January 2016
The Future of Public Administration
THE EXCHANGE
From the Director’s Desk
One of the first questions I remember being raised as a brand new MPA student in another century and another generation long ago, was: “What is public administration and how has it changed over the years?” This was followed by, “What is the future of public administration as a discipline and a profession?” The response then, as it is now, is that public administration as a profession and field of study is constantly changing. This is part of the uniqueness and the challenge of this remarkable field. So, when we contemplate what the future of public administration will be the most certain, and safe, response is that it will be one of constant change. The future of public administration will continue to see changes in technology that dictate and augment how we work. The ability to process work faster will be tested by the ability to compromise the safety of information keeping administrators constantly on guard. The shifting role of public administrators from the responsibility of delivering services to partnering with others to deliver those same services will continue; possibly with new partnerships. The globalization of economics, politics and business will continue, thus compelling administrators to have increased abilities to operate in an international environment. Globalization coupled with changing demographics around the world will make the competition for talent in the workplace and the emphasis on individual and organizational performance even stronger than it is now. Also, as the past informs the future, I believe public administrators in America will still be digging out from the attacks on bureaucracy and public service seen over the last several decades. But, this digging out process will build an even better public service. The current and future changes and challenges will keep us sharp as we seek to make public administration and public service even better. As we end the 2015 calendar year what will the future of public administration look like? To quote the great philosopher of Star Wars fame, Yoda: “Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future” (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, 1980). What is most certain is that the future will continue to be one of change. I hope you enjoy reading our latest updates and activities in the School. We wish each of you happy holidays and the most prosperous New Year!
CREDITS Editor
Megan Nelson
Associate Editors Lizz Barnhart Meagan Van Gelder
Contributors
Lizz Barnhart DeeDee Bennett Anthony Campbell Yu-Che Chen Ellen Freeman-Wakefield Bryce Hoflund Ji Seul Kim Jooho Lee Craig Maher Megan McGuffey Ji Hyung Park Scott Tarry Meagan Van Gelder Scott Vlasek Ethel Williams
STORY IDEAS
Submit story ideas and updates for the next issue of The Exchange to Megan Nelson at megnelson@unomaha.edu.
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Ethel Williams, Ph.D. Director, School of Public Administration
spa.unomaha.edu
Global Reach with Local Roots
The Global Digital Governance (GDG) Lab The GDG Lab is an innovative initiative of the School of Public Administration (SPA) with generous support from Dr. John Bartle, Dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service (CPACS) and Dr. Ethel Williams, Director of SPA. This Lab was inaugurated in fall 2014 with Dr. Yu-Che Chen as the founding Director and Dr. Jooho Lee as the Associate Director. The GDG Lab’s mission is to advance the theory and practice of utilizing information and communication technologies to improve public governance. Strengthening Our Core in Digital Innovations This lab fosters digital innovations for public service production and delivery. The key topics include digital governance, social media, smart city, e-participation, and big data. Moreover, we are doing research on how we can leverage these digital innovations in collaborative governance and emergency management. Growing Local Roots in Omaha and Midwest With the Urban Research Grant from CPACS, we have been working with Metropolitan Area Planning Agency about crossboundary data governance to improve transportation planning in the Omaha Metro. We are currently doing a survey of digital government services and social media use in local governments in Nebraska and Iowa. The support and assistance of Jerry Deichert, Director of the Center for Public Affairs Research and Dr. Robert Blair of SPA are instrumental in helping us understand and engage with local government communities.
The newest initiative, as funded by the Urban Research Grant, looks at the social media use for emergency management in Nebraska with Dr. DeeDee Bennett, professor of Emergency Services at UNO, as the lead researcher. Expanding Our Global Reach We have research collaborators around the globe to work on the Lab’s research areas that are critically important in the United States and other countries. We have been working with our colleagues at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) by building on a MOU for collaboration between two colleges (CPACS and the College of Public Administration at HUST). HUST has the largest group of e-government faculty and researchers in China. Dr. Lee taught an e-government course at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management in Korea over the summer of 2015 to government officials and scholars from developing countries. Dr. Chen serves on the advisory board for the Taiwan E-Governance Research Center and collaborates with the researchers in the Center. Moreover, we have scholars and government officials visiting us in order to strengthen the local-global connections, including scholars from China and South Korea. We are pursuing collaboration opportunities with our e-government colleagues at the University of Agdar in Norway.
