The Exchange is a bi-annual newsletter for the University of Nebraska Omaha, School of Public Administration faculty, staff, students, friends and alumni.
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THE Newsletter of the School of Public Administration http://spa.unomaha.edu Winter/Spring 2014 University of Nebraska Omaha exchange Do From The Director’s Desk: The Pursuit of Excllence By Dr. Ethel Williams In a March 2009 issue of the Harvard Gazette author Amy Lavoie explored the question of how to define academic excellence. She asks, “Many people talk about academic excellence — but who or what really defines this elusive quality?” The theme of this issue provides a great opportunity to reflect on how we in the School of Public Administration (SPA) define and pursue academic excellence. During the last few months several faculty members have received best paper awards, one faculty member completed a book and was selected as a fellow in the Robert Dougherty Water for Food Institute and another faculty member was just notified she was the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship. The very hard work of the NASA Space Grant staff was publicly mentioned at a national meeting in Washington, DC noting the high quality of programming and accuracy and timely delivery of reports. These are wonderful accolades and a great testament of the high quality of work that is performed in the SPA. Is this our definition of excellence? Perhaps, but this is only a small part. Peer evaluations and rankings are generally always considered in defining academic excellence. Our MPA is ranked among the top programs in the country. To help us maintain a quality program we have chosen to be members of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Af- fairs and Administration (NASPAA) and to be a part of its accreditation process. NASPAA’s two- fold mission is to ensure excellence in education and training for public service and to promote public service; accreditation recognizes that a master’s program in public affairs has undertaken a rigorous process of peer review. The rigorous standards implemented in the MPA Program are also carried out in the other degree programs in the School – Master of Science in Urban Studies, Ph.D. in Public Administration, Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management and Bachelor of Science in Aviation. Peer review and abiding by high quality standards can certainly define academic excellence, but, this too is only one part of the Schools pursuit of excellence. The staff in the SPA are repeatedly noted for their level of competence and profes- sionalism. Our office staff assistant mentors and trains others in the College and UNO and our academic program coordinator is known across the country for her expertise in the field. Again, a part of how we define excellence. Summarily then, what is our definition of excellence? As Director I recognize that excel- lence is not defined by what we attain though these elements are truly the end result of our work. Excellence for us is more how we pursue our work on a daily basis. Excellence is how we work, collaborate and partner with others, it is how we teach and mentor our students - even beyond the classroom. Excellence is seen when personal accolades and prominence are less important than the people we work with and those we serve. Excellence is basically making a positive dif- ference by the things we do every day. “Excellence is an art won by training and habitua- tion. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excel- lence, then, is not an act but a habit.” ― Aristotle
Transcript
THENewsletter of the
School of Public Administration
http://spa.unomaha.edu
Winter/Spring 2014
University of Nebraska Omaha
exch
ange
Do
From The Director’s Desk:
The Pursuit of ExcllenceBy Dr. Ethel Williams
In a March 2009 issue of the Harvard Gazette author Amy Lavoie explored the question of how to define academic excellence. She asks, “Many people talk about academic excellence — but who or what really defines this elusive quality?” The theme of this issue provides a great opportunity to reflect on how we in the School of Public Administration (SPA) define and pursue academic excellence. During the last few months several faculty members have received best paper awards, one faculty member completed a book and was selected as a fellow in the Robert Dougherty Water for Food Institute and another faculty member was just notified she was the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship. The very hard work of the NASA Space Grant staff was publicly mentioned at a national meeting in Washington, DC noting the high quality of programming and accuracy and timely delivery of reports. These are wonderful accolades and a great testament of the high quality of work that is performed in the SPA. Is this our definition of excellence? Perhaps, but this is only a small part. Peer evaluations and rankings are generally always considered in defining academic excellence. Our MPA is ranked among the top programs in the country. To help us maintain a quality program we have chosen to be members of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Af-fairs and Administration (NASPAA) and to be a part of its accreditation process. NASPAA’s two-fold mission is to ensure excellence in education and training for public service and to promote public service; accreditation recognizes that a master’s program in public affairs has undertaken a rigorous process of peer review. The rigorous standards implemented in the MPA Program are also carried out in the other degree programs in the School – Master of Science in Urban Studies, Ph.D. in Public Administration, Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management and Bachelor of Science in Aviation. Peer review and abiding by high quality standards can certainly define academic excellence, but, this too is only one part of the Schools pursuit of excellence. The staff in the SPA are repeatedly noted for their level of competence and profes-sionalism. Our office staff assistant mentors and trains others in the College and UNO and our academic program coordinator is known across the country for her expertise in the field. Again, a part of how we define excellence. Summarily then, what is our definition of excellence? As Director I recognize that excel-lence is not defined by what we attain though these elements are truly the end result of our work. Excellence for us is more how we pursue our work on a daily basis. Excellence is how we work, collaborate and partner with others, it is how we teach and mentor our students - even beyond the classroom. Excellence is seen when personal accolades and prominence are less important than the people we work with and those we serve. Excellence is basically making a positive dif-ference by the things we do every day.
“Excellence is an art won by training and habitua-tion. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excel-
lence, then, is not an act but a habit.” ― Aristotle
FACULTY & STAFFSCHOOL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION6001 Dodge StreetOmaha, Nebraska
68182-0276
(402) 554-2625Ethel Williams, Director
John BartleRobert BlairTara Bryan
Yu-Che ChenCarol Ebdon
Angela EikenberryMary HamiltonBryce Hoflund
Dale KraneJooho Lee
Craig MaherJoe MancusoGary Marshall
James B. MillikenPatrick O’Neil
BJ Reed Chris Reed
Russell Smith
Ellen Freeman-WakefieldAmy Kelley
Lyndsey RiceRhonda Sheibal-Carver
Meagan Van Gelder
AVIATION INSTITUTE(402) 554-3424
Scott Vlasek, Director
David ByersMichael Ferguson
Becky LutteDavid SmithScott TarryBrett Teten
Gayle LokeySara Martin
NASA OFFICE(402) 554-3772
Scott Tarry, Director
Daneisha HallMichaela LucasMelissa Wragge
2 SCHOOL NEWS
New Faculty Members Add Fresh PerspectivesOn Local Fiscal Conditions and E-Governance
By Nick Schinker
