Campbell Public Affairs Institute

About Us

The Campbell Public Affairs Institute was named for Alan K. “Scotty” Campbell. During the 1960s and 1970s, Scotty had a powerful influence on his Maxwell School students and colleagues. Beyond Maxwell, Scotty is probably best known as the architect of the innovative Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, which transformed personnel management and compensation practices in the federal bureaucracy. In 1980, Scotty joined ARA Service (now ARAMARK) as executive vice president for management and public affairs, a position he held until his retirement in 1990. Created with financial support from the Campbell Family, ARAMARK, Scotty’s former students, and his many professional colleagues, the Campbell Public Affairs Institute formally opened in September 1996 as a tribute to Scotty’s academic work and public service.

The Institute’s mission is centered on citizenship, public leadership, and governance. We examine citizenship in a variety of dimensions—its ideals, its active practices, its evolution, and the conditions under which it thrives. We see leadership and management as the other side of the same coin—and to that end, we explore the relationships among leaders, citizens, private organizations, and governments in an effort to understand the development and implementation of effective management and policy. We also investigate the connections among citizens, media, nonprofit groups, and the law.

The Institute supports faculty and graduate student research, and students and faculty are encouraged to perform research collaboratively. Faculty and students are invited to present research, dissertation proposals, and collaborative work at Institute seminars. These seminars also serve as a venue for graduate students refining classroom lectures and developing curricular programs related to the Institute’s mission.

The Institute is home to a set of distinctive individual, complementary programs that include: The State of Democracy Lecture Series, which provides meaningful interdisciplinary dialogue on pressing public issues; The Campbell Conversations, an interview-based public affairs NPR radio program which goes beyond and behind the current news cycle to explore more lasting questions about public affairs; The Sawyer Law and Politics Program, which supports research and teaching on law and politics; The Tanner Lecture Series on Ethics, Citizenship, and Public Responsibility; The Howard G. and Louise S. Phanstiel Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership; Campbell Lectures and Debates; and The Louis A. Bantle Chair in Business and Government Policy. For additional information on any one of these programs, please visit our website, www.maxwell.syr.edu/campbell.

(The photo above is from Campbell’s inaugural debate)