S PA A N E W S SPRING / SUMMER 2022 Charles E. Menifield Steps Down as Dean of Rutgers SPA A PA G E 3 Rutgers SPA A Celebrates the Class of 2022 PA G E 4 SPA A Launches Three-Course Model for Graduate Certificates PA G E 5
Dear colleagues, students, alumni, and friends of SPAA: This spring and summer marked a time of transition for Rutgers SPAA in several impor tant respects This May we had our first in person graduation at Rutgers Newark since the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic, a significant milestone in the gradual return of campus life And in June, Dean Charles E Menifield stepped down after leading the school for five challenging years (The cover photo of this summer/spring newsletter captures Dean Menifield addressing the 2022 graduates at the Prudential Center ) His tenure at SPAA saw impor tant changes to the school’s emphasis on and engagement with the Newark community, and he steered the school through the tumultuous COVID 19 years of evolving public health requirements, the transition to remote learning, and the beginnings of a return to a new normal We thank Charles for his service to SPAA and wish him well during his well earned sabbatical The university has begun the search for a new dean for SPAA, with candidates ex pected to visit campus this fall In the meantime, SPAA continues to move forward and achieve recognition as an extraordinar y institution This summer we launched a new three course model for our graduate cer tificate programs that we hope attracts more mid career professionals to obtain specialized training at SPAA Relatedly, we will be updating our MPA curriculum in an effor t to give students more flexibility to tailor their coursework to their interests and career goals And, happily, we learned this summer that Rutgers SPAA was ranked #10 in the world in public administration in the 2022 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) by the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, one of the most closely watched rankings of universities worldwide See the pages of this newsletter for a few highlights about the work of SPAA’s faculty, students, and staff who together con tributed to these impressive rankings Although this is a time of transition for SPAA, it is also a time of accomplish ment and promise as the school enters a new academic year and a new future
#5 nationally #10 globally in Public Administration U.S. News & World Repor t #7 in Urban Policy #13 in Public Management and Leadership #15 in Nonprofit Management #16 in Public Finance and Budgeting #20 in Local Government Management #29 in Best Public Affairs Programs
ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS)
Rutgers SPAA was again recognized as one of the world’s leading research institutions in public administration, ranking #10 in the 2022 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) compiled by the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy The GRAS recognizes institutions that consistently produce a high volume of influential, high quality research Rutgers SPAA received a world rank of #10, and placed #5 in the nation, out of 200 institutions in the subject of public administration
Rutgers SPA A Continues to be Nationally and Globally Recognized as an Oustanding Higher Education Institution for Public Affairs and Administration
U.S. News & World Repor t
The School of Public Affairs and Adminis tration continues to be recognized among the nation’s outstanding higher education institu tions for public affairs and administration, ranking #29 out of nearly 300 schools sur veyed in the nation in the 2023 U S News & World Repor t’ s Best Public Affairs Programs
G R E G G VA N RY Z I N, I NT E R I M D E A N D E A N ’S N O T E 2 | R U TG E R S S PA A N E W S
An award winning teacher, scholar, and author, Dr Menifield is a former Ronald E McNair Scholar and won the Missouri University Faculty Achieve ment Award in Diversity During his tenure at SPAA, he was inducted as a fellow by the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), appointed by Gov Phil Murphy to serve on the New Jersey Martin Luther King Jr Commemorative Commission, selected as a 2021 recipient of the Donald C Stone Service to ASPA Award, and awarded the 2021 NJ State Governor’s Jefferson Award in Educa tion, among other achievements
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Dr Charles E Menifield, who was appointed dean of the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers University Newark in Septem ber 2017, has stepped down from the position as of the end of June 2022 He is taking a year of sabbatical and then returning to the SPAA faculty in 2023
Dr Menifield, the second dean in the school's history, worked to make SPAA a primary resource for community and public engagement in Newark and be yond He oversaw the development of a new strategic plan for the school that helped facilitate the creation of the Office of Public Engagement and the SPAA Student Ambassador Program He supported SPAA's focus on improv ing the Greater Newark community’s access to state services with his in volvement in establishing the New Jer sey State Policy Lab, and helped to formalize a partnership with The Citi zens Campaign to advance citizen leadership in Greater Newark During his tenure at SPAA, the school received the 2021 Diversity Award and the 2019 Social Equity Award from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), and he saw the school's undergraduate program celebrate the 10 year anniversary of its first graduates and SPAA celebrate 15 years as a school at Rutgers Univer sity Newark “It has been an honor serving as dean of Rutgers SPAA," said Dr Meni field "My experience at Rutgers has been transformational personally and professionally During my 26 year ca reer, my greatest reward has always been seeing students