Woodrow Wilson School

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>Alright, this might be an extremely dumb question...but even after going through Princeton's website (which I have done, please don't yell at me for being uninformed!!), I can't figure it out.</p>

<p>What exactly is the Woodrow Wilson Public Policy and International thing? Is it something that you can major in, or do you have to be accepted specifically to that school? If I'm interested in going to law school for grad work with a concentration in International Law, would the Woodrow Wilson school be a good place to set my (very high and unrealistic) sights? </p>

<p>Basically, I am just confused about what this means. If anybody could help me out and forgive my ignorance, that would be greatly appreciated.</p>

2

<p>I think you are accepted to it in a seperate application process sometime during your stay at princeton (or you apply as a grad student). I'm pretty sure it is the only way to major in "international relations" at princeton, so it is essentially a major. I don't know about becoming a lawyer, but it would sound like a very good path to take if you could get in because it is one of the very top IR programs in the country.</p>

3

<p>Woodrow Wilson's a great place to study public policy and/or IR, and, though you can really major in anything and go to law school, "Woody Woo" will serve you well.</p>

<p>As for how to get in, you first have to make it into Princeton. After you get in, you spend you first two years under the AB curriculum, taking a broad set of classes. As for all AB degrees, you decide your major at Princeton after two years. For most subjects, there's no cap on the number of students who choose to major in it. For WW, however, they have a limited number of seats, which means that anyone who wants to major there has to go through a selection process where approximately 50% of sophomores who apply get in.</p>

4

<p>I’ll add just a few thoughts to what has already been written above.</p>

<p>I was in the Wilson School as an undergraduate and then went to Harvard for law school. WWS is a public policy school for undergraduates that requires its students to study in a variety of different areas (history, politics, economics, etc.) to provide them with a basis for analyzing public policy issues that might arise in a domestic or international governmental career. A great many WWS graduates go on to law school after their four year program.</p>

<p>The Woodrow Wilson School’s primary distinguishing characteristic is its policy conference and its task force work group exercises. These classes are organized on a ‘think-tank’ model. An important and difficult public policy question is identified and presented to a small group of students. The students, with the guidance of the professor leading the class, identify the salient issues, decide on organizational hierarchies, divide responsibility for researching the separate issues and then go to work. Individual researchers conduct interviews, dig into public data repositories and sometimes perform field research in preparation for writing papers analyzing their portion of the public policy problem. (Task forces and policy conferences have often traveled overseas at Princeton’s expense to research these issues.) </p>

<p>When the papers have been completed, they are individually presented to the group and then distributed for discussion. The next step involves hours of group debate. Now that each of the students has become knowledgeable about the details of the issues, intelligent and lengthy discussions are carried on as the group tries to arrive at consensus (or at least a majority opinion) regarding the primary public policy question. </p>

<p>Finally, a group paper or statement is drafted expressing the findings and providing public policy recommendations. These papers often have real world implications. On numerous occasions, Woodrow Wilson School papers have been distributed to members of Congress, representatives at the United Nations and other policymaking bodies and these papers and their recommendations have shown up in debates (and sometimes even decisions) made by these bodies. </p>

<p>The exercise is exciting and collaborative. The prestige of the Wilson School opens doors in Washington D.C. and elsewhere allowing access to government officials at the highest levels. Even former U.S. Presidents have made private presentations to Wilson School undergraduates in these exercises. Other undergraduate public affairs programs may have something similar to this but, if so, I’m not aware of them.</p>

<p>I hope this helps. If you check the archives of the Daily Princetonian and Princeton’s website, you should find a great deal of information about the undergraduate program.</p>

5

<p>The WW school is primarily endowed by a large grant from the Robertson family, which is engaged in lengthy, expensive and fierce litigation with Princeton, alleging a breech of trust and demanding its money back.</p>

<p>It seems the money was supposed to be used to train people for public service, but, in recent years, few graduates have chosen this route - rather (as in the textbook example of our own PtonGrad2000 and others of his ilk) most Princetonians consider "Woody Woo" to be something of a "pre-law" or "big-money-Wall Street" prep school.</p>

<p>The litigation has been going on for years, and Princeton is (understandably) desperate to hold onto the money.</p>

<hr>

<p>See: <a href="http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F5071EFE395D0C738EDDAF0894DC404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fOrganizations%2fP%2fPrinceton%20University%20%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F5071EFE395D0C738EDDAF0894DC404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fOrganizations%2fP%2fPrinceton%20University%20&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>"Heirs to A&P fortune amend complaint against Princeton, saying university looted millions of dollars from Robertson Foundation to help finance construction of Wallace Hall; say funds were also used to pay for salaries and tuition in other areas; fund was set up in 1961 to prepare students at university's Woodrow Wilson School for government jobs...."</p>

<hr>

<p>See also:</p>

<p>At Princeton, dissatisfied benefactor wants his $525m back</p>

<p>By Michael Powell, Washington Post | October 9, 2003</p>

<p>"PRINCETON, N.J. -- William Robertson wants Princeton University to give his money back -- all $525 million of it.</p>

<p>Robertson's family foundation underwrites the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and for years he has lobbied, wheedled, and insisted that school officials channel more students into careers in the US government. And year after year, the school has churned out bright young people who go to work in nonprofit agencies, universities, and private industry -- just about anywhere but the federal government.</p>

<p>So Robertson has gone to state court to get his endowment back.</p>

<p>"Princeton has known for decades that the goal of our foundation is to send students into federal government, and they've ignored us," Robertson, a Princeton alumnus, said by telephone from his home in Naples, Fla. "Princeton has abused the largest charitable gift in the history of American higher education . . . They will lose the money."</p>

<p>That is no small matter. The Robertson Foundation -- established by Robertson's father, Charles -- foots the bill for 75 percent of the Woodrow Wilson School's budget. The foundation pays every graduate student's tuition and the salaries of dozens of professors, and funded the construction of Robertson Hall, the building that houses the school.</p>

<p>The foundation has shelled out more than $200 million to Princeton since 1961. Robertson's complaint sounds another loud shot in the endowment wars, the often touchy relationship between gilt-laden alumni and the universities upon which they bestow their fortunes...."</p>

<hr>

<p>HERE is a Daily Princetonian compendium of stories on "the Roberston Case"</p>

<p><a href="http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/features/index.jsp?id=36%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/features/index.jsp?id=36&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>