The School of Public Administration is welcoming two new faculty members who bring with them fresh perspectives, unique research interests and a love of the class-room. Craig Maher, Ph.D., Professor of Public Administration, and Yu-Che Chen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Digital Governance, each joined the family of SPA faculty in Janu-ary. “The School has a well-deserved reputation as one of the top programs in the country,” Dr. Maher says. “I have been to Omaha several times for conferences, and I have gotten to know several of the faculty. I have known John Bartle, for example, for more than a decade.” Formerly the SPA Director, Dr. Bartle serves as dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service. “Over the years, he has been a mentor and ad-visor. I have also gotten to know Drs. Carol Ebdon and Dale Krane through conferences,” Dr. Maher says. An experienced instructor with a keen interest in local fiscal conditions, Dr. Maher was appointed to Wisconsin Governor Doyle’s Task Force on Milwaukee County Financ-es and was elected to the Wauwatosa, WI Common Council, serving from 2004-2009. Most recently, Dr. Maher was at Northern Illinois University. Prior to NIU, he served as the Chair and MPA Coordinator for the Department of Public Administration at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Dr. Chen is a native of Taiwan who comes to UNO from Northern Illinois Univer-sity, where he was three times named MPA Professor of the Year. An expert in various aspects of digital governance, he has published more than 30 journal articles, book chap-ters and management reports on electronic and collaborative governance. In seven years at Northern Illinois, Dr. Chen had achieved the rank of tenured associate professor and came across the UNO SPA opportunity “by accident.” “My career had reached a point where I could do what I want to do,” he says. “But because it had become stable and somewhat routine, I was also looking for my next challenge. “I saw the SPA program has a nice combination of public administration with an information technology focus. I want to place more emphasis on the study of e-gover-nance, to help people understand the larger issues, how decisions are made by collabo-ration between government and its citizens, and how information technology can facilitate that.” Dr. Maher’s research currently focuses on the measurement and identification of factors influencing fiscal conditions at the local level. He is examining how U.S. mu-nicipalities weathered the recession of 2008, the extent to which government structure
Drs.Craig Maher and Yu-Che Chen
3SCHOOL
affects fiscal condition, and the impact of tax and expenditure limitations on fiscal conditions. He also is studying the recent changes in government financial reporting from the perspective of the pro-ducers and users of these documents. “The changes in the last 15 years are getting costly and time consuming,” he says. “I am trying to learn the extent to which these changes are beneficial.” He is active in the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), the Association of Budgeting and Financial Management and the American Society of Public Administration. Rather than participating in individual state chapters as he did in Wisconsin and Illinois, Dr. Maher is now involved in the Great Plains GOFA. “Being part of the regional chapter gives me a rare opportunity to network with local finance folks in Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa,” he says. “The School puts a great deal of emphasis on service, and I am already co-chair of the Great Plains GFOA education committee.” Dr. Chen’s wife, Lilly Lu, is an art education faculty member with special interest in digital photography and digital art. They have a 6-year-old son, Wesley. He says Omaha was attractive to them on many levels. “When I came to visit, I was very impressed by the people, the opportunities and the School’s state-of-the-art facility. I felt it was a good fit for me, and Omaha has a top 10 ranking as a place to raise a family.” Dr. Chen brings with him a fascination for research and a fondness for teaching. “I really like studying. Give me a book and I can disappear for a day and come back happy. I see the scholar in me.” Dr. Chen’s father was a teacher and principal, and his mother was a teacher for 35 years. “I really love teaching,” he says. “When I teach an MPA class, I feel very comfortable interacting with the MPA students because I was one of them.” Dr. Maher and his wife, Kerry, have three children: 13-year-old Aidan and 9-year-old twins, Liam and Callan. He appreciates the quality of life in Omaha and says it easily compares with Milwaukee. “With Omaha’s downtown, the social scene and all the restaurants, it really is a big small city. We fit well in this size of city.” He is an avid cyclist who has completed 100-mile rides on a tandem bicycle with his wife. “I’ve cycled around Mount Rainier, and that was a challenge,” he says. “I think it’s great that I’m one state away from Colo-rado.” When it comes to teaching, Dr. Maher derives satisfaction from the feeling he is making a difference in his students’ lives. “I really like receiving that occasional post card or email when someone says how important a particular class I taught was to their career,” he says. “I especially enjoy MPA programs because I think the teacher can learn a lot from the students and their work experiences.”
Professional ProgramsBy Ellen Freeman Wakefield, Director Professional Programs
The Nebraska Certified Manager Program graduated its eighth cohort on December 6th at 3:30p.m. In atten-dance were Senior Vice Chancellor, Dr. B.J. Reed, Nebrasaka Board of Regent, Bob Whitehouse, Dean John Bartle and Director for the School of Public Administration, Dr. Ethel Williams.
The 2013 Nebraska CPM class was a small but mighty group. Participants represented local municipalities (2) a large nonprofit and the state. Their projects and presentations this year included topics on: Implementation of a Transitional Living Program for Youth; Implementation of a Health and Wellness Program for City Employees; A Cost Benefits Comparison of Perimeter Viechles for the State of Nebraska; and Data Driven Fire Department Training.
In January, we admitted ten participants to the program and they began their journey of hands-on, skill-based learning that will help them lead and manage more effectively.
Finally, the program rounded out the year by receiving re-accreditation by the National Certified Public Manager® Consortium at the fall meeting in Idaho.
The Nebraska Clerks Institute and Academy took place March 24 - 28 at the Kearney Ramada, Kearney Ne-braska. Educational sessions includeed; Developing a Municipal Budget, Building on Your Strenghts to Build a Positive Work Environment, Professional Communication, Nebraska Unicameral, and Personnel Issues. The week ended with a presentation on “Making the Brand Personal” with David Mann.
4 SCHOOL NEWS
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONANSWERS TO PAST TO THE PRESENT CONTEST
1. UNO’s School of Public Administration (SPA) used to be located in a large mansion on the west side of the Dodge Street campus? If you looked on a campus map, what was the official name of the old house? Annex 27
2. What is the name of the faculty member who directed the Urban Studies program during the 1980s and 1990s? Hint: the person obtained their doctoral degree from a university in the Netherlands. Peter Suzuki
3. Which faculty member sings in a choir and was previously employed by the City of Council Bluffs, Iowa? Ethel Williams4. On which side of SPA’s former residence was the fire escape located? North5. Which current faculty member once served as UNO’s Dean of Graduate Studies? Hint: the person is very
knowledgeable about horses. Christine Reed6. Which faculty member has served in important fiscal posts in two different U.S. cities? Carol Ebdon7. What was distinctive about the bathrooms in SPA’s old house? They were unisex.8. Which faculty member once worked for the National League of Cities and is a renowned expert on scotch
whiskeys? BJ Reed9. Who was the Administrative Assistant when Prof. B.J. Reed was chair of the Department of Public Administration?
Nancy Krzycki10. The Gateway once published a picture of what animal perched on the old mansion’s chimney? Racoon11. Who was SPA’s first Senior Executive in Residence? Frank Kohler12. Which former faculty member was a city manager in Oregon? Richard Box13. The photocopy machine and office supplies were located in an area of the old mansion that originally was what
type of room? Kitchen14. From 1987 to 2012 who was the tallest member of SPA’s faculty and was also a former police officer? Jay White15. Which faculty member was the recipient of the 2010 Grenzebach award for outstanding research and is often
seen riding a bicycle? Angela Eikenberry16. What was the street address of SPA’s former building? Hint: part of it can be found in the current building. 6608 Farnham17. Which current faculty member’s office in the old house had a large fireplace with river birch logs in it? Hint: person was
formerly employed by the NE Department of Economic Development. Robert Blair18. Name the faculty member who speaks English, Korean, and Polish. Jooho Lee19. Name two of three original faculty members who formed SPA when the unit was formally established by the university. Dave Paulson, Harry Reynolds and David Scott20. Name the faculty member who has degrees from two different universities in Texas and who has taught federal
government managers in the Washington, D.C. area? Tara Bryan21. In what year did SPA move from the old mansion to the renovated Engineering building (now called CPACS building)?
