Although the Master of Public Administration degree is considered a terminal professional degree, the UVM-MPA program has distinguished itself for the applied and basic research conducted by its students and faculty.  For example, MPA ’12 graduate Erik Wells undertook a study of Designated Downtown or Village Center Districts for PA 306: Policy Systems.  Details from his research report were quoted in a speech by Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin and were used to expand the state’s tax credit cap by $500,000.  A current MPA student, Erin Flynn, is interning for the Joint Fiscal Office for the State of Vermont providing invaluable research in support of the comprehensive healthcare reforms being undertaken by the State of Vermont.  Current MPA student, Drake Turner, recently received the award for best social science and business poster during new UVM President Sullivan’s Installation celebrations for her research on Vermont’s Farm to Plate network.  MPA students routinely involve themselves in the activities of the UVM James M. Jeffords Center, the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, the Transportation Research Center, the Vermont Consumer Assistance Office, and the Center for Rural Studies.  Our program alumni go on to distinguished careers in federal, state and local government, nonprofit administration, policy analysis and higher education. 

Two examples of alumni distinguishing themselves include: MPA alumni Russell Mills ’07 who went on to get his Ph.D. from Kent State, spent two years with the FAA, is now an assistant professor at Bowling Green, and has established himself as one of the leading experts in airport governance in the country.  MPA graduate Richard Donahey  ’09 now serves as the comptroller for the State of Vermont Agency of Human Service. 

Our faculty have distinguished themselves as well.  MPA faculty members Asim Zia and Christopher Koliba are combining computer simulation with participatory modeling approaches to address climate change adaptation, water quality, transportation and energy needs of the region, involving a host of MPA students serving as research assistants on these efforts.  MPA faculty member Maura Collins Versluys (MPA ’07) was recognized by the Vermont Business Magazine for their Rising Stars Award for her commitment to business growth, professional excellence and involvement in their communities through her work on fair housing advocacy.  .

MPA faculty are drawn from Community Development & Applied Economics (CDAE), Psychology, and the Rubinstein School of Natural Resources, and an experienced set of scholar-practitioners who are or have recently been leaders in state and local government, leading nonprofits and businesses, health care and higher education institutions.  MPA faculty are active scholars in the areas of organizational and network behavior and change (Lawson, Anderson, Koliba and Zia), environmental policy, management and governance (Farley, Zia, Koliba and Ventriss),  ecological economics (Farley and Zia), climate change governance (Zia, Koliba and Farley), food systems (Kolodinsky, Koliba, Findley-Woodriff, and Zia), transportation (Zia, Koliba and Kolodinsky), public service ethics (Ventriss), energy (Koliba, Zia and Farley) and healthcare (Kappel, O’Donnell, Kolodinsky, Koliba and Zia),   Many MPA faculty have substantial experience as leaders within nonprofit organizations (Van Buren, and Collins), regional businesses (Findley-Woodriff), the healthcare system (O’Donnell and Kappel), state and local government (Cate and Zia), and higher education administration (Cate, Kolodinsky, Lawson and Koliba).  Because of the breadth of expertise of MPA faculty, the MPA degree appeals to students with a diverse array of interests including the environment, food systems, transportation systems, social services, land use planning, energy and healthcare, while preparing them  to lead and provide innovation across the public, nonprofit and private sectors. 

The 36 credit hour degree program provides students with a solid foundation in professional management competencies and public policy analysis methods, while allowing them an opportunity to “hand craft” their own learning pathways.  The core curriculum focuses on such areas as organizational behavior and change, policy systems and public and nonprofit budgeting and finance.   Elective courses are offered in such areas as advanced policy analysis and decision-making modeling, systems analysis and strategic management, healthcare policy, and nonprofit administration.  Striking a balance between theory and practice, MPA students engage in applied projects involving local and state governments, the Vermont State Legislature, social service, food system and environmental nonprofits within their classes and internship experiences. 

The pervasiveness of our society’s public policy challenges continues to call for the cultivation of public service leaders and innovators.  The UVM-MPA Program provides an opportunity for its student to address those challenges.  For more information visit the MPA website: www.uvm.edu/mpa

The UVM-MPA Program, the James M. Jeffords Policy Research Center, and the Community-University Partnerships and Service-Learning (CUPS) Office is sponsoring the event.

