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Pau Volcker, former Federal Reserve chairman, has long been seen as a leading guru on economics and public policy. In an interview with The New York Times marking the publication of his memoirs, Volcker was generally pessimistic about trends in the world, and also included some pointed criticism of the public policy programs at Harvard and Princeton Universities (though he is a graduate and once taught at the latter). The Times quoted him as saying that the John F. Kennedy and Woodrow Wilson Schools no longer teach people how to govern, but teach them about politics. “Rich guys,” he said, “like to go.” He called it “hobnobbing wholesale … They can argue war and peace and poverty and everything else … But when you go to a school of public policy, you’re not learning how to run the goddamn government. You’re learning how to debate political issues.”
Inside Higher Ed sent email messages to the press offices of the Kennedy and Wilson Schools. Kennedy did not respond, but a spokeswoman for Wilson sent this statement: "We have utmost respect for Mr. Volcker and understand his views about needing schools of public administration. We are proud of the education we provide here at the Wilson School in public affairs, which is designed to give students the tools they need to analyze and shape policy. Certainly, there is room and a need for schools of both public affairs and public administration."
