# Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs *Public policy and planning school of the University of Minnesota, named for former Vice President Hubert Humphrey* The Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs is the public policy and planning school of the [[University of Minnesota]]. The university is a public land-grant research institution in the Twin Cities of [[Minneapolis]] and [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]].[^1] The school takes its name from [[Hubert Humphrey]], a former [[Vice President of the United States]] who also ran for president. Its accreditor is the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA).[^1] The school began in 1938 as the Public Administration Center. It took the Humphrey name in 1977, when the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs was founded, and became the Humphrey School of Public Affairs in 2011.[^1] On April 27, 1978, Public Law 95-270 authorized the Commissioner of Education to make grants "to assist in the development of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs". It authorized appropriations of not more than $5,000,000 for that purpose.[^2] The statute states its grants are made "In recognition of the public service of Senator Hubert H. Humphrey". Its operative terms are a grant authority, an application requirement and a dollar ceiling. The sources gathered here do not show what sum was appropriated or paid under it.[^2] The Institute's first dean was [[Harlan Cleveland]], who held the post from 1980 to 1987. He came to it after federal service as an assistant secretary of state and as U.S. ambassador to NATO.[^3] ## Who - Harlan Cleveland (1918–2008) is described in his papers' finding aid as a public administrator, ambassador to NATO and political scientist. According to the finding aid, he was the first dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs from 1980 to 1987.[^3] A biographical summary prepared for a University of Hawai'i oral history calls him the Institute's founding dean during the 1980s. The same summary states that he retired in 1988 as professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota.[^4] - Before the deanship, Cleveland held several aid posts: - department chief of the [[United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration]]'s Italian Mission (1946–1947); - director of its China office (1947–1948); - director and then department assistant administrator of the Far East Program Division of the [[Economic Cooperation Administration]] (1948–1951); - assistant director of the [[Mutual Security Agency]] in charge of the European program (1952–1953).[^3] - President John F. Kennedy appointed Cleveland assistant secretary for international organization affairs.[^3] The State Department's Office of the Historian records the following dates for that post: - appointment on February 20, 1961; - entry on duty on February 23, 1961; - termination on September 8, 1965.[^5] - President Lyndon B. Johnson then made Cleveland ambassador to NATO.[^3] The Office of the Historian records his appointment as U.S. Permanent Representative on the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on September 1, 1965, and the end of his mission on June 11, 1969.[^5] The University of Hawai'i oral-history summary instead states that he stayed in the post under President Richard M. Nixon "until May 1969".[^4] - Cleveland was the eighth president of the University of Hawai'i, serving from 1969 to 1974.[^6][^4] - The Wikipedia article on the school lists the following notable faculty:[^1] - former deans John Brandl, a DFL Minnesota state senator, and Eric P. Schwartz, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration; - Walter F. Mondale, 42nd Vice President; - Eric Magnuson, former Chief Justice of the [[Minnesota Supreme Court]]; - R.T. Rybak, former Mayor of Minneapolis (2002–2014) and Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee; - J. Brian Atwood, USAID Administrator from 1993 to 2000; - Robert H. Bruininks, University of Minnesota president from 2002 to 2011. - The same article lists law professor Johanna Bond as an alumna.[^1] ## What - The school awards the following graduate degrees:[^1] - Master of Public Policy; - a mid-career Master of Public Affairs; - Master of Urban and Regional Planning; - Master of Science in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy; - Master of Development Practice; - Master of Human Rights; - a Ph.D. in public policy. - It offers dual degrees with the following partners:[^1] - the [[Carlson School]] of Management (M.B.A.); - the [[University of Minnesota Law School]] (J.D.); - Social Work (M.S.W.); - the School of Public Health (M.P.H.); - Architecture and Landscape Architecture (Master of Landscape Architecture); - Civil Engineering (M.S. in Civil Engineering). - It also offers graduate certificates and fellowships for [[Peace Corps]] volunteers, and charges no application fee for those fellowships.[^1] - The school's listed research centers are:[^1] - the Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy; - the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance; - the Center on Women, Gender, and Public Policy; - the Freeman Center for International Economic Policy; - the Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center; - the [[Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice]]; - the State and Local Policy Program; - the Center for Integrative Leadership; - the Human Capital Research Collaborative. - Cleveland's papers (call number MC234) are held by Princeton University Library's Public Policy Papers. They cover his government service and his Aspen Institute work. The finding aid records that the University of Minnesota also holds records of his tenure there.