The event will be held in the Dean’s Conference Room in Morrill Hall from 2 to 3 pm on March 28.

About the Author: His main research interests are emergency and crisis management, decision-making in complex environment, collaborative governance, and organizational learning and design. His book Network governance in response to acts of terrorism: Comparative analyses was published in 2012 by Routledge. He teaches collaborative public management, public and nonprofit management, emergency and crisis management, research methods, and analytic techniques for public administration courses. He can be reached at Kapucu@ucf.edu.

Abstract: Community Based Research (CBR) is an emerging approach used by researchers in partnership with practitioners and community members to tackle complex social problems. This approach has been widely applied to health sciences and the field of education. Its application to the field of public policy and management is fairly new and as a result frameworks for its application are underdeveloped. This presentation discusses the rationale for applying this tool to the public policy and management field, and outlines major challenges that exist in its application. This presentation also highlights key principles of CBR and applies them to a study funded by a federal agency in the US.

This fall, students in a Community Development and Applied Economics research methods class (CDAE 250) surveyed the student body to determine their beverage preferences in an effort to help inform the University’s soon to come water bottle ban, effective January 1, 2013.

CDAE 250, taught by professor David Conner, had students conduct field research, literature reviews, interviews and surveys as part of their work with service-learning partner, UVM’s Office of Sustainability.

This Office was interested in clarifying UVM students’ perspectives on the water bottle ban — specifically defined as the elimination of all “plain, flat, unflavored bottled water” sales on campus. While this was a significant step towards UVM becoming more environmentally responsible, drafting this policy was not an easy process.

In the original policy of the water bottle ban, smartwater was not included because it had minerals removed and then added back in with electrolytes, putting it into a different category from plain water.

Through qualitative and quantitative research done by the CDAE 250 students that gauged over 900 UVM students’ preferences, results showed that UVM students opposed the exclusion of smartwater from the ban.

Gioia Thompson, head of the Office of Sustainability and the students’ main contact, listened to these results and advocated for smartwater to be included in the ban.

“In the drafting of this policy, we had heard a lot of different ideas going around about how to best implement this ban,” said Thompson. “Being able to take part in this service-learning experience, where the students themselves became experts in the field helped to clearly and confidently express through research what needed to be done.”

“Because this was an issue that students had a personal stake in, they were genuinely very interested in the research, which led to students actually owning the project,” Conner explained. “Students saw Gioia’s commitment as our service-learning partner, who came in for several meetings with the class throughout the semester.” 

On November 30, Richard Cate, Vice President for Finance and Administration at UVM, declared that “smartwater is the same as bottled water,” according to an email from the Office of Sustainability.

The intention was always that all unflavored water be taken out of the system, Cate said in an interview. 

"The bottom line is smartwater will not be for sale on campus and for me that was not a difficult decision to make," he said.

“Seeing our results already making a difference by adding smartwater to the ban is very satisfying. Through this relationship we formed with Gioia at the Office of Sustainability, we had a real input into this policy,” Ajla Afizi, CDAE senior, said. “That is what made this service-learning class so mutually beneficial.”

The Office of Sustainability is hosting a water bottle retirement party this Wednesday, December 5th from noon to 2 pm in the Davis Center Atrium. The party will feature speakers, games, taste tests, discounted water bottles and additional information about the ban of bottled water sales on campus.

Additional reporting contributed by Danielle Bilotta. Updated 12/10/12.

Attaining national accreditation has been a long-term goal of the MPA faculty since relocating to the Community Development & Applied Economics Department in 2001 after years of moving between departments. The program has steadily grown in numbers and quality over the last decade, achieving national ranking by U.S News and World Report for the first time in 2011.

To date, 169 programs have earned NASPAA accreditation. Accredited programs "must contribute to the knowledge, research, and practice of public service, establish observable goals and outcomes, and use information about their performance to guide program improvement." They must also practice truth in advertising and ensure their students achieve learning objectives in five domains essential to public service.

Founded in 1986 by an interdisciplinary group of faculty committed to advancing UVM's capacity to serve and support the region's public and nonprofit managers, the UVM MPA Program's mission-driven emphasis on democratic governance has attracted students from around the world. The MPA is headquartered in Morrill Hall in the department of community development and applied economics. 

