The Senior Program

Public policy majors have three options for the senior project. They may take a one-semester seminar in the Government Department; they may research and write a thesis on a public policy topic, using traditional sources; or they may write a "public contract" thesis, in which they evaluate a policy or issue chosen by a state or local government in the Hamilton area.

In recent years, students' public contract projects have helped shape policy for New York State's Division of Youth, Department of Education, Office for the Aging, Division of Management and Budget, and Department of Transportation. More locally, students have worked with Oneida County's Department of Social Services, Department of Mental Health and EDGE program, as well as the towns of New Hartford and Paris and the village of Clinton's Chamber of Commerce. 

Recent projects in public policy include:

• Navigating the Uncertain Future of the Colorado River
• Affordable, Sustainable Housing in New York City
• Housing Support Resources in Utica, New York and the Role of Community Input
• Seas of Power: Offshore Wind Development in the United States and New Jersey
• A Legal, Historic, and Theoretical Background of Disability Rights as Human Rights and Recommendations for the Improvement of Diabetic Patient Care in Long-Term Care Facilities
• Analysis of Homeless Policy in Utica
• Corruption as an Obstacle of Electrification
• Energy Security as National Security
• Policy Effects of the Boston Marathon Bombing
• State Media Literacy Policy
• Effectiveness and Racial Consequences of Civil Commitment Policy
• School Library Book Bans  
• The Future of Nuclear Energy
• Countering the Effects of Fast Fashion
• An Ethical Analysis of Urban Renewal
• Congressional Perspectives on Earmarked Spending
• Implementation of Humanitarian Parole
• Land Value Tax vs. Property Tax
• Evaluating ESOL Programs
• Community Resilience in Planning for Climate Change