Dr. Jooho Lee, Associate Professor Dr. Yu-Che Chen, Associate Professor
Drones and Robots
OH M
The future of technology in emergency management is fast approaching. Researchers are currently studying the use of novel technology to solve some of emergency management’s most fundamental concerns. The advancements made in aviation, communications, robotics, and wireless devices have led the way to several hundred different applications in emergency management. The most recent progress have developed around leveraging drones, robots, and smartphones for assistance during preparedness, response, and recovery. Drones (or Unmanned Aerial Systems) The use of drones in emergency management is growing daily. With funding from the National Science Foundation, researchers are developing an integrated system to improve weather forecasts with the help of drones (Dougherty, 2015). Wildland firefighters are beginning conversations about the use of drones with infrared capability to provide real-time information about what is occurring on the ground (Smith, 2014). In Texas, emergency responders used drones to provide real-time information to track flood waters (Crowe, 2015). The research is not just occurring in the U.S. but globally, as well (Kennedy, 2015). The rapid progression of drone use leads to real policy and administration concerns. How many drones can be used during one disaster? Are their real privacy concerns for citizens? At what altitude will the use of drones infringe on commercial airline industry flights? And perhaps more importantly, who is authorized to fly drones for an emergency management agency and at what cost?
Robots (or Unmanned non-aerial systems) On the heels of drone use in emergency management is the development of humanoid robots for disasters. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently funded a global competition to design robots for use during disaster response and recovery (D’Monte, 2015). Researchers built robots designed for search and rescue, structural manipulation, and human-made hazard detection (chemical, biologic, radiologic or nuclear hazards). A wheeled robot prototype has even been designed to relay thermal imaging to firefighters in the field (Wood, 2013). Again, there are real policy concerns. What are the costs and benefits for an emergency management agency? What are the privacy and safety concerns for citizens? Smartphones (or really smart devices) Americans are tethered to their smart phones and devices. The smart phone is used for making calls, sending texts, downloading apps, playing games, taking pictures, jotting notes, playing music and much, much more! The future of this technology is how emergency managers use these devices and what information citizens can relay or receive through phones during an emergency or disaster. Emergency managers use apps to connect to a wealth of information including material safety data sheets for chemicals, to find first aid information, or for helpful tips on how to communicate with people with various disabilities. Across the U.S. there are 911 dispatchers that can summon citizens trained in CPR to emergency locations with the use of a smartphone app (Bergal, 2015).
s and Smartphones
MY!
The smartphone is also transformed into a personal siren during potential emergencies with the use of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). Emergency management agencies and disaster related organizations have developed several hundred mobile applications to assist citizens to be better prepared and well informed.1 The relatively new introduction of wearable technology that connects to our smart devices has the potential to provide pertinent data to emergency managers. So maybe Google glass or Apple Watch didn’t take off as expected, but the combination of smartphones and wearable technologies could reduce the impacts of hazards for first responders (think, exo-skeletal suit), detect environmental threats (potentially with Google glass), or assist in identification of survivors lost in disaster debris (perhaps by pinging their Apple Watch or Fitbit). With the inclusion of wearable technology, the potential policy and administrative concerns would most likely include privacy, agency collaboration, and costs. This is a wonderful time to be in emergency management. The progression of technology will forever change our vulnerability, preparedness, response, recovery and resilience. The new use of drones, robots, smartphones, and even wearables during disasters will certainly spark more growth in the practice of emergency management, be the cause of new legislation in the field, provide new opportunities for business collaboration with emergency managers, and encourage more interdisciplinary research for academics.