[^3] ## When - The school's institutional dates are as follows:[^1] - 1938: the graduate public policy program was established on the East Bank campus as the Public Administration Center. - 1968: it gained autonomy as the School of Public Affairs. - 1977: the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs replaced it. - 2011: the Institute became the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. - Public Law 95-270 (bill number S. 2452) was approved April 27, 1978, and took effect October 1, 1978.[^2] Its printed legislative history records these steps:[^2] - House Report No. 95-888 on H.R. 10606 and Senate Report No. 95-706; - House passage on February 21, 1978; - Senate passage on March 22, 1978; - House passage, amended, on April 18, 1978; - Senate concurrence in the House amendment on April 19, 1978. ## Where - The school sits on the University of Minnesota's West Bank in Minneapolis. The University of Minnesota Law School and the Carlson School of Management share that campus area.[^1] - The 1978 statute places the Humphrey Institute "at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis-Saint Paul".[^2] ## Why - Section 2(a) of Public Law 95-270 frames the Humphrey grants as made "In recognition of the public service of Senator Hubert H. Humphrey".[^2] Section 2(b) uses parallel wording for grants to the Everett McKinley Dirksen Congressional Leadership Research Center in Pekin, Illinois. The act's short title, set out in section 1, joins the two: *Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and the Everett McKinley Dirksen Congressional Leadership Research Center Assistance Act*.[^2] - According to the Wikipedia article, the 1977 naming honored Humphrey's contributions to human well-being. The same article states that the 2011 renaming was meant to align the name with the academic mission. The sources gathered here give no other reason for either name.[^1] ## How - Under the 1978 act, the Commissioner of Education could pay a grant only on an application. The application had to be filed at the time and in the manner the Commissioner required.[^2] - Funds appropriated under the act were to remain available until expended.[^2] ## How much - The act set two ceilings:[^2] - not more than $5,000,000 for the Humphrey Institute; - not more than $2,500,000 for the Dirksen Center. - The record gathered here does not establish the amounts actually appropriated or disbursed.[^2] ## How many - The school's degree offerings consist of six master's degrees and one Ph.D. Its dual degrees involve six partner schools or departments.[^1] - The Wikipedia article lists nine research centers.[^1] - Cleveland's papers at Princeton fill 14 boxes in four series.[^3] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - An appointment card in the Minnesota Secretary of State's records names Cleveland, Harlan (Hennepin). The card shows him as a member of the Minnesota Telecommunications Council, serving as education representative. The appointing authority is listed as Perpich.[^7] ### When - The same card shows the appointment effective July 26, 1984, running to the first Monday in January 1987.[^7] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs* (revid 1359723762, retrieved 2026-10-27) — description, history, degrees, research centers, notable faculty and alumni. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_H._Humphrey_School_of_Public_Affairs [^2]: United States Congress, *Public Law 95-270*, 92 Stat. 220 (April 27, 1978) — grant authority for the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, application requirement, appropriation ceilings, effective date and legislative history. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-92/pdf/STATUTE-92-Pg220.pdf [^3]: Princeton University Library, Public Policy Papers (via Philadelphia Area Archives), *Harlan Cleveland Papers*, MC234 (finding aid, 2009) — biography, first dean of the Humphrey Institute 1980–1987, extent and scope of the papers. https://findingaids.library.upenn.edu/records/PRIN_MUDD_MC234 [^4]: University of Hawai'i, *Oral history interview with Harlan Cleveland*, biographical summary (interview January 18, 1996) — founding dean in the 1980s, retirement in 1988, NATO service to May 1969. https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/06664c59-9afe-47e1-a739-155aafc827a2/content [^5]: U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, *Harlan Cleveland (1918–2008)* — appointment and termination dates as Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs (1961–1965) and as U.S. Permanent Representative on the NATO Council (1965–1969). https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/cleveland-james-harlan [^6]: University of Hawai'i System, *Past Presidents* — Harlan Cleveland, president 1969–1974. https://hawaii.edu/about-uh/past-presidents [^7]: Minnesota Secretary of State (Legislative Reference Library archive), *Appointment card: Cleveland, Harlan (Hennepin)* — member, Minnesota Telecommunications Council, education representative, appointment by Perpich effective 7/26/84 to first Monday January 1987. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/archive/sos/cards/pdf/appointments_0001655009.pdf