Dear alumni and friends,

As yet another year draws to a close, I am pleased to say that we have accomplished a great deal, much of it with your help. We have hosted speakers and conferences on everything from global disarmament to community development banking to the gender gap in schooling.

As you may know, Robert T. Michael, Eliakim Hastings Moore Distinguished Service Professor, will be retiring this June. As the first dean, Bob was responsible for building the fine faculty and curriculum for which the School has become known. Bob has been an outstanding teacher and mentor. His research and commitment to high-quality data collection are internationally known and respected. In this issue, he shares a few reflections about his career, the Harris School, and the future.

As always, we feature new and interesting work of our faculty. A groundbreaking study by Professor Willard Manning focuses on health problems associated with type 2 diabetes. Assistant Professor Wes Yin investigates a novel savings program in the Philippians in an award-winning paper.

We also include a profile of Visiting Committee Chairman King Harris as well as an article on the 2006 International Policy Practicum to Brazil.

Demonstrating the School’s reach, our featured alumni are Ronald Davis, AM’81, President-Elect of the American Medical Association, and Mvemba Dizolele, MPP’96, Vice President for Business Development for the global advisory firm GoodWorks International.

We welcome your feedback, thank you for all you do for the School, and hope to see you this summer and next year.

Susan E. Mayer
Professor & Dean