Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs

08/31/2026

Congratulations to Levin College alumna Lisa Mann, a graduate of the Master of Nonprofit Administration and Leadership program, on being named chief development officer of Feeding America.

Learn more:
https://www.feedingamerica.org/about-us/press-room/Feeding-America-names-CHRO-and-CDO

Feeding America has named Laura Juergens chief human resources officer and Lisa Mann chief development officer, effective September 1.

08/27/2026

Join the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs for our Graduate Programs Open House on Saturday, October 31.

Prospective students can meet faculty, hear from current students, explore campus, and learn more about Levin School graduate programs, including:

• Master of Public Administration
• Master of Urban Planning & Development
• Master of Nonprofit Management
• Master of Science in Urban Studies
• PhD in Urban Studies and Public Affairs

The Levin School is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report, including No. 3 in Urban Policy and No. 10 in Local Government Management for 2026.

Event Details
Saturday, October 31, 2026
Noon to 2 p.m.
Glickman-Miller Hall, first-floor atrium
1717 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115

Learn more and register:
https://go.csuohio.edu/register/MGLSUAOH26

For more information, contact Katie Mazanetz at [email protected].

08/18/2026

Congratulations to Levin alumna Amal Elhachdani on being selected as a 2026–2027 Cleveland Foundation Public Service Fellow.

Amal, a Cleveland native and recent summa cm laude graduate of Cleveland State University, earned bachelor’s degrees in urban studies and philosophy. Through the fellowship, she will continue her work in educational advocacy and youth development with a placement at Open Doors Academy.

Learn more:
https://www.clevelandfoundation.org/stories-events/stories-news/2026/07/02/introducing-the-2026-27-cleveland-foundation-public-service-fellows

07/23/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Tatyana Guzman, Associate Director of the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs, on her appointment as Director of the Secretariat for the Association for Budgeting & Financial Management (ABFM).

With the ABFM Secretariat now housed at Levin, the college strengthens its position as a national leader in public finance, connecting scholars and practitioners who are advancing effective governance, sound financial management and stronger communities.

The appointment reflects Levin's standing among the nation's leading public affairs colleges and its commitment to advancing excellence in public service, policy and practice.

Learn more abut ABFM:
https://abfm.org

07/20/2026

CSU alumna Dr. Serena Alexander is making an impact through her work in transportation and environmental policy.

A 2016 graduate of the Levin College’s Ph.D. program in Urban Studies and Public Affairs, Alexander serves as an associate professor at Northeastern University.

“My experience at Levin taught me that colleges are not just academic units, but integral parts of the communities that surround them,” she said.

Learn more about her career and how Levin College helped shape her approach to teaching and community engagement:
https://levin.csuohio.edu/news/csu-alumna-dr-serena-alexander-makes-impact-through-transportation-and-environmental-policy

07/09/2026

Recently, Dr. Kristen Blazek of the Levin College Center for Economic Development presented at the Mid-Continent Regional Science Association annual conference. Dr. Blazek presented a paper on the economic impact of the closure of Lourdes University in Ohio.

Using IMPLAN economic modeling, the analysis estimates the closure resulted in:

• $65.89 million in lost economic output
• 529 jobs lost
• $8.61 million in lost labor income
• $5.31 million in lost tax revenue
• More than $800,000 in additional downstream economic losses

College closures are not simply institutional failures. They are regional economic events that affect workers, local businesses, public finances, and access to higher education.

The full paper will be featured in a special edition of JRAP in January 2027.

View the infographic summary:
https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/urban_facpub/1883/

06/30/2026

Registration is open for the Introduction to ArcGIS Pro Workshop at Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs.

This four-day, hands-on workshop will be held Monday, August 10 through Thursday, August 13, 2026, in the Urban Affairs Computer Lab. Participants will learn essential GIS concepts and gain experience using ArcGIS Pro for mapping, geospatial data, and spatial analysis.

No prior GIS experience is required. Participants receive access to the software, a workshop textbook, and a USB flash drive.

Tuition discounts are available.

Learn more and register:
https://levin.csuohio.edu/prof-dev/introduction-arcgis-pro-workshop

06/23/2026

Dr. Evelyn Rivera is working to preserve the history of Cleveland’s Latin American community.

Through the Latin American Historical Society of Cleveland Ohio, Dr. Rivera is helping document stories, contributions, and histories that have often been overlooked. A graduate of the Levin College Master of Public Administration program, she credits her public service education with helping shape her career in community leadership and advocacy.

Read more about Dr. Rivera’s work:
https://levin.csuohio.edu/news/csu-alum-dr-evelyn-rivera-changemaker-for-clevelands-latin-american-community

06/10/2026

Andrew Thomas, director of Levin College’s Energy Policy Center, is featured in a JobsOhio news release on the center’s latest Shale Investment Dashboard in Ohio.

Co-authored by Thomas, the report found that Ohio’s shale-energy sector attracted $2.9 billion in direct investment during the first half of 2025, bringing cumulative investment since 2011 to nearly $117.5 billion.

Read more:

Discover funding opportunities that support business growth, innovation, and community development through available loans, grants, and tax incentive programs.

05/27/2026

Andrew Thomas, director of Levin College’s Energy Policy Center, discusses Ohio’s deregulated electricity market in a Cleveland.com article about House Bill 862. The article looks at nuclear energy, utility ownership, and potential impacts on customer costs.

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2026/05/could-ohio-repeat-the-mistakes-behind-its-largest-public-corruption-scandal.html

Ohio rebuilt the wall between utilities companies and the power plants that generate our electricity in the wake of the state’s largest public corruption scandal. Now a pair of lawmakers want to allow an exception.