Brooks School welcomes African leaders

The Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies have been selected as Institute Partners for the 2023 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

Beginning in mid-June, Cornell will host 25 of Africa’s most promising emerging public management leaders for a six-week Leadership Institute sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and local community engagement. Created in 2010, YALI supports young Africans as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa.

Since 2014, the U.S. Department of State has supported nearly 5,800 Mandela Washington Fellows from across sub-Saharan Africa to develop their leadership skills and foster connections and collaboration with U.S. professionals. The cohort of fellows co-hosted by the Brooks School and Einaudi Center will be part of a group of 700 Mandela Washington Fellows based at 28 educational institutions across the United States.

“The Einaudi Center is thrilled to partner with the Brooks School to welcome the cohort of Young African Leaders, who will share with our Cornell community their innovative thinking and strategies for positive impact in their communities and countries,” said Einaudi Center director Rachel Beatty Riedl. She is Einaudi’s John S. Knight Professor of International Studies and a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Brooks School.

“This flagship mobility fellowship brings leading entrepreneurs and public servants from across Africa to Ithaca to participate in faculty-led courses in public management practices, projects in community engagement, and leadership development,” Riedl said. “The program highlights how much we can learn from and share with emerging global leaders around the world.”

At Cornell, fellows will engage in intensive leadership training that will hone their skills as public officials and managers in challenging, complex public and private sector environments.

Fellows will also participate in field treks that will demonstrate in practice concepts raised during the institute; complete community service projects, network with seasoned practitioners, and develop a capstone project linking their training to practice.

“The partnership between the Brooks School and the Einaudi Center is key,” said Tom O’Toole, executive director of Brooks School public affairs programming. “In the context of improving lives and doing the greatest good, this is a tremendous opportunity for us to share our resources, as well as learn from some of the top minds from Africa,” O’Toole said.

After their Leadership Institutes, fellows will participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit, where they will join networking and panel discussions with U.S. leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Following the summit, up to 100 competitively selected fellows will participate in four weeks of professional development with U.S. nongovernmental organizations, private companies, and government agencies.

Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by IREX, Leadership Institutes offer programs that challenge, motivate, and empower young leaders from Africa to tackle the challenges of the 21st century.

EMHA ranked in top 10 health care management grad programs

The Executive Master of Health Administration (EMHA) is one of the top 10 executive health care management graduate programs in the nation, according to rankings published by Modern Healthcare Magazine.

Of 25 programs, the Cornell Brooks EMHA ranked No. 9 based on alumni survey data from the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). The commission calculated each institution’s Net Promoter Score, which measures the likelihood that graduates would positively recommend a program. CAHME published the average scores for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years and Cornell’s EMHA received a score demonstrating high satisfaction – 81 out of 100.

“Our graduates are our best champions,” said Sean Nicholson, professor and director of the Sloan Program in Health Administration. “This recognition reflects our faculty’s commitment to exemplary education and outstanding career support for our students.”

The EMHA is a part of the Sloan Program in the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy. Students complete the degree in 18 months online and immerse themselves in real-world projects and discussions with their classmates. They complete two inperson sessions on Cornell’s Ithaca campus and an innovation trek to Boston.

Open to students from around the world, the EMHA—the only CAHME-ranked program from an Ivy League institution— provides a flexible learning experience for health care professionals, including clinicians, pharmaceutical professionals, senior living executives, health policymakers, and others. EMHA applicants must have at least five years of experience, and each cohort average is 12-14 years. As they earn the degree, students immediately apply their new knowledge to challenges facing their organizations.

“Professionals in the EMHA program have years of industry experience, so these students are well-positioned to quickly discern whether our program truly meets their needs,” said Director of Executive Education Mariya Thompson. “We’re honored that this ranking shows their satisfaction. It also demonstrates the tremendous value they’ve received from our expert faculty and unique blend of virtual classes and in-person residential sessions.”