2008 22. Name the faculty member who is a former Army officer and is an editor of the Lacanian Compass? Hint: has a degree in
counseling. Gary Marshall23. Which faculty member makes gourmet cheeses and is studying food safety? Bryce Hoflund24. In what year was the Aviation Institute added to SPA? 199225. Which current faculty member has been on the faculty of four different universities? Dale Krane26. Which member of the SPA office staff has pets named Elly May and Sadie Sue? Hint: the person is the Assistant
Director of the Nebraska Certified Public Manager® program. Rhonda Sheibal-Carver27. Which PA faculty member has served as Director of the School of Public Administration and also has served as the
Director of the Center for Public Affairs Research (CPAR)? Russell Smith28. Which member of SPA’s office staff likes to go camping, and could ride a motorcycle to the campsite? Amy Kelley29. Name the SPA Senior Executive in Residence who is originally from Gothenberg, NE? Hint: the person was once
employed by GAO. Mary Hamilton30. Who is SPA’s marathoner and triathlete? Hint: the person has an Ed.D. from a university in Ypsilanti, MI. Meagan Van Gelder31. Who recently received their US Citizenship and is one of the School’s biggest hockey fans? Ellen Freeman-Wakefield32. Which faculty member was a Rugby player and officiates the game? John Bartle33. Name the three of the five SPA faculty who were invited to be National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) fellows. BJ Reed, Mary Hamilton, John Bartle, Ethel Williams and Carol Ebdon
Tie breaker: Name the university in Romania that UNO SPA assisted with the creation of that university’s program in public administration. Alexander Cuza in Isa, Romania
5SCHOOL
Our Outstanding Faculty Recent Honors and Awards
Dr. Jooho Lee received the Best Paper Award in Electronic Governemnt track, at the Hawaii International Conference on System Science (HICSS 2014). His paper, “Active Citizen E-Participation in Local Governance: Do Individual Social Capital and E-Participation Management Matter?” and can be retrieved at http://www.hicss.hawaii.edu/hicss_47/bestpapers2014.htm
Dr. Bryce Hoflund was the winner of the 2013 International Award of Excellence in the area of Food Studies. Hoflund A. B., & Pautz, M. M. (2013). Improving food safety through self-regulation: Exploring the applicability of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system to the spinach and peanut industries. Food Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal 2(1), 17-30.
Dr. Tara Bryan’s and Catherine Brown’s paper was nominated for best paper award by ARNOVA’s 2013 Conference in Hartford entitled, Capacity Building for What? Exploring a Multi-Level Framework for Understanding the Impact of Capacity Building Initiatives in Small Nonprofit Organizations.
Dr. Carol Ebdon was elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration
Dr. Angela Eikenberry has been selected for a 2014-2015 Fulbright U.S. scholar grant to the United Kingdom. She also received the honor of the David Scott Diamond Alumni Professor of Public Affairs & Community Service. Dr. Eikenberry was awarded the UNO University Committee on Research & Creative Activity (UCRCA) for “A Study of Giving Collaboratives in the U.K.”, the Friend of the Environment Award, Omaha Earth Day Coalition, 2012 and the UNO Student Government Curulis Award, in recognition of a UNO faculty member who demonstrates concern for students beyond instruction, 2012
Dr. Craig Maher received the honor of 2013 Article of the Year from the Association of Government Accountants.. Dr. Yu-Che Chen received the 2013 ASPA President Colation of Merit and was awarded the MPA Professor of the Year for the third time at Northern Illinois University (2007, 2009, 2013). Dr. Pat O’Neil received the College of Public Affairs and Community Service Alumni Award for Excellence in Public Service. He was awarded the UNO Outstanding Teacher Award by the University of Nebraska Alumni Association. Dr. O’Neil also received the Distinguished Alumnus Award, in recognition of service and career accomplishments at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Aviation Institute.
Dr. Chris Reed was appointed 2013 Faculty Fellow at the NU Water for Food Institute and also received a Regents Foundation Professorship. She was also awarded the Section on Public Law and Administration (SPLA) Leadership on March 16, 2014. ASPA Conference Washington D.C. and received the 2012 Strategic Planning Award (Community Engagement) to the Municipal Clerk Institute and Academy.
Nearlly Professor Emeritus, Dr. Dale Krane was the Frederick W. Kayser Chair Professor, University of Nebraska at Omaha from 2007 to2013, also received the 2011 Fulbright Professor in Public Administration, Center for Human Resources, Faculty of Philosophy and HumanSciences, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
Dr. Mary Hamilton received the Elmer B. Staats Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society for Public Administration, 2012 and the ASPA Nebraska Chapter Lifetime Achievement Award, 2012
Dr. John Bartle was awared thePresidential Citation of Merit, American Society for Public Administration, 2013
In December, Scott Vlasek received the William H. Spurgeon III Award from the Mid America Council. The William H. Spurgeon Award is the highest recognition presented to adult Exploring leaders, businesses, and organizations at both the local and national level for service in sup-port of the Exploring program.
Recent Faculty Publication/Papers
Eikenberry, A. M. (2013). A critical case study of cause-related marketing. Administrative Theory & Praxis, 35, 290-305.
Can Chen. Measusring State Highway Sustainability: Taking the Fiscal Dimension into Account. Public Works Management & Policy, 2014. This paper also received an Honorable Mention Award for 2014 Best Paper Competition for the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Section on Transportation Policy & Administration (STPA). A. Bryce Hoflund, Can Chen, Carol Ebdon, “Network Management and Leadership: Lessons Learned from the Douglas County Com-munities Putting Prevention to Work Farm to School Program”, Food Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 2014. John R. Bartle, Can Chen. “Future Issues in State Transportation Finance”, in the Edited Book by Katherine G. Willoughby and Mari-lyn M. Rubin, Sustaining the States: The Fiscal Viability of American State Governments. ASPA Series in Public Administration and Public Policy, CRC Press, 2014.
M. Jae Moon, Jooho Lee and Cheol Yong Roh. 2014. “The Evolution of Internal IT Applications and E-government Studies in the Pub-lic Administration Discipline: Research Themes and Methods” Administration & Society, 46(1): 3-36.
Lee, Jooho and Soonhee Kim. 2014. “Active Citizen E-Participation in Local Governance: Do Individual Social Capital and E-Partici-pation Management Matter?” Proceedings of the Forty-Seven Hawaii International Conference on System Science (HICSS 2014), 6-9 January, 2014, Waikoloa, Hawaii
Hoflund A. B., & Pautz, M. M. (2013). Improving food safety through self-regulation: Exploring the applicability of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system to the spinach and peanut industries. Food Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal 2(1), 17-30. *Winner of the 2013 International Award of Excellence in the area of Food Studies.
6 SCHOOL NEWS
The Changing Nature of Doctoral EducationBy Gary S. Marshall, PhD Program Chair
There are many debates about what doctoral education means in today’s world. Three themes recur in these debates: Is the knowledge economy changing what we teach and how we teach it? Does a doctoral degree contribute to solving the pressing social problems of the day? Do most Ph.D. graduates still enter the professoriate? Major organizations like the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation as well as the National Science Foundation have generated initiatives on the future of doctoral education. Our Ph.D. program responds to the changing environment in higher education by identifying and adapt-ing best practices. This includes helping students develop the ten core competencies of successful PhDs. They are:
• Disciplinary knowledge—what is known, plus creative and adventurous ways of discovering new knowl-edge, the foundation of the PhD.
• Commitment to an informed career choice based on exposure to a broad array of opportunities and paths.
• Teaching competency, broadly considered—in one-to-one interactions in the classroom; preparedness to be a leader, a faculty member, a project manager, a motivator and an evaluator of others’ learning in the government, nonprofit, corporate or academic sectors.
• Understanding of the diversity of present and future students and present and future workforces.• Understanding of the mentoring process necessary to provide leadership for future generations in either
academia or the workplace.• Ability and preparedness to connect one’s work to that of others within and across disciplines, within and
across institutions, within and across private and public sectors outside the university.• Global perspective—the importance of doctoral work in relation to a global economy, sensitivity to cul-
tural differences.• Ability to see oneself as a scholar-citizen who will connect his or her expertise to the needs of society.• Ability to communicate and work in teams and explain work to public audiences and to those who set
policies.• Understanding of ethical conduct as researchers, teachers and professionals, including issues of intel-
lectual property (Nyquist, 2002, p. 19).
