Education & Practice

The Center for Social Development strives to empower a new generation of social policy researchers, advocates, and leaders, supporting students and current professionals in the field. A key priority of CSD is to provide opportunities for developing critical skills toward advancing effective social policy solutions.

Student-Focused Opportunities

Students across the university benefit from having access to a robust set of learning and professional development opportunities beyond their formal curricula. These activities are designed to help future researchers, practitioners, and leaders build skills and make connections that will set them up for successful careers in their chosen fields after graduation.

• The JPMorgan Chase (JPMC) Doctoral Scholars program supports doctoral students from historically marginalized populations underrepresented in academia in their research endeavors to achieve an inclusive society that is socially, racially and economically just. Scholars engage with ongoing institute projects and access unique datasets and research collaborations in service of advancing their doctoral studies and future professional pursuits.
• The Graduate Policy Scholars program provides a unique opportunity for students to build skills in advocacy, analysis, and activism and engage with policymakers, civic leaders, and change agents, to prepare them for policy practice.

Community-Focused Opportunities

In addition to providing opportunities for students to enhance their skills and build networks, T&E is committed to building meaningful community partnerships and providing events and programs that are free and open to the public. In this way, T&E helps fulfill the university’s mission to work “in St. Louis, for St. Louis, and with St. Louis.”

• The Data for Social Impact initiative provides trainings and events designed to increase data literacy and data stewardship skills among current and emerging social sector leaders that are free and open to the public. Since launching, DSI has hosted more than one dozen events, co- convened learning cohorts locally in St. Louis and nationally in partnership with Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, developed and manages an online learning curriculum that offers a certificate of completion across six modules, and is currently leading a network mapping initiative of the St. Louis data ecosystem and the formation of a collaborative, participatory data for social impact research agenda.