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Elevating Faculty and
Researchers

In Springfield and beyond, IGPA works with scholars to broaden
the public reach and policy impact of their work.

Whether you are already skilled at navigating policymaking spaces or new to this work, IGPA can help lift your work into policy conversations. We catalyze experts from all three universities, reaching across the system to engage students, stakeholders, and community members to make all our work count in the real world. Contact IGPA to learn what we can do for you.

Elevating Faculty and
Researchers

In Springfield and beyond, IGPA works with scholars to broaden
the public reach and policy impact of their work.

Whether you are already skilled at navigating policymaking spaces or new to this work, IGPA can help lift your work into policy conversations. We catalyze experts from all three universities, reaching across the system to engage students, stakeholders, and community members to make all our work count in the real world. Contact IGPA to learn what we can do for you.

Research Teams

Interdisciplinary Research Teams

Since 2019, IGPA has convened substantive Working Groups open to scholars across the system and centered on policy topics like education and children, fiscal and economic policy, substance use disorders, and equity and justice—not narrow academic disciplines. Alongside the COVID-19 Pandemic Task Force, graduate-level Policy Research Teams, and open forums for feedback on policy papers, IGPA fosters incredible interdisciplinary, interdepartmental, and inter-university collaboration, research, engagement, and innovation among scholars with complementary but multi-disciplinary interests. Contact IGPA to get involved.

Skills Development

Policy Skills Development

IGPA’s ongoing Policy Incubator series offers workshops to scholars to refine their skills and hone in on policy-relevant research questions and projects. Though our expert staff can help to connect scholars with decision-makers, this series prepares scholars to launch their own outreach efforts, such as consulting with policymakers, testifying before legislative committees, and refining policy-relevant work for new audiences. With concrete support and practical advice for any sort of policy conversation, IGPA ensures scholars are prepared to pitch their expertise to anyone in Springfield, Washington, or beyond. Contact IGPA to learn more.

Research Dissemination

Research Dissemination

IGPA partners with more than 150 scholars across departments and disciplines at all three universities. These partners want to see their work have a meaningful, substantive, and fact-driven impact on the state, the Midwest, and the nation. We are uniquely positioned to connect researchers to the executive and legislative branches, civic organizations, the news media, and, in turn, the interested public. Through press connections, targeted publications, and more, we can share your pivotal findings, sparking outside interest in scholarly work, and generating real-world results. Collaborating scholars also get their own IGPA microsite, promotion and tenure letters of support, and more. Contact IGPA to start publishing.

Contact Us

IGPA scholars have been cited in

“IGPA has been a tremendous resource to connect me with policymakers—especially those in the state capitol—and with a great group of interdisciplinary scholars across the three universities. IGPA has increased the policy impact my work can have and has also challenged me intellectually and helped me grow as a scholar.”

David Merriman - James J. Stukel Presidential Professor of Public Administration, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | University of Illinois Chicago
“All too often, research-based knowledge does not make its way to the public and policymakers. IGPA was able to bring media and policymakers attention to my Policy Spotlight on COVID-19 and child care. This led to opportunities that included a C-SPAN appearance, meeting with Congressional staff, and having the Spotlight read in a Congressional committee meeting. IGPA has also provided opportunities to interact with state policymakers. IGPA’s approach and resources have increased my impact by allowing me to focus on what I do best.”

Elizabeth Powers - Associate Professor, Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
“IGPA has been amazing with disseminating information related to our COVID-19 citizen scientists journal project. The coverage in outlets like NPR Illinois helped to draw funding for a larger-scale effort mobilizing community health workers as citizen scientists—a project now funded by the MacArthur Foundation!”

Ruby Mendenhall, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
“I came out of it feeling so proud and so supported…I learned about how to communicate with policymakers, I learned how to communicate my ideas in a new way, and I felt that I learned a lot from the process. It was just awesome on every front for me.”

Meghan A. Kessler, UIS Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, Co-Lead of the Education, Learning, and Child and Family Well-Being Working Group and author of “Policy Spotlight: An Unfolding Crisis in the Satisfaction and Supply of Teachers in Illinois”
"IGPA has provided invaluable support for my research. The funding that I have received has allowed me to expand my academic and applied research activities. And the contacts with top scholars throughout the state has helped build a community of researchers. IGPA has helped move my career forward and helped me to advance research projects which have informed the state and region."

Ken Kriz, Distinguished Professor, School of Public Management and Policy | University of Illinois Springfield
"IGPA helped me with my “Pandemic Behind Bars” report which led to multiple media interviews and speaking to lawmakers. IGPA also helped me host a policy clinic with faculty, which led to an interdisciplinary collaboration on a manuscript exploring biosocial mechanisms of stress and cancer. They have made doing policy relevant work easy.”

Sage Kim, Associate Professor, School of Public Health | University of Illinois Chicago