These are the core competencies necessary to become “ a steward of the discipline” (Shulman as cited in Nyquist, 2002, p. 19). More broadly we empower our students to develop a cogent intellectual identity by exposing them to dif-ferent knowledge traditions and by becoming thoroughly immersed in the discourse of public administration and its integration of theory and practice. We foster a culture of openness where the process of knowledge creation among students is a common enterprise. As our students move through the PhD program, they have opportuni-ties to teach and to work hand-in-hand with faculty. When they graduate, they are prepared to understand and help solve public problems whether as an academic or as a practitioner.
Nyquist, J.D. (2002). The Ph.D.: A tapestry of change for the 21st century. Change, 34, 6, 12-20.
SCHOOL 7
Top to bottom, left to right: Sungho Park, Changsoo Song, Jim Harrold, Anthony Campbell, Andrew Faltin, Can Chen, Ji Hyung Park, Byungwoo (Shine) Cho, Junghack Park, Ji Seul Kim,
Amanda Rice, Abhishek Bhati, and Shihyun Noh. (Not pictured: Gary Anderson, Scott Bovick, Catherine Brown, Lora Frecks, Christian Janousek, Ryan McClure, Michael Pippin, and Josh Shirk)
Gary Anderson, Ph.D.Gary Anderson is a new graduate from the School of Public Administration. On September 30, 2013 he successfully defended his dissertation, which assesses the role of less-conventional participatory mechanisms (i.e., neighborhood associations) in the municipal service delivery process. He is currently an adjunct instructor and teaches introductory courses in both public administration and urban studies. While at UNO, he has worked closely with faculty, staff, and government entities on projects that have addressed a variety of issues including: the evaluation of behavioral health accessibility in Nebraska (University of Nebraska Public Policy Center), unique methods for promoting energy conservation and sustainability in the Omaha area (Omaha Public Power District), and neighborhood attachment and service delivery (Center for Public Affairs Research and the Omaha Neighborhood Center). The desire to promote meaningful change in the local community continues to be the driving force behind Gary’s interest in public administra-tion. He would like to acquire a position in academia that provides ample opportunity to further his long-term research and teaching goals.
Abhishek BhatiAbhishek Bhati is a doctoral student in the School of Public Administration. His research interests lie in global philanthro-py and trans-national NGOs. He is currently working on a research project to evaluate Omaha Gives by Omaha Com-munity Foundation. He plans to graduate by 2018, and is motivated by intellectually stimulating academic environment of the department, supportive faculty, talented colleagues, interaction with talented doctoral students and large collec-tion of books at CRISS Library. After graduation, Abhishek is interested in securing a faculty position in the area of nonprofit at a public administration or a policy school.
Scott BovickScott Bovick is in his second semester of the doctoral pro-gram. He currently works as the Deputy County Admin
istrator for Sarpy County, Nebraska and previously served as the City Administrator in Nebraska City, Nebraska. Scott received bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and History from William Jewell College and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas. Scott has been active in the Nebraska Chapter of the American Soci-ety of Public Administration (ASPA), serving on the Chapter Council for several years, including two terms as Chapter President. Scott had the opportunity to teach a Master’s level course at UNO, which sparked his interest in pursuing a doctoral degree. Scott’s main focus is on topics related to urban administration and public finance and budgeting, but remains open to other areas of research. He looks forward to his upcoming years in the program and believes a doctorate degree will help him become a well-rounded public administration scholar and practitioner.
Catherine Humphries BrownCatherine Humphries Brown is a doctoral candidate in the School of Public Administration. Her dissertation research explores efforts to build the capacity of organizations in the nonprofit sector; her broader research interests lie at the intersection of democracy, policy, and the nonprofit sector. As an adjunct instructor, she teaches PA 2170 (Introduction to Public Administration) and PA 3500 (Nonprofit Organiza-tion and Management). Her prior work assignments while a doctoral student have included evaluation work supporting the Omaha Community Foundation and policy work support-ing the university’s engagement with the Nebraska state leg-islature. She plans to graduate in the coming year, and has been motivated in her studies by the outstanding School of Public Administration faculty working in this area, the vibrant nonprofit and philanthropic sector in Omaha itself, and the opportunities for community engagement that her doctoral work experiences have afforded. After graduation, Catherine would like to secure a position in the public or nonprofit sector that enables her to conduct relevant, high-quality research and allows her to contribute to the development of thoughtful, skilled, and dedicated leaders.
Future Excellence: Public Administration Doctoral Students
8 School News
Continued from page 7
Anthony CampbellAway at an unpaid internship in devastatingly rural Montana, a random conversation reveals that a former roommate and classmate had secured a funded assistantship in an MPA program…was it jealousy, was it a crack in the dark cave of not knowing what to do next? All I know, is that was the moment when my relationship with public administration formally began (though I tell students that our relation-ship with public administration begins before we even emerge from the womb). I am not so concerned with debates about whether or not public administration is or is not overly con-cerned with institutions, what I am concerned with is how public administration provides a wonderful vantage point from which to explore society’s institutions of normalization and standardization. Community, civic engage-ment, suburban governance, the intersection of popular culture, urban and public affairs, these are the things that provide me intellec-tual sustenance. In the classroom, whether teaching Intro to Public Administration, Intro to Urban Studies or Community Organizing & Social Change, I unabashedly reveal my intel-lectual passion, which has proven successful in helping students to feel safe, supported and motivated to explore and reveal their orienta-tion to whatever subject is being discussed. The next substantive step on my journey will be somewhere as a tenure-track professor, the where only matters inasmuch as I hope it is an environment that supports my continued research at the confluence of urban and public affairs. My name is Anthony Campbell, and this is my journey to date.
Can ChenCan Chen is a doctoral student in the School of Public Administration. His primary research interests are infrastructure transportation policy and finance, capital budgeting, and in-novative infrastructure financing. As an adjunct instructor, he teaches PA 3000 (Applied Sta-tistics) and PA 4390 (Public Budgeting). His prior work assignments have included Com-munities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) program evaluation, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) program evaluation, and Urban Redevelopment Financing Tools for Omaha by Design. His choice of pursuing a PhD at UNO was determined by SPA’s excellent reputation and outstanding faculty. After graduation, Can Chen would like to get an academic position that enables him to be professionally involved in the planning, developing, and evaluating of public policies which will benefit the whole society. In addition, as a native Chinese, He hopes to promote the new field of Public Ad-ministration and Public Management in China.
Byungwoo (Shine) ChoByungwoo (Shine) Cho started his doctoral study in 2012 and has developed his academic capability in Public Budgeting and Financial Management and Urban Management. He is a 2013 ASPA Founders’ Forum Fellow and a vice president of Waldo Society, a doctoral student group of SPA. He is also working for the 2013 “Nebraska Legislative Planning Data” project
at the Center for Public Affairs Research. To make local governments more accountable, effective and efficient by connecting public budgeting, management and performance: it is the calling that brought him to School of Public Administration. His research interest thus is revolving around the contemporary manage-rial issues and social problems in the U.S. principal cities, such as performance based budgeting and management, human resource management, and sustainability initiatives. His current research project is sustainability in budgeting practices of the U.S. principal cities is funded by the Graduate Research and Cre-ative Activity (GRACA) grant from the school. In the near future, he would like to find a job in the US and contribute to strengthen public service by his research, teaching and engage-ment in public service.
Andrew FaltinAndrew Faltin J.D., M.A. joined the PhD program in Public Administration in August 2013 because of his strong interest in public higher education systems and his background in state and federal regulatory policies. His interest in these areas stems from work-ing over the last decade as a student affairs professional and adjunct professor at multiple universities. Particularly, Andrew is interested in the institutional norms of public colleges and universities, especially as those relate to the inculcation of democratic values in students and the decision-making processes of system-wide administrators. At present, Andrew is an academic advisor for the DCS. Andrew intends to graduate in December 2018.
