History
The Gift
In September 2018, Douglas and Mary Scrivner made a generous gift to the University of Denver to establish the Douglas and Mary Scrivner Institute of Public Policy. Mary attended the University, and Doug is a DU alumnus, a member of the university’s board of trustees, and a former chair of that board.
Dr. Naazneen Barma Joins as Director
In September 2020, Dr. Naazneen Barma became the Scrivner Institute’s director and chair. After six years with the World Bank, Dr. Barma became a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where she spent 10 years teaching mid-career military officers to become intelligence and foreign area officers.
At Scrivner, Dr. Barma drives research examining inequity and inequality, along with potential solutions. In addition to research, she's taken the lead on a new dialogue initiative designed to lift diverse voices. She's also implementing a curriculum revamp aimed at equipping students with modern skills and cross-disciplinary concentrations.
Becoming Scrivner
Prior to the Scrivner Institute’s inception, the Institute for Public Policy Studies (IPPS) housed the University’s Master of Public Policy and undergraduate program in Public Policy. From the institute’s inception in 1981 until 2016, IPPS was housed in the School of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences. IPPS was co-directed by former Colorado Governor Richard D. Lamm and Richard. A. Caldwell, who also served as the director for the public policy academic programs. In July 2016, IPPS officially joined the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. The move leveraged the complementary nature of IPPS and Korbel School programs and marked the completion of a year-long planning process.
