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2017 NASPAA Student Simulation Competition
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Mark Your Calendars: The Simulation
Competition is February 25, 2017!
The Student Simulation Competition is back for its third
exciting year!
Consider Applying to be a Host Site.
This year's NASPAA-BATTEN global student simulation topic,
FOOD SECURITY
, will tackle one of the world's toughest problems: ensuring every human being on the planet
has reliable access to a sufficient quantity of
affordable, safe, and nutritious food. Surprisingly, it's not that we don't grow "enough" food or that we have "too many" people; rather, we waste such an extraordinary amount of food due to problems of water and transportation infrastructure, storage at appropriate temperature with protection from contaminating agents, civil strife and conflicts, etc., that something like half of all food produced is never consumed. MPA/MPP graduates around the world are involved in addressing these vital concerns, and the simulation competition will give graduate students from all NASPAA schools the opportunity to immerse themselves in a food security simulation that may well change their life and career interests.
KEY DATES
- September 28, 2016: Deadline to apply as host school
- October 3, 2016: Sites are notified of proposal status
- December 1, 2016: DEADLINE FOR DEANS and PI ALPHA ALPHA ADVISORS TO NOMINATE A STUDENT
- December 2, 2016: SELF NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR STUDENTS: FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED!
- February 25, 2017: Student Competition Day!
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The NASPAA Urban Section is back in Business: Come to its first meeting on October 20 in Columbus!
Laurel McFarland
NASPAA Executive Director
We are enthusiastic to announce the relaunch of the NASPAA Section on Urban-Serving Universities. After a few quiet years, we are rebooting this section at a time when some of the biggest flashpoints in public affairs have an urban element (e.g., Flint's water contamination, public safety crises, education reform, income inequality....). If you are at an urban school of public affairs or work on urban issues, in the United States, or anywhere in the world, then this section is for you. We face great opportunities and challenges in adapting curricula and academic programs to serve today's and tomorrow's needs, as well as other distinctly urban issues (community engagement, recruitment, placement, funding, etc.). This section aims to enhance the network of urban public affairs schools and shine a brighter spotlight on our values and our accomplishments. Please join the section and help NASPAA programs grow their leadership in community engagement at their urban universities. We will host a roundtable discussion at October's conference on the section's themes, and we encourage everyone interested to attend and add to the lively discussion. Prof. Doug Noonan at SPEA-IUPUI (
[email protected]) has agreed to serve as this year's chair of the relaunched section. Please contact him if you would like to register your school as a member of the section, or if you have questions about the section or interest in helping to provide leadership.
A number of NASPAA schools have been focusing on their local urban communities, and what they can do to advance the people and areas in which they are located.
Students in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) at IUPUI in the City of Indianapolis, for example, engage in community-based research and service projects in many of their graduate and undergraduate classes. In 2014-2015, SPEA students completed a total of 45,000 hours of engaged research and service work. Altogether, that adds up to nearly 100 capstone projects for 25 community partners in just one academic year. Starting this year, a former Indianapolis mayor has established a
fellowship program to fund an immersive one-year paid internship for a graduate student who has a career interest in public service. The fellows will work in partnership with the mayor's office and have opportunities to work in other city departments as well. Then this past year, SPEA sponsored a series of National Public Safety Forums in partnership with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Indy Public Safety Foundation, and other community organizations. The forums have featured topics on youth, women in law enforcement, and financing. And finally, SPEA is a partner in the new "Near Eastside Promise Zone" effort; Indianapolis is one of the eight recently designated Promise Zone cities nationwide.
Promise Zones
are where the federal government will partner with and invest in communities to accomplish the following goals: create jobs, leverage private investment, increase economic activity, expand educational opportunities, and reduce violent crime.
Rutgers New Brunswick-Bloustein School has taken a combined approach of policy and urban planning. They have a new concentration in Urban Policy and Community Development. Professor Henry Coleman, at the Bloustein School, Rutgers New Brunswick, is leading a research/teaching effort in central New Jersey. He says, "Urban areas in the USA are still the location for the bulk of the nation's economic activity and the majority of its population, especially most of the young, the old, the minority, and the economically disadvantaged residents. Unfortunately, many of the nation's economic and social ills are also disproportionately concentrated within our urban areas. As such, the study of major public policy trends, issues, and options requires an on-going focus on urban areas. Every year, Rutgers New Brunswick-Bloustein School partners with New Jersey Community Capital, a non-profit lender designed to meet the needs of New Jersey-based affordable housing developers. In spring 2016, five MPP students partnered with NJCC on a Practicum project that evaluated affordable housing solutions for immigrant communities. The project sought to better understand the challenges facing immigrants attempting to attain home ownership, while examining trends in immigration and home ownership throughout the state.