Lora FrecksLora Frecks decided to become a doctoral student when she realized that the parts of her job which she most enjoyed (teaching, researching, writing and editing a professional journal) corresponded closely to university faculty activities. She chose public admin-istration because she was intrigued by the confusion in her professional field regarding the roles of nonprofits, businesses and govern-ment agencies in the process of transferring federally funded inventions from universities to businesses for public use. Her previous career is echoed in her current teaching activity. She operates a website providing public adminis-tration practitioner relevant university research in formats more accessible to practitioners than academic journals. Her own research focuses on networks of various organizations serving a specific community and the public’s access to services. Lora is passionate about this work, and it is her strong desire to con-tinue researching, writing and teaching about these topics which compels her to finish her degree in the next year.
James A. HarroldJames A. Harrold is a third-year PhD student with a concentration in Public Budgeting and Finance and Public Policy. His current re-search interests include public sector pensions and the U.S. military retirement system. After graduating from the UNO with a Bachelor of Science in Geography, Jim entered the United States Air Force as an officer and served for more than 20 years. He obtained a Master of
Logistics Management from the Air Force In-stitute of Technology. After retirement from the military, he earned a MPA from UNO and con-tinued into the PhD program. His assignments in the PhD program have included teaching PA 2000, Leadership and Management, PA 4530, Strategic Planning, and serving on the faculty for the Nebraska Certified Public Manager program. He is a strong advocate of the importance of theory informing practice, and vice-versa. With that in mind, upon graduation in 2015, Jim hopes to stay in higher education as a professor, where he wants to be able to provide his students the benefit of both his public service leadership experiences as well as his theoretical knowledge.
Christian JanousekChristian Janousek is a PhD candidate in the School of Public Administration. Christian’s research interests include professional local government management, urban politics and governance, and city administration. He has presented research at both regional and international conferences and has forthcom-ing publications in State and Local Govern-ment Review and International Journal of Public Administration. Christian has worked as a graduate assistant and adjunct instructor while in the doctoral program and has taught undergraduate courses in public administra-tion and urban studies. He also assisted with the Nebraska Municipal Clerks Institute and Academy. Christian notes the support and en-couragement he has received from his profes-sors at UNO as motivating factors in the PhD program. Christian intends to complete and defend his dissertation in the spring of 2014 and pursue an academic career as a professor in public administration.
Ji Seul KimJi Seul Kim is a first year doctoral student in the School of Public Administration with interests in public budgeting and finance. She received bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Kyung Hee University, and Master’s degree in Public Policy from Arizona State University. Her current interest is in mu-nicipal debt and risk management, as well as pension management strategy. At present, Ji Seul is assisting Dr. Carol Ebdon for the class of the Public Economy. Ji Seul hopes to gradu-ate by 2017. She is fully motivated by pas-sionate and nationally renowned faculties of UNO. She believes that UNO is a great place to study with variety of convenient facilities, as well as beautiful atmospheres. After gradua-tion, she wants to make a social contribution by conducting valuables researches in the field of public budgeting and finance.
Junghack KimJunghack Kim is a 2nd year doctoral student in the School of Public Administration at UNO. Before joining the SPA, he received both an MA and BA in public administration from Korea University at Seoul. His research interests include debt management and cutback man-agement, with special focusing on analyzing borrowing costs and cutback strategies in the public sector. As a graduate assistant, he works with Dr. Jooho Lee. A current assign-ment is collecting and coding state-level data,
9School
related to diverse state-level policies of infor-mation disclosure, to analyze factors affecting more information disclosure. He has a plan to be a doctoral candidate in 2015 and graduate in 2016. With its national-renowned faculties and distinguished research environments, he believes that the SPA is the best place to continue his graduate study and academic research, especially in public budgeting and fi-nancial management. His final goal in the SPA is preparing himself to become a researcher and an instructor who performs creative works for and makes a contribution to the public sector. He truly believes that his passion and academic experiences at the SPA can leave him uniquely qualified for a scholar.
Ryan McClureHave you ever discovered a word with multiple meanings? Inquiries in etymology divulge con-notations and denotations provided through social, political, legal, and cultural norms. Over time, structural meanings adjust and hidden beneath this change are imperfect construc-tions that should be examined. Ryan McClure, a doctoral student in the School of Public Administration at UNO, relishes this type of research with interests that span philosophical inquiries of knowledge relating to linguistics, social constructionism, and critical theory. He is in his second year of the doctoral program and is currently researching the formation of special-purpose governments and business improvement districts through a qualitative methodological understanding by the actors who occupy that space. After graduation, he would like to work in both academia and the public sector maintaining the bridge to praxis. Ryan is also an active practitioner working as a City Planner for the City of Omaha. His professional work entails long range visioning through the Capital Improvements Program, land use and transportation decision-making, and comprehensive sustainable city planning. Lastly, he is a proud husband and father of two children who are the light of his life!
Shihyun NohShihyun Noh is a doctoral student in the School of Public Administration. He plans to graduate in Summer 2014. His primary areas of interests are intergovernmental implemen-tation, policy evaluation, and health policy. His dissertation research examines factors affecting state variations in the implementation of insurance exchange in the Affordable Care Act, focusing on political configuration, political culture, the relative strength of advocacy coali-tions, and state capacity. This fall he teaches PA 2000 (Leadership and Administration), encouraging students to integrate important concepts and theories in the field of public policy with their daily lives.
Ji Hyung ParkJi Hyung Park is a doctoral student in the School of Public Administration. His recent re-search examines municipal motivations, such as citizen participation pressure, profession-alism, and autonomy, to adopt performance budgeting. He emphasizes interdisciplinary research between public management, and public budgeting and finance at the munici-pal level. In particular, this emphasis on the
research is based on democratic governance. As an adjunct instructor, he teaches PA 4390 (Public Budgeting). After graduation, Ji Hyung would like to extend his research area and contribute to public management, public bud-geting and finance, and urban studies field.
Sungho ParkSungho Park is a first year doctoral student in the School of Public Administration. His main research interest is accountability in public financial management; this topic is associated with some important managerial issues such as performance based budgeting, external monitoring and citizen participation, audit system etc. He is also interested in policy tool or instrument for local economic development, and collaborative governance and collective actions in locales. His current work assign-ment is support a project on public private partnerships (PPPs) in the U.S. He hopes to graduate in 2017. He believes that this Ph.D. program provides the most excellent train-ing courses in his major area; and he is also impressed by professional faculty members and their outstanding academic achievements. Sungho wants to be an expert in the area of local government administration and policy, and he also hopes to share his expertise with other scholars and students. After graduation, he would like to secure a teaching or research position in one of U.S. universities. Then he wants to continue his teaching and research-ing as a professor in his country.
Michael PippinMichael Pippin is a doctoral candidate in the School of Public Administration with interests in public sector information management and public policy. He hails from Florida where he spent 25 years working in both the public and private sectors performing a variety of information technology duties from computer programmer up to information services direc-tor. This mix of public and private sector work experience fuels his interest in information management similarities and differences between sectors. His dissertation focuses on the similarities and differences between chief information officers working in traditional public sector and traditional private sector organiza-tions with emphasis on internal organizational factors that may impact CIO performance. His main research interests involve the intersec-tion of information management and technol-ogy, organizations, and policy. As an adjunct instructor he teaches PA 2170 (Introduction to Public Administration), PA 3000 (Applied Statistics and Data Management in the Public Sector), PA 3200 (Program Planning and Eval-uation), PA 3700 (Financial Management for Nonprofits) and PA 4530 (Strategic Planning). He also teaches the Managing Information and Information Technology module for the Certi-fied Public Managers program. In conjunction with the Emergency Management Department, Mike is helping develop the Applications of Fire Research (FSMT 4860) course which teaches students how to apply social science research methods to fire-related research. He plans to graduate this coming year and to secure an academic position which will allow him to pur-sue these interests. Michael’s primary intent is to contribute to the research on the impact
of information technology on the public and nonprofit sector organizations.
