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Student Profile

I discovered that public service is a good fit for my coursework in the Urban and Regional Studies (URS) program, and have chosen to study links between high density housing developments and school districts, through analysis of school funding and student generation rates. I have examined funding structures, especially impact fees and taxes, primarily focusing on California where property taxes, one major component of school district funding, is limited to 1% of a home’s assessed value. I am also looking at student generation rates in a variety of housing unit types; single-family vs. multi-family, above vs. below the poverty line, rented vs. owner-occupied, to get a sense of what kinds of housing tend to generate more children. The research is part of my senior honors thesis, inspired by my summer job in San Jose, California in 2007 and 2008. My adviser, Rolf Pendall, has encouraged me to learn SPSS, a statistics computer program, which has given me more confident in my quantitative skills. I am currently working on the student generation rate results.
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"The URS program deals with some of the most interesting and pertinent topics for students because urban and regional areas are all around us; I am so glad to be a part of this department at Cornell."

B.S. Urban and Regional Studies 2009

Katy McShane was attracted to the Urban and Regional Studies program because of its combination of hands-on community service and academic research. Katy has always been interested in how people interact in cities and felt that the Cornell program would be a great fit for her civic-minded goals. Over the course of her four years in the URS program, her interests shifted toward housing and education planning. After participating in an Alternative Spring Breaks program through the Public Service Center at Cornell, Katy became passionate about housing issues. Because of her strong interest in education, she wanted to make sure her thesis married her urban planning background with course material from the education department.

The diversity of the student body was one of the things Katy’s enjoyed most about being a URS student. She believes the program attracts a varied group of students because the degree can be applied to a range of fields, both planning-related and other.

After graduation, Katy represented the CRP department as a Degree Marshall during a year of service with an Americorps program called City Year. This school-based service program has provided her with hands-on experience in San Jose, California and she hopes to build-off this work in the future.

work

Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Summer 2007 Intern

Affordable Housing Internship with this San Francisco Bay Area business consortium

AAP Career Services Office, Peer Advisor

Conduct peer resume critiques

Update alumni database

research

ACORN Housing University Partnership: New Orleans data survey

Collected information on the status of housing in the Lower 9th Ward

Spoke with residents about experiences pre- and post-Katrina