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Wilder School faculty and research profiles: A year in review

Chernoh Wurie, a criminal justice instructor at the VCU Wilder School, with his class.

The L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs has a dedicated cadre of world-class faculty who are renowned for their expertise and committed to research with has a global impact. 

Beyond academia, these researchers are further engaged in developing community-driven solutions to transform our world.

Here are some of the top research stories of 2022: (click on the links in bold to learn more)

• The Research Institute for Social Equity (RISE) receive $3 million from the Virginia Legislature to significantly expand its role in promoting racial and social equity research, academic scholarship and public engagement. Funding will support key research areas in Virginia public policy analysis and reporting, public outreach and workforce development, and educational resources to further position VCU as a champion voice for transformation.
  
  
• The American Society for Public Administration recognizes Wilder School Dean Susan Gooden, senior advisor William Leighty and distinguished career professor and professor emeritus Blue Wooldridge with national career awards.
  
  
• Assistant Professor Maureen Moslow-Benway’s class service raises awareness and advocacy to combat human trafficking. Human trafficking is the fastest-growing crime globally, and it is the third-largest crime next to drugs and weapons smuggling, according to the International Labor Organization.
   
• Assistant professor Shruti Syal’s innovative research connects environmental planning to social equity. Syal’s long term goal is to improve community and ecological health by transforming wastewater systems across the slums of Delhi and sharing best practices with urban planners around the world. 
  
  
• The Wilder School RVA Eviction Lab data warns of significant rise in evictions as federal COVID sparked rent relief program expires. Lab data research finds that 58% of Virginia renters fear eviction.
  
  
• Remembering Distinguished Professor John V. Moeser, longtime educator and founding member of the Wilder School Urban and Regional Studies and Planning program and Professor Emeritis Chong Mo Pak, leader public service and executive management education. The legacies of these two academic scholars guided the formative years of generations of students.
  
  
• Professor Sarah Jane Brubaker explores the impact of the Supreme Court’s ground breaking decision striking down Roe v. Wade. The state prohibiting abortion expands the power and control of the abuser and further traps victims, denying them autonomy and freedom,” she said.
  
  
• Wilder School researcher Patrick Lowery provides insight for Virginia Lawmakers on ways to reduce recidivism among youth in Virginia. The study finds youth from areas with high rates of crime and economic disadvantage are at the highest risk.
  
  
• Viewpoint: Professor William Pelfrey Jr. reflects on school shootings in America. Guns are now the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  
  
• Wilder School awards Faculty Small Grant Awards for research on water access to equity to Shruti Syal and racial equity in urban planning and renewal to Meghan Gough and Kathryn Howell 
  
  
• Assistant Professor Chernoh Wurie (Criminal Justice) becomes one of the oldest recruits to join the Army National Guard. Wurie officially signed on for a post with a ground transport unit after growning somewhat restless and wanted to “get back in action” in the field. He says you can “accomplish anything you want.”

• Assistant Professor Benjamin Young shares assessment of North Korea and its potential nuclear threat, He recently published his first book, “Guns, Guerillas and the Great Leader,” which examines North Korea’s foreign relations with developing nations during the Cold War era.