Louise distinguished herself to her fellow classmates and her instructors as a kind, caring and thoughtful soul.  She volunteered for the  Peace Corps later in life, setting out to make a difference in the world.  She has left a enduring legacy in the establishment of the School of HOPE (Having One Peaceful Earth) in Malawi.  Her life represents what is best about our profession. She felt called to serve and led her life as a living example of what is best about the human spirit. 

Louise has generously donated her body to U.N.E. therefore there will be no wake or funeral service. We are planning a Celebration of Life and will post the information when it is finalized. 

In lieu of flowers or cards if you would like to donate in memory of Louise to the School of H.O.P.E. (Having One Peaceful Earth) please send a check payable to School of H.O.P.E. and mail to Claire Sutton, 121 Bay St Ext. Unit #10, Portland, ME 04103

Louise's family has no words to describe our appreciation for all the thoughts, prayers and support you have provided over the last two years through Louise's journey. 

She will be missed by all who knew her.

Inside:

Laura Frey discusses how her internship helped a local camp 

Asim Zia’s work reaches corners of the world and Vermont; a conversation with Asim

Jonathan Williams speaks about his student and professional experience and how the MPA program helped his journey

Jonathan Maddison is the Transportation Research Center's 2011 Student of the Year

Nick Archdeacon travels and works in Peru

To download the issue click here.

The effort, begun in 2009 when UVM received a USDA Higher Education Challenge Grant for the creation of the program, gained steam in 2010 when Food Systems was chosen as one of UVM’s Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives (TRI). Along with complex systems and neuroscience, behavior and health, food systems has been identified as a key area of research investment across the disciplines.

“I am heartened by the success and send kudos to those who developed it and stuck with it,” Naomi Fukagawa, co-chair of the Food Systems Steering Committee, said. “And I praise the trustees and administration for understanding the importance of this to UVM, its land grant status, and the TRI process.”

“This is a vehicle in which numerous partners … can really engage, and put UVM and the state of Vermont in the forefront of how we actually create a change in the local and regional food system,” John Bramley, interim president, said at the board meeting.

The program has already begun the work of connecting with partners external to the university. Community Development and Applied Economics professor Jane Kolodinsky and Nutrition and Food Sciences professor Amy Trubek, co-authors of the program’s proposal, consulted with more than 400 organizations outside of UVM during the writing process.

Rachel Johnson, professor of nutrition and food sciences and a member of the program’s steering committee, believes that its approval will help UVM gain ground in the academic food systems community. “The approval of this masters program is very exciting and puts UVM at the leading edge of the emerging field of food systems,” she said.

Now that the program has been approved, next steps include accepting students’ applications for the fall 2012 semester and furthering the research. “Now, the real work begins,” Kolodinsky said.

This article may also be found on UVM Today. Edited by Amanda Waite and Jeff Wakefield.

Maddison began pursuing a Masters in Public Administration at the University of Vermont in September 2009 after completing a bachelor’s degree in Community and International Development. During his studies, Maddison worked as research assistant at the Transportation Research Center. “The TRC provided an engaging interdisciplinary environment in which I regularly gained insight and ideas from staff researchers, affiliated professors, invited guests and students with a diversity of perspectives,” he said. In addition to this work, he independently partnered with the American Pain Foundation on a policy project to study traffic safety and the use of pain medications.  The study focused on obstacles and solutions for driving dependency for those requiring medication due to severe pain.

Maddison is currently living in Ithaca, NY where he is working part-time for the Americorp and American Red Cross helping communities in New York become more prepared for disasters. He also is continuing to conduct research as an independent research consultant.

"The DREAM Program is a mentoring organization with programs across Vermont and in the Greater Boston Area," notes Loner.  "As Executive Director, I am responsible for the overall fiscal, programmatic and future health of the organization and have led the organization to include 6 new programs in Vermont and open a new office in Boston."

While pursuing his MPA, "Mike was an outstanding student" reflects Chris Koliba, Program Director of the MPA Program. Loner was also inducted into the Public Administration field's National Honors Society while at UVM.

