Find out what's going on in the MPA program this winter!
Winter 2016-17
News from the MPA Program
Surprise! You're a Risk Manager Too!
(and other little secrets Public Administrators can avoid learning the hard way)

By Amy Thomas, MPA Student and Director for Safety & Risk Management, CSU Stanislaus

Just when you thought comps were the hardest thing you might face as a budding public administrator… beware behind every great public management job lurks a number of challenges that no one seems to prepare you for. However, the common pitfalls of safety and risk management do not have to catch you off guard.

Here a couple of tips to avoid learning “the hard way” when it comes to safety and risk in public service.
  • Employee safety should be your top concern. You may have heard “be a manager go to jail”. This is referring to the fact that public managers could be held personally liable if they failed to provide a safe environment for the staff they supervise. Injuries in public service range from simple slips/trips/falls all the way to workplace violence. Most public administrators learn about safety on-the-job with very little direct training about how to keep employees safe. All public managers should make themselves aware of OSHA standards (or CalOHSA in our state) for worker safety. The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) website has handy tools for employers to develop the required injury and illness prevention plans.
  • Prevent public injuries and understand public liabilities. Public agency managers should make every effort to maintain safe and secure public spaces, but sometimes accidents just happen. Public administrators should make themselves aware of the general liability insurance program for their public agency and what the process is for the public to make a claim for personal property damage recovery. The agency attorney or risk manager would love to bring you up to speed about potential liabilities for your division long before you all meet in a court situation. Public managers can join associations such as the Public Agency Risk Management Association (PARMA) to learn risk reductions strategies.
Recent Fellowship & Scholarship Winners
Josephine Hazelton - Caroline Alain-Rodman Memorial Scholarship

Naraith Lopez - Demergasso Fellowship

Lei Sun - Demergasso Fellowship

Timothy Schwartz - Demergasso Fellowship

Nayeli Carmona - Graduate Equity Award

Jeff Montgomery - Robert Odell Scholarship
Winter Session Starts January 3rd
Mark your calendars - the Winter Session begins January 3, 2017, and ends January 23, 2017. The department will be offering one course, PSCI 4330, Urban Politics. E-mail Dr. Wellman for more info.
Have you seen our new website?
Check out our new website at csustan.edu/mpa, and bookmark it to stay current on job openings, events, and program updates
Faculty News
The Hudspeth family would like to thank the entire MPA community for the outpouring of love and support after the loss of their son, Benjamin Hudspeth. 
Call for Articles
Have an idea for an article? Want to develop your resume or vita? Consider writing a brief piece for The Exchange. Submissions should be 300 words or less and cover an area of interest to students of public administration.

Contact Dr. Wellman if you're interested!                                             
CSU Stanislaus | Department of Political Science & Public Administration | (209) 667-3388 | mpa@csustan.edu | www.csustan.edu/mpa