graduate and go on to pursue meaningful work That re ward did not change in Newark In fact, given our student population, it is even more fulfilling to see the impact of a Rutgers degree on so many students I was also happy to see the changes that we implemented to reinvigorate our grant and contract work We reached a record number of grants and contracts in the last few years and the school is on a very good trajectory in that space SPAA is poised for great ness, and I am honored that I had a role in helping the school fulfill its mis sion to serve our students, SPAA fam ily, and the university at large " In a joint statement, RU N Chancel lor Nancy Cantor and former Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Ashwani Monga expressed their gratitude to Dr Menifield for his accomplishments while dean, noting he “bolstered the school’s excellent national reputation while significantly advancing SPAA’s profile by cultivating and elevating fac ulty, staff, and student accomplish ments, especially their publicly engaged scholarship and commit ments as an anchor institution ” Dr Menifield came to SPAA from the University of Missouri Columbia, where he was the associate dean for academic programs at the Harry S Tru man School of Public Affairs Prior to that, he was at the University of Mem phis where he was a professor and associate professor and served as director of the public and nonprofit administration program He earned his PhD in political science at the Univer sity of Missouri Columbia, and both his master’s in public policy and admin istration and his bachelor’s degree at Mississippi State University His research interests lie primarily in the areas of budgeting and financial management, public health and wel fare, and policing Other areas include public management information sys tems, education finance, and public ad ministration education He has written two books on minority politics and two books on public budgeting and finan cial management His current research examines factors that impact police killings
Charles E. Menifield Steps Down as Dean of Rutgers SPAA
Dr Charles E Menifield
On May 16, more than 250 School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) graduates were honored and recog nized as par t of Rutgers University Newark’s Commence ment held in person at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ
At SPAA's graduation celebration, Dean Menifield re marked on the resilience of graduates and the unique life experiences they bring to the school "These experiences ul timately dictate the type of role that you will play in public service," said Dr Menifield He went on to talk about the im por tance of staying engaged with SPAA as an alumnus of the school, and noted, "As a graduate of SPAA, you are one of many members of the SPAA family Know that just as we have asked you to be here for those who come behind you, we will always be here for you as well "
SPAA Assistant Teaching Professor Dr Lois Warner (PhD'07) carried the gonfalon for the school in the faculty procession Award winning journalist Maria Hinojosa deliv ered the keynote address and was given an honorary Doctor of Letters degree An honorary Doctor of Humane Letters was also given to Wayne T Meyer SPAA graduate Diane Nieves (BA'22) was featured prior to Dean Charles E Meni field awarding the degrees for the School of Public Affairs and Administration Preceding the university commencement ceremony, SPAA held a vir tual 2022 Graduation Celebration on May 12, during which graduates, Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society in ductees, 2022 SPAA Award Winners, and SPAA scholarship winners were honored A PhD Hooding Ceremony was hosted by the RU N Graduate School on May 17 at the Paul Robeson Campus Center
Rutgers SPA A Celebrates the Class of 2022
ON THE COVER: Charles E Menifield, as dean, addresses the class of 2022 at the Prudential Center in Newark on May 16, 2022
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Dr Warner managed the induction of 58 graduates into Pi Alpha Alpha, the global honor society for public affairs and administration Pi Alpha Alpha encourages and recog nizes outstanding scholarship and accomplishment in pub lic affairs and administration and membership identifies students with the highest academic performance levels in educational programs SPAA Assistant Professor Dr Miyeon Song was inducted as an honorary member Following the acknowledgement of 2022 SPAA award and scholarship recipients, SPAA Director of Public Engage ment Sharon Stroye (MPA'06) spoke about the achieve ments of the 2021 2022 SPAA Ambassadors and the graduating ambassadors were acknowledged Dr Menifield then closed out the celebration by extending congratula tions and well wishes to the graduates Read more: https://go rutgers edu/spaa grads 2022
The celebration's keynote speaker was Natasha Hem mings (MPA'16), the chief executive officer for the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey She credits SPAA with helping her to advance in her career "My life has been forever changed be cause of my experience at SPAA," said Hemmings
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“Many professionals today find they need to acquire fo cused, specialized training to tackle new duties, to switch fields, or to advance in their careers, ” explains Professor Gregg Van Ryzin, interim dean “By offering a three course (nine credit) model, Rutgers SPAA aims to give people the knowl edge and skills they need in an efficient, affordable format to achieve their goals ”
