Economist Robert Frank and legal scholar Martha Fineman are among the distinguished Cornell University faculty speakers launching a new honors program through the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA). CIPA is a university-wide institute offering a two year graduate program leading to a master of public administration (MPA) degree.

CIPA's Distinguished Faculty Spring 2003 Lectures are open to the public and will be held on Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. in 165 McGraw Hall.

The following is a list of dates, guest speakers and lectures:

• Feb. 20: Kathryn March, associate professor of anthropology, "Global Village? An Anthropologist's View from Below."
• Feb. 27: Martha Fineman, professor of law, "Wealth and Entitlement: A Case Study."
• March 6: Robert Frank, professor of economics, "Does Rising Inequality Harm the Middle Class?"
• March 27: Mildred Warner, associate professor, City and Regional Planning, "Devolution and Spatial Inequality."
• April 3: Ralph D. Christy, professor of applied economics and management, "Emerging Markets in a Global Economy: From Inter-Independency to Economic Integration."
• April 17: Dr. Alvin I. Mushlin, M.D., public health professor, Weill Cornell Medical College, "The Role of Economic Evaluation in Medical Care."

"This is quite unlike anything available at any other leading public affairs programs in the United States," says David Lewis, professor of city and regional planning and CIPA chair. "It represents an extraordinary opportunity for CIPA students to do thesis work with world-class authorities doing research at the cutting edge of knowledge."

CIPA's distinguished faculty and their supporting CIPA research assistants will present the results of their work at a conference scheduled for April 25 and 26 at the Appel Commons Conference Center, on Cornell's North Campus.

For more information, contact the CIPA Office, 473 Hollister Hall, at (607) 255-8018.