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NASPAA Announces 2016 Award Recipients for Outstanding Achievement in Public Service
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We are excited to announce the
recipients of the 2016 NASPAA Awards
. Congratulations to all the recipients and a huge thank you to all the committee members who read the applications as well as faculty, staff, students, and alumni who wrote recommendations. The awards will be presented at the NASPAA Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, October 20, and Friday, October 21.
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Kathryn Newcomer. Former NASPAA President and Director of the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University will receive the Duncombe Excellence in Doctoral Education Award. This award was established in 2014 in honor of the late William Duncombe because of his legacy in educating doctoral students, and recognizes a faculty member who displays similar qualities in going above and beyond in educating doctoral students across many years. One of Dr. Newcomer's doctoral students wrote in his recommendation, "In addition to her roles as an educator, advisor, and friend, Professor Newcomer is a highly regarded expert in her field of program evaluation. Last year she published the fourth edition of a text that is among the seminal works in the discipline. I routinely hear of requests for her to present at conferences around the world, and within the Federal government among public administrators there is a profound recognition of Professor's Newcomer's ability to connect theory and practice."
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Peter Wilcoxen, Professor and Director of the Maxwell School's Center for Environmental Policy and Administration at Syracuse University will receive the Leslie A. Whittington Excellence in Teaching Award. The NASPAA Excellence in Teaching Award, first presented in 1993, recognizes faculty members at NASPAA institutions who make outstanding contributions to public service education through excellence in teaching over a sustained period of time. In 2001, this award was renamed in honor of the 2000 recipient, Leslie A. Whittington, of Georgetown University, who perished at the Pentagon on American Flight 77, on September 11, 2001. The nominating committee was impressed with his scholarship of teaching and praise from his students that included: "Attending class was often like catching up on a treasured TV show and when the semester was over, the last day of class was much like the series finale, leaving us with a sense of "now what?" to fill that engagement and enthusiasm."
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The Pi Alpha Alpha Chapter Award and Chapter Advisor Award is a NASPAA family affair. This year Governors State University in University Park, Illinois will be awarded the Pi Alpha Alpha Chapter Award of Excellence. Mary Bruce, Full Professor of Public Administration and Pi Alpha Alpha Chapter Advisor will receive the Pi Alpha Alpha Chapter Advisor Award of Excellence. When Professor Bruce was earning her MPA at Oakland University, she was a student of NASPAA President Michelle Piskulich. There the two of them established Oakland's Pi Alpha Alpha chapter. At Governors State Dr. Bruce and her chapter were extremely busy this past year conducting two roundtable discussions with state and municipal leaders, three community service events, and hosted a successful forum on racial profiling. Dr. Bruce values Pi Alpha Alpha and believes the honor society encourages students to attain and maintain high standards and GPAs.
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The full list of award recipients and their respective committees are listed
here.
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"
Let Your Voice Be Heard: A Next Generation for Undergraduate" Conference Recap
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NASPAA and the PPIA Program were sponsors of Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College's Public Service Weekend July 29 - July 31 held at their Washington, DC center. Entitled, Let Your Voice Be Heard: A Next Generation for Undergraduates, sixty-five students heard from Heinz College faculty and alumni on public policy issues that included technology and society, government gridlock, climate change, and education. Additionally the weekend gave college sophomores and juniors an opportunity to learn about admission into a graduate school of public affairs or public policy and life as a graduate student. Gladys Perez (not shown), Director of Heinz College's Master of Science in Public Policy and Management Program said, "we surveyed the participants and 80% stated they would be likely or very likely apply to graduate studies in public policy and international affairs!"
The next PPIA Public Service Weekend will be held October 28-29 at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York. Participants will hear from the Mayor of Binghamton, Svante Myrick, who is the city's youngest and first mayor of color. Please forward the following flyer to your students.
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Admiral Manson Brown, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Observation and Prediction, U.S. Dept. of Commerce
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Melissa Lee (speaking at the podium) Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs discusses the graduate admission process
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NASPAA Data Center Update
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2015-2016 Annual Data Report now open!
Please complete your program's Annual Data Report
here. The data you provide feeds into NASPAA's
School Search and your school profile, so don't miss out on your opportunity to be included! Please complete your report by October 1. If you have any questions, please contact
[email protected].
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Program Director's Corner
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National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) Invite You to Present at its FORUM 2017 in Little Rock, Arkansas
NFBPA is pleased to invite you to be part of a distinguished group of workshop leaders, educators and practitioners who will provide practical ideas, new technologies and relevant information to help meet the challenges and rewards of public service careers.
