In the News: 'Class Is In Session with the Mayor'

Buffalo State’s Laurie Buonanno, professor of public administration and nonprofit management, and Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown, '83, who co-teaches a master’s level course with Buonanno, were featured in an article in the Buffalo News titled “At Buffalo State, class is in session with the mayor.”

The class, U.S. Public Policy (PAD 540), runs on Monday evenings. Buonanno begins the class by presenting theories on public policy, followed by Brown discussing the real-world implications of the policies.

“It’s a pretty cool opportunity,” graduate student Gordy Stewart says in the article. “The coolest part is talking about the different subject areas and then getting real-world experience from the mayor.”

Brown said he enjoys co-teaching the class.

“It’s pretty interesting,” he says in the piece. “I bring a lot of what’s going on in City Hall to this class, what’s going on in the State of New York, how the city intersects with state government, how we interact with the federal government.”

Brown goes on: “But I’m able to think about things deeply, think about things in another way. I’m able to read the works of scholars, as it relates to economics and politics and public policy and then I’m able to talk about it with bright, interesting students. I think it is helpful because it definitely sharpens how I look at public policy—how I think about public policy.”