IN THIS ISSUE





Opportunities to promote your school at the 2016 NASPAA Annual Conference are still available!

Show your support for NASPAA and the importance of public affairs education by becoming a sponsor. 

Consider being a Conference Supporter, purchasing an ad in the conference program, or exhibiting during the conference.

For more information, contact Event Manager Leigh Anne Elliott at elliott@naspaa.org or (202) 628-8965, ext. 115.



2016 NASPAA Annual Conference Registration is Open!

We invite you to attend the 2016 Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio!

In addition to 81 educational sessions with over 200 presenters sharing their thoughts, ideas, and insights on public service education topics on Thursday and Friday, we are launching two prestigious programs, "NASPAA NEXT: A Leadership Development Institute for Public Affairs Education" and "NASPAA Advisory Services Pilot Training Incubator" that will join the Accreditation Institute as part of Wednesday's line up.

Register below to secure your spot at the public service event of the year!

Don't miss these great events:

Wednesday, October 19:
* Accreditation Institute
* NASPAA NEXT (Invitation only)
* NASPAA Advisory Services Pilot Training Incubator (Invitation only)
Thursday, October 20 & Friday, October 21:
* Keynote Speeches
* Luncheons
* Breakout Sessions
* Business Meeting
* Evening Receptions
Saturday, October 22:
* Local excursion plans are in the works!






And Don't Forget to Book your HOTEL!

NASPAA announces the inaugural class of NASPAA NEXT: A Leadership Development Institute for Public Affairs Education 
 
NASPAA is introducing NASPAA NEXT this fall at our annual conference in Columbus, Ohio. The four-hour workshop to be held on Wednesday, October 19, 2016, will provide emerging leaders in their departments or programs practical tools that will enable them to become more engaged members of their campuses and communities. Participation in NASPAA NEXT is by invitation only, and invitations were based on recommendations from deans and other senior faculty, professional reputation and scholarly research, as well as participation in NASPAA activities. 
Sharon Mastracci,
University of U tah

NASPAA NEXT will expand on the work of Sharon Mastracci, 
University of U tah, on  "Emotional Labor: Why and How to Teach It," participants will learn self-awareness strategies and how to manage relationships and social awareness in order to develop into stronger leaders and contribute to stronger organizations. Moreover, participants will learn how to become more fully engaged with NASPAA by ensuring their talents and knowledge base are strategically aligned with leadership opportunities for the association. Professor Mastracci will lead this workshop and participants will hear from NASPAA volunteers who are successfully engaged on their campus, in their community, and within NASPAA. Professor Kurt Thurmaier, Chair of the NASPAA Budgeting and Financial Management Section (confirmed) and Professor Susan Gooden, President of ASPA (invited) and Kathy Newcomer, former NASPAA president and Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (confirmed), will share their passions and experiences. 

Individuals who have recently received tenure or at an equivalent stage of their academic and professional development, and who are interested in being nominated for next year should send an email of interest to David Marshall, Director of Membership Development, at marshall@naspaa.org.
 
Leadership Corner  
Federal Update

by Laurel McFarland, NASPAA Executive Director 

While the overall picture for federal employment of MPA and MPP graduates has been rather grim lately, I have two promising developments to report. First, the Office of Personnel Management, the home of the Presidential Management Fellowship program (PMF) and other Pathways programs, has been signalling there are some changes coming to this Fall's PMF process. They have plans to introduce faster and clearer information about what agencies will be hiring PMFs, and encouraging speedier naming of finalists and placements. Details of changes to the PMF should be available next month, and we will pass them on to you as soon as we get a hold of them! Also on the horizon: in just a few months, the first group of federal loan borrowers who entered public service 10 years ago will become eligible for public service loan forgiveness of their balance. The PSLF program is fiendishly complicated, and as we have related before, it contains some perverse incentive; excludes students who are trying to pay off their debt in a timely fashion, and sometimes rewards students who have made poor choices along the way. Nonetheless, for some of our graduates, it offers an excellent way of eliminating their debt burden. The Century Foundation has issued one of the most authoritative reports I've seen on the current state of income contingent loan repayment and PSLF. Please see
 
Member Spotlight
Lessons from a flipped classroom: a new approach to public affairs instruction

by Dr. Susan Siena, a lecturer at the Indiana University School of Public and
Susan Siena
IU, Bloomington
Environmental Affairs

 
Flipping the class sounds risky to many faculty members. Course content is presented outside of class time, often (but not always) in an instructor-produced video. Class time is used for active learning techniques in which students complete in-class assignments or problem sets, often involving interaction with peers and the instructor. Preparing a pre-recorded lecture will inevitably require a bit more preparation and new in-class activities will have to be devised to replace the time previously spent lecturing. The prospect of flipping an entire course may be overwhelming.

