At the close of the conference in the NASPAA Annual Business Meeting, new 2016-2017 Executive Council members were announced and the gavel was passed from outgoing president, C. Michelle Piskulich of Oakland University, to incoming president, David Birdsell of Baruch College - CUNY. 

NASPAA's new president addressed the decline of trust in government, both in the United States and in many other countries around the world. He pointed to an important role for public affairs schools: we need to provide graduates who are capable of responding to that public view, through their competence and their vision for what will restore that trust in the next generation. President Birdsell also addressed the global dimension of NASPAA, reminding the audience that NASPAA should not be global just to be global, but rather to create a new framework for solving the many public problems that transcend borders. 

The 2016 Annual Conference was host to the inaugural class of NASPAA NEXT: A Leadership Development Institute for Public Affairs Education.

Twenty-two emerging faculty participated in the four-hour workshop that provided them practical tools to enable them to become more engaged members of their campuses and communities. Participation in NASPAA NEXT was by invitation only, and invitations were extended based on recommendations from deans and other senior faculty, professional reputation and scholarly research, as well as participation in NASPAA activities.

Professor Sharon Mastracci, University of Utah, lead the workshop and participants took part in discussions designed to build self-awareness strategies for managing relationships in order to develop into stronger leaders and contribute to stronger organizations. Moreover, participants learned how to become more fully engaged with NASPAA by ensuring their talents and knowledge base are strategically aligned with leadership opportunities for the association. Additionally the participants heard from Professor Kurt Thurmaier, Chair of the NASPAA Budgeting and Financial Management Section and Kathy Newcomer, former NASPAA president and Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, volunteers who are successfully engaged on their campus, in their community, and within NASPAA. At the conclusion of the workshop several of the participants set up mentoring partnerships to continue their professional development. Several participants indicated the workshop provided a space to talk about their emotions regarding teaching versus their administrative obligations. Additionally, several others mentioned this was the first time they had the opportunity to have such a conversation.

NASPAA will accept nominations for the second class of NASPAA NEXT in the Spring of 2017.

Sharon Mastracci discusses Emotional Intelligence and Labor at NASPAA NEXT

Kathryn Newcomer shares her experiences at NASPAA NEXT

For over 30 years the guiding vision of the PPIA Program has been increasing the participation and inclusion of traditionally underrepresented groups at the highest level of public sector leadership. NASPAA supports these endeavors and wishes to aid the PPIA Program in furthering its mission. NASPAA firmly desires to partner with the PPIA Program based on these fundamental values and belief in exciting new generations of students to consider and enter graduate programs and careers in public service. We hope host institution(s) will share this belief and help make this program a successful reality.

Program Description

The Public Service Weekend (PSW) is a two to three-day long program for rising undergraduate sophomores and juniors. The goal for this program is to introduce students to topics in the field of public service through expertise provided by university faculty, graduate student panels, and skill workshops. The audience for the conference can be drawn from either a regional or a national pool of candidates depending on the desired size and scope the host institution has for the event.

 

This is a tremendous opportunity for your program to take part in shaping the next generation of public sector leaders. We look forward to receiving your proposals for moving forward with the program and working with you to make this event a reality. 

Key Dates

• November 30, 2016 :  Letter of Interest due 
• January, 2017 : Selection & notification

Click here to download RFP .
Submit to PPIA National Office email  ppia.office@ppiaprogram.org electronically. 

Questions? Call or email the National Office at 612-625-6944 or  ppia.office@ppiaprogram.org.

 

 

Are you interested in continuing the conversation from the NASPAA Annual Conference? 

Join one of NASPAA's section or committee listservs today!  NASPAA offers a variety of listservs in which members can participate and engage in discussion throughout the year. Those listservs are: 

Undergraduate Committee:

This past year the Undergraduate Committee recommended changes to the 1997 Undergraduate Guidelines and will be working this year on an accompanying Appendix filled with best practices and examples for schools.  If you are interested in engaging in this discussion or if you would like to be able to reach out to other Undergraduate programs with your own particular questions subscribe to the Undergraduate listserv!

