Jenna Mazza, a 2019 Schaeffer Fellow from USC, is pursuing a master’s degree in international development policy at Georgetown University. In summer 2025, she worked in Kigali, Rwanda, supporting a national randomized controlled trial with the Ministry of Education and Innovations for Poverty Action. Jenna led data quality checks, training preparation, and analysis for a multi-year study examining teacher performance …
Mr. Schaeffer’s gift establishes Center for Civic Society at USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service
“The Center for Civic Society at the USC Schaeffer Institute will conduct rigorous research that provides evidence and insight to meaningfully address our most urgent civic challenges. This research and the resulting policy recommendations will help us find common ground and new ways to foster a sense of shared purpose across communities.” – Leonard D. Schaeffer
2023 Fellow named Schwarzman Scholar
Diya Kraybill was a 2023 Schaeffer Fellow and, as a senior at Princeton, has been named a Schwarzman Scholar – ” a one-year, fully-funded master’s program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, designed to build a global community of future leaders who will serve to deepen understanding between China and the rest of the world.”
2023 Fellow selected for Fulbright Binational Business Program in Mexico
2023 Berkeley Schaefferr Fellow, Sofia Greenwald, selected for the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program for the 2024-2025 year. Sofia will take international business courses at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México(link is external), one of Mexico’s most esteemed universities, and simultaneously completing a Mexican or multinational corporate internship in Mexico City.
2023 Fellow wins health communication scholarship
Nina Nguyen, a Master of Health Administration student, researched hospital financial products and medical debt policies. Nina has won the Fawn Lopez Health Advocacy Communication Excellence Award from the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education.
USC announces new Leonard D. Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service
Leonard and Pamela Schaeffer’s $59 million gift establishes a new institute that will address multiple public policy issues with evidence-based research and educate new generations of scholars to help solve our nation’s policy challenges.
Forbes article: University of Southern California to open new public policy institute in Washington, DC
“The University of Southern California announced Thursday that it’s launching a public policy center at its Capital Campus in Washington, D.C.”
LA Times article: USC opens a major public policy center in Washington
“In a major expansion of its Washington footprint, USC is opening a public policy institute — just in time for the 2024 elections — where students can immerse themselves in learning about the national and political issues that will affect their lives.”
2022 Fellow studies Russian on Critical Language Scholarship to Georgia
Seamus Gorman (2022 Fellow from UVA) was selected for the competitive Critical Language Scholarship to spend the summer continuing his Russian language study overseas in the country of Georgia. Below is a photo of Seamus with peer CLS scholars. “CLS Russian students in Tbilisi, Georgia head to a Khachapuri spot to fuel up in between classes. Khachapuri is a traditional …
2022 Fellow named USC Salutatorian ’23
2022 Schaeffer Fellow and University of Southern California Salutatorian Liam Tsao is graduating with degrees in History and Social Sciences (Economics) (USC Photo/Gus Ruelas).