Amanda RiceAmanda Rice is a first year doctoral student in the School of Public Administration and plans to graduate in 2017. She is concentrating in Aviation and Policy and is a graduate assistant in the Aviation Institute, where she is the as-sistant instructor for AVN 1000 (Introduction to Aviation &Aerospace) and research assistant on various projects. Her research interests include the study of human factors in avia-tion accidents, Crew Resource Management (CRM), Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM), organizational culture, and the integration of Safety Management Systems (SMS) in airlines. Many of her research interests were inspired by her time as a flight instructor, where she was witness to the current regula-tions and pilot training polices in action. She plans to combine her background in Aviation Safety and her enthusiasm of Public Policy to someday be involved in creating policy to shape pilot training and competencies; being involved in the field of Aviation as both a prac-titioner and academic.
Josh ShirkJosh Shirk is a first year Ph.D student of Public Administration. Josh is interested in studying the role of public administrators as experts and the possibilities of citizen engagement within the current technocratic-rational bureaucracy structure. Currently, Josh has done research with Dr. Blair on the purposes and long-term needs of neighborhood alliances in Omaha. While skeptical of the future, Josh hopes to complete the doctoral program and start a career in academia.
Changsoo SongChangsoo Song is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Public Administration. His major research areas include information technology public policy and program management and state and government information manage-ment. His dissertation research examines the factors that need to be considered for an ef-fective micro-enterprise development program to facilitate information technology among micro-enterprises, providing implications for evidence-based public program design, implementation, and evaluations. During his graduate study, he has finished two other papers examining the service quality of state and local digital government and the influence of social media on citizen trust in government. His teaching areas include research methods, public management, policy analysis, program planning and evaluation, and information man-agement in the public sector. He has indepen-dently designed and taught Research Methods in Public Administration (MPA core course), Program Planning and Evaluation, Introduction to Public Administration, and Applied Statistics and Data Management in the Public Sector. Off campus, he has taught Local E-Govern-ment Program Evaluation, a professional train-ing course for local government officials. He expects to complete the requirements for his doctorate degree by May 2014 and is currently on the job market looking for a position in an academic or research institute.
10School News
Star Party at Little Priest Tribal College
On November 15, 2013 the NASA Nebraska Space Grant co-hosted a Star Party at Little Priest Tribal College, in Winnebago, NE. The Star Party was an event planned for the Winnebago Community to gather together and partake in space related activi-ties, listen to a presentation about space, stars, and planets, and enjoy star gazing with numerous telescopes. Over 40 people attended the Star Party Events.
Lewis & Clark Space Celebration 2013
The NASA Nebraska Space Grant participated in the 1st Annual Lewis & Clark Space Celebration on October 10, 2013. NASA Nebraska Space Grant NESA Teacher Derrick Nero coordinated the event. This event celebrated World Space Week and provided students and families with activities, sky observation, and an opportunity to watch the International Space Station (ISS) fly overhead. Guests were offered a public viewing of students’ scale models of the ISS modules and the MSL Curiosity rover.
UNO, through the School of Public Administration, partners with the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance as we pre-pare, certify and connect young people to succeed in careers within the nonprofit sector. This partnership and training allows students to become Certified Nonprofit Professionals (CNP).
The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance exists to strengthen the leadership and ability of nonprofits by filling it with a talented and prepared workforce. This is accomplished through partnering with colleges and universities to prepare, certify, and connect young people to careers within nonprofit organizations.
UNO partners with NOLA by providing interdisciplinary classroom experience and hands-on learning opportuni-ties for students, in order to achieve the competencies required to become a CNP. This certification is recog-nized as the premier professional designation for the nonprofit professional, and is open to students with any major.
As a requirement, CNP students must actively participate in the Nonprofit Omaha Leadership Student Alliance (NOLA). NOLA’s activities focus on the development of nonprofit management and leadership skills, while providing service to the UNO and Omaha communities. This is done via various community service activities, professional development training sessions, and fundraisers. If you are interested in learning more about the CNP and/or NOLA, please contact:
Ayesha Station, MPAGraduate Assistant, School of Public Administration6001 Dodge Street, CB 111Omaha, NE 68182Phone: 402-554-4874Fax: 402-554-2682Email: [email protected]: http://www.unomaha.edu/scls/programinfo.php
Professor Sandro Cabral, School of Management, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil, visited the School of Public Administration in November 2013. During the visit, he gave a public lecture titled “Making Revelry Possible: The Collaborative Governance of Carnival in Salvador, Brazil.” He also made presen-tations to a doctoral seminar in public administration and to an undergraduate class in the School of Criminal Justice. His host for the visit was Prof. Dale Krane, who was a Fulbright Professor at UFBA in the 2011 spring semester.
11School & Student News
Student Fast Facts
Yan Xiao, our Ph.D. candidate who majors in public budgeting and finance, will be an assistant professor in the Division of Poli-tics, Administration, and Justice at California State University, Fullerton this fall.
Christian Janousek, a Ph.D. candidate in public administration, received the award for Best Graduate Oral Presentation at the 6th Annual UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair held on March 7, 2014 at the Criss Library. The Fair featured presentations from over 200 UNO students, including 116 graduate students. Christian presented research from his dissertation on examining differences in professional local government management among U.S. states. His faculty advisor was Dr. Robert Blair.
Byungwoo (Shine) Cho received one of six Junior Asian Scholar Paper Awards which are awarded to doctoral students from Asian countries. He also received the Claire Parker Phi Delta Gamma Scholarship for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Luke Hoffman announced he is the campaign manager for Burke Harr, a legislative race in Omaha.
The Omaha Community Foundation worked with Dr. Angela Eikenberry, PhD, and Abhishek Bhati (doctoral student) from the School of Public Administration to conduct an evaluation of Omaha Gives! first event.
Jack McAfee, an avid triathlete, won first place for his age group in the sprint-distance event at the PruHealth World Triathlon, held in London. His results were so good, he qualified for next year’s World Triathlon Series. He declined because of time; he works full-time for an aviation non-profit organization, and he wants to focus on completing his MPA degree with a concentration in Aviation.
Doctoral student Can Chen’s doctoral dissertation proposal received 2014’s UNO Graduate Research and Creative Activity Grant.
Winter Always Turns Into Spring (Nichiren Daishonin, 1275)By Meagan Van Gelder
This winter has been grueling. Let’s say good bye to winter and hello to spring. With spring in the air we have feelings of hope, hope the thermometer rises. We hope the brave daffodils make their appearance. Like winter to spring, life brings us change. As we manage our own careers, we encounter times of change and transition. Like winter, times of transition can be a grueling, lonely experience. Career coaches advise the rules of the game have changed. Technology has advanced so much that job searches are almost completely dependent on it. Social media, in particular Linked In, is a common tool used by recruiters. Thus, one’s digital presence is important. A poor image can end one’s chances at even landing an inter-view. To avoid this, personal branding has emerged. Personal branding is about presenting oneself to others. This includes physical appearance, narratives, written work, and experiences. These items work together to form one’s personal brand. Brand personality is all about adjectives and authenticity. What adjectives describe you? How do you know? Try a few exercises. Ask friends or colleagues to describe you. Post this question on Facebook, “What three adjectives describe me?” See what happens. (My top three were: athletic, dedicated, and fun. ) Think about these words and how you can portray them through your personal brand. Be aware of your personal branding as you net-work—online and face to face. I enjoyed a presentation by
Erica Mills at a NASPAA meeting in Seattle, WA.