Pi Alpha Alpha Welcomes its Newest Chapter -
University of Southern Indiana
Located in Evansville, Indiana,
USI's Master of Public Administration Program was created in 2002. Program Director and Pi Alpha Alpha Chapter Advisor
Dr. Matthew Hanka (back row, center) is shown here with USI's 2016 MPA graduates.
 For all Pi Alpha Alpha questions and matters including -- updating your Pi Alpha Alpha Chapter Advisor; inducting students after a few years of inactivity; or starting a new chapter - please contact David Marshall, Director of Membership Development at
[email protected]
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Interested in Becoming a NASPAA Site Visitor?
We are always looking for new site visitors! Join COPRA at its upcoming training at the
ICMA 2016 Annual Conference in Kansas City on September 26 at 9:30 am.
The training session will touch on logistics of the site visit process, as well as the NASPAA Accreditation Standards. If you are interested in attending our training session, RSVP to
[email protected] and be sure to watch our
training videos prior to the conferences!
2015-16 Annual Data Report Due October 1
Don't forget all accredited programs must complete the
accreditation maintenance report, due October 1! The maintenance report and annual program survey share one form to make satisfying accreditation requirements and sharing your program's data publicly easier. Questions? Contact Heather Hamilton at
[email protected]. Get started at
naspaa.civicore.com.
2016 Accreditation Institute 
Join us! The 2016
Accreditation Institute will be held October 19, 2016 at the NASPAA Annual Conference in Columbus. Prep with the flipped classroom and then join Jack Meek and Jo Ann Ewalt for a full day of training, followed by a reception hosted by West Chester University. Thank you to our other sponsors, The American University in Cairo and Brigham Young University, for also making the day possible!
Thank you, COPRA!
With the new semester upon us, the 2015-16 Commission has officially completed its work, and the 2016-17 Commission is just kicking off! COPRA looks forward to a successful 2016-17 review cycle, under the leadership of Chair Laura Bloomberg (University of Minnesota)!
NASPAA would like to thank the following COPRA members for their combined 16 years of service to COPRA:
Jo Ann Ewalt (COPRA Chair), College of Charleston
Abraham Benavides, University of North Texas
Susan Gooden, Virginia Commonwealth University
Debra Ringold, Willamette University
Heather Wyatt-Nichol, University of Baltimore
We would also like to welcome our newest COPRA members:
David Campbell, Binghamton University
Maja Holmes, West Virginia University
Thomas Longoria, Texas State University
Jeffrey Osgood, West Chester University
Craig Thomas, University of Washington
Please join us in thanking all Commissioners for their commitment and service to our field!
Journal of Public Affairs Education: CALL FOR PAPERS
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DEADLINES & SAVE THE DATES:
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The Latest Installment from NASPAA's 2016 Student Simulation Competition Prize Internship Winner, Hanh Nguyen: What it's Like to work on Climate Change for the G20 Research Center!
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Hanh Nguyen |
After two months interning at the G20 Research Group, I am getting familiar with the working environment there and start to have some contributions to their breadth of knowledge. The Research Group published my first blog "
Integrating a Gender-Responsive Approach in Climate Change Decision Making
"on their website by the end of July. In this blog, I discussed the necessity of empowering women in climate change governance and how to address existing challenges around this topic at the global level.
As the G20 Summit is approaching, I have been engaged in various activities to prepare for the Summit. I joined the G20 Climate Initiative Team (GCIT), a small working team formed by Professor John Kirton to collect ideas and design a set of recommendations for G20 leaders to combat climate change. We have had in-depth weekly meetings to exchange our opinions and give feedback for each other. I am in charge of drafting two recommendations: mainstreaming gender in climate governance and involving indigenous peoples. These incentives will be very helpful in countries where policies on women and indigenous peoples' empowerment are non-existent. We are now looking for our final report which will come out by the beginning of September.
Additionally, I joined with Professor John Kirton and Madeline Koch to a field trip to Ottawa where we had some discussions about our latest report with a number of scholars and government officers working in the field of climate change and global governance. It was also fascinating to visit a beautiful city with rich culture like Ottawa.
I also attended the
Couchiching Conference
, an annual event for civic discussion in Canada, to join numerous inclusive and dynamic discussions around the theme of "The Canada Project: Identity, Citizenship, and Nationhood in a Changing World". During these meetings, we identify areas of concern, including immigration and refugee crisis, national belonging and the right of minority groups. It was a great opportunity for me to network and make new friends. I took the advantage of having a very unique background to introduce about my university in Budapest as well as how I made my way to Canada thanks to NASPAA's competition.