1 For an initial list of mobile applications related to emergency preparedness
http://www.cacp.gatech.edu/docs/Apps%20Catalog%20_final%20version3.docx
References Bergal, Jenni. (2015, April 13) Rescue Workers Use Apps to Help Save Lives. Stateline. The Pew Charitable Trusts. Retrieved from http://www.pewtrusts.org/ en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/4/13/rescue-workers-use-apps-tohelp-save-lives Crowe, Melissa. (2015, June 8) Texas Flood Tests Use of Drones by Emergency Responders. Emergency Management Magazine. Retrieved from http:// www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/Texas-Flood-Tests-Drones-EmergencyResponders.html Dougherty, Justin (2015, October 2) Researchers Developing Drones To Predict Severe Weather. News9. Retrieved from http://www.news9.com/story/30171296/ researchers-developing-drones-to-predict-severe-weather D’Monte, Leslie. (2015, June 2). 5 Robots That May Rescue You From Natural Disasters. Emergency Management Magazine. Retrieved from http://www. emergencymgmt.com/safety/5-Robots-That-May-Rescue-You-From-NaturalDisasters.html Kennedy, D (2015, February 6). How these drones for disaster relief and eliminating landmines are aiming to rebrand the controversial technology. Financial Post. http://business.financialpost.com/fp-tech-desk/how-these-dronesfor-disaster-relief-and-eliminating-landmines-are-aiming-to-rebrand-thecontroversial-technology Smith, Brian. (2014, July 1) Are Drones the Future of Firefighting? The TimesNews. Retrieved from http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/Drones-FutureFirefighting.html Wood, Colin. (2013, July 31) ‘Firebot’ Prototype to Use Thermal Imaging to Fight Fires. Emergency Management Magazine. http://www.emergencymgmt.com/ safety/Firebot-Thermal-Imaging-Fight-Fires.html
Dr. DeeDee Bennett, Assistant Professor
Food Policy to Improve Society Over the past decade or so, food studies and food policy research has grown in popularity. From Will Allen of Growing Power to Alice Waters, individuals are increasingly pointing to the importance of food studies and food policy as a means of improving society. In this article, we address three primary reasons why the field of public administration should be concerned with the study of food, followed by a discussion of three future trends we see with regard to the future of food systems. Public health concerns—including obesity, diabetes, nutrition, and food safety issues—are one reason to study food. The prevalence of adult and childhood obesity has become a major public health concern. According to the CDC, more than one third of adults are obese and approximately 12.5 million children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese. The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. is approximately $147 billion.
Food safety is another public health concern. The CDC estimates that about 48 million people are sickened, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year from foodborne illnesses. Also, there are significant societal costs associated with foodborne illnesses. One study estimates that the nation spent $152 billion dollars annually on medical expenses and lost productivity as a result of foodborne illnesses. Social justice concerns, such as food insecurity, food deserts, and concerns for workers in factory farms, are another reason to study food. In the first decade of this century, food insecurity rates rose in 41 states. In the other nine, the numbers stayed flat. The USDA estimated that 49 million people lived in food insecure households in 2012. Food deserts—areas where fresh fruits, veggies, and other healthy whole foods are not available—are also a growing concern and are related to food insecurity. The USDA estimates that more than 23.5 million people live in food deserts. More than half of those individuals are low income.
Finally, food studies should be of interest to those concerned about environmental issues and building sustainable communities and systems. The agricultural industry has experienced dramatic changes over the past few decades. Coinciding with this, the growth of general awareness of sustainability has also inspired many to become concerned with the sustainability of food industry. Global competition and the national agricultural and trade policies that favor large-scale farms have hurt small farms. Furthermore, fresh produce in the U.S. travels over 1,500 miles on average to reach consumers. The long-distance food travel leads to more energy consumption and pollution emission that contributes to global warming and lower air quality. Water, air, and soil quality can impact communities located near major agricultural centers. Public administration practitioners and scholars should pay attention to the following three future trends. First, agricultural policy in the United States has historically been very focused on supporting large-scale, industrialized agriculture. In recent decades, however, citizens have become increasingly interested in the source of their food and how their food is being raised and processed, creating new demands for policymaking in agriculture and food at the state and local levels. In addition to the ongoing work of the federal government there is now a greater emphasis on local or hybrid “glocal” food movements. Secondly, public administrators need to be comfortable and skilled in dealing with conflict and the need to engage all citizens in building local food systems. Everybody eats, so there are a variety of concerns from businesses to government to citizens about how we can best understand and shape the food system we live in. There are many competing ideas about what a healthy food system should look like and public administrators need to be prepared to deal with conflicting perspectives and build consensus where possible. Debates about food often sound simple in the mass media. The reality is more complex and well-informed advocates are needed within government and the nonprofit sector to help make sense of the various ideas in these debates.
