Lyric Theater
Brian Wheeler, Executive Director of Charlottesville Tomorrow, spoke on the changing landscape of community news. He explored the pioneering partnership with the Charlottesville Daily Progress that integrates digital web and print journalism for community education and engagement.
Community Voices: Brian Wheeler, Executive Director of Charlottesville Tomorrow from Andy Morikawa on Vimeo.
Upcoming Community Voices Lectures
February 28, 2012, The Lyric Theater, 7:00 PM ~ free admission
Social entrepreneur and businessman Woody Crenshaw will speak on Sustainability and Development in Floyd County and the Blue Ridge Plateau, particularly the revitalization of agriculture and farming. Crenshaw is a founding member and President of rapidly growing SustainFloyd, a social benefit organization with projects including the Floyf Farmers Market, the Farm to School Program, the Floyd Artisan Tour, the SustainFloyd Film Series, the first Floyd Energy Inventory and development projects for produce and dairy processing facilities. more
March 27, 2012, The Lyric Theater, 7:00 PM ~ free admission
Speaker to be announced
April 17, 2012, The Lyric Theater, 7:00 PM ~ free admission
Speaker to be announced
ASPECT Working Papers Series Spring 2012
Friday, January 27 "Variable Constitutional Authority: Madisonian Founding Perspectives"
Wayne Moore, Department of Political Science
Time: 12:30 - 2:30 PM
Location: Major Williams 502
Wednesday, February 8 "The Philosophy and Aesthetics of Data Loss"
Zac Zimmer, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures Time: 3:30 - 5:30
Location: Cranwell International Center
Wednesday, April 11 "The Africana Paradigm in das Kapital: The Debts of Karl Marx to the People of African Descent"
Onwubiko Agozino, Department of Sociology and Africana Studies
Time: 4:15 - 6:15
Location: Major Williams 502
Respondents: Karl Precoda (Department of Theater and Cinema) and Christian Matheis (ASPECT Doctoral Student)
Soundings
A blog byMax Stephenson Jr.
Tidings
A quarterly reflection from Max Stephenson Jr., Director of VTIPG
Moral Claims, the "Government" and Campaign Rhetoric
The Republican presidential candidates have all recently claimed in varying ways that the federal government and its actions must, as President Ronald Reagan famously averred, be seen as the nation’s most difficult problem. In this view, it is the government and not corporate overreaching or greed, or changing social values, or a lack of regulation, or even a changing global marketplace that created the nation’s now long-lived economic slow down.