Another approach is to test the waters by using flipped instruction for just a few carefully targeted class sessions.

As a full-time non-tenure-track lecturer in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University in Bloomington, my task is to teach two 100-person sections of an introductory course in public policy. In order to incorporate active learning techniques despite the fairly large enrollment, I require that students complete on-line homework or quizzes before class starts. This insures that most have some basis on which to participate in class discussions. Each student is assigned to a team in which she completes required in-class assignments. Teams discuss policy issues, develop counter-arguments, deconstruct complex reading assignments, and find evidence to support a variety of positions. Although I use active learning in every class session, I continue to use lecture to deliver a significant amount of course content. Since I prefer selected readings over a textbook, lectures are necessary to provide background and set these reading materials in context.

Read More

2016 NASPAA Admissions Meeting Recap

(Courtesy of Daniel Cheng, University of Minnesota)
 
On July 14, 2016 NASPAA sponsored its annual Admission Directors Meeting. Sponsored by the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the meeting was attended by close to 60 admission representatives from NASPAA member schools.

The attendees heard from Bob Augustine from the Council of Graduate Schools who presented on the current state of graduate schools in the United States, as well as participated in a very lively discussion on social media tools used in recruitment led by Alex Thomas, University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service; Barry Wall, University of Washington Evans School of Policy and Governance; and Donald Tighe, American University School of Communication.

For information about the Admissions Directors Meeting contact, Stacy Drudy at drudy@naspaa.org.

NASPAA would like to thank the  Planning Committee: Amy Luitjens, University of Minnesota, Kellie Sauls, University of Virginia, Alex Thomas, University of Arkansas, Elaine McBeth, College of William and Mary, and Barry Wall, University of Washington.

NASPAA Celebrates Public Policy & International Affairs (PPIA) Program's 35th Anniversary 

On July 15, 2016, NASPAA was a bronze sponsor of the Public Policy & International Affairs (PPIA) Program's 35th Anniversary Celebration held on the campus of The George Washington University in Washington, DC. Events included the 35th Anniversary Gala, a public service expo, and a meeting of the PPIA Graduate School Consortium.

At the Anniversary Gala participants heard from keynote speaker, Benjamin Jealous, former President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and from Jennifer Pinckney (left photo, center), the widow of Reverend and State Senator Clementa Pinckney (Princeton PPIA '94), who was tragically murdered at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC on June 17, 2015. This year PPIA renamed its alumni achievement award after Reverend Pinckney.





NASPAA congratulates Martha Chavez (center photo, center), Senior Assistant Dean for Academic Programs and Dean of Students of UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy, for receiving the Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney Award. Dean Chavez also serves on the PPIA Board of Directors.

NASPAA also congratulates Dr. Sophal Ear (right photo), Associate Professor of Diplomacy & World Affairs at Occidental College, for receiving the Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney Award at the PPIA 35th Anniversary Gala on Friday evening, June 15. Dr. Ear is also is an elected member of the Crescenta Valley, CA, Town Council.

Program Director's Corner
AUGUST 10 DEADLINE APPROACHING!:
Call For NASPAA Executive Council and Vice President Nominations 2016-17
In September 2016, the Nominating Committee of NASPAA (the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration) chaired by Ed Kellough, Immediate Past President, will be recommending a slate for FIVE members of the Executive Council and Vice President/President Elect of the Council. The Nominating Committee welcomes recommendations for nominations from NASPAA member schools. Recommenders should note that Council positions require a significant commitment of time and effort on the part of the individual and support from his or her home institution. More details.
 
