Hello, I’m Michael D. Pratt. This year I’m serving as Interim Director of the School. It’s my pleasure to welcome you to our web site, and to have an opportunity to share with you information about our school.

The Wilder School was formed as a multidisciplinary unit dedicated to excellence in the study and teaching of government, public policy, and public affairs. We believe that we have achieved that our goal.

Our faculty and staff come from a wide array of disciplines, including public administration, criminal justice, political science, urban studies and urban planning, and sociology, and we’re especially proud of our new programs in homeland security and emergency preparedness.

But, I consider the best thing about the Wilder School is the way we all work together, breaking down the boundaries between these fields to offer a truly integrated perspective on all spheres of public life.

I am certainly proud of our students. We have an extraordinary and diverse group of students, ranging from freshmen to doctoral candidates, and they bring to us an incredible wealth of experience and knowledge.  It’s a pleasure to work with them in and out of the classroom.  They are involved in every aspect of our School - whether with our multimillion-dollar research efforts, or with our extensive training programs for working public service professionals.  We also have important internship and service learning programs with both non-profit and government agencies.  Our faculty also actively involve students in our community service initiatives that take us from the neighborhood next door to countries halfway around the world.

Across the wide spectrum of Wilder School activities, you’ll find faculty and students working together to learn, to produce new knowledge, and to make the world a better place.

I hope you will take time to learn more about what we do here in the Wilder School, and to consider joining us in whatever way is most appropriate for you. Please explore our website, and if you have questions or want more information, don’t hesitate to ask. My phone number is 804.828.1835, and my email address is mdpratt@vcu.edu.