EducationNews.org

Molly Selvin has been appointed interim dean of the Pardee RAND Graduate School, RAND Corporation Executive Vice President Michael Rich has announced.

Selvin has been a faculty member of the school for nearly 25 years, teaching courses on the U.S. Constitution, the use of history in policy analysis and the role of the media in public policy. The Pardee RAND Graduate School is one of the nation’s original graduate programs in public policy, awarding a Ph.D. in policy analysis.

“Molly will be an excellent steward of the graduate school as we continue our national search for a new dean,” Rich said. RAND is a nonprofit research organization.

Selvin was on the staff of the Los Angeles Times from 1990 until 2008, both as an editorial writer and as a business reporter. Previously, she spent 10 years at RAND, participating in research on asbestos litigation, jury behavior and civil case management. Selvin has a Ph.D. in American history from the University of California, San Diego.

Selvin replaces John Graham, who is leaving to become dean of the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

The Pardee RAND Graduate School was founded in 1970 and is the nation’s only public policy program based at a research organization. The interdisciplinary doctorate in policy analysis offered by the school is designed to train creative thinkers to play important roles in solving major problems facing the world.

Students work alongside RAND researchers on a broad range of projects as part of their on-the-job-training. Graduates have moved on to leading positions in government, academia and the private sector.