Call for Panel Proposals Addressing a New Track at the Columbus Convention: Conversations on Nonprofits at the Core
We seek proposals for panels that would flesh out the role of nonprofit education not only in the context of a specialization, but at the core of our programs. Particularly welcome are panel proposals that explore some of the next steps NASPAA could take in such areas as providing assistance to programs pursuing accreditation with a nonprofit mission, in NASPAA accreditation, NASPAA projects or activities that could advance nonprofit management education both in the US and internationally, and so on. If you would like to be considered to present a panel, please submit a short panel proposal, including the names of convenor and panelists, the titles of the panel and of the presentations, and a description of the panel, including a 100 word summary. Your proposal should go to NASPAA conference manager, Leigh Anne Elliott at elliott@naspaa.org. The deadline for submissions for this special mini-track will be August 20, 2016, and prospective convenors will be notified by August 31. More details.

2015-2016 Annual Data Report Opens August 1st, Due October 1st! 
NASPAA's Annual Data Report, which feeds into NASPAA's school search and your school profile, opens August 1stYou can directly log in to your Annual Data Report using this link.
For more information regarding the Annual Data Report go here or contact NASPAA's Data Center Director, Stacy Drudy at drudy@naspaa.org.

2016 Accreditation Institute
Start planning now! The 2016 Accreditation Institute will be held October 19, 2016 at the NASPAA Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio. Join NASPAA and your colleagues for a full day of training and discussion surrounding program evaluation, student learning assessment, and diversity, followed by a reception hosted by West Chester University. Thank you to our other sponsors, Brigham Young University and The American University in Cairo, for also making the day possible!

Upcoming Accreditation Deadlines
Don't forget! As we head into the Fall semester, there are several important acc reditation dates to remember:
* August 15: Accreditation Eligibility Application deadline
* August 15: Self-Study Report deadline (for 2016-17 cohort)
* September 1: 2016 Roster of Accredited Programs Release
* October 1: Annual Accreditation Maintenance Report due for accredited programs
* October 19: Accreditation Institute
The Accreditation website has many resources for programs at any stage of the process. If you have any questions about your program's specific deadlines, please contact  hamilton@naspaa.org.

Interested in becoming a NASPAA Site Visitor?
We are always looking for new site visitors! We have several upcoming trainings this fall, please join us!
* NIGP Annual Forum, National Harbor, MD: 3:00 pm, August 23
* ICMA 2016 Annual Conference, Kansas City, MO: TBA, September 27
* ARNOVA Annual Conference, Washington, DC: TBA

The training sessions 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 hamilton@naspaa.org and be sure to watch our training videos prior to the conferences! Likewise, if your organization is interested in partnering with COPRA to host a training, please let us know!

Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society Update
During the 2015-2016 school year 2,727  students were ind ucted into the h onor s ociety from 131 chapters from across the United States and Guam. This number is up 3% from last year.

Also, during the school year four new chapters were approved - The University of Houston Hobby Center for Public Policy; Indiana University - Purdue University, Fort Wayne; Regent University; and Buffalo State, SUNY. Congratulations and Welcome Aboard!

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 at marshall@naspaa.org.

Journal of Public Affairs Education: CALL FOR PAPERS
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DEADLINES & SAVE THE DATES:  
 
July 29 - 31, 2016:  Let Your Voice Be Heard: A Next Generation Conference for Undergraduates
October 19 - 21, 2016:  NASPAA Annual Conference in Columbus, OH - Registration open!
October 20 - 23, 2016: Moving the World Forward: Exploring a Future in Public Service (for undergraduate students)
December 7 - 9, 2016: NASPAA Career Directors Conference at the University of Virginia Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy

NASPAA Global
Learning Matters: International Research and Perspectives on Contextual Learning in Public Affairs Classrooms
(Photo by UNU-Merit)
Hands-on, contextual learning matters around the world. The more we simulate the demands of the profession of public service for our students-through simulations, case studies, and internships, the more competent our students become. And the more competent the students are, the higher the quality of education becomes. NASPAA began a conversation on this topic in Beijing in 2015, and it will continue at the NASPAA 2016 Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio, and conclude at a NASPAA meeting in Doha in 2017. We welcome you to participate in the discussion at our Columbus Conference and hope you keep staying focused on the  NASPAA Student Simulation Competition and our other contextual learning projects in the future.

Member News

Name changed at UNLV
The School of Environmental and Public Affairs of Greenspun College of Urban Affairs at UNLV is now School of Public Policy and Leadership

Name changed at Baruch College
The School of Public Affairs at Baruch College is now School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA)

Name changed at Brown Univesrity
The Taubman Center for American Politics at Brown University is now the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
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