Finally, echoing the trend we see in public administration overall, citizen participation is emerging as an important area for both practitioners and scholars. Public administrators have an important role to play in terms of educating citizens to take an active role in the development of food systems. New structures, such as food policy councils, have been emerging in recent decades to create spaces for this participation. Our field can help us explore and understand how citizens relate to their food and what government can do to help. In the School of Public Administration we are actively working on research projects to address some of the problems we discussed
“Public administrators have an important role to play in terms of educating citizens to take an active role in the development of food systems.” earlier with regard to our food system and many of the questions the trends raise for scholars and practitioners. We recently received an Urban Research Grant to study the characteristics of key stakeholders influencing policy and projects surrounding local food in Omaha and hope to gain an understanding of the important characteristics of these networks. We’re also looking at redefining rural food deserts and what interventions can help. Finally, Dr. Hoflund is working with two colleagues to publish an edited volume on key topics in food studies as they relate to public health. The challenges facing our food system are complex and deserving of attention from policymakers, scholars, companies, and citizens. The food system has always been a part of the public agenda, but in recent years there has been renewed focus on the role of food in public policy. Public administrators need to understand the changing role of the food system on policy agendas and what innovative practices they can use to be on the forefront of these issues in their communities. We look forward to being on the forefront of this research in our school through our research, teaching, and service to the community.
Dr. Bryce Hoflund, Associate Professor Megan McGuffey, SPA Ph.D. Student
Strengthening Public Service through Excellent Education I was asked to write a note about the “future of the MPA Program” and I always go back to a quote I saw written on a truck when I was traveling in New Zealand, “a dream is dream but a goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline”. So, I tend to operate with a deadline mindset and the deadline gnawing at me is our Program’s reaccreditation. Every seven years MPA Programs are externally evaluated by a national accrediting body called Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA). My goal is to ensure we receive reaccreditation in 2019 and that we retain our status as one of the top MPA Programs in the country. For our students, the future of the MPA Program will have many similarities – fully on-line programming, great faculty, great students and a University committed to the Program’s success – but there will also be some noticeable changes. Our current students have already witnessed changes to our core curriculum that are a direct result of an on-going self-evaluation process required by NASPAA. This coming spring semester Capstone students will experience another change in format that we hope results in a more fulfilling culminating experience. The first change to the Capstone seminar going into effect Spring 2016 is that students must have completed their core courses prior to enrolling (if the Capstone is meant as the primary tool for assessing the Program’s core standards, it makes sense for students to have had taken those courses prior to enrolling in Capstone, right?). The change to Capstone that I am most excited about is the end-of-semester final presentation. Historically, students presented their Capstone work to one or two faculty. Starting in Spring 2016, students will be presenting their Capstone work to a panel of our MPA alums. The intent is to: 1) provide a more professional presentation experience to students; 2) provide valuable feedback to student presenters from public service professionals and; 3) better engage our alums in the MPA Program.
