Sine Institute of Policy Politics ANNUAL REPORT 2019-2020 ACADEMIC YEAR Where the brightest minds engage to promote common ground and nonpartisan solutions. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction 13 Student Engagement 4 A Message from our Executive 14 Sine Student Advisory Director Amy K. Dacey Committee 5 A Year in Review 16 Student Engagement 7 Shaping the Future of Policy 16 2019-2020 Sine Student and Politics Advisory Committee 8 2020 Spring Fellows 16 2019-2020 Student Associates 9 2019 Spring Fellows 17 Hear from Sine Student 10 Guest Speakers Associates 13 Communications 18 What’s Next for Sine? 14 Leadership 19 Keep up with the Happenings 14 Staff Bios at Sine 15 Board of Advisors Sine Institute of Policy & Politics Annual Report 2019-2020 Academic Year Introduction The Sine Institute is a laboratory for university-wide collaboration and an incubator for policy innovation, convening the best and the brightest in the public, private, academic, and nonprofit sectors, as well as journalism. CONVENE, COMMUNICATE, tor A COLLABORATE. ec ca S de te m va ia Today’s interconnected world offers an ri unprecedented opportunity to bring P together experts, top scholars, and students in research and scholarship, to work on the nation’s most pressing r J challenges in a way that promotes o o t u c r common ground and nonpartisan e n S a l i c policy solutions. The Sine Institute s li m b u of Policy and Politics seizes that P opportunity at a defining moment for our democracy and the world. AU’s capital city location, at the nexus of Nonprofit government and within a growing international business center, connects diverse perspectives from around business and the nonprofit community in the country and the world. With our public policy, the rise of the importance world-class academics and research, of economic regions in the United States, experienced practitioners in international and international policy issues. and domestic views, leaders in business, AREAS OF FOCUS nonprofits, and government, and the most politically-active student body in the Drawing on their expertise in U.S., Sine makes real, lasting change in government, politics, academia, policy and politics. The Institute stands journalism, nonprofits, and business, apart through its focus on the role of Sine Institute Fellows uncover new 1 https://american.edu/sine-institute/ policy solutions and problem-solving consequences at the regional level. methods informed by evidence and a Those ripples cross sectors and impact cross-sector perspective. Each fellow is international and national affairs, as asked to explore a timely aspect of policy well as our local communities. These and politics that will benefit from these complex influences are the crux of the dynamic conversations. conversations to be discussed and debated by Sine Fellows. In our interconnected world, policy changes ripple through our nation at the federal level and have significant Regional Cross-Sector International and Influence Perspectives Domestic Policy on Politics Driving Public Dynamics Policy Discourse 2 Sine Institute N TS IO IONS AT AT EVEN OGRAMS RESEARCH PR /EDUC S MMUNIC OW NING CO LL AI FE TR SINE INSTITUTE on policy topics of great importance, PROGRAM PILLARS and share solution-driven programs Fellows Programs: A cornerstone of happening on the local, state, national, the Sine Institute is its Institute Fellows and international stage. program. Each spring semester, beginning Communications: Sine Institute plans with Spring 2019, the institute hosts six to be a hub for policy questions, research, fellows from a list of innovative leaders and solutions through its growing online in government, politics, journalism, social media and newsletter channels, nonprofits, and business. sharing its programming and content Research: Sine is building and with a large and diverse audience. collaborating to provide research, polling, Training/Education: Sine is investing and data-driven information to challenge and collaborating across campus to build and inform the policy makers and opportunities for credit and non-credit shapers, helping to define our future. training and education experiences that Events: Sine curates a robust program highlight the techniques and tactics of in-person and online events. We bring for building active policy initiatives— together students, faculty, staff, and coordinating academic and practitioner community members to share insights perspectives to give a holistic view. 3 A Message from Executive Director Amy K. Dacey It has been a full year since I started at the Sine Institute on June 19th. I was excited to work for an organization committed to finding solutions in a non-partisan way; I found an excellent start at the Institute, which had been launched