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A roundup of recent media appearances by Schar School faculty, students, and staff for Schar School in the News: December 15th to 19th, 2025

A roundup of recent media appearances by Schar School faculty, students, and staff for Schar School in the News: December 8th to 12th, 2025

Kennedy Solomon: Meet the 2014 Master of Public Policy graduate who has landed an important position at a major advocacy firm.

Schar School faculty continue to shape public policy, global affairs, and social innovation through a wide range of new and forthcoming publications. Recent books explore topics including U.S. and global urban governance, European integration, Indo-Pacific security, East Asian international relations, Chinese foreign policy, religion and U.S. politics, scientific public engagement, disability and entrepreneurship, and comparative party politics. Together, these works reflect the Schar School’s interdisciplinary strengths and its faculty’s ongoing contributions to scholarly research, teaching, and public discourse.

Fairfax County is one of the most important economic engines in the Commonwealth of Virginia. But due to economic pressures from federal cutbacks, the recent government shutdown, and the crippling housing market, this region is currently facing some serious issues. David Ramadan breaks down the county’s biggest problems with Hon. Jeff McKay, Chairman of Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, and guest co-host Theo Stamatis. Together, they discuss what must be done to address the massive drop in available jobs, the alarming number of displaced federal employees, and the negative impact of DOGE cuts. Chairman McKay also explains how empowering small businesses and building more mixed-use buildings can help replenish Fairfax County’s wealth and solve its fiscal issues.

For years, I would find myself thinking about the voice in my head. It doesn’t feel like me because sometimes we, well, talk. I would ask, “Who’s in there?” Who are the we? I had never been taught about the voice in my head that talks to the other voice in my head. A second voice. I decided to uncover this mystery and learn the neuroscience of this phenomenon, which is what I am sharing with you here.

The US Constitution clearly states that lobbying is legal. However, systemic corruption in Washington has turned it into a playground of billionaires and the powerful. David Ramadan delves into this shadowy world of political power with Brody Mullins, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The Wall Street Journal, and guest co-host David Rehr, a former high-profile lobbyist. Together, they break down how lobbying tactics have evolved from smoke-filled rooms and relationship-based approaches to uncapped and undisclosed Super PACs. They also present possible solutions to fix this broken billion-dollar machine that currently shapes American policy and puts public participation in reforms into jeopardy.

Migrants are vital to the world order yet are often vilified. In an op-ed, a Schar School sophomore suggests movement is resistance and mobility is justice.

For first-year Schar School student Bora Yoon, identity and advocacy are inseparable. As a woman, a person of color, a child of immigrants, and an LGBTQ+ student, she says her story fuels her drive to pursue political study—and to fight for equity for everyone.

A roundup of recent media appearances by Schar School faculty, students, and staff for Schar School in the News: December 1st to 5th, 2025

Chief Justice John Roberts swore in Schar School Assistant Professor Shea Holman Kilian as a member of the SCOTUS bar. The beneficiaries will be the students in the Jurisprudence Learning Community. See why.

New research led by Schar School Associate Professor Jennifer Victor challenges the common belief that low youth voter turnout stems from apathy. Working alongside undergraduate researchers over several election cycles, Victor found that young voters face logistical barriers—from multiple or temporary addresses to confusion about state-by-state rules—that make participation difficult, not undesirable.