When Michigan native Keith Waters decided to go for his, he turned down schools that offered him scholarships and chose to attend the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason ĢAV.
“I wanted to be near the action,” he said of Mason’s proximity to Washington, D.C.
Waters certainly made the most of his time here. He’s been a graduate research assistant with the Schar School’sand has been an active member of thetudents, a Mason student organization, since his first semester.
Waters was also instrumental in putting Mason’s graduate student research conference on the map. Under his leadership, the conference caught the attention of the (APPAM)and has since grown into an international conference presented by APPAM with 10 regional universities. The last conference drew 168 attendees from 28 schools.
After graduating, Waters will continue working for the CRA while continuing his dissertation research as well as presenting at conferences. He plans to continue researching interactions among cities to improve regional economic impact analysis and forecasting.
“It helps policymakers and local leaders make more informed decisions,” he said.