PHD IN PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION Annual Report 2018-2019
MISSION
The UNO PhD in Public Administration creates a supportive, collaborative, and rigorous environment for students to develop their intellectual identities and a comprehensive understanding of the field and a range of research traditions.
VIS
Our students and alumni to theory, policy, research demo
SION
will make significant contributions h, and practice towards enhancing a ocratic society.
A MESSAGE FROM THE PHD CHAIR Welcome! We are an established Carnegie Doctoral program on a growing campus that is committed to rigorous scholarship and democratic engagement. Our PhD graduates typically complete their degree with at least two publications and substantive teaching experience in person and online. Throughout this viewbook we share our philosophy to empower students to establish a strong intellectual identity. We have a robust record of placing our graduates in the academy or in senior level positions in the public and nonprofit sectors. We hope you will consider joining us in Omaha! Angela Eikenberry, PhD Doctoral Program Chair School of Public Administration University of Nebraska at Omaha aeikenberry@unomaha.edu
VALUES
Intellectual openness, collaboration, diversity, and excellence.
PHD PROGRAM HISTORY In May of 1994, the Board of Trustees of University of Nebraska approved a PhD program for the School of Public Administration with classes to begin in the Fall semester of 1995. Since that time, we have been providing graduates with the ability to achieve scholarly distinction in higher education or leadership positions in public and nonprofit management. The PhD program emphasizes both the empirical and normative dimensions of the field. It recognizes multiple ways of knowing by teaching interpretive, critical and posttraditional approaches in addition to more traditional positivist knowledge development. Students
learn to translate knowledge to solve organizational challenges, community problems, and societal needs in the U.S. and across the globe. Intellectual identity, academic rigor and democratic purpose are central to the program’s success. Students experience a culture of openness, coupled with opportunities to conduct research with faculty, funding to attend academic conferences, and chances to teach undergraduate courses online and in person. As a result of the commitment of our faculty, our PhD graduates are well prepared for the job market and well trained to become independent academics. Most
Rooted in History,
Forming the Future
of our graduates leave with at least two publications. One of our 2015 graduates, Can Chen, now a budget and finance faculty member at Florida International University, had eight publications when he graduated. Typically, by their third year, students are assigned to teach at the undergraduate level. The courses they teach support the Emergency Management undergraduate program, the Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies concentrations in public administration and nonprofit management, as well as the campus-wide nonprofit management minor. Eighty percent of SPA PhD graduates are in academic positions. Our graduates have been placed at VA Tech, Rutgers, SUNY Albany and a host of other universities.
They also teach in China, Thailand, and Estonia. Many are already full professors and some have taken leadership positions in universities, including Deniz Leuenberger who is Chief of Staff to the President at Bridgewater State University. Our graduates in the field of government and nonprofit management include Ma Jun who is Vice-Mayor of Nanchang, the capital city of Jiangxi province; Rich Swayze who has been a top-level administrator at the FAA, Deb Anderson who is a senior administrator at Project Harmony, and Catherine Humphries-Brown who is the Associate Vice President of Research and Evaluation at the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation.
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WHO ARE WE? We are a powerhouse of social innovators, thinkers, and scholars ready to take on today’s challenges in the public and nonprofit fields.
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The School of Public Administration is made up of nationally-ranked and accredited graduate degrees that are a force to be reckoned with.
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Powerful programs. Unforgettable reputation. We are the School of Public Administration.
PHD PROGR BY THE NUM 16 students funded fully or in part
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DEMOCRATIC. SOCIAL INNOVATORS. SCHOLARS. The PhD in Public Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) creates a supportive, collaborative, and rigorous environment for students to develop their intellectual identities and a comprehensive understanding of the field with a range of research traditions. Throughout the PhD program, we will empower you to establish a strong intellectual identity. You will be introduced to different knowledge traditions and
become 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 program, they have opportunities to teach and to work one-on-one with faculty. When you graduate, you will be prepared to understand and help solve public problems as an academic or as a practitioner.
Student Honors and Awards In addition to excellence in the classroom, our PhD students are also scholars and award-winners in the field. • B.J. Fletcher won the Midwest Public Affairs Conference best student paper award • Elizabeth Gillespie received a research grant from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ($34,557)—with Dr. Eikenberry. • Jiseul Kim received a research grant from the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB), the Gil Crain Memorial Grant ($5,000)—with Dr. Carol Ebdon • Jiseul Kim also received a UNO Women’s Club Scholarship ($1,000) • Xian Gao received a UNO Summer Graduate Scholarship ($500) • Eight students won UNO Graduate Research and Creative Activity (GRACA) Awards ($40,000) • Elizabeth Gillespie • Jiseul Kim • Josephine Hazelton • Ming Xie • Morgan Vogel • Xian Gao • Yeonkyung Kim • Yunseung Kim • Conference travel funding awards from Graduate Studies and the School were provided to 25 students, totaling $18,000.