Diversity and Social Equity Committee:

Members of the Diversity and Social Equity Committee were busy during the Annual Conference.  Led by Mohamad Alkadry and Blue Wooldridge, the committee in addition to holding its annual meeting, awarded the Diversity, Social Equity, and Social Justice Curriculum Awards, and convened two well attended panels:  Race and Campus Activism at Schools of Public Policy and Public Affairs; and Social Equity -- The Intergovernmental System and The Flint Water Crisis.  

In the Race and Campus Activism Panel, panelists discussed the current state of race relations in the United States, the Black Lives Matter Movement and how these contributed to events at the University of Missouri, University of Kansas, and Princeton University.  

From left to right:  Elisabeth Donahue, Princeton University,  Charles Menifield, University of Missouri, Columbia, Reggie Robinson, The University of Kansas,  and Richardson Dilworth, Drexel University

 

Panelists in Social Equity/Flint River panel discussed the the political environment that lead to this crisis as well as what types of public policy instruction can be given to future leaders to prevent this from happening again.  This panel was a collective effort of the Diversity and Social Equity Committee, the Local Government Management Education Committee, and the newly revived Urban Serving Section.  This panel will present their findings at the Social Equity and Leadership Conference in Omaha, NE,  June 1 - 3, 2017.

Feedback from the Diversity and Social Equity Committee's meeting and panels include:

1. Create a Diversity and Social Equity Committee listserv
2. NASPAA should collect and share information on how NASPAA member schools address diversity issues. 
3. The Committee will work on methods of incorporating Social Justice and Equity into public affairs and public policy curriculum.
4. At the 2017 conference additional topics that should be addressed include, LBGT issues, MSIs, and additional environment justices issues -- especially those that effect Native Americans like the Dakota pipeline.
    

Reestablishing the Urban Serving University Section

During the 2016 Annual Conference the Urban Serving Universities Section was reestablished after being dormant for several years.  The section elected Doug Noonan, IUPUI, and Roger Hartley, University of Baltimore, as Co-Chairs.  During the upcoming year this section will determine what institutions are urban servings universities and will communicate this with NASPAA.  This section will outreach to foundations, nonprofits, and other local leaders for participation in their panels and to inform their section.  Finally the section will invite a representative of the new presidential administration to the 2017 Annual Conference.

NASPAA 2016 Career Professionals Conference -  Registration Now Open ! 

December 8 - 9, 2016

Hosted by the University of Virginia Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

NASPAA's  Career Professionals Conference  is a two-day gathering for member schools to discuss topics such as advising students on internship and job searches, training students in career search skills, networking with employers, managing career offices, and related issues.  Program directors from schools without dedicated career services staff are welcome and encouraged to attend! 
 

Please  Reserve Your Hotel Today!  by  November 7  to qualify for the NASPAA Rate ($128/night)

Thank you! 2016 Accreditation Institute 

Thank you to everyone who made the 2016 Accreditation Institute a success! We had 150 participants, representing over 80 institutions. The day would not have been possible without the guidance of
Jack Meek (University of La Verne), and Jo Ann Ewalt (College of Charleston) or the support of our sponsors: West Chester University, The American University in Cairo, and Brigham Young University.

Want to follow-up with the handouts from the day? Check the website for slides, handouts, and site visitor training materials!

Join COPRA for Site Visitor Training!

We are always looking for new site visitors! Join COPRA at its upcoming training at the ARNOVA 2016 Annual Conference in Washington, DC on November 18 at 3:45pm.
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 hamilton@naspaa.org and be sure to watch our training videos prior to the conferences!

2014-15 Annual Accreditation Data Report

Data was a constant theme at #NASPAA2016 - learn more about NASPAA Accredited Programs in the 2016 Annual Accreditation Data Report! The AY 2014-15 Report provides increased insight into our field, and the faculty, students, and alumni of our accredited programs. Thank you to each NASPAA-accredited program for providing the data in the report.

Congratulations to Pi Alpha Alpha Award Winners

Pi Alpha Alpha Committee Chair Amanda Olejarski, congratulates Mary Bruce of Governors State University for receiving Pi Alpha Alpha's Chapter of Excellence and Chapter Advisor of Excellence Awards

David Marshall (center), Manager of Pi Alpha Alpha congratulates Roger Chin (left), Claremont Graduate College, the 2016 recipient of PAA Doctoral Manuscript Award and Evan Walter (right ), Northern Illinois University,  the 2016 recipient of the PAA Masters Manuscript Award.