Courses can be taken either online or in person during the fall, spring, or summer terms All three courses should be completed within two academic years and with a grade of B or better in order for students to receive a certificate The cost to complete the certificate is based on the cost per credit found on the latest tuition and fee schedule from the Office of Student Accounting, Billing, and Cashier Services After suc cessfully completing a certificate, if students apply and are accepted into the traditional MPA program at SPAA, the nine credits can be applied to the degree
Rutgers SPAA is now offering a three course model for its graduate level, credit bearing certificate programs The certifi cate programs concentrated in the areas of Budgeting and Financial Management, Healthcare Administration, Leader ship of Public Organizations, and Nonprofit Management are intended to provide or enhance career knowledge and skills in these tracks for non degree seeking students Each certificate is comprised of three courses (or nine credits) which explore areas of public management and administra tion beyond the core subject matter to provide specialized training for pre career and in career students
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SPA A Launches Three- Course Model for Credit-Bearing, Graduate Certificates
T I A S H E R È E G AY N O R (M PA’0 5, P H D’1 1) will join the leader ship and management faculty in the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota in Fall 2022
I R E N E O'B R I E N (M PA'0 5) was awarded the 2022 SPAA Dean's Public Service Award
N O R M A N E C K S T E I N (M PA'0 8) was awarded the 2022 SPAA Distinguished Alumni Award for Practitioner Excellence for outstanding achievement in public administration and public service through applied practice in the field
A D A M K U C Z Y N S K I (P H D’2 1) is now an assistant teaching professor and the MPA program director and an at Villanova University H U A FA N G L I (P H D’1 7) is now an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh A R O O N P. M A N O H A R A N (P H D'0 9) joined Suffolk University’s Institute for Public Service as associate professor and director of the National Center for Public Performance
S A R A P E Ñ A (M PA'1 4) joined PSEG as the director of external affairs
É T I E N N E C H A R B O N N E A U (P H D'1 0) was awarded the 2022 SPAA Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic Excellence for outstanding contributions to the intellectual, theoretical, and institutional advancement of public administration
S C O T T T E S S E R (M PA’1 7) was promoted to captain of the Teaneck, NJ Police Depar tment and is now serving as a member of the depar tment's Command Staff in Administration as the service division commander We welcome SPAA alumni news about career, professional, and educational accomplishments. For more alumni information and to share updates, visit http://spaa.newark.rutgers.edu/alumni. U S
Applicants for SPAA's credit bearing certificates may take courses simply by completing the online graduate application and selecting their desired certificate within the non degree option Materials required for application include: a completed online application, application fee, official transcripts, and a personal statement of approximately 500 words addressing why you want to pursue the certificate Learn more about SPAA’s certificate programs: https://spaa.newark.rutgers.edu/certificates
View event recording: https://go.rutgers.edu/spaa bhm terry A Recognizes Black Histor y Month via a Conversation with Community L eader Darrell K. Terr y Sr.
Darrell K Terry Sr , President and CEO of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children's Hospital of New Jersey
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In recognition of Black Histor y Month, Rutgers SPAA engaged Darrell K Terr y Sr , President and CEO of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children's Hospital of New Jersey, in a conversation about being a strategic leader during a global pandemic Terr y is a 25 year employee of RWJBarnabas Health and has more than 35 years of expe rience in healthcare administration at three major New Jersey healthcare organizations Terr y spoke about his " ser vant leadership style" and noted that his role is to provide suppor t, mentally and physically, and to ensure that staff have the resources they need to take care of patients "The people who choose healthcare as a profession are the most incredible people that I have ever met, and it never became more obvious than when this pandemic star ted It's really an honor and privilege to lead this group of men and women through dif ficult times " Guest Speaker: D A R R E L L K T E R RY S R President and CEO of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and The Children's Hospital of New Jersey Co moderated by: • S H A R O N S T R OY E Director of Public Engagement, Rutgers SPAA M I C H A E L D I L L A R D Assistant Teaching Professor and Director of the Undergraduate Program, Rutgers SPAA
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Learn more about the project: http://smartcities.rutgers.edu
The Transparency and Governance Center (TGC) at Rutgers SPAA hosted a meeting of par tners from the National Science Foundation funded Smar t and Connected Cities project, which is helping the City of Newark develop strategies and tools to create inclusive and equitable digital public services NSF awarded a three year, $2 3 million grant to Rutgers University faculty from TCG in Newark and the Depar tment of Computer Science and the Depar tment of Civil and Environmental Engineering in New Brunswick to par tner with the city
MPA student E L I J A H R O S E NT H A L was awarded the 2022 SPAA Outstanding MPA Student Award for high achievement in both academic and co curricular pursuits PhD candidate K AY L A S C H W O E R E R accepted an assistant professor position at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam BA student M A R K S T E I N B E R G was awarded the 2022 SPAA Outstanding BA Student Award for high achievement in both academic and co curricular pursuits
