Muskie School of Public Service

Overview
The Muskie School of Public Service is Maine’s distinguished public policy school, combining an extensive applied research and technical assistance portfolio with rigorous undergraduate and graduate degree programs in geography-anthropology, community planning and development (CPD), public health (MPH), and public policy and management (PPM). The school is nationally recognized for applying innovative knowledge to critical issues in the fields of sustainable development and health and human service policy and management, and is home to the Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy.
On any given day, staff from the Muskie School might be appearing in Washington, DC before a federal commission on health care, training human service workers in Hawaii, or briefing business executives in Maine on the state economy. From health care and child welfare to taxes and the environment, the Muskie School is engaged in a wide range of research activities that are founded in a common goal — to work together to improve the lives of all citizens through informed policy and practice. Since its formative stages in 1972, the Muskie School has grown into a vital resource for Maine and the nation and has earned a national reputation for innovative policy research and development. The school conducts $28 million in externally funded research and public service activities with projects throughout Maine and in every state in the nation.
Issues facing policy makers, the private and nonprofit sectors, and the general public are complex and often require multiple and sometimes conflicting solutions. Faculty and research institute staff have formed essential partnerships with federal, state and local agencies as well as private foundations to conduct research and program evaluation, policy analysis, technical assistance, and training. The school's relies on partners in business, government, research, and the community to forge creative solutions to pressing problems, and to share the knowledge gained with wider audiences.
Adaptation Work:New England Environmental Finance Center
The purpose of the NE/EFC is to further the joint goals of the U.S. EPA and the Muskie School of researching, publishing, and extending creative approaches to environmental protection and management, especially respecting the associated "how-to-pay" questions. In particular, the Center works to advance the understanding and practice of "smart growth" throughout New England; in building local capacity to deal with related issues; and in developing and applying techniques that go "beyond compliance" with government regulations.
Preserving Assets in At-Risk Municipalities: Financial Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation
Climate Change Resource Directory