This fall the University of Connecticut’s (UConn) School of Public Policy (SPP) welcomes 78 masters candidates and 29 graduate certificate students to the SPP network! They join our network from across Connecticut, as well as from California, Canada, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Korea and Washington.
Incoming Master of Public Policy (MPP) candidates hail from majors including Chemical Engineering, Applied and Resource Economics, History, Landscape Architecture, Psychology, Human Development and Family Science, Environmental Studies, Economics, Information Technology, Business Administration and Accounting. SPP will have 28 new MPP candidates in Hartford this year.
The SPP faculty adds three additional researchers to our classrooms this fall.
Assistant Research Professor Elizabeth Burland
Elizabeth Burland recently completed her doctoral degree in Public Policy and Sociology from the University of Michigan in the spring. Elizabeth’s research focuses on educational stratification, economic inequality, and public policy design. Currently, her research investigates how students make educational decisions; how local, state, and federal financial aid policies affect college going; and, how educational inequality contributes to social stratification. As a mixed methods researcher, Elizabeth’s work uses experimental and quasi-experimental program evaluation and qualitative interview methods to understand social inequality and evaluate policy solutions. Elizabeth has experience working with institutional and state-level partners to implement and evaluate policies aimed at reducing inequality. Prior to her time in Michigan, Elizabeth worked at the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration, serving as a research and staff support for the state of Delaware’s Wilmington Education Improvement Commission. She holds an M.A. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy and a B.A. in Public Policy from the (now) Biden School of Public Policy at the University of Delaware.
Assistant Professor Christal Hamilton 
Christal was previously a postdoctoral research scientist in the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University. Her research agenda focuses on the impact of socioeconomic inequality on vulnerable groups and the role of public policy in reducing existing socioeconomic disparities or increasing social mobility. Her current research examines the impact of Medicaid expansion on young adult health-related outcomes, immigrant health and wellbeing, the changing circumstances of young adults, and experiences of hardship around childbirth.
Christal received her Ph.D. in Public Affairs from the University of Missouri in July 2021. She also holds a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Missouri and a B.Sc. in International Relations from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. Prior to academia Christal worked as an elementary and secondary school teacher and in the research department of the inaugural child protection agency in Trinidad and Tobago.
Assistant Professor David Mitre Becerril
David recently completed his doctoral degree in Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania, born and raised in Mexico City. Before graduate school, he worked for over five years as a data analyst at the Mexican census bureau’s public safety and justice unit and as an economist at a government research agency. David’s research interests lie in understanding how place-based interventions affect public safety and the role financial incentives play in deterring criminal behavior. Broadly, his research attempts to understand the conditions under which private and public community investments are promising solutions to crime and violence and examine the mechanisms driving such changes. He has written on street lighting, localized urban development, capital investments, bank lending, and the minimum wage, among other topics. His work has appeared in Criminology & Public Policy, has been recognized by the American Society of Criminology (Gene Carte Award), and has been highlighted by news outlets. He has also received the APPAM Equity & Inclusion Student Fellowship.
This academic year kicks-off the final year of Professor Mohamad Alkadry at the helm of UConn’s Public Policy education. In 2017 Mohamad joined UConn as the Department Head for the then Department of Public Policy. Throughout his tenure we saw enrollment rapidly grow, faculty increase in number and the impact of our research and public service radiate across the State of Connecticut and beyond. Under his leadership SPP launched the MPA Fellows and Public Service Executive Leadership Collaborative (PSELC). In 2022 he oversaw our expansion into a School of Public Policy. We are grateful for his service to the SPP network and look forward to another year of impact under his leadership. See you at 4pm Huskies for the first classes of the academic year!