School of Public Affairs

Research summarized on Police Research Hub highlights that facial traits strongly influence who gets promoted in policing, raising concerns about the meritocracy of promotion systems. A two‑phase experiment using archival police academy photos found that respondents consistently judged perceived leadership ability based on facial characteristics, and those perceptions accurately predicted real‑world promotional outcomes at rates well above chance (AUC ≈ .70). The study shows that attributes such as perceived trustworthiness and dominance shape who is seen as leadership material, despite having no relationship to actual job performance, suggesting that extra‑legal, appearance‑based biases may meaningfully shape career advancement in law enforcement agencies. The study was co-authored by University of Utah Public Affairs and Political Science alumni Professors Ian Adams and Scott Mourtgos (University of South Carolina); SPA Professor Chris Simon, and Regents Professor Emeritus Nicholas Lovrich, Washington State University.

Congratulations to Tanner Anderson, Anna Ontiveros, Rachel Paulsen, and Samy Estrada (all cc'd) for taking first place at the 2026 Utah City/County Management Association MPA Case Competition.

The University of Utah MPA program is excited to co-sponsor an upcoming scholarly conference with the Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics at Brigham Young University (BYU) and the BYU MPA program. This inaugural event will explore critical ethical issues in public and nonprofit organizations—a timely topic as both sectors undergo significant changes.

The School of Public Affairs is excited to officially welcome two distinguished faculty members, Dr. Tabitha Benney and Dr. Hakan Yavuz, who joined our division in January and will begin teaching their first courses with us this fall.