As a nonprofit Executive Director, Loner is able to view the field of Public Administration on the ground level, and is a champion of the field and its relationship to government. "Public administrators should work to support political candidates, regardless of party, who have faith in government and public servants," says Loner.  "We need candidates that recognize government can be part of the solution for some of society’s more complicated issues.  We must also be willing to support candidates with the political courage needed to find and expose complacency and waste in government where it does exist regardless of how politically charged the topic may be."

Noting the relationship between public administrators and government, Loner also emphasizes the responsibility that comes with serving the public. "We need to recognize that with great trust comes great responsibility.  As public servants we must be willing to meet this trust with hard work, creative problem solving, and transparency," he notes.  "As managers we must strive to attract to our field the most competent individuals.  This can be accomplished by empowering those who work in government positions to own their work, be responsible for their outcomes, and provide them with the flexibility needed to learn through their failures as much and in many ways more than they will through their successes."  

A humble thinker, Loner reflects on the future of the Public Administration field, "Abraham Lincoln said 'Don't worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.'  As Public Administrators our work often goes unnoticed and underappreciated, yet if we heed these words together we can maintain the high quality of work that public servants are capable of and expected to do and perhaps collectively win back the trust and respect of the public that we serve."

They argue that a one-size-fits-all approach to global governance would hurt—and could even be dangerous to—business, culture, and society as they evolve.  A one-world-government “can’t adequately cope with many issues, including global climate change, food insecurity, loss of biodiversity, and other similar global policy problems,” they write.

The article calls for adaptive governance; governance that does not control what happens, since “not only do we not know what will happen, [but also] we do not know what can happen.” Rather, an approach that evolves through adaptive complex-systems approaches to global governance may best suit international organizations’ capacities.

Through adaptive governance, Zia and Kauffman argue, we can avoid the current emphasis on economic efficiency, which comes at a cost to many pervasive and unintended environmental and social effects like climate change, and loss of biodiversity and food security.  They do warn, however, that if certain nation-states take strong policy action regarding climate change, industrial production would be taken up by those nation-states that take no, or very little action to regulate emissions, thus maximizing these nation-states’ economic efficiency.

 "The hope is that this line of inquiry will help with replacing the current 'control centered' global governance approach with more ‘adaptive, decentralized and democratically-anchored’ governance system,” Zia says. “We have identified three crises at the global scale—global food insecurity, global biodiversity loss and global climate change—the resolutions for which require immediate shift in policy making from a General-Motors-style ‘controlling’ mode to a complex systems based ‘enabling’ mode that takes into account local values and adapts to emergent surprises."

This year, twenty-two CDAE and MPA graduate candidates students presented their research to audiences from across campus.  “At the end of my presentation, I found it really beneficial to get questions from folks in other disciplines,” reflects second-year M.S. candidate Abby Smith, whose presentation, Taste of Place Market Assessment: Exploring the General Demand for a Place-based Designation System for Vermont Food Products in the Northeastern United States, examines Vermont’s terrior, or “flavor” (think Champagne and compté cheese from France, or Charlevoix lamb from Quebec).    “Interactions like that are invaluable, especially as a CDAE student with a transdisciplinary research approach.”

The range of research topics stemming from these students is impressive: quality of life in food deserts and classifying food hubs; media, advertisement and market analysis; and local studies on Vermont’s food, revenue streams from natural resource extraction, and terrior.

The CDAE M.S. and MPA programs have historically had a strong presence in UVM’s Student Research Conference, sending over fifty students to the conference since 2009.

The Winter 2010-2011 edition of the UVM MPA Program's newsletter, Beyond the Green is now available online and in print.  This issue, focused on the nonprofit work of our students, alumni, and faculty, highlights Jane van Buren, Glenn McRae, a visit from international scholar Jacob Torfing, and students Dan Kent, Elysia Nelson, Charlotte Faulstick, and alum Julie Cole.

Read on for updates about the program, faculty, and students.

These partnerships have led to renewable energy projects in Dominica and media campaigns for local non-profit organizations such as the New England Grassroots Environment Fund and the Intervale Center. Students in Professor Tom Patterson’s CDAE 124: Public Communication Media course worked with 11 partners on a variety of media projects ranging from creating brochures and videos to designing informational community garden signs for the Burlington Parks and Recreation Department. Professor Asim Zia's CDAE 295: Sustainable Development Policy course examined UVM's policies related to social components of sustainable development through a pilot of the new sustainability assessment system for higher education (STARS) in collaboration with the UVM Office of Sustainability.