Service of Note
• B.J. Fletcher--worked with Alliance For a Better Omaha to help better understand and address college student food insecurity in Omaha. • Emily Newman MacNabb was a board member for the UNO Schwalb Center for Israeli and Jewish Studies and Nebraska chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. • Jiseul Kim volunteered for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for international students at UNO. • Megan McGuffey--published a professional report for the Nebraska Food Council in conjunction with the Center for Rural Affairs. • Morgan Vogel served as a member of the ASPA Nebraska Council. • Xian Gao served as a Program Committee member of the Sixth International Conference on eDemocracy & eGovernment (ICEDEG 2019) & 20th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research (dg.o2019).
Conferences
Our PhD students’ learning extends far beyond the walls of the classroom. Just in the past year, our students presented at the following 21 conferences and meetings: • American Evaluation Association (AEA) • American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) • Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) • Association for Research on Civil Society in Africa (ARoCSA)/ARNOVA-Africa • Association for Budgeting & Financial Management (ABFM) • Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) • East Lake International Forum for Outstanding Overseas Young Scholars, Wuhan, China • Eno Center for Transportation Future Leaders Development Conference • Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Conference • International Scientific Practical, Siauliai, Lithuania • International Public Policy Association (IPPA) Summer School • International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR) • Leading Change Conference • Midwest Public Affairs Conference • Northeast Conference on Public Administration (NECoPA) • Public Administration Theory Network (PAT-Net) • Public Management Research Conference (PMRC) • Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) • Urban Affairs Association (UAA) • Urban Food Systems Symposium • Western Social Science Association (WSSA)
NU System Awards SPA Graduate Student with Presidential Fellowship -University Communications
On Wednesday, Sept. 5, University of Nebraska (NU) President Hank Bounds announced the recipients of the 2018-2019 Presidential Graduate Fellowships, with two University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) students among this year’s six awardees. The prestigious fellowships are awarded to a select group of NU graduate students each year on the basis of high scholastic performance and personal accomplishment. Fellows receive a stipend provided through the University of Nebraska Foundation that allows them to pursue their studies full-time.
Anthony Starke (pictured above), a Ph.D. graduate in public administration, was identified by Bounds for his impressive research, strong community engagement and passion for public administration. “Our Presidential Graduate Fellow are some of the best and brightest students at the University of Nebraska – exactly the type of talented, driven, creative scholars we want to represent our university and state,” Bounds said. “We are fortunate to enjoy a level of private support that allows these students to devote themselves fully to their studies and research. I’m confident we will see great things from them in the future.”
ALUMNI POSITIONS 35 out of 43 (81%) of our graduates are in positions at academic institutions. The remainder are in high-level professional positions in nonprofit, government, or for-profit agencies.
University Placements • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Bowling Green State University Bridgewater State University California Lutheran University California State University, Fullerton California State University, Stanislaus College of Brockport State University of New York Eastern Washington University Fayetteville State University Florida International University James Madison University Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania Purdue University Rutgers University-Newark Sun Yat-Sen University Tennessee State University Thammasat University University of Alabama University at Albany, SUNY University of North Carolina-Pembroke University of South Florida University of Nebraska Medical Center University of Nebraska at Omaha, College of Business University of Nebraska at Omaha, Department of Gerontology University of Nebraska at Omaha, International Studies & Programs University of Nebraska at Omaha, School of Public Administration University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Consortium Wichita State University
100% of our 2018-2019 graduates were placed in academic positions this past year: • Abhishek Bhati, Bowling Green State University • Anthony Starke, University of Colorado-Denver • Chad Abresch, University of Nebraska Medical Center • Junghack Kim, Wichita State University • Sungho Park, University of Alabama
PHD STUDENT
PUBLICATIONS Maher, Craig S., Ji Hyung Park, Bit An. (2018). Pilots: What are they and are they affected by institutional and/or economic constraints? The case of Wisconsin municipalities. Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs, 4(3).
Gines, Rendell: produced 4 guides, 1 e-book, co-wrote the Women’s Business Credit report, the Black Women’s Business Startups report, guide on inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem building.
Bharath, Del • one co-authored paper accepted to Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs • one sole authored paper accepted to Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership • one sole authored paper conditionally accepted to Public Integrity
Kim, Jiseul., Chen, C., & Ebdon, C. (2018). Effects of the GASB No. 34 infrastructure reporting standards on state highway infrastructure quality. Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, 30(2), 191-210.