The third change I want to highlight is the promotion of the “Information and Technology Management” from a specialization to a concentration. This concentration provides the knowledge and skills for leveraging data and technologies to advance public values and improve public service. It equips students with the core competencies of being effective and democratic managers and leaders to drive innovations in public service with smart use of data and technologies. These innovators can also assume specialized titles such as chief innovation officers, chief information officer, chief data officer, IT manager/ director, chief knowledge officer, chief connection officer, social media coordinator, etc. If you have any questions about this concentration please contact Drs. Yu-Che Chen and/or Jooho Lee. The changes described above are examples of adapting to students’ learning needs. Ultimately, our mission statement drives us to change and consider the future. Our mission is to strengthen the public service in a democratic and diverse society by educating students to manage and lead public and nonprofit institutions effectively, ethically, and democratically. We want our students to succeed and be successful in public service. In the future, it is argued by Howard Gardner, a renowned developmental psychologist, those who make a positive impact will need to have a disciplined mind (become an expert in something), a synthesizing mind (be able to connect information in useful ways), a creating mind (ask new questions to approach complex problems), a respectful mind (be able to work well with people from different backgrounds and views) and an ethical mind (be able to work in a moral way). The future of the MPA Program is bright, and we will set our goals and create our dreams to strengthen public service by providing an excellent education.
Dr. Craig Maher, MPA Program Director
The City We Need The Urban Thinkers Campus was started by United Nationshabitat designed to be an open conversation about the future of urban transformations. The first campus was held in October 2014 in Caserta, Italy. During the first campus, a group of urban thinkers discussed various topics focusing on the theme “The City We Need.” In November 2015, UNO and The Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities hosted one of 28 Urban Thinkers Campus’ being held around the world. This was one of only two in the United States. The School of Public Administration’s Urban Studies Program was well-represented by Dr. Robert Blair, the chair of the Urban Studies Program, Josh Shirk, Del Bharath, Evan Schweitz, Byungwoo Cho, Edward Engles, Christian Janousek and Daniel Wuebben. This participatory conference was meant to inform individuals and communities about the need for viable cities. The participants of the Urban Thinkers Campus were encouraged to discuss a new urban model. As the event program stated, “no two participants will experience the conference the same way.” Participants took part in various urban labs which initiated conversations and educational debate over diverse topics of urbanization. These labs included, “Local Knowledge and Resiliency in Resource-Dependent Communities and “Stuck in Place: The Role of Transportation Equity and Access to Opportunity.”
The conference sessions were full of lively collaboration and discussion on the best methods and new ideas regarding the challenges of urban sustainability. According to the Urban Thinkers Campus news release, some of these challenges include, growth and migration, climate change, and food security. For those who were unable to attend the two-day conference, a live stream was available. These participants were able to engage with the speakers by commenting and asking questions. In addition to the live stream, a Twitter account was set up so people could tweet their questions with the hashtag #UrbanThinkersOmaha. The results of this conference along with the other 27 conferences will assist the New Urban Agenda at the UN-Habitat meeting in Quito, Ecuador next year. The Urban Thinkers Campus news release shares that the outcomes of this meeting will be used to create “local, national and international guidelines for the development of sustainable cities.”
Lizz Barnhart, SPA Office Assistant
Program Updates Nebraska CPM Program Clerks Go International Graduates 7th Class The Nebraska CPM Program graduated its seventh class of Nebraska Certified Public Managers® on December 4, 2015. Once again, we were honored to have Regent Bob Whitehouse in attendance, along with Dr. Ethel Williams, Director for the School of Public Administration. The 2015 Nebraska CPM class was small (five) but very dedicated. This year’s participants were: Bob Denton, Chief Probation Officer, State Probation, District 6; Nicole Gallardo, Office Associate – UNMC School of Pharmacy; David Lathrop, Environmental Engineer III - Department of Environmental Quality; Andrea Riley, Supervisory Archives Specialist – National Archives and Records Administration; Carrie Rodriguez, Chief Deputy Probation Officer, District 5, State Probation. The Nebraska Certified Public Manager® Program enhances performance by teaching supervisors and managers to apply recognized management theories and best practices to the challenges they face. The Nebraska CPM Program is designed for current and future supervisors and managers employed in public service or non-profits.
