Our Program
The Policy Scholars Program is a highly selective, year-long experience for first year ACE students majoring in Public Policy and Law and Environmental Economics and Policy. From the day they step on campus, Policy Scholars explore how policy shapes food, the environment, and the economy, all while building real connections throughout their first year.
Made possible by the generous support of the Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA), Policy Scholars are exposed to coursework designed to help them learn how policies are designed, debated, and implemented across sectors. Through exclusive access to policy-focused experiences and speakers, these students receive a highly specialized and collaborative first year experience from which they will launch their careers in a variety of settings.
Program Structure
Year One
Fall Semester:
✅ Enroll in ACE 203: Introduction to Public Policy — Learn how policies are designed, debated, and implemented across sectors.
✅ Participate in the Fall D.C. Initiative Lecture Series — Meet policy leaders, advocates, and alumni shaping change in Washington and beyond.
Spring Semester:
✅ Guaranteed Spring Course & Scholarship — Choose ACE 291: Ag Policy & Leadership or ACE 292: Food, Farm, and the Environment—with a guaranteed seat and financial support.
✅ Build Your Network Early — Connect with ACE faculty mentors, fellow scholars, and alumni working in policy, law, and government.
Year Two
In their second year, Policy Scholars will engage in action learning by participating in a study abroad experience or a legislative internship. Continue building your network through participation in the Public Policy Leaders registered student organization, D.C. Initiative events, and alumni networking opportunities in locations throughout the U.S.
Year Three
In their third year, Policy Scholars will continue to build their critical thinking skills through a study abroad experience or legislative internship. Begin stepping into leadership positions by mentoring and connecting younger Scholars to your growing network. Continue participating in the Public Policy Leaders registered student organization, D.C. Initiative events, and alumni networking opportunities in locations throughout the U.S.
Year Four
In their fourth and final year in the program, Policy Scholars will step into leadership positions, mentoring younger students and contributing to pathways for younger Policy Scholars to engage in legislative internship and experiential learning opportunities. Build your academic credentials by participating in an independent study with faculty mentors Jonathan Coppess and Nick Paulson. Partner with Professors Coppess and Paulson to conduct and present original policy research.
Apply to be a Policy Scholar
Admitted Public Policy and Law and Environmental Economics and Policy students are invited to apply to this exclusive program. Applicants should be eager to:
- Understand how policy shapes real-world outcomes
- Develop leadership and communication skills, and
- Build a professional network in their first year
Admitted participants will have exclusive access to policy-focused experiences and speakers, mentorship and community from day one, and a direct path from classroom to career in policy or law.
Applications are sent to eligible candidates upon their admission to the University of Illinois, and the deadline to submit applications is May 1.
Policy Scholars Program Leadership
Professor Jonathan Coppess
Jonathan Coppess is the Leonard and Lila Gardner-Illinois Farm Bureau Family of Companies Endowed Associate Professor of Agricultural Policy in the Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The author of The Fault Lines of Farm Policy: A Legislative and Political History of the Farm Bill, he is a member of the farmdoc project and a frequent contributor to farmdoc daily. He leads the Gardner Agricultural Policy Program and the Policy Design Lab. Jonathan previously served as Chief Counsel for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, as well as on a temporary, part-time basis as a special counsel. Prior to his service on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, Jonathan served as the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency at USDA and Legislative Assistant to Senator Ben Nelson. Prior to his time in Washington, DC, Jonathan was a litigation associate at Freeborn & Peters LLP in Chicago, IL. Jonathan grew up on his family’s farm in Western Ohio, earned his Bachelors’ from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and his Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School in Washington, DC.
Learn more about Professor Coppess
Professor Nick Paulson
Nick Paulson holds the Gardner Hinderliter Professorship in Farm Management in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also currently serves as the Associate Head of the Department and Director of the farmdoc extension project. Professor Paulson grew up on his family’s grain operation in southern MN. He attended Iowa State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Systems Technology, and an MS and PhD in Economics.
Dr. Paulson’s appointment includes teaching, research, and extension responsibilities. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in agricultural finance and risk management, agribusiness, and statistics. The goal of his research and extension programs are to provide information and tools to help farmers, and those who work with farmers, to make the best decisions possible. He has published more than 35 articles in peer-reviewed journals and over 700 extension articles on the farmdoc daily website. In 2019, he served as the Senior Economist for agriculture and trade on the Council of Economic Advisers at the White House.
Learn more about Professor Paulson