Hong, Sounman, & B. Shine Cho. (2018). Citizen Participation and the Redistribution of Public Goods, Public Administration. 96(3): 481-496 Cho, B. Shine, Juye Lee, Wonkang Lee & Hyosang Min. (Accepted with minor revision.) Changing Management Strategies of a Government-hosted Festival: The Case of Hi Seoul Festival, South Korea, International Journal of Event and Festival Management. Newman, Emily, & Fletcher, B.J., (2019). Hurricanes, Disasters, and Food Insecurity: The intersection of two social events. Emerging Voices in Natural Hazards Research. Newman, Emily, & Bennett, DeeDee. (In press). Teaching Preparedness, Warning and Protective Action with a Social Vulnerability Twist. Book chapter. Gao, Xian. (2018). Networked co-production of 311 services: Investigating use of Twitter in five U.S. cities. International Journal of Public Administration. 41(9):712-724.
Kim, Jiseul. (2019). Korea capital management and budgeting. In Srithongrung, A., Ermasova, N., and Yusuf, W (Eds.), Capital Management and Budgeting in the Public Sector. Hershey, PA: IGI-Global. Kim, Yunseung, & Chen, Yu-Che. (In press). IT-enabled Information and Transaction Services: Adoption by Small Municipalities, International Journal of Organizational Theory and Behavior. Liao, Wei-Jie, & Kuo, Nai-Ling. (2018). The Determinants of Debt in Taiwanese Municipalities, in Mandarin. Public Finance Review (Taiwan). Liao, Wei-Jie, & Kuo, Nai-Ling. (2019). Capital Management and Budgeting in Taiwan in Arwiphawee Srithongrung, Natalia Ermasova, and Wie Yusuf’s Capital Management and Budgeting in the Public Sector. Vogel, Morgan, Jerry Deichert, & Robert Blair (In press). A Regional Approach to Mobility Management: Promoting Sustainability and Economic Growth through Public Transit. In Building a Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure for Longterm Economic Growth, edited by Olga Smirnova.
Xie, Ming, & Pang, M. (2019). Gender and career development in nonprofit organizations: Comparative study of female leadership in China, South Africa, and the U.S. In C. Chao & L. Ha (Eds.), Asian women leadership: A cross-national and cross-sector comparison. Routledge.
Courses Taught by Our PhD Students Students taught the following courses as instructors of record (13 classes in total):
Louis-Charles, H., & Xie, Ming. (In press). The Annual Tribal Emergency Management Workshop and the Bureau of Indian Affairs- Three years of building bridges and increasing capacities among Tribal nations. In H. Louise-Charles, E. Zendejas, P. O’Neil, & J. Zendejas. (Eds.). Tribal management and emergency services in the 21st century: Research and practice. Springer.
1.
PA 2000 Intro to Public Administration
2.
PA 2170 Introduction to Public Administration
3.
PA 3000 Applied Statistics
4.
PA 3500 Nonprofit Organizations and Management
Starke, A. (2018). Pariahs no more? The status of theory and theorists in contemporary public administration. Administrative Theory & Praxis, 40(2), p. 143-149.
5.
PA 3700 Financial Management for Nonprofits
6.
PA 4300 Seminar in Public Policy
Starke, A., Heckler, N. & Mackey, J. (2018). Administrative racism: Public administration education and race. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 24(4), p. 469-489.
7.
PA/UBNS 1010 Introduction to Urban Studies
8.
PA 3200 Program Planning and Evaluation
Blair, R. & Starke, A. (2018). The emergence of local government policy leadership: A roaring torch or a flickering flame? State and Local Government Review, 49(4), p. 275-284.
9.
PA 4390 Public Budgeting
PHD IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION APPLICATION CHECKLIST A PPLY ONLINE
at apply.unomaha.edu
SEND OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS
International applicants who have completed coursework at international higher education institution(s) are required to submit a transcript evaluation.
S UBMIT GRE
A minimum GRE combined verbal and quantitative score of 305 is required.
INCLUDE A RESUME OR CURRICULUM VITAE TAKE THE TOEFL/IELTS (INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS) • •
TOEFL: Minimum score of 557 (or 233 on computer based test or 90 on Internet based test IELTS: Minimum score of 6.5, or minimum Pearson score of 61
S UBMIT A STATEMENT OF INTENT
In a five-page statement of intent, describe the following: • The career you wish to pursue after completion of the PhD • Desired areas of specialization • Faculty with whom you would like to work • Explanation of academic and professional backgrounds and interests
S UBMIT THREE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Provide the names of three individuals who can address your qualifications for graduate study. At least two recommendations must be academics.
P AY THE $50 APPLICATION FEE
APPLICATION DEADLINES
FOR APPLICANTS SEEKING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: JAN 15 ALL OTHER APPLICANTS: MARCH 15
402.554.2625 | spa.unomaha.edu | facebook.com/unospa The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its programs, activities, or employment.