“We’re all newcomers.” Dean Figlio greets students during Wildcat Welcome 2021.

Message From The Dean

Dear Friends,

SESP is famously Northwestern’s happiest school—a claim that resonates for us all, I hope. At the onset of the pandemic, when forced to stay physically apart, we had a hard time making that assertion.

Now that I’ve returned to walking to campus, I’m seeing signs of reconnection everywhere: we’re making eye contact again, gathering at the candy bowl in the student affairs office, and thriving on the creative energy that is best generated when we’re together.

What keeps us the happiest school? I have a few theories. One hinges on SESP’s faculty, globally recognized for their expertise in improving learning at all ages and in all contexts. My colleagues represent just two percent of Northwestern’s faculty but account for more than five percent of those consistently receiving University recognition for their honors and awards. (As one example, almost two-thirds of our full professors are elected members of the national academies; read more about our NAEd members on page 6.) And since our areas of study directly relate to supporting human learning and well-being, it’s no wonder that student satisfaction and engagement with SESP classes have trended high throughout the pandemic, even while student and staff morale has sagged elsewhere.

But as an education economist who has long studied what makes college students successful, I know whatmatters even more than our accolades: our personal relationships.

SESP’s class size triples from first year to senior year as word spreads about our tight-knit community, innovative classes and programs, and devoted academic advisers, faculty, and staff. Our alumni are constantly giving back—whether it’s Alex Sims (BS10), who spoke to the graduating class of 2021 and delivered this fall’s Loeschner lecture, or the alumni who gave up a Friday afternoon to meet with students at our annual homecoming reunion lunch.

Still, high satisfaction rates don’t mean we have our heads in the sand. You can feel “SESP Love” and simultaneously feel frustration and want to change things. We can do better in lots of ways, and we must always be held accountable for building a more equitable, inclusive, and effective SESP.

This year, in a way, we are all newcomers: some sophomores have never taken a course on campus, and juniors and seniors have had to improvise and adapt in ways our faculty and staff know all too well. But we are happily rebuilding SESP’s special culture. I welcome you to play a part in any way you can. 

David Figlio

Orrington Lunt Professor and Dean

P.S. In October came the announcement of Northwestern’s next president, Rebecca Blank. I’m overjoyed that a decorated social policy expert—herself an elected national academy member—and a once and hopefully future SESP faculty member will be succeeding Morty Schapiro, an esteemed education economist who’s also an NAEd member.