PPOL Students and Faculty,

I bring you a few news items related to the program along with holiday greetings.   Let me begin with the later.  I hope each of you have a warm, safe, and enjoyable holiday season.  And when you are doing your toasts, don’t forget to include good wishes to our cadre of qualifying exam takers who will begin the examination process bright and early on January 2^nd (the calendar can be cruel!).

In this last Update for 2007:

--Laura Update

--PPOL Faculty Hiring Update

--Registration Reminder

--Spring Course Highlight

--Important Spring Dates

--Qualifying Exam Rumor-Squashing

--Upcoming Graduate School Events

--ASPA Light Rail Meeting

--Student and Faculty News

--Funding Opportunity

1--Laura Update

I spoke with Laura several times this past week.  I think it’s safe to say she’s stir-crazy and anxious to get back to us.  Her recover continues to proceed as hoped and the problem that necessitated the surgery appears to have been addressed.  Now is just healing and strengthening muscle around the incision point.  In short, all is good.  She may be back with us as soon as January 8^th, just in time for the start of the semester!  Needless to say, *I* am certainly keeping MY fingers crossed for her quick return!

2--PPOL Faculty Hiring Update

I have some wonderful news I can now share with you to update you on the policy faculty hire in which several of you helped participate on behalf of the Department of Political Science.  As you know, we had several incredibly qualified candidates visit campus (recall that POLS was hiring for four positions!).  We made not one, but TWO offers as a result of the quality of candidates we had in specifically for the policy position.  We received news today that Claudia Avellaneda (the second policy candidate to visit) has accepted our offer.  Furthermore, we have an offer outstanding to Steve Billings (the final candidate to visit).  As if that were not exciting enough from PPOL’s perspective, the department also offered the Arts Administration/Non-profit Management position to Becky Nesbit, who is still considering the offer.  In addition to her nonprofit background, Becky brings policy training and an interest to participate in the Ph.D. program.  And finally, the department offered the American Government position to Dr. John Szmer.  He has also expressed a real interest in getting involved in PPOL, perhaps by offering advanced statistics seminars occasionally, but definitely by working with students as mentor and collaborator on research opportunities. 

In other words, if the remaining three candidates accept the offers we have made, PPOL will receive a windfall of added depth and breadth in faculty talent than from just the one hire we originally set out to fill following Dr. Manuel’s departure to Washington. 

I will keep you updated with more information on these developments as more unfolds.  But I wanted to let you know that your participation and input played a significant role in our deliberations.  We stand on the cusp of an amazing development in terms of additional faculty talent available to students in the Public Policy program!

3--Registration Reminder

I know I have said this several times in the past couple of Updates, but please remember to register for your classes soon if you have not already done so.  We will be asked to cancel under-enrolled classes if we cannot fill them.  If you cannot enroll right this minute, then at least send me an email and let me know which courses you plan to enroll for so we can try and protect those from cancellation.

4--Spring Course Highlights

I have two items for this topic.

First, I need to remind all non-first year students that you should enroll in PPOL 8635 Ethics of Public Policy if you have not already taken it.  This IS a required course for all PPOL students to have before they can advance to candidacy and write their dissertation.

Second, some of you may have noticed that Dr. Murray Webster (SOCY) is teaching a course in Experimental Methods this spring.  I recently realized there was a problem with the cross-listing on Banner 
(PPOL 8000) in that it isn’t showing up on the system.  We are working on fixing that.  But I wanted to give you a little more information about that class and remind everyone that this would fulfill three credit hours of the six required advanced analysis hours you must take.  Here is a little more about this topic:

Most social science scholars conduct research using quasi- or non-experimental designs.  However, true experiments are by far superior designs for purposes of establishing causation in phenomena.  Experimental design in the social sciences poses a problem since they require random assignment of subject to experimental and control groups and those subjects are typically people.  This can raise ethical (and sometimes legal) considerations that lead scholars to opt for less optimal quasi-experimental design alternatives.  This class will focus on techniques that facilitate experimental design in social science research, while introducing the appropriate tools for analyzing the results from experimental designs.

5--Important Spring Dates

There are several dates of which you need to aware for the coming term, particularly those of you targeting May graduation.  Please note these on your calendars.

January 2^nd (8am-2pm) Economics Qualifying Exam

January 4th (9am) – January 7^th (9am) Nature of the Field Qualify Exam

January 8^th (8am-5pm) Analysis Qualifying Exam

January 8^th Last day to cancel all classes (100% refund)

January 9^th First Day of Classes; University will cancel Registration for non-payment

January 15^th Last day to drop all courses with a $25 withdrawal fee

January 17^th Last day for graduate students to file candidacy forms for May graduation

January 18^th Last day to apply for May graduation; last day to register, add, drop, or withdraw from all courses

January 21^st Martin Luther King Jr. Day University Closed

March 3-8^th Spring Break (no classes)

March 20^th Last day to deposit final version of dissertation

March 21-22^nd Spring Recess (no classes)

March 26^th Last day to withdraw from a class with a “W”

April 29^th Last day of spring classes

April 30^th Reading Day (no classes)

May 1-8^th Final Exams

May 10^th Commencement

May 15^th Final pay check for GA’s on semester contracts

6--Qualifying Exam Rumor-Squashing

A situation has come to my attention that there are rumors abounding concerning equitable treatment of students in the grading process of the qualifying exams.  This has arisen in response to one particular case in which a student repeated an entire course due to performance on a particular portion of one of the three qualifying exams.