I have enhanced my skills and enriched my knowledge during my time at the G20 Research Group so far. I really appreciate that my colleagues and supervisor at the G20 Research Group are always willing to listen to and respect my ideas. The constructive environment of the Research group encourages me to try more to fulfill my skills and knowledge. I am very grateful to NASPAA for providing me with this experience, which will have a hugely positive impact both on my personal life and my career.
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ICMA Names a New Director
The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) has named Marc Ott, recently the city manager of Austin, Texas, as their new executive director. With a membership of more than 10,000 from 23 countries, ICMA is the world's leading local government association of professional city and county managers, appointed chief administrative officers, assistant and deputy administrators, and other employees who serve local governments and regional entities. In 2013, Ott received ICMA's highest professional honor, the Award for Career Excellence in Memory of Mark E. Keane, for his creative approach to such challenging issues as budget deficits, homelessness, infrastructure management, and education. ICMA's new director earned both a bachelor's degree in management and a Master's in Public Administration from Oakland University. He is also a graduate of the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. NASPAA also expresses its thanks to Robert O'Neill, who, after 14 years as Executive Director, is stepping down. Over those 14 years, NASPAA and ICMA worked on a number of projects together, including the Local Government Management Fellowship and competencies for the MPA specialization in city management. We salute him for his service to the profession, and especially for his concern for the training of the next generation of city managers.
Social Justice Advocacy at Rutgers New Brunswick-Bloustein School
The Public Policy Program at Rutgers New Brunswick - Bloustein School has just launched a new concentration in Social Justice Advocacy for its Master of Public Policy (MPP) students. The School has long been concerned with income inequality and undertook a number of initiatives in the previous year to expand and highlight its work in this area. With movements emerging across the nation concerned with social justice, the faculty hopes to marshal their expertise in both social policy and in advocacy to give the future leaders of these movements the tools they need to make a real contribution to the battle against inequality. On the research side of this issue, the School's Heldrich Center for Research Development was awarded several grants in 2016 to focus on various aspects of inequality and social justice. The Center is conducting a multi-year demonstration research project on strategies for long-term unemployed workers who are attempting to return to the labor market and avoid or transition out of poverty. This project is funded by several private foundations and conducted in partnership with 25 organizations, including the New Jersey Anti-Poverty Network, United Way, and the AARP. With funding from the New Jersey Department of Education, the Heldrich Center is also doing work to help low-income high school students navigate their college and career decisions. The Chase Foundation has funded the creation of a Heldrich Center program that helps students who are not attending college obtain better jobs through Career and Technical Education. Professor Dawne Mouzon's research focuses on inequality, and addresses various aspects of racial/ethnic and gender inequality in both physical and mental health. She focuses on health and social justice issues affecting communities of African descent (both U.S.-born and foreign-born), which special emphases on racial discrimination, mass incarceration, and the criminal justice system.
The University of Kentucky Martin School of Public Policy and Administration has announced Ron Zimmer is the School's new Director. His research focuses on school choice and school finance, and he has served as the co-editor of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and of The Economics of Education Review. which has led to a number of scholarly articles, book chapters, and monographs. Ron is co-leading a study to evaluate Tennessee's Achievement School District, which is tasked with raising the performance of low performing schools. Ron replaces Merl Hackbart in the role.
Changes at the University of Puerto Rico
Dr. Yolanda Cordero-Nieves has been named acting Chair of the Graduate School of Public Administration at the Roberto Sánchez Vilella School of Public Administration, the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. Dr. Palmira Rios has been appointed the Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of Puerto Rico (Rio Piedras campus).
Change at the Askew School
Keon-Hyung Lee has been elected by the Florida State Askew School faculty and appointed by the dean to serve as the new DIrector of the Askew School. Professor Lee's academic interests include health care finance, health policy analysis, performance management, and scientific inquiry. After serving as director of the Askew School for 12 of the last 18 years, Earle Klay is returning to the faculty for full time teaching and writing. NASPAA thanks Dr. Klay for his many contributions to the association over the last two decades.
Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership
Honoring Mr. Alec Karakatsanis
October 19th at 4 p.m., Ballroom A, University Club, University of Pittsburgh
Alec is the founder of an organization called Equal Justice Under Law. He was recently named Trial Lawyer of the Year by Public Justice. The Johnson Institute is giving Alec our
2016 Emerging Leader Award for his remarkable work in pursuit of justice for persons who have been ignored or, worse, systematically disadvantaged under the current justice system. Largely in Southern states, Alec has successfully fought successfully against the money bail system, debtors' prisons, and many other injustices that have ruined lives and fractured families, and clogged our legal system and our correctional facilities with people who have committed non-violent crimes. You can learn a bit more about his work in this
video. RSVP
[email protected] or 412-648-1336
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