Looking for a hands-on opportunity to apply theory and skills from the classroom to solve real world problems? Consider taking one of these service-learning courses next Fall:

• CDAE 120: Strategic Writing for Public Communication
• CDAE 195: Media Production for Social Change
• CDAE 195: Writing for Social Change
• CDAE 195: Sustainable Development: Island Communities in St. Lucia
• CDAE 295: Community Design Studio
• CDAE 295: Local Community Initiatives
• CDAE 295: Sustainable Development Policy

CDAE and MPA members are bolded below:

• The Analysis of Complex Governance System Dynamics: Emergent Patterns of Formation, Operation and Performance of Regional Planning Networks Diana Colangelo, Chris Koliba, Ph.D., Asim Zia, Ph.D., Brian H. Y. Lee, Ph.D., Erica Campbell, Matthew Tucker, Daniel Kent
• Social Dynamics of "Journey to Work" Commute Patterns Across U.S. Metropolitan Areas, 1997-2007: Evidence from the American Housing Survey Diana Colangelo, Asim Zia, Ph.D.
• Mobility and Livability: Seasonal and Built Environment Impacts 14 Jane Kolodinsky,Ph. D., Will Sawyer, Thomas DeSisto, Erin Roche, David Propen
• Towards More Robust Spatial Sampling Strategies for Non-Motorized Traffic Lance Jennings, Chen Zhang, Ph.D., Lisa Aultman-Hall, Ph.D.
• Factors in the Mobility of Low Income Mothers in Burlington, Vermont Cassandra Gekas, Lisa Aultman-Hall, Ph.D., Pablo Bose, Ph.D.
• Sustainable Transportation for Tourism: Green Coach Certification 18 Lisa Chase, Ph.D., Laura Anderson, Ph.D., David Kestenbaum, Cristina Mastrangelo
• Local Food, School Transportation and Childhood Obesity: Potential Links and Policy Implications Qingbin Wang, Ph.D.
• Estimating the Impact of Electric Vehicle Charging on Electricity Costs Given an Electricity Sector Carbon Cap Richard A. Watts, Ph.D., Paul Hines, Ph.D., Jon Dowds
• Crumbling Infrastructure or Long-Term Solution: An Examination of News Media Discourse Related to Gas Taxes Richard A. Watts, Ph.D.

Lots of events going on as we wrap up the '09-'10 academic year!

You can flip through it by clicking below. This edition features a follow-up with Courtnay Pilypaitis about the '09-'10 basketball season, a check-in with Growing Vermont, and a check-in with service-learning at home and abroad.

View/download the current or past editions of the newsletter.]]> http://www.uvm.edu/rss/news/?Page=news&storyID=10541&category=mpa Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.uvm.edu/rss/news/?Page=news&storyID=10541&category=mpa Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women in Politics, will give a lecture on "Women in Politics" on Wednesday, April 7 at 7 p.m. in John Dewey Lounge, Old Mill.

The Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers' Eagleton Insitute of Politics is a leading source of scholarly research and current data about American women's political participation. As director, Walsh oversees the center's research, education and public service programs and is frequently called upon by the media as an expert in women's political participation.

The event is presented by former Vermont governor Madeleine Kunin, in conjunction with her role at UVM as a James Marsh Professor-at-Large.

A panel discussion on "Gender and Public Policy: a dialogue between adademics and activists" will follow the lecture. Panelists include Stephanie Seguino, professor of economics; Annika Ljung-Baruth, lecturer in English and women's studies; Rashad Shabazz, assistant professor of geography; Judy Rickstad, coordinator of Advocacy and Violence Prevention Services; and Felicia Kornbluth, director of the Women's and Gender Studies program and associate professor of history.

http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=16322 ]]> http://www.uvm.edu/rss/news/?Page=news&storyID=10528&category=mpa Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.uvm.edu/rss/news/?Page=news&storyID=10528&category=mpa Click here to view/download the complete listing as a PDF.]]>