While I will not go into the details of the specific case, I will reiterate something I have said before concerning this situation.  It is not a change in policy nor does the committee expect to see this become a “regular” option.  At the time of the grading, the students’ identity was not known nor were the student’s results on the other two exams.  The option was determined in the absence of that other information and was in NO WAY meant to help that student avoid retaking all three exams.  The student had to retake an entire class AND get an A in the retake.  If this rather high bar (and time intensive exercise) was not accomplished, the student would repeat ALL THREE EXAMS.

The committee chose to pursue this option for no other reason than the belief among the members that retaking that course would be the best method for addressing the performance on one particular component of that exam.  Forcing a student to retake an entire course as opposed to an 8-hour exam was not meant as some sort of reward.  In fact, at the time, I was concerned it would be interpreted as a punishment.  But it was meant with the intention of addressing a specific issue.

As director, I recognized the potential precedence this action sets.  However, as I was at the table during this discussion, I also know that the narrow nature of the circumstances will mitigate against the likelihood that such a similar course of action will ever arise again (though it is statistically possible). 

Many of you know how seriously I take the integrity of this program.  We have tweaked and twisted the Qualifying Exam process considerably over the past two years.  I hope this explanation of this particular case relieves you of any anxieties you might have felt, fearing that favoritism was at play.  We *want* the students’ identities to remain anonymous when doing the grading for this very reason.  And I will continue to press this aspect of the process.

If you have additional individual concerns related to this issue, *please* bring them to my attention.  I learned of this through a rather circuitous route and I could have relieved these anxieties months ago if I had realized anyone was concerned with the course of action we took in this case. 

7--Upcoming Graduate School Events

New Graduate Student Orientation

Welcome to the UNC Charlotte Community: A reception and information event

Tuesday, January 8th

4:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Student Activity Center Salon Ballroom

Please RSVP:  http://www.uncc.edu/gradmiss/gs_orientation_sp_2008.html

Excellence in Teaching:  A Workshop for TAs at UNC Charlotte

Friday, January 11th

3:00 – 6:00 pm

CHHS 281

Please RSVP by January 4th on the Graduate School web page

All graduate teaching assistants will benefit from this three part workshop. The first part of the workshop will focus on the teaching basics that every TA must know before heading into the classroom. We will discuss such things as:

*     A Brief Survival Guide for Graduate Teaching Assistants at UNC Charlotte,

*     Syllabus 101, and

*     Teaching the Millennial Student

This fast-paced session will help you plan your teaching to be more effective and rewarding—for both you and your students! The second part of the workshop focuses on troubled students and the ways in which TAs can help students find support. Lastly, the workshop will focus on potential legal issues surrounding teaching.

Pizza will be provided!

Lastly, please encourage students to take advantage of this opportunity to discuss graduate education with the Dean of the Graduate School. This is an open forum for students and may become a monthly event.

Coffee and Kremes with the Dean

Join us for an open forum with Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School,

Dr. Tom Reynolds

January 15th, 8:00 am – 9:00 am

Cato Hall, 2nd floor Conference room

Please RSVP using the Graduate School web page

8--ASPA Light Rail Meeting

A message from the president of the local ASPA Chapter inviting you to their next meeting:

As we roll into the Holiday season the Central Piedmont Chapter of ASPA would like to extend warm wishes and a special greeting of good cheer to all! We also want to thank everyone who came to the November MPA Alumni Conference and the New Manager's Reception at City Hall. Both were excellent events with good information shared and plenty of networking opportunities.

As we approach the New Year don't forget to save-the-date for our January 10th chapter meeting:

When: Thursday, January 10th 11:30AM-1PM

Where: Fire Dept Headquarters, 9th Street

Topic: New Light Rail System

Speaker: Jennifer Green, Community Relations for CATS

Details: Bring a brown bag lunch and $2.60 to take the ride on the Linx Light Rail Line after the short presentation by Ms. Green

Best Regards, Barbara Epps, President Central Piedmont ASPA Chapter

9--Student and Faculty News

We have two exciting pieces of news since the last update.  First, PPOL student Yoshiko Takahashi successfully defended her dissertation proposal on December 6^th.  She also has made it to the phone interview stage for a tenure track position at the University of California-Fresno.  Congrats to Yoshiko and good luck with the interviews!

Second, I am extremely pleased to announce that the UNC-Charlotte Ph.D. program has its first tenure track position.  PPOL student Nicolas Swartz was offered and has accepted a tenure track position as assistant professor of policy at James Madison University.  This is a significant milestone for PPOL, and a significant achievement for Nick.  Please join me in congratulating him on this major accomplishment!

10--Funding Opportunity

Funding scholars for research on congressional leadership

Eligibility: Scholars of public administration or American studies, political scientists, historians, biographers, and journalists.

Deadline: Feb. 1, 2008.

Funds: Up to $30,000.

Contact: Frank H. Mackaman, The Dirksen Congressional Center, 2815 Broadway, Pekin, IL 61554-4219; (309) 347-7113; fmackaman@@dirksencenter.org.

The Dirksen Congressional Center is offering funding of up to $30,000 to scholars of public administration or American studies, political scientists, historians, biographers, and journalists for grants to fund research on congressional leadership and the U.S. Congress. The deadline to apply for this program is Feb. 1, 2008. In addition to the previously mentioned eligible candidates, graduate students who have successfully defended their dissertation prospectus are encouraged to apply. If you have any questions, contact Frank Mackaman at The Dirksen Congressional Center. Mackaman may be reached by either calling (309) 347-7113 or sending an email to fmackaman@@dirksencenter.org.

For more information, visit http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_grants_CRAs.htm.