The Nebraska Clerks Institute and Academy will host the 70th International Institute of Municipal Clerks Annual Conference (IIMC) in Omaha, May 22-25, 2016, at the CenturyLink Convention Center. The conference promises to be great in a number of ways! The four day Annual Conference, will provide attendees with outstanding education programs and networking opportunities. For the first time ever, IIMC will offer its first offsite education experience. The program will focus on the neighborhood redevelopment and revitalization of Omaha. IIMC will use “Ollie the Trolley” to transport delegates to North and South Omaha to experience the revitalization and redevelopment firsthand. Founded in 1947, the International Institute of Municipal Clerks is the leading professional nonprofit association serving the needs of Municipal Clerks from cities and towns throughout the world. With more than 9,500 members, IIMC is the largest organization of Municipal Clerks, representing municipalities of less than 2,500 to more than 10 million people. As IIMC approaches its 70th anniversary, much has changed, yet the mission of IIMC has stayed the same serving the needs of Municipal Clerks worldwide. As a nonprofit association dedicated to Municipal Clerks, IIMC serves and supports it membership through education, conferences and an on-line presence. Ellen Freeman-Wakefield, MPA Director, Professional Programs
25 Years of Flight Exploration The University of Nebraska at Omaha Aviation Institute celebrated its 25th Anniversary with the start of the fall 2015 semester. In 1990 the Institute began offering classes in aviation with a degree in the College of Continuing Studies. The goal for the first semester was to have over 25 student enrollments. They far exceeded this goal by having over 50 students enrolling in a number of different aviation classes. The Institute now offers a Bachelor of Science in Aviation with a concentration in either Professional Flight or Air Transport Administration. At the start of the fall 2015 semester there were over 150 majors in the program.
William F. Shea Award for his contributions to aviation while at the FAA, the Government Accountability Office, and the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Mr. Bill Shea, the founding director of the Institute, talked about the early years of the Institute, including hauling a Cessna 150 down Dodge Street at 3:00 AM to setup on campus, how he and Karen Ressegieu worked off the floor the first several days because their furniture had not arrived yet, and the impact that former faculty, like Col. Denny Acheson, had on the development of the program. Bill also introduced three alumni (From left to right: Dean John Bartle, Ms. Madeline Sullivan, Dr. Ethel On November 19, the Aviation (Daniel Vacha, Rob Markise, and Williams, Dr. Richard Swayze, Mr. Bill Shea, and Mr. Nicholas Lynam) Institute held a 25 Year Tina Gugat) from the first class Picture courtesy of the University of Nebraska at Omaha Celebration in conjunction with that were able to attend. Finally, the Charles Durham Distinguished Lecture Series. The event along with remarks from Chancellor John Christensen and Dean was highlighted by Dr. Richard Swayze, Assistant Administrator John Bartle, two Aviation Institute students, Madeline Sullivan and for Policy, International Affairs, and Environment at the Federal Nicholas Lynam, talked about their journey to their senior year in Aviation Administration speaking about the future and trends in the program. aviation. Dr. Swayze graduated from UNO with his doctorate in Public Administration. Additionally, Dr. Swayze received the Here’s looking forward to 2040 and the 50th Anniversary Celebration! Scott Vlasek, MPA Aviation Institute
NASA Nebraska Does Do Space The NASA Nebraska Space Grant team supported the grand opening of Omaha’s new digital library, Do Space, on Saturday, November 7, by working with our partners across campus and around the community to launch a high altitude balloon with payloads designed and developed by students from UNO and the Peter Kiewit Institute (PKI). The balloon, which ultimately reached 65,000 feet and landed in Iowa, was launched from the Pacific Street Campus under the direction of Space Grant collaborators Michael Sibbernsen of UNL’s Physics and Astronomy Department and Kendra Sibbernsen of Metro Community College’s Physics Department. Derrick Nero from UNO’s College of Education and Jim Taylor from PKI, who are leading the charge for the development of a space hardware program at UNO also supported the launch.
While Michael, Kendra, Derrick, and the students launched the balloon and followed their payloads in chase vehicles, Jim briefed the crowd at Do Space, where the launch was being shown in a live stream broadcast. A highlight of the launch, in addition to Scott Tarry actually being allowed to serve as a balloon handler during inflation, were presentations to the high school members of the UNO Aviation Institute’s Explorer Post by the UNO students who designed and developed the payloads.