the previous September. A unique inaugural group of fellows helped to bring Sine to campus and began working with students. My first 90 days were focused on the education of the university and its faculty, staff, and students. Even though I was a proud Eagle Alumni, I knew this new role would take me places, and I would need relationships and partnerships all across campus to help build the vision of the Sines and President Burwell. The fall was dedicated to Sine promotion, selection of the off-campus, experimenting with new ways to Fellows 2020 class, and, of course, creating engage our audiences, with great results. We systems and structures to help build a strong grew our promotion through social media foundation for Sine on—and off—campus. and our growing newsletter. We executed 36 number of events that fall, through partnerships with various schools Sine is working with the university as we on campus and organizations from the D.C. navigate what the future holds for us through community. I worked with alumni relations, the stages of the pandemic. We will offer development, University Communications, summer programming, create various events and career services to build awareness and for the fall semester, complete long-term seek ideas for the developing Institute. We planning and, of course, build a muscular were able to make a strong Fellows class for fellow’s cohort for Spring 2021. 2020, representing every relevant sector, This report details our year June 2019-2020, and we enjoyed having them on campus for and what is next for Sine. half the semester before Covid-19 moved us to work at home. We pivoted to all-virtual All the best, programming within 24 hours of moving Amy K. Dacey 4 A Year in Review June 2019 Congressional and Presidential Studies First Day of Work “Impeachment: The Constitutional Remedy of Last Resort” Spoke at Career Panel on Campus Announcement of Sine Spring Fellows Joint Event with SPA, “No Labels” 2020 July 2019 Student Advisory Committee Meeting Development of Sine Promotional Video Sine Advisory Committee Webinar Development of University-wide Sine December 2019 Student Survey Orientation Handbook sent to Spring September 2019 2020 Fellows Women Empowering Women Breakfast- Panel Discussion: Metropolitan Museum AU Alumni Association of Art, NYC Joint Event with KPU and SIS January 2020 “Condoleezza Rice and Philip Zeiklow Event” Implementation of Sine Student Survey Orientation for Sine Spring Fellows 2020 October 2019 Seminar: “How We Got Here: Exploring Joint Event with U.S. Chamber of the Divisive Politics of the Past Decade” Commerce Foundation: “America Led By: Janet Rodriguez, White House Working Forward: Hidden Workforce” Correspondent at Univision News Joint Event with SOC/SPA/WPI Seminar: “The New Politics: Campaigning “Knock Down the House” and Developing Policy in a Digitized All American Weekend - Talk 2020 World” Update Led by John Tass-Parker, Head of Politics and Government at Instagram November 2019 Seminar: “Politics on the Plate” Sine Spring Fellows Class Announcement Led by Katherine Miller, Vice President Wes Bush Event “What is the Role of of Impact, The James Beard Foundation Business in a Civil Society” February 2020 Joint Event with WCL and Center on 5 Seminar: “How the Sausage Really Gets President Barack Obama Made: An Introduction to How the Public Seminar: “On the Ground: The Life of a Policy Process Works” Political Embed” Led by Susan Molinari, Strategist, Former Led by Janet Rodriguez, White House VP at Google Inc, Former Member of Correspondent at Univision News Congress Seminar: “So, You Think You Want to Seminar: “The Path to the President’s Campaign? Exploring Successful Strategies Cabinet: My Personal Story” for Office and Life” Led by Alphonso Jackson, the 13th Led by Susan Molinari, Strategist, Former United States Secretary of Housing and VP at Google Inc, Former Member of Urban Development (HUD) under Congress President George W. Bush Seminar: “How Departments in the Seminar: “Setting the Table for Change” Executive Interact with Congress” Led by Katherine Miller, Vice President Led by Alphonso Jackson served as the of Impact, The James Beard Foundation 13th United States Secretary of Housing Seminar: “Lend Me Your Ears: and Urban Development (HUD) under Speechwriting Master Class” President George W. Bush Led by Cody Keenan, Speechwriter for President Barack Obama March 2020 Seminar: “Going Global: Campaigns Seminar: “Enemy of Democracy: Foreign or Abroad” Domestic? Led by John Tass-Parker, Head of Politics Led by John Tass-Parker, Head of Politics and Government at Instagram and Government at Instagram Seminar: “Public and Affordable Housing Seminar: “The Important Role of the and Homeownership: A Policy Case Study” Executive Branch” Led by Alphonso