Washington, D.C. is not only home to the nation’s capital, but also home to many incredible academic institutions: George Washington University, American University, John Hopkins University, and Georgetown University to name just a few. As part of IAVA’s D.C. team, we’re lucky to be surrounded by so many thought leaders and elite academic institutions to draw from everyday; it gives us the unique opportunity to work with and partner with these institutions to further our mission and work.

This academic year, IAVA’s Policy and Research team is working with an incredible group of students from Georgetown’s Masters in Public Policy (MPP) program. As the students’ capstone project, a part of their graduation requirement, they’ve teamed up with IAVA to research and advise us on policy problems directly related to our Big 6 advocacy priorities. In addition, these students are bringing their quantitative and data analysis background to propose changes and advise us on how to make our 2019 Member Survey even better (stay tuned for more on our 2018 Member Survey, coming soon!).

Last Friday, we got a first look at their research plan and outline for more to come in 2019. Their project will run through May 2019, when they will present a final project and presentation on IAVA’s Big 6 Priorities. This final presentation will include recommendations on where IAVA should go next and how to make the 2019 Member Survey stronger and better for our members and our audience.

This is the second time IAVA’s Research Department has teamed up with a group of outstanding MPP students. The first time was earlier this year, when a team of students from George Washington University aided in the question development of our 2018 Member Survey and presented to us on where the Clay Hunt SAV Act of 2015 stood today.

Partnering with students from these renowned academic institutions is a great way for our policy and research teams to expand our work and explore avenues and research questions that we wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to explore. These students always bring a fresh perspective from outside the veteran space, yet are eager to advance our work and mission in supporting the post-9/11 generation of veterans.

It’s a win-win: we’re able to share IAVA’s mission and work with an audience that isn’t normally engaged with our work while also getting valuable feedback and actionable reports that we can use in our work.

Find out more here about IAVA’s Policy Team and Research Department. And learn more about our one-of-a-kind Member Survey and Polling projects here. If you’d like to partner with us, email us here.