Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

The beginnings of the Andrew Young School were in the establishment of a Master of Governmental Administration degree in 1972. This would later evolve into a Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) which was offered originally though the Institute of Governmental Administration. After shuffling around throughout the decades, the Georgia State Policy School was established in 1996.[1]

Three years later in 1999, The Policy School was renamed the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. The name pays respects to Andrew Young, a civil rights leader from Atlanta who served as United Nations Ambassador from 1977–79, as mayor of Atlanta from 1982–90, and was instrumental in bringing the Olympics to the city in 1996.

His leadership and Georgia State University's status as one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation allow Andrew Young School's programs to be inclusive and make a global impact.[2] Roughly one-fifth of graduate students come from developing countries, 59 percent of students are women and nearly one-half are African Americans.[3]

U.S. News & World Report's 2020 Best Graduate Schools Public Affairs list ranks the Andrew Young School No. 21 overall: No. 7 in Local Government Management, No. 8 in Public Finance & Budgeting, No. 8 in Urban Policy, No. 9 in Nonprofit Management, No. 19 in Public Management & Leadership, and No. 22 in Public Policy Analysis. Criminology ranks No. 22, Economics ranks No. 59, and the School of Social Work ranks No. 59.[4]

Andrew Young School of Policy Studies includes five academic departments:

• The Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology[5]
• The Department of Economics[6]
• The Department of Public Management and Policy[7]
• The School of Social Work[8]
• The Urban Studies Institute [9]

A major pillar of the philosophy of the Andrew Young School is the belief that economics, public administration and social policy should not be separated.[3] The result is an approach to policy studies that is multidisciplinary, evident in the numerous interdisciplinary degrees offered and partnerships in research with other departments throughout Georgia State University.[10]

Notably, a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics was established in Fall of 2017, based on a deep historical connection of the disciplines and using analytically rigorous tools to prepare students for careers in law, economics, and business.[11] The Andrew Young School also offers a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Economics is offered in partnership with the J. Mack Robinson College of Business, and various other interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate degrees.

The Andrew Young School has an international presence in its research efforts with more than 135 faculty having worked in more than 70 countries worldwide. This translates to more than 230 scholarly papers, journal articles, chapters and books published annually and more than $26 million in active sponsored grants in the 2019 fiscal year.[12] The school runs ten research centers and conducts numerous research collaborations within Georgia State University, born of the Andrew Young School's interdisciplinary approach to research and education.[10]

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  1904 Atlanta Constitution article about the building's construction
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  1905 newspaper ad celebrating the grand opening of the bank's new headquarters building
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  Interior of Fourth National Bank building, c.1906
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  Fourth National Bank building, about 1908
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  1915 advertisement for the Fourth National Bank and tenants in its headquarters building

The current home of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies has a varied past, as the building dates to 1905. The Fourth National Bank opened the building on the southwest corner of Marietta and Peachtree streets in 1905 - the site of the Norcross Building which had burned in a 1902 fire – and was for one year the tallest building in the city until the Candler Building was built. Morgan & Dillon designed the building.

In 1928 firm Pringle & Smith directed addition of several floors to the building, an extension northward along Marietta street resulting in an L-shaped building, and a renovation of the interior to an even more opulent style.[13]

In 1966, First National Bank built a 41-story tower on the lot adjacent to the south, site of the Peachtree Arcade (1917-1964); today the State of Georgia Building; the architect was Cecil Alexander. It removed the top half of the original building and resurfaced it in the white marble that covers it today.

• Official website

33.7543°N 84.3901°W / 33.7543; -84.3901