A B I E M U R R AY B A N G U R A received a 2022 Public Administration Student of the Year Award from the New Jersey Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (NJASPA) https://go.rutgers.edu/bangura njaspa
G R E G G VA N RY Z I N, professor and interim dean as of July 2022, was awarded the 2022 SPAA Faculty Service Award for outstanding service to our students, faculty, and the greater SPAA community PhD candidate K A R E E M W I L L I S (BA’16, MPA’17) accepted a postdoctoral fellowship position at Rutgers SPAA P E N G J U Z H A N G, assistant professor, won Best Paper Award at the 2022 Midwest Public Affairs Conference (MPAC), held June 23 24 at the University of Illinois Springfield, for his work, "Impact of Home Rule on Municipal Bound ary and Fiscal Expansion: Evidence from Texas " https://go.rutgers.edu/zhang best paper 2022 mpac
R A C H E L E M A S, assistant teaching professor (through Spring 2022), was awarded the 2022 Gail Daniels SPAA Staff Award to recognize a SPAA staff member who dis plays outstanding service to students, faculty, and the greater SPAA community
SPAA PhD candidate Mauricio Astudillo Rodas has won the 2022 Paul Volcker Junior Scholar Award from the American Political Science Association (APSA) Organized Section for Public Administration for his proposal titled "Public Servants: Let's Talk about Transparency in the Workplace " https://go rutgers edu/astudillo rodas 2022 apsa volcker MPA student
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A LY S S A L A PAT R I E L LO, assistant dean of undergraduate programs, was recognized by Rutgers University Newark as an academic advisor/counselor who has given great guidance based on student feedback PhD candidate C H E O N L E E accepted an assistant professor position at New Mexico State University PhD candidate I VA N L E E accepted an assistant professor position at Arizona State University Hainan PhD candidate H A N J I N M A O accepted a tenure track assistant professor position at the University of Houston Downtown (UHD) PhD student YO N G C H A N R H E E placed second in the 2022 Best Paper Award competition from the Conference of Minority Public Administrators (COMPA) for his sole authored paper "Re examining Leadership and Diversity: Will Leadership Decide the Effectiveness of Racial Representation in Police Killings?" https://go rutgers edu/rhee 2022 compa N O R M A R I C C U C C I, Board of Governors Distinguished Professor, was bestowed with the title of Doctor Hon oris Causa by the University of Lausanne, Switzerland https://go.rutgers.edu/riccucci lausanne
A A R O N G I B B S, associate dean of student and academic services, was recognized by Rutgers University Newark as an academic advisor/counselor who has given great guidance based on student feedback
EMPA student LU C A S B R U N S K I L L was awarded the 2022 E Drexel Godfrey Award for embodying the SPAA core values of high academic achievement, scholarship, and service to the community BA student R E N E E D AV I D was awarded the 2022 SPAA Outstanding BA Student Award for high achievement in both academic and co curricular pursuits
PhD candidate M E R I L A NT O N Y accepted a postdoctoral fellowship position at the Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University Newark
D O M O N I C B E A R F I E L D (P H D’0 4), associate professor (through Spring 2022), was awarded the 2022 SPAA Faculty Teaching Award for significant contributions to SPAA students’ intellectual lives through superior teaching practices
Conducted with Assistance from Rutgers SPA
Essex County Executive DiVincenzo Announces Results of County Health Assessment Sur vey
R U TG E R S S PA A N E W S is published by Office of Communications in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers University Newark Story ideas, news, and comments are welcome
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND ADMINISTRATION (SPAA) RUTGERS THE STATE UNIVERSIT Y OF NEW JERSEY 111 WASHINGTON STREE T NEWARK NJ 07102
For more news: http://spaa newark rutgers edu/newsroom
A Essex County Executive Joseph N DiVincenzo Jr announced the results of the recently completed Essex County Community Health Assessment Survey Conducted from December 2021 to March 2022, the survey asked Essex County residents about the health issues and concerns they experience and obstacles they face in obtaining health care The data collected will help the Essex County Office of Public Health Management and Essex County municipal health offi cers create programs and initiatives to raise awareness about and promote wellness Essex County partnered with Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administra tion in Newark to conduct the study This is the first Commu nity Health Assessment conducted by Essex County since 2006 “Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration was excited to be invited to work with the county and health department on this critical endeavor The health of our community is very important and even more important during the COVID pandemic This data is vital to creating good health policies to address needs and disparities in our county,” said Dr Charles E Menifield, professor and dean emeri tus from Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration Residents who took the survey were asked a variety of general questions about their overall health, diet and exercise habits, access to af fordable medical care and prescriptions, and if there are any barriers that they experience in obtaining health care All responses were anonymous and confidential The survey results were compiled into a 177 page document that can be accessed on the Essex County website Read more: https://go.rutgers.edu/essex health survey Community responses help identify local health concerns and need for wellness programs
