Public Administration and Urban Studies News

The American Society of Public Administration recognized Nichole Bunner, a Ph.D. student, and faculty member Dr. RaJade M. Berry-James at this year’s annual meeting in Dallas, Texas. Ms. Bunner was one of twenty Founders’ Forum Fellow recipients. With her recognition came financial support to attend the conference, admittance to a 2-day “student summit,” invitations to luncheons and awards ceremonies, and a special reception. Dr. Berry-James received the Donald C. Stone Service to ASPA Award. Once a year, this honor is bestowed on an ASPA member demonstrating outstanding service to the organization. Congratulations!

Nearly 200 people, mostly men, marched one mile around the Polsky Building on April while wearing high heeled shoes to raise awareness and money for the Rape Crisis Center of Medina and Summit counties. Dr. Ramona Ortega joined other university faculty members and PAUS instructor David Merolla in marching. Dr. Ortega is an ongoing sponsor of the TKE fraternity. This year’s march raised nearly $10,000, about twice the amount of the previous year.

Organizers of the 4th Annual Conference on Undergraduate and Graduate Student Research recognized Maria Veronica Elias, a Ph.D. student, and retiring faculty member Dr. Ralph Hummel. Ms. Elias received recognition for her nomination for the Outstanding Student Research Award, and Dr. Hummel received recognition for his nomination for the Faculty Mentor of the Year Award. Congratulations!

UA graduate students should seriously consider attending the first GSG Colloquim from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16 in the Student Union Ballroom. “Graduate Today, Leader Tomorrow: Preparing Our Graduate Students for What’s Next” is designed to prepare students for life after graduation. The full-day event is a mix of panel discussions, speakers, and workshops. A free luncheon is part of the day. Students can expect to learn resume-writing tips and interview techniques, as well as about important ways to work with others more productively in the workplace.

PAUS MPA graduate and current PAUS PhD student Nichole Bunner, who is also vice president of GSG, is playing a lead role in coordinating the event. Students are encouraged to come out for their own benefit and to support Ms. Bunner in the process. For information about registration contact Ms. Bunner at nmb1@uakron.edu.

Students Tom Reynolds and Kimberly Beckett, as well as faculty member Dr. Raymond Cox, attended the 2008 winter conference of the Ohio City/County Management Association in February. The title of the conference was “Looking Ahead: The Economy and the Future of Ohio.”

According to Mr. Reynolds, some of the most interesting seminars were: Foreclosures: What’s a Community to Do?;
Regionalism: Initiatives that Work; Ohio’s Ethics Code; Appleseeds, Filaments & You: Lessons in Leadership from Ohio’s Great Change Agents; Connecting OCMA with Ohio’s MPA Programs (presented by Dr. Cox); and Bringing Retail to Underserved Markets and Plugging Retail Leaks.

Dr. Raymond Cox has reached an agreement with the Ohio Association of Public Treasurers for the department to host for three years the organization’s annual statewide training program. Treasurers from public organizations from across Ohio will spend five days on campus earning certification credit by attending sessions hosted by professors, bankers, and bond counselors. This summer’s program is being held June 16-20.

Be on the lookout for the following publications by Dr. Raymond W. Cox III:

Cox III, Raymond W., Terrance Johnson and George Richards “Routine Activity Theory and Internet Crime” in Frank Schmalleger and Michael Pittaro, ed. Crimes of the Internet. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 2008 (February).

Cox III, Raymond W. “Donald Plusquellic: Facilitate Leadership” in James A. Svara, ed. Mayors and Board Chairpersons: Reexamining the Contributions of Facilitative Leaders. New York: Taylor and Francis. 2008 (March).

Cox III, Raymond W and Kelly Cronin. “Instituting Innovation: A Model of Administrative Change in a State-level Liquor Control Board” in C. L. Jurkiewicz. Social and Economic Control of Alcohol: The 21st Amendment in the 21st Century. New York: Taylor and Francis, (2007), 189-207.

Dr. Cox also wrote six columns for the “Adjunct’s Corner”, which is an electronic newsletter for city managers who teach public administration. The newsletter is co-sponsored by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration and the International City/County Management Association.

Congratulations to students Michael L. Hill and Sucheta Pyakuryal and faculty member Dr. Raymond Cox III on their efforts. Look for the following title in an upcoming volume of Public Integrity.

Cox III, Raymond W., Michael L. Hill and Sucheta Pyakuryal. “Tacit Knowledge and Discretionary Judgment” Public Integrity (forthcoming Volume 10, Number 2).

Dr. Ramona Ortega-Liston’s article “Children Smuggled into the United States from Central America and China: A Case Study of the Unaccompanied Minors Shelter Care Program” appears in the December 2007 edition of Public Performance and Management Review.

In other news, Dr. Ortega-Liston was selected (September 4th, 2007) as one of the participants in Ohio’s Opinion Leaders Program by Kevin DeWine, Deputy Chairman of the Ohio GOP. And, in July 2007, she was Ohio’s delegate to the 33rd Republican National Hispanic Assembly, a part of which included a visit to the White House for briefings on Immigration and Education.

December 2007 graduate Kalinda Frazier is now working in Columbus as the Operations and Outreach Manager for the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing. Kalinda expressed considerable enthusiasm for her new job and said she felt well prepared for the role as a result of her MPA coursework here in the department. Our best wishes go out to Kalinda as she moves into this new stage of her life and career.