People who have knowledge in the field and understand and engage others, are excellent networkers. Mills explained excellent networkers:
1. Do NOT sound like a robot. (Know what you know, then listen to others, and engage them!)
2. Do NOT talk about yourself. (The word “I” is in the top 5 of the most frequently used words. Listen and learn from others.)
3. Do NOT talk too much. (Others will feel empowered and engaged with you. You have a less likely chance of appearing self-centered, even boring.)
4. Do NOT use jargon. (Avoid acronyms. Say the en- tire title. Talk simply).
To help with defining yourself as you move through the transitions of life, try this exercise. In 10 words or less, an-swer this question: What do you want to be known for? While you work on this, avoid using the following three words: pro-vide, just, and trying. This excercise was not easy for me, but I eventually created one. Here is mine: (I want to be known for) educating people to grow into their full potential towards happiness. Transitions and change are inevitable in life and as we manage our careers. Sometimes we are exploring and trying to move forward while other times we have hit a stride and fine-tune ourselves. I hope the above can help you think about who you are, how you see yourself, and how others see you. Give personal branding a thought. Move yourself forward and be reminded: “O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far.”
12 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
For the School of Public Administration, achieving excellence is not a goal for the future, it is the standard that the administration, instructors and students strive to attain every day. Gang Chen experienced that high standard when he traveled from China to the United States in 2009. His first stop was the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he enrolled in the doctorate program at the School of Public Administration (SPA). Prior to coming to the U.S., Chen studied at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Public Administration. In 2007, he was named Outstanding Graduate of Sun Yat-sen University, the school’s highest honor. He heard about UNO from his MPA advisor at Sun Yat-sen University, Jun Ma, a graduate of UNO who was a student of former SPA Director Dr. John Bartle, now dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service. Today, Dr. Chen serves as Assistant Professor of Public Administration and Policy at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany, State Uni-versity of New York. He remembers fondly his time at UNO and the knowledge and guidance he received in the SPA doctorate program. “UNO is a great place to study public administra-tion,” Dr. Chen says. “The interaction between the students and faculty in the Ph.D. program was excellent. The faculty led us through the whole process from beginning to gradu-ation. They helped develop valuable research and teaching methods and advised us on our dissertations. “They teach students to be independent scholars.” Dr. Chen says he felt a part of a community at SPA. “The six students who came to UNO with me the same year, we all helped each other in class. We were honest about each other’s work, and we shared our experiences and opinions. We loved working with each other, and that is a very important part of a doctoral program.” Professor Gary Marshall, Ph.D., is the chair of SPA’s Ph.D. in Public Administration program, which focuses on the role of public sector organizations in a democratic and diverse society. Dr. Chen received his Ph.D. in Public Administra-tion in 2013. His doctoral dissertation examined decision-making in state pension systems when sponsoring govern-ments face fiscal stress.
‘World-Class Professors’
He and his fellow doctoral students were inspired to strive for excellence by the program’s “world-class profes-sors.” “They are leaders in their fields,” Dr. Chen says. “They are well-connected to the academic community and to
others serving in public administration, and that is good for students when they go into the job market. They do great re-search in these fields and are recognized by other scholars.” Dr. Chen’s research interests include state and local budgeting and finance, public pension management, fiscal stress management and comparative public adminis-tration. His work has been published in several English and Chinese academic journals, including Public Budget-ing & Finance, Municipal Finance Journal and the Journal of Public Administration (China). He has presented his research at the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), the Association for Budgeting & Financial Manage-ment (ABFM), and the Western Social Science Association (WSSA). His current research in public pension focuses on governance, solvency issues and reform ideas. “I think this field has the potential to produce good research and contribute to pension reform in the United States and other countries,” Dr. Chen says. News of the current government fiscal crisis in De-troit, Mich., and being faced by other city and state entities illustrates the pressing nature of the pension
Dr. Gang Chen
issue, Dr. Chen says.“It shows how quickly it can become a very serious problem,” he says. “There are many ques-
Achieving Excellence All Part of Ph.D. Program CurriculumBy Nick Schinker
13ALUMNI
tions. How do governments manage pensions? What is the risk? How big is the liability? This becomes a very long-term project for me.” His research is rooted in the research theory and methodology training he received at SPA. “My very first year at UNO, I was exposed to differ-ent research methods and theories,” he says. “I discovered pension research is an important topic even before the pen-sion issue became front-page news. “I got a lot of advice from my professors to get more training in pension management and research methodology. When I got to my dissertation, I had already done many kinds of work in pension management.” Dr. Chen continues to stay in contact with SPA faculty members, and has published research with Professor Carol Ebdon, Ph.D., chair of SPA’s Master in Public Admin-istration program, and Professor Kenneth Kriz, Ph.D., who is now at Wichita State University. “I enjoy working closely with them” he says. “They are good scholars. They are my mentors. I am still learning from them.”
Married to UNO Grad
Dr. Chen is a member of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), the Association for Budgeting & Financial Management (ABFM), and the China-America Association for Public Affairs (CAAPA). He lives in Albany
with his wife, Amy, whom he met in China. She earned her master’s degree in accounting from UNO’s College of Busi-ness Administration. At Rockefeller College, Dr. Chen teaches Method-ological Tools for Public Policy, Public and Nonprofit Financial Management, and Public Budgeting. In the classroom, he also employs tools he learned while at UNO. “The doctoral training program provided students with systematic methods and practical teaching experience,” he says. “I especially remember a workshop to train students for the independent teaching experience.” He also learned the goals of teaching from instruc-tors including Dr. Bartle. “He told us to provide our students a different perspective, to change their understanding and to open the door to their future.” Being in front of a class is one of the most enjoyable aspects of his job, Dr. Chen says. “I like the feeling that I get from sharing knowledge and opinions with students, and giv-ing them skills they can apply to their careers.” He says aiming for excellence each day is very rewarding, both personally and professionally. “I am very proud of my teaching and my research,” he says. “I believe I can contribute to ongoing progress in pension reform, and be able to help people understand this important issue. “My training at UNO gave me a strong skill set and a good attitude to face challenges in my career.”
MPA and MS in Urban Studies Capstone Projects
Our MPA students complete a “capstone” research project as part of their degree requirements. The research includes a variety of topics and methodologies, and the findings are valuable for public and nonprofit agencies. Here are the projects from the Fall 2013:
• Domestic Aviation Excise Tax Policy Analysis (Levi Anstine)• New Airline Pilot Hour Hiring Minimums: What Effect Will This Change Have on Aviation? (Tom Bahr)• Performance Measurements in Local Government – Efficient Use of Resources (Pam Buethe)• Best Practices for Guild Boards (Sara Cooper)• Strategies for Financial Self-Sustainability for Wisconsin General Aviation Airports (Hal Davis)• Whitewashing Downtown Louisville: Urban Redevelopment and the Exclusion of African Americans (Susan Durham)• Are Formal Safety Management Systems a Viable Policy for all U.S. Commercial Airports? (Colin English)• Transit Oriented Development and Reduced Auto Dependency: Measurable Results or Wonderfully Quixotic? (Ja-
son Greenspan)• Using Operational Improvement Techniques to Improve the Patient Experience in the Academic Medical Center: A
Conceptual Framework (Mina Iskandr)• Volunteers Assisting Seniors: An Assessment of Community Need (Yulie Kasperovich)• How Cities are Organized to Aid Urban Neighborhoods: A Study of Best Practices for Neighborhood Centers and
Their Impact on Neighborhood Alliances (Michelle Leehy)• Policy Evaluation of Performance Measurement System in Lincoln, NE (Megan McGuffy)• Airport/ Airline Lease Agreements at the Nashville International Airport (Jeff Powell)• A Tax Policy Analysis of the State of Michigan (Robert Robles)• Certified Flight Instructor Training (James Slabaugh)
14 ALUMNI NEWS
Alumni News (if you have a new job or professional news to share, please let us know at: [email protected])
Jan Glen, CPM 2008, is back at ESU#3 and is now serving as a public member on the State Board of Accountancy was elected Board Secretary, Chair of the Education and Exam committee She also and serves on the executive and licensing committees.