Dr. Scott Tarry Director, NASA Space Grant
Jumpi n g Out of Theory: My work in the Nebraska State and Local Finance Lab We, as scholars of public administration, have studied organizational management about POSDCORB, which is an acronym composed of Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting, and Budgeting. In many times, we, as observers, focus only on interpreting cases of organizational management by examining a number of public management topics; but we do not have many opportunities to experience POSDCORB in practice. Thus, sometimes, we have been confused about the perceived imbalance between theory and practice in exploring our research. In this regard, I may be a very lucky person to experience POSDCORB through the Nebraska State and Local Government Finance Lab. The mission of the lab is to leverage the strength of the SPA’s faculty to meet the University’s commitment to community outreach by providing research and training opportunities throughout Nebraska. To achieve this mission, three essential works will be processed: (1) completion of a municipal database; (2) the hosting of a workshop centered on issue in Nebraska public finance; and (3) the establishment of a Certificate in Public Financial Management. Currently, our project members are working on the first step to establish the Nebraska Municipal Finance database. As an intermediary manager, I am working on planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting for the first step. The primary work of the first step is fiscal data entry for approximately 2,118 general purpose governments, 746 school districts, and 4,759 special purpose governments from multiple years.
For this work, we have two limitations about time and financial resources. We need to complete all data entries by next spring in order to move forward to the second and third step, but do not have unlimited financial resources to hire a number of interns for this work. To overcome these limitations, I, first, planned a broad outline for daily, weekly, and monthly performance for data entry, and estimated completion date for data entry within our funds. Second, I organized two subdivision parts comprising general purpose government and special purpose government data entry for our interns to have their own goals. Third, I have an interview to hire our interns and a meeting to train our interns to have knowledge about fiscal items for data entry. Fourth, I provide our interns specific and general instructions for data entry, and arrange utilities for our interns to maintain favorable conditions of work. Fifth, I, as one of the co-workers, am also working on data entry for general and special purpose governments in coordinating the duty of the two subdivisions. Sixth, I discussed templates of fiscal data entry with Dr. Maher, and report our performance every Monday. Lastly, I am on track to complete data entry before funding ends. I expect to complete data entry by next spring and move forward to the next step to develop research topics in the next spring. This project is a good opportunity for me to experience the practical field of public administration. I believe that this project would be helpful with my future career and research. I appreciate Dr. Maher’s support for this project. Amal and Shyam, our interns, always do a great job. I also appreciate Sue’s administrative support. I am indebted to these valuable colleagues for their help. Thank you so much! Ji Hyung Park, SPA Ph.D. Student
Ringing in the
New Year New Resolutions with
in SPA
Congratulations to our December 2015 Graduates! Brittney Albin (MPA) George Binger III (MPA) Nancy De Santiago (MPA) Jeremy Floyd (MPA) Jessica Jackson (MPA) Sarah Korth-Cheney (MPA) Victoria Kramer (MPA)
“To have better posture (shoulders back and stand up straight!) To be in pajamas by 9pm (downtime is a cherished thing.) Eat more vegetables (why can’t broccoli taste like chocolate?)” –Dr. Meagan Van Gelder, Academic Program Coordinator
“I hope that in this year to come, you would end with much even if your beginning may be small. Cherish every moment of your life; be thankful for what you got; and cultivate your knowledge and creativity in UNO by sharing your thoughts with others and learning from each other.”
Samuel Reason (MPA)
–Ji Seul Kim, SPA Ph.D. Student
Sarb Tatla-Low (MPA)
“To do more dancing in my car at red lights and finally give my deceased Tamagotchi the proper funeral it deserves.” –Anthony Campbell, SPA Ph.D. Candidate
Alan Millais (MPA) Ciera Mosley (MS) Nicole Novak (MPA) Jesse Saich (CER) Megan Shada (MPA) Eric Sherman (MPA) Jeff Skalberg (MPA) LaTonya Walker (MPA) Daniel Walsh (MPA) Daniel Whithorn (MPA)
Behind every great graduate is a great degree. We would love to hear from you! Submit an update & photo: http://bit.ly/1QFmsb4