What is the PPIA Program? Why is it affiliated with APPAM?
In 1978 the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation helped to convene a conference of public policy schools that resulted in the formation of APPAM. That same conference resulted in a discussion of how public policy schools could help increase diversity in the public service professions. The outcome of that discussion was the creation of a national program for students of color with two components: summer public policy institutes for college juniors, and fellowships to support public policy masters education. The institutes feature intensive courses in economics, quantitative methods, and policy issues, all designed to increase students preparation for graduate school. The fellowships help students to afford graduate education. Funded by the Sloan Foundation from 1981 to 1988, and by the Ford Foundation from 1989 to 1999, the program in turn has been known as the Sloan Fellowship Program, the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Program, and the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Program. The prog