David Gleiser, MPA 2013, accepted an offer to be the Rural Economic Development Director for Woodbury County, Iowa.
Colin English, MPA 2013, accepted a position as Airports Senior Planner for Reid Middleton Engineering based in Everett Washing-ton.
Lyn Holley, Ph.D. 1999, will be promoted to the rank of Full Professor at UNO this coming fall.
Jason Terreri, MPA 2009, has accepted a position as the new Assistant Director of Airports for Horry County, South Carolina. Horry County is home to the Myrtle Beach International Airport and three general aviation airports.
Paul Bryant, MS in Urban Education 1986, was the keynote speaker on October 25th at the 2013 Tom Osborne Leadership Award banquet in Hastings Nebraska.
April Jacobs, MPA 2011, started a new job as Grants & Compliance Specialist for the City of Evanston in Illinois.
Patrick McNamara, Ph.D. 2007, was appointed in Fall 2013 as Visiting Professor of Political Science & International Affairs at UNO. This position has him teaching courses in international relations, negotiation and conflict resolution, and sustainable development, as well as working on special projects including a partnership between UNO and Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad funded by the U.S. State Department. He spends summers India and Pakistan teaching social entrepreneurship and continuing his research on water disputes.
Omaha native and UNO graduate, Jackie Collett, MPA 2010, returned to the metro area after living in Austin, TX for more than 8 years. Jackie graduated with her B.A. in Psychology in 2002 and completed her MPA. in Public Administration in 2010 through the SPA’s online program. While living in Austin, Jackie enjoyed a successful career in nonprofit development and leadership and attributes much of her professional success and personal growth to her involvement in the MPA program. Jackie noted, “The MPA program was one of the most challenging experiences of my life, but it has paid off in more ways than I can count.” Two years ago, Jackie expanded her skill set to include Customer Relationship Management platforms (CRMs) and other technology tools. Jackie’s new passion and experience, combined with the desire to be closer to family, led her to NorthStar Financial Services Group, LLC., where she serves as the Project Manager of Technology Services.
Chien-tsung Lu, Ph.D. 2003, received the Lauber Award at the fall 2013 University Aviation As-sociation banquet in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Chien received his Ph.D. in Public Administration with an Aviation Administration concentration from UNO in 2003. He is currently an Associate Professor in Aviation Technology at Purdue University. The award honors Dr. John K. Lauber, a pioneer in the field of aviation safety and human factors.
Alum Rich Swayze, Ph.D. 2004, spoke to the University Aviation Association’s Seminar on Estab-lishing Aviation Policy in Washington, D.C. in January 2014. Rich is a professional senate staff member who specializes in aviation policy. Michaela Lucas, NASA Nebraska Space Grant, and Amanda Rice, current PA Ph.D. student, were attending the session.
Pictured: Amanda Rice, current PA Ph.D. student, Rick Swayze, PA Ph.D. alum, Michaela Lucas, Associate Director, NASA Nebraska Space Grant
15
Generous Donors Provide Scholarship/Fellowship Opportunities for Students
ENGAGEMENT
Thanks to our generous donors, the School of Public Administration has five endowed funds available for student scholarships/fellowships. Application criteria and deadlines are announced through e-mail and on the SPA website.
Please consider a gift to support scholarships for the School of Public Administration by visiting http://nufoundation.org
• The Mary and Rodrigo Lopez Fellowship for Professional Development provides funding to engage in significant professional and career development activities. Mary Lopez retired as the School’s Career Services Director in 2011 and is an MPA alum-nus.
• The Andrew Blair Memorial Fellowship was established by Associate Professor Robert Blair and his wife Barbara, in memory of their son Andrew. Preference is given to individuals planning work with nonprofit organizations or the disabled.
• The Centennial Scholarship Fund was endowed primarily from alumni and students, for use by graduate public administration students.
• The Mary Cornett Scholarship honors a longtime Omaha City Clerk who served over 50 years in public service, and is awarded to an MPA student with a Public Management concentration. Preference is given to students with a demonstrated financial need.
• The Nebraska City/County Management Association (NCMA) Scholarship is funded by the NCMA, and is designed for MPA students in the Local Government concentration who have completed at least 12 hours in the program and are Nebraska residents.
Tanya McFarlin and Todd Mercural-Chapman are the first recipi-ents of the Public Administration Centennial Scholarship. The
scholarship was established as a result of generous gifts from more than 100 School of Public Adminis-tration alumni, faculty, and staff.
Tanya is a first year MPA stu-dent and was thrilled to receive the scholarship. She plans to work in the non-profit sector after graduation with a long-term goal of working in refugee resettlement. “I would like to express my gratitude for your generosity and for making the School of Public Administra-tion’s Centennial Scholarship Fund possible. I value the way you have given back to the community, and I hope someday soon I am able to do the same.”
Todd currently works for the Non-profit Association of the Midlands and has found that his studies are both building his intellectual capac-ity and informing his work. “Thank you for your vote of confidence. I will most certainly remember this honor as an alumnus of the program and look forward to an opportunity to contribute to another
student’s education in the same way you’re contributing to mine.”
Scholarships and fellowships help make education affordable and accessible. Please consider making a gift in support of the Centennial Scholarship Fund to help students like Tanya and Todd pursue their educational and career goals. You may give online by visiting http://nufoundation.org or by contacting Tessa Barney, director of development, at 402-502-4103 or [email protected].
Founding Donors Recognized in the School of Public Ad-ministration Office
With gifts from 79 alumni, faculty, and staff of $100 or more the school was able to endow the Public Administration Centennial Scholarship Fund. In recognition of their commitment to help-ing current and future students, a plaque commemorating their support is on display in the SPA Office. We hope you will stop by to visit us and see the plaque the next time you are on campus. Thank you to all that helped make this scholarship fund possible!
Inaugural awardees for Public Administration Centennial Scholarship Fund
The School of Public Administration Congratulates the following Fall 2013 Graduates:
Pi Alpha Alpha Inducts New Members
Pi Alpha Alpha is the national honor society for the field of public affairs and public administration. The purpose of this society is to encourage and recognize outstanding scholarship and accomplishment in public affairs and administration. The society seeks to promote the advancement of quality in the education and practice of the art and science of public affairs and administration. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Carol Ebdon
The School of Public Administration recognized the following graduates who were nominated and accepted membership into Pi Alpha Alpha:
Fall 2013 Pi Alpha Alpha Sharon Goedel FlissarNicole L. GomezMegan Marie McGuffeyEmily J. McIvor
A special thanks to all the faculty, staff, students and alumni of the School of Public Administration for their articles and submissions to The Exchange Newsletter. You are what make our newsletter a success.
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Lead article and Alumni focus article by Nick Schinker.
Design and layout by Rhonda Sheibal-CarverEditing by Amy Kelley, Rhonda Sheibal-Carver and Meagan Van Gelder.The Exchange is published twice a year for the alumni, students and friends of the University of Nebraska Omaha School of Public Administration.
